JP2016133380A - Phase detector and satellite repeater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact and lightweight phase detector capable of detecting a phase uniquely.SOLUTION: The phase detector comprises first and second phase comparators, a delay circuit, and a determination section. The first phase comparator compares a comparison signal and a reference signal, and outputs a first voltage corresponding to a phase difference therebetween. The delay circuit delays a phase of the reference signal by a predetermined phase delay amount. The second phase comparator compares the comparison signal and the reference signal delayed by the phase delay amount, and outputs a second voltage corresponding to a phase difference therebetween. The determination section: obtains a detected phase difference from each of the first voltage and the second voltage; corrects the detected phase difference, obtained from the second voltage, with the phase delay amount; compares the corrected detected phase difference and the detected phase difference obtained from the first voltage; and determines, when they match each other, a phase corresponding to them as a correct phase of the comparison signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a phase detection device and a satellite repeater using the phase detection device.

  In recent years, a highly accurate signal phase detection device is required for the purpose of controlling the phase of a high-frequency signal. Hereinafter, satellite broadcasting will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to application to satellite broadcasting.

  Currently, satellite broadcasting using the 21 GHz band is being studied as a medium for providing future broadcasting services such as 8K Super Hi-Vision and stereoscopic television. This 21 GHz band broadcast radio wave is easily affected by rain, and the rain attenuation is larger than the current 12 GHz band satellite broadcast. Therefore, as a rain attenuation compensation technique, it has been attempted to control the radiation pattern of the broadcasting satellite and irradiate the entire country of Japan with uniform power while irradiating the region where rain attenuation occurs with increased power.

  An array-fed imaging reflector antenna has been proposed as a broadcasting satellite antenna for realizing this. This antenna has an array feeding section composed of a plurality of horn antennas, and can control the feeding phase of each horn and change the radiation pattern by synthesizing the radiation power in space (non-patent document). 1).

  However, even if the feeding phase of each horn is determined and controlled in advance, there is an error in the phase output by each phase control device, and the output phase of each horn must be measured by the detection device and readjusted. That is, in order to appropriately control the phase of the signal of each power feeding unit to be a desired phase value, it is necessary to accurately grasp the phase of each power feeding unit after control, and the phase detection device is installed inside the satellite. It is necessary to provide.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a spatially synthesized satellite repeater equipped with an array-fed imaging reflector antenna and a phase detection device based on the above idea.

  In FIG. 5, a receiving antenna 41 mounted on a satellite receives a radio wave including a broadcast signal and a control signal transmitted (uplink) from the earth station toward the satellite. The diplexer 42 electrically separates the signal transmission path and the reception path, and is necessary for sharing the reception antenna 41 as a transmission antenna for the earth station. The duplexer 43 separates the broadcast wave and the command signal from the received signal. The command receiver 44 individually gives a control signal to the array power supply unit 48 based on the received command signal. The receiver 45 converts the broadcast wave from the duplexer 43 into a transmission frequency for satellite broadcasting, and outputs a signal to the input filter 46. The input filter 46 performs a filtering process on the signal received from the receiver 45 and outputs an RF signal (broadcast signal) from which unnecessary waves are removed. The distributor 47 distributes the RF signal (broadcast signal) received from the input filter 46 to each array power supply unit 48. The array feeders 48 are provided independently corresponding to the number n of elements of the horn antenna 49, and each array feeder 48 includes a phase shifter 481, an amplifier 482, and an output filter 483. The broadcast signal is controlled to a predetermined phase based on the control signal, and power is supplied to the horn antenna 49. The horn antenna 49, together with the sub-reflecting mirror 51 and the main reflecting mirror 52, constitutes a broadcast wave transmission antenna (array-fed imaging reflector antenna), and transmits satellite broadcast waves to the ground (downlink).

  The phase detection device 1 branches the power supply signal from the array power supply unit 48 to the horn antenna 49 in the middle thereof, detects the signal phase, and sends the detected phase information to the telemetry transmitter 53. In addition to the phase information from the phase detector 1, the telemetry transmitter 53 transmits various satellite information (for example, satellite temperature, attitude information, each device status, etc.) to the earth station. Create a telemetry signal. The reception antenna 41 is also used as the telemetry transmission antenna 41, and performs transmission different from the satellite broadcast wave based on the telemetry signal transmitted from the telemetry transmitter 53 via the diplexer 42.

