JP2020150287A - Array antenna device - Google Patents

Abstract

To obtain an array antenna device capable of easily realizing maintenance of beam width and suppression of occurrence of grating lobe, even when beam switching is carried out at highspeed.SOLUTION: An array antenna device 1A includes element antennas 6-1 through 6-N transmitting a beam, transmission modules 5-1 through 5-N for sending transmission signals, respectively, to the element antennas 6-1 through 6-N, a storage 10 for storing thinned-out status information thinning out some of the element antennas 6-1 through 6-N, while maintaining the beam width and the suppression amount, and storing correspondence of power consumption or suppression amount of calorific value in the array antenna device 1A and the thinned-out status information, and a control section 9A for reading the thinned-out status information corresponding to the suppression amount on the basis of the correspondence, upon receiving a signal indicating the suppression amount, and switching the element antennas 6-1 through 6-N to be excited for the transmission modules 5-1 through 5-N, on the basis of the thinned-out status information thus read out.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an array antenna device including a plurality of element antennas and a plurality of transmission modules each connected to each of the element antennas.

One of the antenna devices is an array antenna device including a plurality of element antennas. In the array antenna device described in Patent Document 1, in order to suppress power consumption and heat generation, the element antenna to be excited is thinned out based on the wavelength of the transmission signal and the beam directivity of the transmission beam, thereby maintaining the beam width. At the same time, it suppresses the generation of grating lobes, which are unnecessary waves.

Japanese Patent No. 4005577

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the wavelength of the transmission signal and the beam direction direction of the transmission beam change with each beam scan, a calculation for thinning out the element antenna is required for each beam scan, and the beam is switched at high speed. For radar transmission, it was difficult to suppress the occurrence of grating lobes while maintaining the beam width.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an array antenna device capable of easily maintaining the beam width and suppressing the generation of grating lobes even when the beam is switched at high speed is provided. The purpose is to get.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention is an array antenna device that transmits a beam, which is arranged in a first element arrangement, has a first beam width, and has a first beam width. It includes a plurality of element antennas that transmit a beam whose grating lobe is suppressed by an amount of suppression, and a plurality of transmission modules that each transmit a transmission signal to each of the element antennas. Further, the array antenna device of the present invention stores thinning state information indicating a second element arrangement in which a part of the element antenna is thinned out while maintaining the first beam width and the first suppression amount, and also stores the array antenna. When a storage unit that stores the correspondence between the suppression amount that suppresses the power consumption or heat generation amount in the device and the thinning state information and the signal indicating the suppression amount are received, the suppression amount is calculated based on the signal indicating the suppression amount and the correspondence relationship. A control unit that switches the thinning state of the element antennas by reading the corresponding thinning state information from the storage unit and switching the element antennas that excite a plurality of transmission modules based on the read thinning state information.

According to the present invention, even when the beam is switched at high speed, it is possible to easily maintain the beam width and suppress the generation of the grating lobe.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the thinning-out state information of the normal state used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the 1st thinning state information used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the 2nd thinning-out state information used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the 3rd thinning-out state information used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the 4th thinning-out state information used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the 5th thinning-out state information used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the 6th thinning-out state information used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the 7th thinning-out state information used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the 8th thinning-out state information used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the thinning-out state information of the non-transmission state used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the structure of the correspondence data used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. A flowchart showing a processing procedure of a transmission module control process according to a power suppression amount executed by the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. A block diagram showing a configuration of an array antenna device according to a second embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3. The block diagram which shows the structure of the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4. The figure which shows the structure of the correspondence data used in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4. The figure which shows the 1st hardware configuration example of the control part provided in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiments 1 to 4. The figure which shows the 2nd hardware configuration example of the control part provided in the array antenna apparatus which concerns on Embodiments 1 to 4.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the array antenna device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an array antenna device according to a first embodiment. The array antenna device 1A is a device that transmits an RF signal by thinning out the element antennas to be excited based on the information of the heat generation amount or the power consumption of the array antenna device 1A. The array antenna device 1A is a phased array antenna device, and is applied to, for example, a radar device that switches beams at high speed. At the time of beam switching, the beam transmission direction, frequency, etc. are switched.

The array antenna device 1A has an RF (Radio Frequency) input terminal 2 and a control signal input terminal 3. Further, the array antenna device 1A includes a plurality of element antennas 6-1 to 6-N (N is a natural number of 2 or more) that radiates a transmission signal as a radio wave in space, and a plurality of element antennas 6-1 to 6 respectively. It has a plurality of transmission modules 5-1 to 5-N connected to each of −N. For example, the transmission module 5-1 is connected to the element antenna 6-1, the transmission module 5-2 is connected to the element antenna 6-2, and the transmission module 5-N is connected to the element antenna 6-N.

