JP2017069656A - Antenna apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an antenna apparatus suitable for a moving antenna apparatus, and to provide a control method of the antenna apparatus.SOLUTION: An antenna apparatus includes: a plurality of antenna elements respectively arrayed in an elevation angle direction and an azimuth direction to receive propagated signals; a plurality of receiving modules each for generating a sum output and a difference output from the signals received by the plurality of antenna elements; a sum synthesizer for synthesizing the sum outputs of the plurality of receiving modules in the azimuth direction and extracting a sum synthesis output; a difference synthesizer for synthesizing the difference outputs of the plurality of receiving modules in the azimuth direction and extracting a difference synthesis output; and a processing unit for forming a main beam in a desired direction from the sum synthesis output and the difference synthesis output. A part of the difference outputs of the plurality of receiving modules is extracted as an interference wave suppression beam.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

  The present invention relates to an antenna device and a control method thereof, and more particularly to an array antenna device including an interference wave removal function and a control method thereof.

  In this type of antenna device, the main beam is formed by combining the power of all or some of the antenna openings in a planar or cylindrical two-dimensional array. An interference wave suppression antenna is mounted for the purpose of interference wave suppression.

  As shown in FIG. 5A or FIG. 5B, a method of forming an interference wave suppression beam by mounting an interference wave suppression antenna on the top or side surface of the array antenna is generally used. According to the implementation of the interference wave suppression antenna as shown in FIG. 5A or FIG. 5B, an interference wave suppression beam is formed as shown in the radiation pattern characteristic diagram of FIG. However, this method is not suitable for a mobile antenna having a limited mounting space. For this reason, in a mobile antenna having a limited mounting space, a method using a part of the power of the antenna opening for interference wave suppression is more common.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a background art array antenna apparatus that uses part of the power of the antenna aperture for interference wave suppression. Next, the operation will be described. First, the signals received by the antenna elements 102-1 to 102-N * M are analog-combined in the elevation direction by the column arrays 101-1 to 101-N, respectively. The column arrays 101-1 to 101-N include first directional couplers 103-1 to 103-N * M. By adjusting the coupling degree of these first directional couplers 103-1 to 103-N * M, a desired aperture amplitude distribution is realized, and a main beam having a low side lobe is formed in the elevation angle direction.

  The power that has not been used for power combining is terminated by the first terminators 104-1 to 104- (M-K). The vicinity of the center of the first directional couplers 103-1 to 103-N * M is leaked to the first terminators 104-1 to 104- (M-K) by setting the coupling degree high. Electric power is reduced. The first directional couplers 103-1 to 103-N * M have a low degree of coupling in the vicinity of the ends, so that a large amount of power is generated from the first terminators 104-1 to 104- (M−K). ).

  In the array antenna apparatus according to the background art, wide-angle interference in the elevation direction is obtained by taking out a part of the power that has been terminated near the end of the first directional couplers 103-1 to 103-N * M. A wave suppression beam is formed. Interference wave suppression signal output circuits 106-1 to 106-N include second directional couplers 107-1 to 107-N * K and second terminators 108-1 to 108-N * K. . Signals output from the connection terminals 105-1 to 105-N * K are combined in the elevation angle direction by the interference wave suppression signal output circuits 106-1 to 106-N, respectively. Further, the switch circuit 109 selects any one of these interference wave suppression beams. Since the selected interference wave suppression beam has a wide beam width in the azimuth direction, interference waves in any direction can be suppressed. Thus, in the array antenna device of the background art, a part of the power of the opening can be used for interference wave suppression.

  Next, a cylindrical elevation angle DBF (Digital Beam Forming) antenna apparatus will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining the cylindrical elevation DBF antenna device. 7 includes antenna elements 201-1 to 201-N * M, receiving modules 202-1 to 202-N * M, summing combiners 210-1 to 210-M, and difference combining unit 211-. 1-211-M. Furthermore, the antenna apparatus of FIG. 7 includes amplifiers 213-1 to 213-2, a receiver 214, and a DBF processor 215.

  The reception modules 202-1 to 202-N * M include low noise amplifiers 203-1 to 203-N * M, phase shifters 204-1 to 204-N * M, and variable attenuators 205-1 to 205-N. * Has M Furthermore, the receiving modules 202-1 to 202-N * M include dual distributors 206-1 to 206-N * M and 0 / π phase shifters 207-1 to 207-N * M.