  Incidentally, in general, various monitoring devices such as a network analyzer can be used to detect the phase of a signal circuit on the ground. However, since the system of the spatial synthesis type satellite repeater shown in FIG. 5 is mounted on an artificial satellite and sent out to space, it can be determined from the ground whether the output of each array feeding unit has a desired phase value. It is necessary to automatically detect the inside of the satellite under the control of the above, and a device such as a network analyzer cannot be used in the satellite. Therefore, a phase detector that can be mounted on a satellite is required.

  Various conditions are required to mount the device / equipment on an artificial satellite. First, it must be designed to minimize power consumption. Artificial satellites generate electricity with solar cells, and it is necessary to use limited power resources effectively. Also, the weight of the device becomes a problem. There is a limit to the launch weight, and the weight of the device / equipment will squeeze the amount of fuel on the satellite. If sufficient fuel is not loaded, the number of times and the period in which attitude control and the like can be performed are limited, and the design life of the satellite is shortened.

  As a means for measuring the phase of an array antenna mounted on a satellite on the ground, there is an element electric field vector rotation method. This is a method in which the output phase of each radiating element is changed 360 degrees one element at a time, and the phase difference between the elements is obtained from the change in received power at the earth station. The transmission of modulated waves (broadcast waves) must be stopped, and it cannot be used for broadcast satellites that require continuous transmission.

  Therefore, for satellite broadcasting, there is a demand for a small phase detector that can be mounted on a satellite.

The following are known as phase difference detectors (phase difference comparators) that can be used as a small phase detector.
(A) using a D flip-flop (b) oscillating the phase to be detected in the time axis direction (c) using an exclusive OR

  Since the phase difference detector using the D flip-flop of (a) operates with an edge trigger, there is a high possibility of causing malfunction due to noise. Therefore, there is a problem in reliability for use in the space environment.

  A phase difference detector for obtaining the phase difference from the reference signal by oscillating the phase to be detected in (b) in the time axis direction is described in Patent Document 1, for example. Since this detection circuit also uses a D flip-flop, it has low resistance to noise. In addition, there is a disadvantage that the circuit scale is large. Furthermore, the detector of Patent Document 1 is based on the premise that the measurement object is a digital caliper, a digital micrometer, or the like, and is not suitable for measuring a phase difference of a high-frequency signal.

  On the other hand, the phase difference detector using the exclusive OR (EX-OR) in (c) is resistant to noise and has a relatively small circuit scale. As an apparatus, it is most promising to use a phase difference detector using the exclusive OR of (c). The exclusive OR (EX-OR gate) application type phase difference detector will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 6 shows the basic configuration of a phase difference detector (phase difference comparator), and its operating principle is shown in FIG. The phase difference detector includes a digital phase comparator 54 having ports 1 and 2, an integration circuit 55, and an amplifier 56. Here, the digital phase comparator 54 is configured by an exclusive OR (EX-OR) circuit.

  FIG. 7A shows a truth table of exclusive OR. The output (calculation result) is 0 when the inputs of port 1 and port 2 match, and the output (calculation result) is 1 when the inputs of port 1 and port 2 are different.

  FIG. 7B shows the relationship of each signal of the phase difference detector of the exclusive OR (EX-OR gate) application type. Based on the signal S1 input from the port 1 and the signal S2 input from the port 2, the digital phase comparator (exclusive OR circuit) 54 outputs an EX-OR output S3. That is, the output S3 is output at the position where the signals of the port 1 and the port 2 are shifted. When this logic output is smoothed by the integrating circuit 55 and amplified by the amplifier 56, an output voltage S4 proportional to the pulse width (phase shift) of the output S3 is obtained, which is referred to as a phase difference detection output (voltage) S4. Become. Thus, the phase shift between S1 and S2 can be detected, and the output voltage changes according to the magnitude of the phase difference (shift width).

  In the circuit of FIG. 6, when both the signals S1 and S2 are the same rectangular wave having a duty ratio of 50%, when the phase difference is 0 degree, the EX-OR output S3 is not generated, so the output voltage S4 is 0V. When the phase difference between S1 and S2 is between 0 and 180 degrees, the pulse width of the output S3 increases according to the phase difference (deviation width), so the output voltage S4 gradually increases, and when the phase difference is 180 degrees, the difference between S1 and S2 There is no overlap, and S4 becomes the maximum voltage. Then, when the phase difference exceeds 180 degrees, the signals of S1 and S2 overlap again, the pulse width of the EX-OR output S3 gradually decreases, and the phase difference between S1 and S2 is between 180 and 360 degrees. Since the signal overlap increases with the phase difference, the output voltage S4 gradually decreases. And it returns to the beginning with a phase difference of 360 degrees (= 0 degree), and the output voltage S4 becomes 0V.

