JP2005061905A - Wind speed radar - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-sized, light weight and inexpensive new type wind speed radar of simple structure having a functional level same to phased array system one high in performance as a radar for measuring the wind speed and a wind direction of an air current in the atmospheric layer. <P>SOLUTION: This wind speed radar A<SB>1</SB>is provided with a spherical radio wave lens 1 of a Luneberg lens, and a plurality of sets (5 sets) of primary radiators 3 respectively in a zenith to be measured contacting with an outer circumference thereof, and in a focal position of a radio wave corresponding to an azimuth direction forming a zenith angle θ with respect to the east, west, south and north, and is constituted to reflection-return by the air current the emitted radio waves emitted switching the radio waves from an oscillator inside a control box 10 toward respective directions, and to receive the weak radio wave by a receiver to obtain a measured data of the wind direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wind speed radar that transmits and receives a signal via a lens antenna and measures a wind direction, a wind speed distribution, and the like in an atmospheric layer.

  Observing atmospheric motion in the atmospheric layer that is directly affected by radiation and absorption from the surface of the earth is important to know the global environment, and as part of this, observation of wind direction and wind speed distribution at each altitude is performed. Yes. In wind radars used for such observations, the direction of wind, that is, the direction in which radio waves are radiated to measure the wind direction, is the minimum zenith, and the three directions of the zenith angle θ direction in the north and east directions, usually In order to improve the reliability of the data, measurement is performed by radiating in five directions of the zenith angle θ direction toward the zenith and east, west, south, and north.

  In the past, the parabolic antenna system was used as the main component of the wind speed radar, but now it is a phased array from the viewpoint of performance due to its large size and inferior performance. Most of the methods are employed, and for example, the lens antenna method of other types than the above has not been adopted because of various problems. A phased array type antenna is an antenna that can arbitrarily control the directivity, that is, the transmission / reception direction of radio waves to be transmitted / received, by changing the relative phase of the power supply signal of the element antenna. In order to align the phase planes of the radio waves in the direction of transmission / reception, the phase shifters are connected to each element antenna so as to change the phase of the element antenna in accordance with the position.

  By the way, in order to easily observe the wind speed and direction of each location, the wind speed radar needs to be downsized and the structure simplified so that it can be moved easily. Although it is necessary to reduce the cost and reduce the cost, it is necessary to switch the radio wave (beam) at high speed in order to ensure data synchronism functionally, and receive wind pressure from the viewpoint of data stability in strong winds. It is desirable that the structure is difficult, and the zenith angle θ in the direction of radio waves is preferably variable.

  In response to these requirements for wind speed radar, the phased array antenna has a flat antenna surface and is parallel to the ground, so it is not easily affected by wind and can stably acquire data even in strong winds. In addition, since the beam direction is switched by controlling the phase of each element antenna, it is functionally compatible in that high-speed switching is possible. However, it is completely insufficient from the viewpoint of simplification of structure and cost reduction. This is due to the following reason.

  When a phased array antenna is used as a main component of a wind speed radar, as a condition for satisfying the characteristics as a wind speed radar, for example, the antenna gain for transmission / reception radio waves needs to be 30 dBi or more. In order to satisfy, it is necessary to arrange 100 or more element antennas. Each element antenna is connected with one phase shifter necessary for switching the beam direction, and these phase shifters have a control circuit, a control line, etc. for changing the necessary phase amount by the phase shifter. This makes the structure extremely complex. Furthermore, since the antenna is composed of a plurality of element antennas, a plurality of transmitters and receivers are required, and the phased array antenna is very expensive.

  On the other hand, when a parabolic antenna is used as a main component of a wind speed radar, it becomes one of the following two types. That is, (a) a type using three parabolic antennas, and (b) a type where one parabolic antenna is mechanically moved. In the case of the format (a), three parabolic antennas corresponding to the zenith, north, and east directions are installed, and the observation is performed by switching each. However, the direction switching is electronic switching. High-speed switching is possible.

  However, since three large antennas having a diameter of 1 m or more are installed side by side, they are very bulky, require a large installation area, and are limited in installation location. Therefore, it is not suitable for the downsizing of the apparatus because of its fundamental structure, and the cost increases. In addition, since the parabolic antenna is susceptible to wind pressure, the antenna shakes due to the influence of the wind during strong winds such as typhoons and affects the observation data, so that the accuracy and stability of the data are lacking. Furthermore, since the parabolic antenna is fixedly installed, the beam zenith angle θ cannot be easily changed.