In the following description, when it is not necessary to identify the element antennas 6-1 to 6-N, the element antennas 6-1 to 6-N may be referred to as the element antenna 6X. When it is not necessary to identify the transmission modules 5-1 to 5-N, the transmission modules 5-1 to 5-N may be referred to as the transmission module 5X.

Further, the array antenna device 1A has a distributor 4 connected to an RF input terminal 2 and N transmission modules 5X. Further, the array antenna device 1A has a control unit 9A connected to a control signal input terminal 3 and N transmission modules 5X.

The RF input terminal 2 receives the RF signal and inputs it to the distributor 4. The control signal input terminal 3 receives the control signal and inputs it to the control unit 9A. The control signal input to the control unit 9A includes information such as the frequency of the RF signal and the beam operation direction. Further, the control signal of the present embodiment includes a heat generation amount or a required suppression amount of power consumption of the array antenna device 1A. The required amount of suppression is information indicating the amount of heat generation or the amount of power consumption to be suppressed. Here, a case where the control signal includes the required suppression amount of power consumption will be described as an example. In the following description, the required suppression amount of power consumption may be referred to as a power suppression amount. The power suppression amount may be the power suppression amount of the entire array antenna device 1A, or may be the power suppression amount of any of the components included in the array antenna device 1A (for example, the transmission module 5X).

The distributor 4 distributes the RF signal input from the RF input terminal 2 to each of the transmission modules 5X. The distributor 4 separates the RF signal and sends the separated RF signal to each of the transmission modules 5-1 to 5-N to distribute the transmission signal to each of the transmission modules 5-1 to 5-N. The distributor 4 is composed of, for example, a distribution circuit that distributes RF signals.

Each transmission module 5X has a phase shifter 7 and an amplifier 8. The phase shifter 7 is connected to the distributor 4 and the amplifier 8, and the amplifier 8 is connected to the element antenna 6X. The RF signal distributed by the distributor 4 is input to the phase shifter 7. The phase shifter 7 phase-modulates the RF signal sent from the distributor 4 and sends it to the amplifier 8. The amplifier 8 amplifies the phase-modulated RF signal and sends it to the element antenna 6X. The transmission module 5X does not have to include the phase shifter 7.

The control unit 9A is connected to the phase shifter 7 and the amplifier 8 of each transmission module 5X. The control unit 9A has a storage area 10 composed of a memory. The storage area 10 which is a storage unit stores the correspondence data 51 and the thinning state information 52. The correspondence data 51 is data in which the power suppression amount and the type of the thinning state information 52 are associated with each other.

The thinning state information 52 is information that defines the element antenna 6X to be excited and the element antenna 6X not to be excited. In other words, the thinning state information 52 is information on a state in which the element antenna 6X that is not excited is thinned out from the element antenna 6X. In the thinning state information 52, the distribution (position) of the element antenna 6X to be excited and the distribution (position) of the element antenna 6X not to be excited are defined.

The correspondence data 51 may include one or more types of thinning status information 52 for which thinning is set. In the present embodiment, a case where a plurality of types of thinning state information 52 for which thinning is set is registered in the correspondence data 51 will be described. For example, in the correspondence data 51, the thinned-out state information 52 in which the element antenna 6X of P (P> 0)% is thinned out, and the thinned-out state information 52 in which the element antenna 6X of Q (100> Q> P)% is thinned out. The thinned-out state information 52 thinned out at various ratios such as the above is included. In the following description, the element antenna 6X that excites may be referred to as an exciting element antenna, and the element antenna 6X that does not excite may be referred to as a non-exciting element antenna.

Further, the correspondence data 51 includes the thinning state information 52 in the normal state in which the thinning is not set, and the thinning state information 52 in the transmission stop state in which all the element antennas 6X are thinned out. In the thinning state information 52 in the normal state, all the element antennas 6X are set to the exciting element antennas, and in the thinning state information 52 in the transmission stopped state, all the element antennas 6X are set to the non-exciting element antennas. That is, the correspondence data 51 includes thinning-out state information 52 in which specific element antennas 6X such as P% and Q% are thinned out, and thinning-out state information 52 in a normal state in which the thinned-out element antenna 6X is 0%. The thinned-out state information 52 in the transmission stopped state in which the thinned-out element antenna 6X is 100% is registered.

In each thinning state information 52, information on the arrangement (element arrangement) of the element antenna 6X, which element antenna 6X is the excitation element antenna, and which element antenna 6X is the non-excitation element antenna among the element antennas 6X. It contains information that indicates the existence.

The control unit 9A selects a thinning state corresponding to the amount of power suppression included in the control signal from the correspondence data 51 in the storage area 10. The control unit 9A reads the selected thinning state information 52 from the storage area 10, and controls each transmission module 5X based on the read thinning state information 52. The control unit 9A causes the transmission module 5X of the element antenna 6X set in the excitation element antenna in the thinning state information 52 to execute signal processing for transmitting the RF signal. On the other hand, the control unit 9A does not cause the transmission module 5X of the element antenna 6X set in the non-excited element antenna in the thinning state information 52 to execute the signal processing for transmitting the RF signal.