  The reason why the output voltage S4 becomes 0V when the phase difference is 0 degree (360 degrees) and the output voltage S4 becomes the maximum voltage when the phase difference is 180 degrees is based on the output circuit of FIG. The maximum voltage at 180 degrees or 180 degrees depends on the circuit configuration of the output. Some commercially available exclusive OR application type phase difference detectors have a maximum voltage when the phase difference is 0 degree and an output voltage of 0 V when the phase difference is 180 degrees.

  In any case, the exclusive OR application type phase difference detector continuously outputs between the minimum voltage (0 V) and the maximum voltage when the output voltage is 0 to 180 degrees and 180 to 360 degrees. It changes and shows a symmetrical voltage characteristic centered on a phase difference of 180 degrees.

  As described above, the exclusive OR (EX-OR gate) application type phase comparator has a relatively simple circuit configuration without using a D flip-flop, and the level of the signal input to the port 1 and the port 2. The phase difference can be obtained as the output voltage.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-64100

Nagasaka et al., “21-GHz band array-fed imaging reflector antenna experimental model for broadcasting satellites”, ITE Technical Report, Vol.36 No.37, pp.17-20, (BCT2012-81), September 2012

  As described above, it is desirable to use an exclusive OR (EX-OR gate) application type phase comparator that is resistant to noise in a phase detection device mounted on a satellite.

  However, because the EX-OR type phase comparator has a phase difference-output voltage characteristic that is symmetric with a phase difference of 180 degrees as the center, the output voltage of the phase difference θ degree has a phase difference (360). It is equal to the output voltage of −θ) degrees. Therefore, there is a drawback that a unique phase difference cannot be obtained from the output voltage. Since the phase detection device mounted on the satellite is required to uniquely specify the phase difference, the EX-OR type phase comparator cannot be used as it is as the phase detection device for satellite.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention made in view of the above problems is to provide a lightweight and small phase detector capable of uniquely detecting a phase and a satellite repeater using the same. .

  In order to solve the above problems, a phase detection device according to the present invention is a phase detection device that detects a phase of a comparison signal with respect to a reference signal, compares the comparison signal with the reference signal, and responds to a phase difference. The first phase comparison unit that outputs the first voltage, the delay circuit that delays the phase of the reference signal by a predetermined phase delay amount, and the reference signal that is delayed by the phase delay amount are compared. A second phase comparator that outputs a second voltage according to the phase difference, a phase obtained from the first voltage, and a phase obtained by correcting the phase obtained from the second voltage with the phase delay amount And a determination unit for determining the phase of the comparison signal.

  In the phase detection device, the determination unit obtains a plurality of phases from the first voltage based on a phase difference-output voltage characteristic of the first phase comparison unit, and the second phase comparison A plurality of phases are obtained from the second voltage based on the phase difference-output voltage characteristics of the unit, the phase obtained from the second voltage is corrected by the phase delay amount, and the corrected phase and the first phase are corrected. It is desirable to compare the phase obtained from the voltage of 1 and determine the coincidence as the correct phase of the comparison signal.

  In the phase detection device, it is preferable that the first and second phase comparison units are exclusive OR (EX-OR gate) application type phase comparison units.

  In order to solve the above problems, a satellite repeater according to the present invention is characterized in that the phase detection device is used for phase detection of a signal fed to an array-fed imaging reflector antenna.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a small, lightweight and highly accurate phase detection device that is resistant to noise and can obtain a unique phase detection result.