  Sum combiners 210-1 to 210-M and difference combiners 211-1 to 211-M perform analog synthesis in the azimuth direction. The DBF processor 215 performs digital synthesis in the elevation direction.

  Of the antenna elements 201-1 to 201-N * M, a signal received through the aperture 1 made up of the antenna elements 201-1 to 201-J * M is amplified by the receiving modules 202-1 to 202-J * M. Phase controlled. Further, the sum synthesizers 210-1 to 210-M and the difference synthesizers 211-211 to 11-M are respectively analog-synthesized in the azimuth direction to form a low sidelobe sum pattern and difference pattern in the azimuth direction. .

  At this time, the signals received by the antenna elements 201- (J * M + 1) to 201-N * M are amplified by turning off the low noise amplifiers 203- (J * M + 1) to 203-N * M. Not. The sum pattern and the difference pattern are subjected to analog-digital conversion by the receiving units 213-1 to 213-2M, and digitally combined in the elevation direction by the DBF processor 215 to form a main multi-beam in the elevation direction.

  Although the operation of the aperture 1 including the antenna elements 201-1 to 201-J * M has been described, the same operation is performed for the aperture 2 including the antenna elements 201- (M + 1) to 201-{(J + 1) * M}. . The same operation is performed for the aperture 3 formed of the antenna elements 201- (2M + 1) to 201-{(J + 2) * M}. A feature of the cylindrical elevation DBF antenna is that a main multi-beam is formed in all directions by moving the openings one after another, opening 1, opening 2, opening 3,.

  Patent Document 1 relates to a phased array antenna. In Patent Literature 1, a row array is configured by arranging a plurality of transmission / reception modules having antenna elements along the circumference, and a cylindrical array is configured by arranging a plurality of rows in the vertical direction. Proposed. Patent Document 1 proposes that a DBF multi-beam is formed in the elevation direction, a monopulse beam is formed in the azimuth direction, and azimuth scanning is performed by switching a module switch.

JP 2009-65348 A

  However, the above-described interference wave suppression antenna device of the background art has a problem that it is difficult to apply to the cylindrical elevation DBF antenna device. The reason will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B.

  In FIG. 8A, the synthesizers equivalent to the column array of the background art are arranged in a cylindrical shape. In the case of a cylindrical antenna, since the apertures are switched one after another, the aperture amplitude distribution cannot be given by adjusting the coupling degree of the combiner. Therefore, it is indispensable to set the aperture surface amplitude distribution by the amplitude attenuator of the receiving module and to use a synthesizer having a uniform degree of coupling. In a synthesizer having a uniform degree of coupling, there is no electric power leaking out, and therefore an interference wave suppression beam cannot be extracted. For this reason, it is necessary to individually attach the interference wave suppressing antenna, and the mobility is impaired. FIG. 8B shows a configuration in which complicated matrix switches are arranged. The matrix switch is a complicated switch that can select an arbitrary plurality of elements from the input reception signals of all elements. In FIG. 8B, it plays a role of selecting a desired aperture and outputting the selected received signal to the synthesizer. In this system, a desired aperture amplitude distribution can be given to the synthesizer, but the above complex matrix switch and a huge number of cables are required. For this reason, it is not suitable as a moving antenna device in terms of mounting and mass.

[Object of invention]
An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna device suitable for a moving antenna device and a control method thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, an antenna device according to the present invention includes a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an elevation angle direction and an azimuth direction for receiving a propagated signal, and the signals received by the plurality of antenna elements. The difference between the plurality of receiving modules that generate the sum output and the difference output from the sum, the sum combiner for combining the sum outputs of the plurality of receiving modules in the azimuth direction to extract the sum combined output, and the plurality of receiving modules A difference combiner for combining the outputs in the azimuth direction to extract a difference combined output, and a processing unit for forming a main beam in a desired direction from the sum combined output and the difference combined output,
A part of the difference outputs of the plurality of receiving modules is extracted as an interference wave suppression beam.

An antenna device control method according to the present invention is a method for controlling an antenna device that receives signals propagated by a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an elevation angle direction and an azimuth direction, respectively.
A plurality of sum outputs and a plurality of difference outputs are generated from the signals received by the plurality of antenna elements, and the plurality of sum outputs are combined in the azimuth direction to obtain a sum combined output, and the plurality of difference outputs are converted to the azimuth direction. To extract a difference combined output, form a main beam in a desired direction from the sum combined output and the difference combined output, and extract a part of the plurality of difference outputs as an interference wave suppression beam. Features.