  In the case of the format (b), the parabolic antenna can be freely rotated so as to correspond to the various observation directions. Therefore, only one parabolic antenna is required for all directions, and the format of the format (a) is bulky. However, in order to tilt a large antenna with a diameter of 1 m or more, or to move and fix it in a desired direction, an extremely large antenna support mechanism or control mechanism is required for the antenna, and the apparatus is inevitably increased in size. To do. Therefore, it is still difficult to reduce the size of the apparatus. Moreover, since the direction of the antenna is changed by machine operation, it takes time to change the direction, and the simultaneity of observation data between the directions cannot be obtained, and it is not possible to cope with severe weather changes. Further, as in the case of the format (a), there is a problem that the accuracy and stability of the data are lacking in a strong wind such as a typhoon.

  Furthermore, the lens antenna uses a radio wave lens that has been known for a long time as a Luneberg lens, and there are various difficulties in practical use anyway. Along with it is attracting attention.

The above-mentioned Luneberg lens is formed as a spherical lens by a central spherical core and a plurality of different-diameter spherical shells surrounding it, and each dielectric shell is made to have a different relative dielectric constant by using a dielectric material. The relative dielectric constant εγ of the part is defined to follow the following formula.
εγ = 2− (r / R) ²
R: radius of the sphere r: distance from the center of the sphere Note that the dielectric material is a material that exhibits paraelectricity, ferroelectricity, or antiferroelectricity and does not have electrical conductivity.

  Generally used as the dielectric material for the lens is a foam of synthetic resin, which is obtained by adding an inorganic high dielectric filler such as alkaline earth metal titanate to the synthetic resin and foaming it. Is also known. The relative dielectric constant of these dielectric foams is adjusted to a target value by controlling the specific gravity by varying the expansion ratio, and the higher the specific gravity, the higher the relative dielectric constant can be obtained.

  Dielectric foam is a raw material (synthetic resin alone or a mixture of synthetic resin and inorganic high-dielectric filler) added with a foaming agent that decomposes by heating to generate a gas such as nitrogen gas and puts it in a mold of the desired shape. The foamed chemical foaming method or pelletized material impregnated with a volatile foaming agent is prefoamed outside the mold in advance, and the resulting prefoamed beads are filled into a mold of the desired shape and then heated with steam or the like Then, it is manufactured by the bead foaming method in which the adjacent beads are fused together while being foamed again.

  Due to the progress of such molding methods, in recent years, a lens antenna of a practical level has been obtained with a small dielectric loss (attenuation factor) of radio waves. However, even if a lens antenna at a practical level can be used, for example, when used for communication between the ground and a communication satellite, radio waves emitted to a target object such as a wind speed radar In applications where a weak radio wave that is reflected back to receive information about a target is obtained, the use of a lens antenna is completely out of scope for antenna technology professionals. Therefore, there is no example in which such a wind speed radar has been proposed.

  In consideration of various problems of the conventional wind speed radar as described above, the present invention has the same function as a high-performance phased array system as a radar for measuring the wind speed and direction of airflow in the atmosphere layer. Another object of the present invention is to provide a new wind speed radar that is small and light, has a simple structure, and is inexpensive.

  As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention supports a spherical radio wave lens formed of an induction material so that the relative permittivity changes at a predetermined rate in the radial direction by a support member and is in contact with the outer periphery of the lens. A primary radiator is disposed along or along, and a control device for controlling a radio wave transmitted and received is connected to the primary radiator, and connected to the receiver, and is provided in a plurality of desired azimuth directions to be observed. It is a wind speed radar in which a primary radiator is arranged so that it can be located at or at the focal position of radio waves transmitted and received via a radio wave lens.

  The wind speed radar of the present invention having such a configuration sends out radio waves from a primary radiator disposed at a focal position corresponding to the azimuth direction of a predetermined zenith angle. The weak radio waves that are radiated through the radio wave lens are reflected back to the airflow in the atmosphere above the atmosphere and collected at the focal point by the radio wave lens, received by the primary radiator, received by the receiver, and received in the control circuit. Information on wind speed and direction is obtained by calculation. The measurement principle is the same as that of a conventionally known phased array type wind speed radar.

  That is, the radio wave radiated from the radar is partially scattered by atmospheric turbulence, and at the same time, a frequency shift occurs due to the Doppler effect due to the velocity of the air current. By observing this, the wind speed and direction can be measured. In such a measurement, a spherical or hemispherical lens that is a Luneberg lens is used, and the attenuation factor of the radio wave is small, so that an antenna gain sufficient to detect even a weak radio wave is obtained. Have.