  If the phase detector according to the present invention is used for a satellite repeater, the phase can be measured with high accuracy without affecting the broadcast signal. If the result of the phase measurement is fed back to the ground, radiation pattern control in which the phase error of the satellite repeater is corrected can be performed. For example, if this phase detector is applied to a 21 GHz (21.4 GHz to 22.0 GHz) satellite broadcasting system that is promising for 8K Super Hi-Vision broadcasting in the future, it is possible to compensate for rain attenuation by accurately forming a booster beam. The cut-off time due to can be reduced.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a phase detection device according to a first embodiment. It is a figure explaining the principle which detects the phase of this invention. It is a figure which shows the phase difference-output voltage characteristic of the exclusive OR (EX-OR gate) application type phase comparison part in an Example, and the example of a detection of a phase. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the principal part of the satellite repeater of Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a space synthetic | combination type satellite repeater. This is a basic configuration of an exclusive OR (EX-OR gate) application type phase comparator. This is the operation principle of an exclusive OR (EX-OR gate) application type phase comparator.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the phase detection device 1 of the present invention. The phase detection apparatus 1 includes a first EX-OR gate application type phase comparison unit 11, a second EX-OR gate application type phase comparison unit 12, a delay circuit 13, and a determination unit 14.

  The phase detection device 1 has two signal input terminals, and inputs a reference signal to one side and a comparison signal for obtaining a phase difference from the reference signal to the other side.

  The first EX-OR gate application type phase comparison unit 11 and the second EX-OR gate application type phase comparison unit 12 are of the exclusive OR (EX-OR gate) application type described with reference to FIGS. It has the same function as the phase difference detector, and includes input ports 1 and 2 and ports 3 and 4, respectively. It is desirable that the two EX-OR gate applied phase comparators (hereinafter also simply referred to as “phase comparators”) have the same characteristics.

  The first EX-OR gate application type phase comparison unit 11 inputs the comparison signal and the reference signal, which are the inputs of the phase detection device 1, to the port 1 and the port 2, respectively, and corresponds to the phase difference between the two signals. Output voltage. The output voltage is input to the determination unit 14.

  The delay circuit 13 is a circuit that delays the phase by a known phase delay amount (α degrees) with respect to the input. The delay circuit 13 is disposed between the reference signal input terminal of the phase detection device 1 and the port 4 of the second EX-OR gate application type phase comparison unit 12, and converts the phase of the reference signal to a predetermined phase delay amount (α Delay). Here, for the sake of explanation, “delay” is described, but if α is a negative value, the phase is substantially advanced, so that the delay circuit 13 may be interpreted as a phase shift circuit. . The phase delay amount (α degree) is a value other than 180 × n degrees (n is an integer).

  The second EX-OR gate applied phase comparison unit 12 inputs the comparison signal, which is the input of the phase detection device 1, as it is to the port 3, and outputs the output of the delay circuit 13, that is, the reference signal to the port 4 as a predetermined signal. A signal delayed in phase by an amount of phase delay (α degrees) is input, and a voltage corresponding to the phase difference between both signals of ports 3 and 4 is output. The output voltage is input to the determination unit 14.

  The determination unit 14 receives the output voltages of the first EX-OR gate application type phase comparison unit 11 and the second EX-OR gate application type phase comparison unit 12 as input, and the phase difference-output of the phase comparison units 11 and 12. The correct phase of the comparison signal with respect to the reference signal is determined based on the correspondence between the voltages and the procedure described later, and a phase detection output signal is output. This phase detection output signal is a signal that uniquely indicates the determined phase, and may be an analog signal or a digital signal.

  Hereinafter, a procedure (determination logic) for performing phase detection of the phase detection device 1 will be described.

  The case where the phase of the comparison signal (phase θ degree: unknown) whose phase is delayed by θ degrees with respect to the reference signal (phase 0 degree) will be described with reference to FIG.

  The phase comparison units 11 and 12 have the phase difference-output voltage characteristics 20 shown in FIG. 2 (the output maximum voltage is obtained when the phase difference between the ports is 0 degrees, the output is 0 V when the phase difference is 180 degrees, and the output is symmetrical about 180 degrees). Suppose you have it. Although the characteristic 20 is a theoretical value, a commercially available EX-OR gate application type phase comparator generally exhibits such a characteristic. Further, it is assumed that the delay circuit 13 causes a delay of a known phase delay amount (α degree).

  At this time, the input phase (phase with respect to the reference signal) of each port is as follows (where θ is an unknown value).

  Since the phase detection apparatus 1 has two phase comparison units and the reference signal of one phase comparison unit 12 is delayed, the first and second phase comparison units 11 and 12 have a phase comparison result. Different and output different voltages.