  The present invention can suppress the interference wave by forming an interference wave suppression beam in the same direction as the main beam by combining and selecting a part of the difference outputs of the reception module.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the antenna device of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the switch unit 17 of FIG. 1A. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the antenna device of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the antenna device of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the antenna device of 4th Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a conceptual diagram which shows the case where an interference wave suppression antenna is mounted on the upper part of an antenna array, (b) is a conceptual diagram which shows the case where an interference wave suppression antenna is mounted on the side surface of an antenna array, (c ) Is a radiation pattern characteristic diagram. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example in the case of using the electric power of a part of antenna opening for interference wave suppression. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of an elevation angle direction DBF antenna apparatus. (A) is a block diagram showing a configuration example in which synthesizers are arranged in a cylindrical shape, and (b) is a block diagram showing a configuration example in which matrix switches are arranged.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the direction of the arrow in a drawing shows an example and does not limit the direction of the signal between blocks. Before describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the embodiment according to the highest concept of the present invention will be described.

  The antenna device according to the embodiment of the top-level concept of the present invention includes a plurality of antenna elements respectively arranged in an elevation angle direction and an azimuth direction for receiving a propagated signal. Further, the antenna device combines a plurality of receiving modules that generate a sum output and a difference output from the signals received by the plurality of antenna elements and a sum output of the plurality of receiving modules in the azimuth direction to obtain a sum combined output. And a summing synthesizer for taking out. Further, the antenna device is configured to combine a difference output of the plurality of receiving modules in the azimuth direction and extract a difference combined output, and a main direction in a desired direction from the sum combined output and the difference combined output. And a processing unit for forming a beam. And this antenna apparatus takes out a part of difference output of said several receiving module as an interference wave suppression beam.

  The method for controlling an antenna device according to the present invention is a method for controlling an antenna device that receives signals propagated by a plurality of antenna elements respectively arranged in an elevation angle direction and an azimuth direction. The control method generates a plurality of sum outputs and a plurality of difference outputs from the signals received by the plurality of antenna elements, combines the plurality of sum outputs in the azimuth direction to extract a sum combined output, and outputs the plurality of sum outputs. The difference output is combined in the azimuth direction to extract the difference output. Further, this control method forms a main beam in a desired direction from the sum synthesis output and the difference synthesis output. Further, this control method extracts a part of the plurality of difference outputs as an interference wave suppression beam.

  According to this embodiment, a part of the difference output of the receiving module is extracted as an interference wave suppression beam. The interference wave can be suppressed by comparing the reception level of the main beam with the reception level of the interference wave suppression beam. Thereby, an antenna device suitable for the moving antenna device can be realized in terms of mounting and mass. Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described more specifically.

[First Embodiment]
An antenna device according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a control method thereof will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is a block diagram showing the configuration of the antenna device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the switch unit 17 of FIG. 1A.

[Description of configuration]
The antenna device of the present embodiment is a cylindrical elevation DBF (Digital Beam Forming) antenna, which forms a main multi-beam with a low side lobe in a desired direction, performs monopulse angle measurement in the azimuth direction, has a wide angle in all directions, An interference wave suppression beam having a good signal to noise ratio is formed. As shown in FIG. 1A, the antenna device of the present embodiment includes a plurality of antenna elements 1-1 to 1-N * M, receiving modules 2-1 to 2-N * M, and summing combiners 10-1 to 10-10. -M, difference combiners 11-1 to 11- (M-1), and amplifiers 12-1 to 12-2M. Furthermore, the antenna device of this embodiment includes a receiver 14, a DBF (Digital Beam Forming) processor 15, a switch unit 17, an interference wave suppression beam controller 21, and a signal processing unit 22. An example of the processing unit of the embodiment of the top-level concept described above is the DBF processor 15 in the present embodiment.

  The plurality of antenna elements 1-1 to 1-N * M are arranged in the elevation direction and the azimuth direction in order to receive the propagated signal, and N * M antenna elements are arranged as a whole. FIG. 1A shows a state in which M antenna elements 1-1 to 1-M are arranged in the elevation direction, and such a plurality of antenna elements are arranged in the azimuth direction. That is, M antenna elements 1-1 to 1-M, M antenna elements 1-M + 1 to 1-2M, M antenna elements 1-2M + 1 to 1-3M,..., And M antenna elements 1 -{(N-1) * M + 1} to 1-N * M are arranged.