  In the above measurement, the radio wave transmitted and received by the primary radiator is placed at the focal position corresponding to each of the zenith and the azimuth direction that forms the zenith angle θ with the primary radiator to be measured. Or move from another position so that it can be placed at the focal position, so that if it transmits from the primary radiator of each focal position, the reflected radio wave immediately returns to the primary radiator of that focal position, A radio signal in a predetermined azimuth direction is obtained. Therefore, wind speed and wind direction data can be obtained by detecting the radio signal and performing arithmetic processing.

  As described above in detail, the wind speed radar of the present invention has a spherical or hemispherical radio lens on the outer periphery of the zenith, and a focal position corresponding to a predetermined plurality of directions such as an azimuth direction of a predetermined zenith angle with respect to east, west, south and north. Alternatively, because the primary radiator is arranged so that it can be located at that position, the primary radiators in multiple directions are sequentially switched or moved so that they correspond to the respective directions, so that the data can be synchronized at high speed. Since the radio wave lens is spherical or hemispherical, it is not affected by wind pressure, and the primary radiator does not need to be connected to a phase shifter and does not require a large number of element antennas. And the simplification of the structure is easy, the circuit, parts, cables, etc. can be reduced as much as possible, and epoch-making effects such as cost reduction can be obtained.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a wind speed radar A _{1 according to} the first embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a spherical radio wave lens known as a Luneberg lens, which is supported by a support member 2. The support member 2 receives the radio wave lens 1 in an annular support plate 2a having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter R of the radio wave lens 1, and supports the annular support plate with a support leg 2b. The lower wave lens 1 more primary radiator 3 that corresponds to the desired viewing direction (five _{3 H, 3 N, 3 S} , 3 E, 3 W in the illustrated example) is fixedly disposed. These primary radiators 3 are supported on support rails 5 a and 5 b supported by a support shaft 4. 6 is a radome, 8 is a casing, and 10 is a control box containing a sending / receiving device, a control device and the like.

Telecommunications lens 1 is placed around the Tamakaku 1 ₁ of dielectric foam comprising the inorganic high dielectric filler, the dielectric foam 1 ₂ of a different径球shell comprising inorganic high dielectric filler on the outside, ......, 1 _n Are sequentially laminated. The spherical shell-shaped dielectric foams 1 ₂ ,..., 1 _n are formed by assembling a pair of half hemispherical shells to form a spherical shell. The radio wave lens 1 of the Luneberg lens type has a relative permittivity of about 1 from about 2 to the outside at the center so as to substantially follow the above-described equation of εγ = 2− (r / R) ^2. To change.

If this relative dielectric constant is adjusted only by changing the foaming ratio, the outer peripheral side requires a magnification of 10 times or more on the center side, so the addition ratio of the high dielectric filler is increased on the central side and decreased on the outer peripheral side. It is good to let them. The number _n of layers of the dielectric foam 1 _n is an arbitrary number. In the case of a communication antenna, about 8 to 9 is usually sufficient. It is set to 18 times or more and set so that the change in dielectric constant due to each layer of the dielectric foam changes finely and smoothly.

  In this example, the primary radiator 3 has a zenith direction with respect to the observation area from the ground to the sky to be observed as a wind speed radar, and an azimuth angle that forms a predetermined zenith angle θ with respect to the north, south, east, and west directions. Five element antennas are provided at focal positions corresponding to directions. As the primary radiator, there are a horn antenna, a patch antenna, a slot antenna, and the like, and any type thereof may be used.

  The zenith angle θ is usually set to an appropriate angle in the range of 10 ° to 15 °. In the illustrated example, each of the primary radiators 3 is fixedly installed in the corresponding azimuth direction on the support rails 5a and 5b. However, it is preferable that the support rails 5a and 5b can be moved via a guide roller (not shown) and can be fixed at a predetermined azimuth angle position so that the zenith angle θ can be changed within the above range.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a transmitter 11 and a receiver 12 are connected to the plurality of primary radiators 3, respectively, and a signal of a predetermined pulse from an oscillator 11f is amplified by the transmitter 11 and the primary radiator 3 is amplified. A weak radio wave that is radiated toward the atmosphere through the radio wave lens 1 and reflected by the atmospheric layer in the sky is received by the primary radiator 3 via the radio wave lens 1 and the signal is received by the controller 13. Is received by the receiver 12 switched via the transmission / reception switch 14 and detected by the signal detector 15 and then sent to the signal processor 16, and the detected signal is processed to calculate the wind velocity and direction of the atmospheric layer. It is configured to obtain information.