When the phase of Table 1 is input to each port, the first phase comparator 11 outputs a voltage V ₁ corresponding to the phase difference θ. As apparent from the characteristic 20 of the phase comparison unit 11 shown in FIG. 2, the phase comparison unit 11 outputs the voltage V ₁ at the two phase differences, so that the determination unit 14 outputs from the first phase comparison unit 11. Based on the voltage V ₁ , it is determined that the phase of the comparison signal input to the port 1 (phase with respect to the reference signal) is either θ degrees or (360−θ) degrees.

At this time, the second phase comparison unit 12 outputs a voltage V ₂ corresponding to the phase difference (θ−α). Similarly, from the output voltage V ₂ and the characteristic 20 of the phase comparison unit 12 shown in FIG. 2, the determination unit 14 determines the phase of the input signal (comparison signal) of the port 3 relative to the input signal (delayed reference signal) of the port 4. Is determined to be either (θ−α) degrees or (360−θ + α) degrees.

Here, since the phase delay amount (α degree) of the delay circuit 13 is known, the result obtained by the phase comparison unit 12 can be corrected. That is, if the original reference signal is input to the port 4, the phase difference from the comparison signal of the port 3 is increased by α degrees, and the same result as that of the first phase comparison unit 11 should be obtained. The original phase is obtained by the correction that adds the delay amount α degrees. Therefore, the determination unit 14 corrects the phase obtained from the output voltage V ₂ of the phase comparison unit 12 (adds α degree), and the original phase of the comparison signal of the port 3 (phase with respect to the reference signal) is θ degree. Or, it is determined that it is (360−θ + 2α) degrees.

  Next, the determination unit 14 compares the result obtained from the first phase comparison unit 11 with the result obtained by correcting the phase obtained from the second phase comparison unit 12. The first phase comparison unit 11 obtains a result that the phase of the comparison signal is either θ degrees or (360−θ) degrees, and the phase obtained from the second phase comparison unit 12 As a result that the phase of the comparison signal is either θ degrees or (360−θ + 2α) degrees is corrected, the true phase of the comparison signal is the first and second phases. It can be determined that the degree of the coincidence result of the comparison unit. Therefore, the determination unit 14 outputs a phase detection output signal that the phase of the comparison signal is θ degrees.

  Since (360-θ) degrees and (360-θ + 2α) degrees are usually different from each other and different from θ degrees, only one set of θ degrees has the same phase. Thus, the correct phase θ can be determined. However, when “2α degrees” is an integral multiple of 360 degrees, (360−θ) degrees and (360−θ + 2α) degrees coincide with each other, and two phases coincide with each other, and accurate determination cannot be performed. Accordingly, the phase delay amount (α) of the delay circuit 13 is set to a value other than 180 × n degrees (n is an integer).

As a special case, either θ degrees or (θ−α) degrees is 0 degrees (360 degrees) or 180 degrees, and the phase obtained from the output voltage V ₁ or the output voltage V ₂ is one line. Even at this time, the phase θ obtained from the first phase comparison unit 11 and the phase θ obtained by correcting the phase obtained from the second phase comparison unit 12 coincide with each other. Similar to the procedure, the matching phase θ among the three phases can be determined as the phase of the correct comparison signal. Furthermore, in this way, when the phase obtained from the output voltage V ₁ or the output voltage V ₂ is one, the phase of the correct comparison signal can be immediately derived from this one phase (without comparison). Therefore, it is also possible to provide a determination logic for omitting (bypassing) the procedure of comparing the results and selecting the matching phases, immediately obtaining the correct phase, and outputting the phase detection output signal.

  With the procedure as described above, the phase detection device 1 can uniquely obtain the correct phase of the comparison signal with respect to the reference signal.

(Example and phase detection result)
The result of having measured the phase detection apparatus 1 using the actual EX-OR gate application type phase comparator is shown.

  The phase difference-output voltage characteristic 30 shown in FIG. 3 is obtained by using a phase difference detector (phase difference between ports 1 and 2) with respect to a reference signal (unit: degree) for an existing (commercially available) exclusive OR application type phase difference detector. ] And its output voltage are characteristics obtained by actual measurement.

  In FIG. 3, square dots are actually measured data (discrete measured values) of the phase comparator, and the phase difference-output voltage characteristic 30 (solid line) can be obtained from the measured data by approximation such as the least square method. The actual output of the phase comparator changes gently near the phase difference of 0 degrees (360 degrees) and in the vicinity of 180 degrees, and the linearity is lost. However, there is no particular problem in the operation and effect of the present invention.