  The reception modules 2-1 to 2-N * M are low-noise amplifiers 3-1 to 3-N * M for amplifying the reception signal of the antenna element with low noise, and a phase shift for phase-controlling the amplified signal. Devices 4-1 to 4-N * M. Further, the receiving modules 2-1 to 2-N * M are variable attenuators 5-1 to 5-N * for controlling the amplitude of the phase-controlled signals from the phase shifters 4-1 to 4-N * M. M is included. Further, the reception modules 2-1 to 2-N * M include two distributors 6-1 to 6-N * M for dividing the amplitude-controlled signal into two to generate a sum output and a difference output. Further, the receiving modules 2-1 to 2-N * M have 0 / π for setting the phase difference between the signals divided by the two distributors 6-1 to 6-N * M to 0 ° or 180 °. Including phase shifters 7-1 to 7-N * M. Further, the reception modules 2-1 to 2-N * M have sum output connection terminals 8-1 to 8-N * M and difference output connection terminals 9-1 to 9-N * M.

  The sum combiners 10-1 to 10-M are connected to the sum output connection terminals 8-1 to 8-N * M of the reception modules 2-1 to 2-N * M, and receive modules 2-1 The sum output of ˜2-N * M is synthesized in the azimuth direction, and the sum synthesis output is taken out. For example, the sum synthesizer 10-1 includes the connection terminals 8-1, 8-M + 1,..., 8 of the sum outputs of the receiving modules 2-1, 2-M + 1, ..., 2-{(N-1) * M + 1}. -It is connected to {(N-1) * M + 1}, and the sum output of the receiving module is synthesized in the azimuth direction and the sum synthesis output is taken out. For example, the sum combiner 10-M is connected to the connection terminals 8-M, 8-2M,..., 8-N * M of the sum outputs of the receiving modules 2-M, 2-2M,. Connected, the sum output of the receiving module is synthesized in the azimuth direction, and the sum synthesis output is taken out.

  The difference combiners 11-1 to 11- (M-1) are reception modules 2-2 to 2-2M, 2-M + 2 to 2-3M, ..., 2-{(N-1) * M + 2} to 2. Connected to -N * M differential output connection terminal. For example, the difference synthesizer 11-1 includes the difference output connection terminals 9-2, 9-M + 2,..., 9 of the reception modules 2-2, 2-M + 2,..., 2-{(N-1) * M + 2}. -It is connected to {(N-1) * M + 2}, and the difference output of the receiving module is combined in the azimuth direction to extract the difference combined output. For example, the difference synthesizer 11- (M-1) includes connection terminals 9-M, 9-2M,..., 9- for the difference outputs of the receiving modules 2-M, 2-2M,. N * M is connected, and the difference output of the receiving module is combined in the azimuth direction to extract the difference combined output.

  The amplifiers 12-1 to 12-2M amplify the sum synthesis output and the difference synthesis output.

  The receiving units 13-1 to 13-2M of the receiver 14 perform analog-to-digital conversion on the amplified sum combined output and difference combined output of the amplifiers 12-1 to 12-2M.

  The DBF processor 15 has memories 16-1 to 16-2 therein. For example, the memory 16-1 stores aperture plane amplitude distribution information for the sum pattern, and the memory 16-2 stores aperture plane amplitude distribution information for the difference pattern. The DBF processor 15 digitally synthesizes the received analog / digital converted output in the elevation direction to form a main multi-beam.

  The switch unit 17 extracts a part of the difference outputs of the reception modules 2-1 to 2-N * M as an interference wave suppression beam. In FIG. 1A, the switch unit 17 includes the receiving modules 2-1, 2-M + 1, 2-2M + 1,..., 2-{(N-1) * M + 1} among the receiving modules 2-1 to 2-N * M. , 9-{(N−1) * M + 1} are connected to the connection terminals 9-1, 9-M + 1,. The difference outputs from the connection terminals 9-1, 9-M + 1,..., 9-{(N-1) * M + 1} are combined and extracted as an interference wave suppression beam. As shown in FIG. 1B, the switch unit 17 includes combiners 18-1 to 18 -K and a switch 19.

  The interference wave suppression beam controller 21 controls the switch 19 of the switch unit 17 to switch the interference wave suppression beam. The signal processing unit 22 performs interference wave suppression by comparing the reception level of the main beam and the reception level of the interference wave suppression beam.