  The oscillator 11 f sends the signals of the plurality of oscillators 11 f to the primary radiators 3 to the primary radiators 3. A plurality of receivers 12 (five in the illustrated example) are connected corresponding to each of the plurality of primary radiators 3 and are provided so as to receive radio waves from the respective azimuth directions by the respective receivers 12. ing. Only one set of the transmitter 11 and the receiver 12 may be provided for the plurality of primary radiators 3 so that the primary radiator 3 can be selected by controlling the switch 14.

In the wind radar according to the embodiment configured as described above, the information on the wind speed and direction of the atmospheric layer can be observed as follows. That is, a pulsed radio wave is emitted from the transmitter 11 and radiated from one of the primary radiators 3 through the radio wave lens 1 toward a zenith angle θ in a predetermined direction (south in the illustrated example) (3 _S ). Then, the radio wave is slightly scattered due to the fluctuation of the refractive index due to atmospheric turbulence (turbulent flow) in the sky, and returns to the radio wave lens 1 with a time delay corresponding to a high altitude. Therefore, by measuring the scattered wave intensity as a function of time, it is possible to obtain altitude-specific data. Such a measurement is obtained by calculating the radio signal received by the receiver 12 in the control box 10.

  The above calculation is obtained as follows. Since the turbulent flow in the atmospheric layer in the sky moves on the atmospheric turbulence (wind), the scattered radio waves are subjected to a frequency displacement (Doppler shift) proportional to the wind speed V at the scattering point due to the Doppler effect. The following relational expression is established between the Doppler shift Δf and the line-of-sight direction wind speed (the radio wave radiation direction component of the wind speed) Vr.

ここで、ｆ：放射電波の周波数、ｃ：光速である。

Here, f is the frequency of the radiated radio wave, and c is the speed of light.

  In the above equation (1), the line-of-sight direction wind velocity Vr is negligibly small compared to the light velocity c. Therefore, if the above equation (1) is developed and the second and subsequent terms are ignored, the following equation is obtained.

  When the direction of the radio wave radiated from the primary radiator 3 is directed to the zenith, the vertical component Vz of the wind is obtained from the equation (2). Then, the horizontal component Vh of the wind is obtained from the following equation by switching the radio wave direction to a direction inclined by an angle ± θ from the zenith and measuring the line-of-sight direction wind speed Vr (θ). In this case, it is assumed that the wind within the radio wave measurement range is uniform.

  In the above equation (3), θ and −θ correspond to, for example, east and west, or north and south. From the above, the altitude distribution of the wind speed and direction at each altitude can be obtained.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of the wind speed radar A ₂ of the second embodiment. In the figure, only the radio wave lens 1, the primary radiator 3, the support shaft 4, and the support rails 5a and 5b are shown. However, the control box 10 including the radome 6, the transmitter, the receiver, and the control circuit is also the same as that of the first embodiment. They are similarly provided and are not shown for the sake of simplicity. In this embodiment, the support rails 5a and 5b are provided orthogonal to each other, and are installed so as to face, for example, east-west and north-south directions. Further, only one primary radiator 3 is provided, is movable through a support roller (not shown), and can be fixed at a predetermined azimuth position as required.

  The measurement method is basically the same as in the first embodiment, but the primary radiator 3 is moved and stopped at the zenith, the east, west, south, and north, at the zenith angle θ, and the wind speed and direction data at each position. The point to measure is different.

FIG. 4A shows a schematic configuration of the wind speed radar A ₃ of the third embodiment. This embodiment is also simply displayed as in the second embodiment, and the radome 6 and the control box 10 are naturally provided. The support rail 5 is provided with a length extending only in one direction, and the support shaft 4 is rotatable, and the primary radiator 3 _{H at the} zenith, and the primary that is movable in the direction that forms the zenith angle θ with the east-west-north-north. The difference is that the radiator 3 is provided.

FIG. 4B shows a schematic configuration of the wind speed radar A ₄ of the fourth embodiment. This embodiment is also shown by a simplified display similar to the third embodiment. This example is different from the third embodiment in that only one movable primary radiator 3 is provided and the zenith 3 _H is omitted.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of the wind speed radar B ₁ of the fifth embodiment. The wind speed radar B ₁ is different from the above-described embodiment in that the radio wave lens 1 ′ is hemispherical and has a reflector 7, but the support member 2 is omitted and the support shaft is omitted. 4 supports the reflecting plate 7, a hemispherical radio wave lens 1 ′ is placed on the reflecting plate 7, and a support rail 5 a supported by the reflecting plate 7 is provided with 5 b in an intersecting manner. The difference from the first embodiment is that three primary radiators 3 _N , 3 _S , 3 _E , 3 _W are arranged and 3 _H is placed at the intersection.