  The phase difference detector actually measured this time has a maximum voltage (about 1.8 V) at a phase difference of 0 degree (360 degrees), and a minimum voltage (about 0 V) at a phase difference of 180 degrees. The maximum value (for example, about 1.8 V) of the phase comparator output voltage depends on the amplification degree of the amplifier in the detector and can be set as appropriate.

  As an example, the first and second EX-OR gate application type phase comparison units 11 and 12 are configured by a phase difference detector having the characteristic 30 of FIG. The phase delay amount of the delay circuit 13 was set to 90 degrees.

  For verification of phase detection, a comparison signal having a phase difference of 60 degrees from the reference signal was used.

  When the comparison signal and the reference signal are input to the phase detection device 1, the output voltages (output voltages with respect to the phase difference) of the first phase comparison unit 11 and the second phase comparison unit 12 are 1.25V and 1.55V, respectively. Met. A line 31 indicating the output voltage level of the first phase comparison unit 11 and a line 32 indicating the output voltage level of the second phase comparison unit 12 are superimposed on the phase difference-output voltage characteristic 30 of FIG. Show.

  Each output voltage is input to the determination unit 14 and converted into a phase value (detection phase difference). In the conversion from the output voltage of each phase comparison unit to the detected phase difference in the determination unit 14, a voltage / phase conversion table can be used. The voltage / phase conversion table can be created from the measurement data of the input / output characteristics of the phase comparison unit alone. It is also possible to have the characteristics of the phase comparison unit as a function (calculation formula) and derive the phase value by calculation.

  As a result of the conversion in the determination unit 14, phase values (detected phase differences) of 60 degrees and 305 degrees are obtained from the output voltage of the first phase comparison unit 11, and 35 degrees from the output voltage of the second phase comparison unit 12. And a phase value of 330 degrees are obtained (FIG. 3). 330 degrees is the same as −30 degrees.

  The reference signal of the phase comparator 12 is delayed by 90 degrees by the delay circuit. Since this is already known, the determination unit 14 performs a correction operation to add 90 degrees to the detection result (phase value) of the phase comparison unit 12.

  The relationship among the output voltage, the detected phase difference, the delay correction amount, and the corrected phase difference is summarized as follows.

  As shown in Table 2, when the detection result (phase value) of the phase comparison unit 11 and the detection result (phase value) after correction of the phase comparison unit 12 are compared, there is one 60 degree as a matching phase value, The actual phase difference is obtained.

  From the above, it was verified that the phase detection device according to the present invention can accurately obtain a unique phase detection result.

(Embodiment 2)
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The second embodiment of the present invention is a space synthesis type satellite repeater using the phase detection apparatus described in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a main part of a configuration example of the satellite repeater according to the second embodiment. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In FIG. 4, since the RF signal (broadcast signal) output from the input filter 46 is input to the distributor 47, the signal fed to each horn antenna 49 is branched and input to the phase detection device 1. The phase information is output until it is output.

  The phase detection device 1 includes two EX-OR gate application type phase comparison units 11 and 12, a delay circuit 13, and a determination unit 14, and has the same configuration as the phase detection device 1 of the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 4, the distributor 47, the array power feeding unit 48, the horn antenna 49, and the like are the same as those in FIG. A directional coupler 484 is disposed in the signal path from the output filter 483 toward the horn antenna 49 (number of elements n), and a part of the signal fed to the horn antenna 49 is, for example, about −10 dB or −20 dB as necessary. And then branch off. In FIG. 4, the phase difference (difference in waveguide length, etc.) due to the connection between the components is not taken into consideration. However, in the actual design, the influence on the phase due to these connections is different from each horn and the reference signal. It is necessary to make adjustments such that the phase difference due to connection is corrected by calculation.

  A part of the broadcast signal is distributed and input to one of the inputs of the phase detector 1 from the distributor 47, and this is used as a reference signal. In order to detect the phase, a signal serving as a reference for the phase is required. In this satellite repeater, it is appropriate to use the same signal as the signal input to the array power supply unit 48.