[Description of operation]
Next, the operation of the antenna device of this embodiment will be described. The antenna elements 1-1 to 1-N * M each receive a signal propagated through space.

  The low noise amplifiers 3-1 to 3-N * M of the reception modules 2-1 to 2-N * M amplify the reception signal of the antenna element with low noise. The phase shifters 4-1 to 4-N * M control the phase of the amplified signals from the low noise amplifiers 3-1 to 3-N * M. The variable attenuators 5-1 to 5-N * M control the amplitude of the phase-controlled signals from the phase shifters 4-1 to 4-N * M. By these actions, a main beam having a low side lobe is formed in a desired direction.

  Further, the two dividers 6-1 to 6-N * M divide the signal whose amplitude is controlled by the variable attenuators 5-1 to 5-N * M into two to generate a sum output and a difference output. The 0 / π phase shifters 7-1 to 7-N * M set the phase difference between the signals divided by the two distributors 6-1 to 6-N * M to 0 ° or 180 °. With these functions, a sum output and a difference output for monopulse angle measurement in the azimuth direction are generated.

  Furthermore, sum combiners 10-1 to 10-M, difference combiners 11-1 to 11- (M-1), amplifiers 12-1 to 12-2M, and receiving units 13-2 to 13-2M The sum output and the difference output are subjected to analog synthesis and analog-digital conversion in the azimuth direction. Further, a sum synthesis output and a difference synthesis output of the low noise digital signal are generated. The DBF processor 15 digitally synthesizes the sum synthesis output and the difference synthesis output from the receiver 14 in the elevation direction to form a main multi-beam having a low side lobe.

  The combiners 18-1 to 18-K in the switch unit 17 combine the difference outputs from the connection terminals 9-1, 9-M + 1,..., 9-{(N−1) * M + 1}. The interference wave suppression beam controller 21 operates to control the switch unit 17 so as to form an interference wave suppression beam in a desired direction. The interference wave suppression beam controller 21 controls selection of the switch 19 of the switch unit 17 to form an interference wave suppression beam in the same direction as the main beam.

  Of the receiving units 13-1 to 13-2M of the receiver 14, the receiving unit 13-1 performs analog-to-digital conversion on the interference wave suppression beam signal in the same manner as the receiving units 13-2 to 13-2M.

  The module controller 20 includes phase shifters 4-1 to 4-N * M of the receiving modules 2-1 to 2-N * M, variable attenuators 5-1 to 5-N * M, and 0 / π phase shift. Units 7-1 through 7-N * M are controlled to form a low sidelobe main beam in the desired direction. Since the digital synthesis in the elevation direction is performed by the DBF processor 15, the module controller 20 performs only the amplitude / phase control in the azimuth direction.

  The signal processing unit 22 compares the reception level of the main beam with the reception level of the interference wave suppression beam and performs an operation for suppressing the interference wave.

  According to this embodiment, some of the difference outputs of the plurality of receiving modules 2-1 to 2- {N * M} are used for interference wave suppression. Specifically, among the plurality of receiving modules, the receiving terminals 2-1, 2-M + 1, 2-2M + 1,..., 2-{(N-1) * M + 1} connecting terminals 9-1, 9-M + 1, ..., 9-{(N-1) * M + 1}, the difference output is synthesized and extracted as an interference wave suppression beam. Since a part of the difference output is used for interference wave suppression, the antenna gain of the difference pattern is slightly reduced. However, since only the sum pattern is used for detection of a radar system or the like, it does not affect the target detection performance of the antenna. In order to avoid a slight deterioration in the angle measurement accuracy due to a slight increase in the beam width in the elevation direction of the difference pattern, the aperture amplitude distribution in the elevation direction given to the sum pattern is changed by the DBF processor 15 to measure the angle. It is also possible not to deteriorate the accuracy. In this case, the aperture amplitude distribution information for the sum pattern is stored in the memory 16-1 inside the DBF processor 15, and the aperture amplitude distribution information for the difference pattern is stored in the memory 16-2. Thus, it is a feature of the operation of the present invention that the performance of the main beam can be controlled in accordance with the system operation.