Radio waves radiated from a plurality of primary radiators 3 (3 _{N to} 3 _W , 3 _H ) are reflected by the reflecting plate 7 from the radio wave lens 1 ′, radiated in a predetermined azimuth direction, and returned from each direction. Is reflected by the reflecting plate 7 and received by the primary radiator 3 installed at the focal position, which is the same as in the first embodiment. Since the radio wave lens 1 'is hemispherical, the weight is reduced by half, and the size is reduced. And weight reduction. A plurality of primary radiators 3 (3 _{N to} 3 _W , 3 _H ) are fixedly installed at positions corresponding to azimuth directions of north-south, east-west, and zenith at zenith angles θ. It is preferable to provide a guide roller (not shown) so that it can move within a range of 10 ° to 15 °.

FIG. 6A shows a schematic configuration of the wind speed radar B ₂ of the sixth embodiment. In all of the following embodiments including this embodiment, the radio wave lens 1 ′ is hemispherical. Others correspond to the second embodiment of FIG. 3, and a movable primary radiator 3 is provided with respect to the support rails 5a and 5b which are crossed. The operation is basically the same as that of the wind speed radar A ₂ of the second embodiment.

FIG. 6B shows a schematic configuration of the wind speed radar B ₃ of the seventh embodiment. This embodiment corresponds to the wind speed radar A ₃ of the third embodiment. FIG. 7A shows a schematic configuration of the wind speed radar B ₄ of the eighth embodiment. This embodiment corresponds to the wind speed radar A ₄ of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 7B is a schematic configuration of the wind radar B ₃ ′ of the ninth embodiment, and the reflector 7 of the wind radar B ₃ of the seventh embodiment of FIG. 6B is inclined by a predetermined angle. Is set.

  The wind speed radar according to the present invention can easily and accurately measure the wind direction, wind speed distribution, and the like in the atmospheric layer using radio waves from the ground surface using a lens antenna, and is widely used for observation of atmospheric motion.

Schematic configuration diagram of the wind speed radar A ₁ of the first embodiment Explanation of overall schematic configuration and operation (A) Schematic block diagram of wind speed radar A2 of _2nd Embodiment, (b) The external appearance perspective view of a support rail (A) Schematic configuration diagram of wind speed radar A ₃ of the third embodiment, (b) Schematic configuration diagram of wind speed radar A ₄ of the fourth embodiment. Schematic configuration diagram of the wind speed radar B ₁ of the fifth embodiment (A) Schematic configuration diagram of the wind speed radar B ₂ of the sixth embodiment, (b) Schematic configuration diagram of the wind speed radar B ₃ of the seventh embodiment. (A) Schematic configuration diagram of the wind speed radar B ₄ of the eighth embodiment, (b) Schematic configuration diagram of the wind speed radar B ₃ ′ of the ninth embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Radio wave lens 2 Support member 3 Primary radiator 4 Support shaft 5 Support rail 6 Radome 7 Reflector 8 Casing 10 Control box 11 Transmitter 11f Oscillator 12 Receiver 13 Controller 14 Transmission / reception switch 15 Signal detector 16 Signal processor

Claims (4)

  A spherical radio wave lens formed using a dielectric material so that the relative permittivity changes in a predetermined ratio in the radial direction is supported by a support member, and a primary radiator is disposed in contact with or along the outer periphery of the lens. Connects the receiver to the radiator and connects to the receiver, and has a control device that controls the radio waves to be sent and received. The focal point of the radio waves sent and received via the radio lens in the desired azimuth directions to be observed. A wind speed radar in which a primary radiator is disposed at a position or at each focal position.   The wind speed radar according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of primary radiators are arranged corresponding to the focal positions of radio waves transmitted and received in the plurality of azimuth directions.   The wind radar according to claim 1, wherein one primary radiator is movably disposed so as to correspond to a focal position of radio waves transmitted and received in the plurality of azimuth directions.   4. The wind speed radar according to claim 1, further comprising a hemispherical radio lens obtained by dividing the spherical lens into two and a reflector for reflecting the radio wave in place of the spherical radio lens. 5.

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