  The other of the inputs of the phase detector 1 receives a branch output of the array feeding unit 48 (the combined output of the directional coupler after phase adjustment and amplification), and uses this signal as a comparison signal as a reference signal. Phase detection for. Since the array power supply unit 48 is composed of a plurality of power supply units (the same number as the horn antenna), there are a plurality of branch outputs, but the switch 50 can select a branch output from a desired power supply unit.

  The phase detection procedure described in the first embodiment is performed on the branch output signal of the selected power feeding unit. That is, the detection phase difference is obtained from the output voltage of the first EX-OR gate application type phase comparison unit 11, and the reference signal is delayed from the output voltage of the second EX-OR gate application type phase comparison unit 12. Find the detected phase difference. Thereafter, the detected phase difference obtained from the second phase comparison unit 12 is corrected by the phase delay amount, and the corrected phase difference is compared with the detected phase difference of the first phase comparison unit 11. The phase detection result is obtained with the phase difference obtained from the first and second phase comparison units matching the correct phase of the comparison signal. Thus, the phase difference of the branch output signal of one power supply unit with respect to the reference signal is obtained.

  Next, the comparison signal side is sequentially switched by the switch 50 to determine how much each signal is different in phase with respect to the reference signal for the branch output signals of all the power feeding units of the array power feeding unit 48. . If the phase difference of each branch output signal with respect to the reference signal is known, the phase relationship between the entire output signals of the respective power feeding units supplied to the horn antenna 49 can be known. This phase information is transmitted to the earth station as a telemetry signal.

  In the phase control of the array-fed imaging reflector antenna, if the relative phase difference between the signals fed to the horn antennas is known, it can be known whether the desired radiation pattern is obtained. In the earth station, the satellite operator can obtain the phase information of the array power feeding unit sent as a telemetry signal and transmit a command signal for necessary correction to the satellite repeater.

  As described above, according to the spatial synthesis type satellite repeater according to the second embodiment, the radiation pattern of the broadcasting satellite can be accurately controlled from the ground by providing the phase detection device 1 in the array power supply unit 48.

  In addition, for example, even when the phase characteristics of the amplifier change due to aging of the equipment that constitutes the satellite repeater, the command signal is reflected by reflecting the phase change using the measurement result of the phase detector. By sending, appropriate control can be performed.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these variations and modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions and the like included in each means can be rearranged so that there is no logical contradiction, and a plurality of means can be combined into one or divided.

  The apparatus of the present invention is used for phase detection of high frequency signals. In particular, it is useful as a phase detector mounted on a satellite repeater. In addition, this phase detection device can be used when a phase control is performed using a plurality of antennas in a mobile phone base station or the like to appropriately control a cover area or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Phase detection apparatus 11 EX-OR gate application type phase comparison part 12 EX-OR gate application type phase comparison part 13 Delay circuit 14 Judgment part 20 Characteristics of EX-OR gate application type phase comparison part (theory)
30 Characteristics of EX-OR gate application type phase comparator (actual measurement)
41 receiving antenna, telemetry transmitting antenna 42 diplexer 43 duplexer 44 command receiver 45 receiver 46 input filter 47 distributor 48 array feeder 49 horn antenna 50 switch 51 sub-reflecting mirror 52 main reflecting mirror

Claims (4)

A phase detection device for detecting a phase of a comparison signal with respect to a reference signal,
A first phase comparator that compares the comparison signal with the reference signal and outputs a first voltage according to a phase difference;
A delay circuit that delays the phase of the reference signal by a predetermined phase delay amount;
A second phase comparison unit that compares the comparison signal with a reference signal delayed by the phase delay amount and outputs a second voltage according to a phase difference;
A determination unit that determines a phase of a comparison signal based on a phase obtained from the first voltage and a phase obtained by correcting the phase obtained from the second voltage with the phase delay amount;
A phase detection apparatus comprising:   2. The phase detection device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit obtains a plurality of phases from the first voltage based on a phase difference-output voltage characteristic of the first phase comparison unit, and the second A plurality of phases are obtained from the second voltage based on the phase difference-output voltage characteristics of the phase comparison unit, the phase obtained from the second voltage is corrected with the phase delay amount, and the corrected phase And the phase obtained from the first voltage, and the matching phase is determined as the correct phase of the comparison signal.   3. The phase detection device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second phase comparison units are exclusive OR (EX-OR gate) application type phase comparison units. apparatus.   A satellite repeater using the phase detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 for phase detection of a signal fed to an array-fed imaging reflector antenna.

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