[Description of effects]
According to the antenna device of the present embodiment, a part of the difference outputs of the receiving modules 2-1 to 2-N * M is synthesized and selected to form an interference wave suppression beam in the same direction as the main beam, The reception level of the main beam and the reception level of the interference wave suppression beam are compared to suppress the interference wave. Thereby, an antenna device suitable for the moving antenna device can be realized in terms of mounting and mass. The present invention can be applied to a mobile antenna having a limited mounting space, and the main beam detection performance of the antenna can be prevented from being deteriorated.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an antenna device according to a second embodiment of the present invention and a control method thereof will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the antenna device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The antenna device of the present embodiment has a configuration in which a transmission system is added to the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1A. That is, the antenna device of the present invention can be realized even if a transmission system is added.

  Components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The detailed configuration of the switch unit 17 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the switch unit 17 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1B.

  In the antenna apparatus of FIG. 2, the antenna elements 1-1 to 1-N * M are used for both transmission and reception, and the transmission / reception modules 23-1 to 23-N * M are used instead of the reception module. The transmission / reception modules 23-1 to 23-N * M, in addition to the configuration of the reception modules 2-1 to 2-N * M in FIG. 1A, transmit / receive switching circulators 24-1 to 24-N * M and transmission System amplifiers 25-1 to 25-N * M are added. Furthermore, phase shifters 26-1 to 26-N * M and amplitude attenuators 27-1 to 27-N * M are added to the transmission / reception modules 23-1 to 23-N * M.

  The antenna apparatus of FIG. 2 further includes a signal generator 29 and a distributor 28. The signal generator 29 generates an excitation signal for the transmission system. The distributor 28 distributes the excitation signal of this transmission system and inputs it to the transmission / reception modules 23-1 to 23-N * M.

  According to the antenna device of the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a part of the difference outputs of the receiving modules 2-1 to 2-N * M is synthesized and selected, and is directed in the same direction as the main beam. An interference wave suppression beam is formed. Then, the reception level of the main beam and the reception level of the interference wave suppression beam are compared to suppress the interference wave. Thereby, an antenna device suitable for the moving antenna device can be realized in terms of mounting and mass.

  Furthermore, it can also be realized by adding a transmission system as in this embodiment. Furthermore, the antenna opening area of the transmission system and the antenna opening area of the reception system can be increased, and the antenna gain is high.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, an antenna device according to a third embodiment of the present invention and a control method thereof will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the antenna device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the memory 16-2 of the DBF processor 15 is removed from the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1A.

  Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The detailed configuration of the switch unit 17 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the switch unit 17 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1B.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, the aperture amplitude distribution information for the sum pattern and the aperture amplitude distribution information for the difference pattern are separately stored in the memories 16-1 to 16-2 in the DBF processor 15. Saved. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the memory 16-1 of the DBF processor 15 has only one opening surface amplitude distribution information.

  According to the antenna device of this embodiment, as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, a part of the difference outputs of the receiving modules 2-1 to 2-N * M is synthesized and selected, An interference wave suppression beam is formed in the same direction as the beam. Then, the reception level of the main beam and the reception level of the interference wave suppression beam are compared to suppress the interference wave. Thereby, an antenna device suitable for the moving antenna device can be realized in terms of mounting and mass.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the memory of the DBF processor 15 can be saved and the processing of the DBF processor 15 can be simplified as compared with the antenna device of the first embodiment.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, an antenna device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention and a control method thereof will be described. The antenna device of this embodiment is a cylindrical antenna, which forms a main multi-beam with a low side lobe in a desired direction, performs monopulse angle measurement in the azimuth direction, has a wide angle in all directions, and has a good signal-to-noise ratio. A wave suppression beam is formed.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the antenna device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The difference is that the receiver 14 and the DBF processor 15 are removed from the antenna device of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1A. Components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The detailed configuration of the switch unit 17 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the switch unit 17 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1B.

  In the antenna apparatus of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, the DBF processor 15 is used to perform digital composition in the elevation direction, but in this embodiment, the elevation direction is also subjected to analog composition.

  The antenna apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a sum / difference synthesizer 30 and a second receiver 32. The second receiver 32 includes second receiving units 31-1 to 31-3. The sum / synthesizer 30 analog-synthesizes the sum output and difference output from the amplifiers 12-2 to 12-2M in the elevation direction. The sum-combined output and the difference-combined output that have been analog-combined are converted from analog to digital by the second receiving units 31-2 to 31-3 of the second receiver 32, respectively. Note that an example of the processing unit of the above-described top-level concept embodiment is the second receiver 32 in this embodiment.

  The interference wave suppression beam selected by the switch unit 17 is also converted from analog to digital by the second reception unit 31-1 of the second receiver 32. The signals output from the second receiving units 31-1 to 31-3 of the second receiver 32 are all input to the signal processing unit 22. The signal processing unit 22 performs interference wave suppression by comparing the reception level of the main beam with the reception level of the interference wave suppression beam.

  In the present embodiment, amplitude / phase control in the elevation direction in addition to the azimuth direction is also performed by the reception modules 2-1 to 2-N * M and the module controller 20.

  According to the antenna device of this embodiment, as in the first to third embodiments, a part of the difference outputs of the reception modules 2-1 to 2-N * M is synthesized and selected, An interference wave suppression beam is formed in the same direction as the beam. Then, the reception level of the main beam and the reception level of the interference wave suppression beam are compared to suppress the interference wave. Thereby, an antenna device suitable for the moving antenna device can be realized in terms of mounting and mass.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, compared with the first embodiment, the number of receiving units is three, that is, the second receiving units 31-1 to 31-3, and the DBF processor 15 is unnecessary, so the hardware scale can be reduced. Has the advantage of.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this. For example, it is apparent that the present invention can be applied to a form in which the first embodiment and the second to fourth embodiments described above are combined. It goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

A part or all of the above-described embodiment can be described as in the following supplementary notes, but is not limited thereto.
(Appendix 1) A plurality of antenna elements arranged in an elevation direction and an azimuth direction for receiving a propagated signal, and a plurality of antenna elements that generate a sum output and a difference output from the signals received by the plurality of antenna elements A receiving module, a summing synthesizer for synthesizing the sum output of the plurality of receiving modules in the azimuth direction to extract a sum synthesis output; And a processing unit for forming a main beam in a desired direction from the sum synthesis output and the difference synthesis output,
An antenna device that extracts a part of the difference outputs of the plurality of receiving modules as an interference wave suppression beam.
(Supplementary note 2) The antenna device according to supplementary note 1, further including a switch unit that extracts a part of the differential outputs of the plurality of reception modules as an interference wave suppression beam.
(Additional remark 3) The antenna apparatus of Additional remark 1 or Additional remark 2 which further includes the signal processing part which compares the reception level of the said main beam, and the reception level of the said interference wave suppression beam, and performs interference wave suppression.
(Supplementary Note 4) The plurality of antenna elements are arranged in M (M is an integer of 2 or more) in the elevation direction and N (N is an integer of 2 or more) in the azimuth direction,
Receiver module differential output for first antenna element, receiver module differential output for M + 1st antenna element, receiver module differential output for 2M + 1st antenna element, or (N−1) * M + 1 The antenna device according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of differential outputs of the reception module for the second antenna element are combined and extracted as an interference wave suppression beam.
(Supplementary note 5) The antenna device according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 4, wherein the reception module is a transmission / reception module including a configuration of a transmission system.
(Supplementary note 6) The antenna according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 5, wherein the processing unit is a DBF (Digital Beam Forming) processing unit that digitally synthesizes reception outputs from the plurality of antenna elements in an elevation angle direction. apparatus.
(Additional remark 7) The said DBF process part is an antenna apparatus of Additional remark 6 which preserve | saves the opening surface amplitude distribution information for sum patterns, and the opening surface amplitude distribution information for difference patterns.
(Additional remark 8) The said DBF process part is an antenna apparatus of Additional remark 6 which preserve | saves the opening surface amplitude distribution information for sum patterns, or the opening surface amplitude distribution information for difference patterns.
(Supplementary note 9) The antenna device according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 8, wherein the difference outputs of the plurality of reception modules are analog-synthesized in an azimuth direction.
(Supplementary Note 10) A method for controlling an antenna device for receiving signals propagated by a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an elevation direction and an azimuth direction,
A plurality of sum outputs and a plurality of difference outputs are generated from the signals received by the plurality of antenna elements, and the plurality of sum outputs are combined in an azimuth direction to obtain a sum combined output, and the plurality of difference outputs are output in the azimuth direction. An antenna that extracts a difference combined output, forms a main beam in a desired direction from the sum combined output and the difference combined output, and extracts a part of the plurality of difference outputs as an interference wave suppression beam. Control method of the device.
(Supplementary note 11) The antenna device control method according to supplementary note 10, wherein interference wave suppression is performed by comparing the reception level of the main beam and the reception level of the interference wave suppression beam.
(Supplementary note 12) The plurality of antenna elements are arranged in M (M is an integer of 2 or more) in the elevation direction and N (N is an integer of 2 or more) in the azimuth direction,
The difference output from the signal received by the first antenna element, the difference output from the signal received by the (M + 1) th antenna element, the difference output from the signal received by the (M + 1) th antenna element, or (N−1) The control method of the antenna device according to appendix 10 or appendix 11, wherein a plurality of differential outputs from the signals received by the (M + 1) th antenna element are combined and extracted as an interference wave suppression beam.
(Supplementary note 13) The antenna device control method according to any one of supplementary notes 10 to 12, wherein the plurality of difference outputs are analog-synthesized in an azimuth direction.

1-1 to 1-N * M Antenna element 2-1 to 2-N * M Reception module 3-1 to 3-N * M Low noise amplifier 4-1 to 4-N * M Phase shifter 5-1 5-N * M Variable attenuator 6-1 to 6-N * M Dual distributor 7-1 to 7-N * M 0 / π phase shifter 8-1 to 8-N * M Sum output connection terminal 9 -1 to 9-N * M Difference output connection terminals 10-1 to 10-M Sum combiner 11-1 to 11- (M-1) Difference combiner 12-1 to 12-2M Amplifier 13-1 -13-2M reception unit 14 receiver 15 DBF processor 16-1 to 16-2 memory 17 switch unit 18-1 to 18-K combiner 19 switch 20 module controller 21 interference wave suppression beam controller 22 signal processor 23-1 to 23-N * M transceiver module 24-1 to 24-N * M circulator 25 1 to 25-N * M amplifier 26-1 to 26-N * M phase shifter 27-1 to 27-N * M amplitude attenuator 28 distributor 29 signal generator 30 sum-difference synthesizer 31 second receiving unit 32 Second receiver

Claims (10)

A plurality of antenna elements respectively arranged in an elevation direction and an azimuth direction for receiving the propagated signal; a plurality of reception modules that generate a sum output and a difference output from the signals received by the plurality of antenna elements; A summing synthesizer for synthesizing the sum output of the plurality of receiving modules in the azimuth direction to extract the sum synthesis output, and a synthesizer for synthesizing the difference outputs of the plurality of receiving modules in the azimuth direction for extracting the difference synthesis output A difference synthesizer, and a processing unit that forms a main beam in a desired direction from the sum synthesis output and the difference synthesis output,
An antenna device that extracts a part of the difference outputs of the plurality of receiving modules as an interference wave suppression beam.   The antenna device according to claim 1, further comprising a switch unit that extracts a part of the difference outputs of the plurality of reception modules as an interference wave suppression beam.   The antenna device according to claim 1, further comprising a signal processing unit that performs interference wave suppression by comparing the reception level of the main beam and the reception level of the interference wave suppression beam. The plurality of antenna elements are arranged in M (M is an integer of 2 or more) in the elevation direction and N (N is an integer of 2 or more) in the azimuth direction,
Receiver module differential output for first antenna element, receiver module differential output for M + 1st antenna element, receiver module differential output for 2M + 1st antenna element, or (N−1) * M + 1 4. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of signals are combined from any one of the differential outputs of the receiving module for the th antenna element and extracted as an interference wave suppression beam. 5.   The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reception module is a transmission / reception module including a configuration of a transmission system.   The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processing unit is a DBF (Digital Beam Forming) processing unit that digitally synthesizes reception outputs from the plurality of antenna elements in an elevation angle direction.   The antenna device according to claim 6, wherein the DBF processing unit stores aperture amplitude distribution information for a sum pattern and aperture amplitude distribution information for a difference pattern.   The antenna apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the DBF processing unit stores aperture surface amplitude distribution information for a sum pattern or aperture surface amplitude distribution information for a difference pattern.   The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the difference outputs of the plurality of receiving modules are analog-synthesized in an azimuth direction. An antenna device control method for receiving signals propagated by a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an elevation direction and an azimuth direction,
A plurality of sum outputs and a plurality of difference outputs are generated from the signals received by the plurality of antenna elements, and the plurality of sum outputs are combined in an azimuth direction to obtain a sum combined output, and the plurality of difference outputs are output in the azimuth direction. An antenna that extracts a difference combined output, forms a main beam in a desired direction from the sum combined output and the difference combined output, and extracts a part of the plurality of difference outputs as an interference wave suppression beam. Control method of the device.

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