Here, an example of the thinning state information 52 will be described. Here, the case where the example of the thinning state information 52 is the thinning state information 100 to 109 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing thinning state information in a normal state used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2 and FIGS. 3 to 11 described later, the black points indicate the element antenna 6X in the transmitting state, that is, the exciting element antenna, and the white points indicate the element antenna 6X in the non-transmitting state, that is, the non-exciting element antenna. Is shown.

In the thinning state information 100 in the normal state, for example, 1700 element antennas 6X of one type of transmission output are arranged with respect to the element coordinates of the triangular array. The thinning state information 100 may include element coordinates other than the triangular array and a plurality of types of transmission amplitudes.

The thinning state information in which the element antenna 6X that does not excite at a specific ratio is set for each element antenna 6X of the thinning state information 100 is stored in the storage area 10. Hereinafter, the thinning state information 101 to 108 in which the element antennas 6X that do not excite the entire element antenna 6X at the first to eighth ratios are set will be described. In the present embodiment, the thinning state information 101 to 108 may be referred to as the first to eighth thinning state information, respectively. Hereinafter, the element arrangement in the first to eighth thinned-out state information will be described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing first thinning state information used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. The thinning state information 101, which is the first thinning state information, is the information of the thinning state S1. The thinned-out state S1 is a state in which 10% of the element antennas 6X are thinned out (10% off state). That is, in the thinned-out state S1, 10% of the element antennas 6X are set to the non-exciting element antennas, and 90% of the element antennas 6X are set to the exciting element antennas.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the second thinning state information used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. The thinning state information 102, which is the second thinning state information, is the information of the thinning state S2. The thinned-out state S2 is a state in which 20% of the element antennas 6X are thinned out. That is, in the thinned-out state S2, 20% of the element antennas 6X are set as the non-exciting element antennas, and 80% of the element antennas 6X are set as the exciting element antennas.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a third thinning state information used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. The thinning state information 103, which is the third thinning state information, is the information of the thinning state S3. The thinned-out state S3 is a state in which 30% of the element antennas 6X are thinned out. That is, in the thinned-out state S3, 30% of the element antennas 6X are set as the non-exciting element antenna, and 70% of the element antennas 6X are set as the exciting element antenna.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the fourth thinning state information used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. The thinning state information 104, which is the fourth thinning state information, is the information of the thinning state S4. The thinned-out state S4 is a state in which 40% of the element antennas 6X are thinned out. That is, in the thinned-out state S4, 40% of the element antennas 6X are set as the non-exciting element antennas, and 60% of the element antennas 6X are set as the exciting element antennas.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a fifth thinning state information used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. The thinning state information 105, which is the fifth thinning state information, is the information of the thinning state S5. The thinned-out state S5 is a state in which 50% of the element antennas 6X are thinned out. That is, in the thinning state S5, 50% of the element antennas 6X are set as the non-exciting element antennas, and 50% of the element antennas 6X are set as the exciting element antennas.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the sixth thinning state information used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. The thinning state information 106, which is the sixth thinning state information, is the information of the thinning state S6. The thinned-out state S6 is a state in which 60% of the element antennas 6X are thinned out. That is, in the thinned-out state S6, 60% of the element antennas 6X are set as the non-exciting element antenna, and 40% of the element antennas 6X are set as the exciting element antenna.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the seventh thinning state information used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. The thinning state information 107, which is the seventh thinning state information, is the information of the thinning state S7. The thinned-out state S7 is a state in which 70% of the element antennas 6X are thinned out. That is, in the thinned-out state S7, 70% of the element antennas 6X are set to the non-exciting element antennas, and 30% of the element antennas 6X are set to the exciting element antennas.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the eighth thinning state information used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. The thinning state information 108, which is the eighth thinning state information, is the information of the thinning state S8. The thinned-out state S8 is a state in which 80% of the element antennas 6X are thinned out. That is, in the thinned-out state S8, 80% of the element antennas 6X are set to the non-exciting element antennas, and 20% of the element antennas 6X are set to the exciting element antennas.

In the thinned-out states S1 to S8 shown in FIGS. 3 to 10, the generation of grating lobes that become unnecessary waves is suppressed, and the beam width is within the same level as in the normal state (difference within ± 5%). The grating lobe is a pseudo-component that diffuses to the side of the central axis in the sound pressure distribution of the RF signal. Grating lobes are likely to occur when the element antennas 6X are arranged regularly and periodically, but in the present embodiment, the element antennas 6X are arranged irregularly as shown in FIGS. 2 to 10. Therefore, the occurrence of grating lobes can be suppressed. Further, in the present embodiment, the beam width can be maintained because the arrangement of the element antennas 6X is not biased and the element antennas 6X are thinned out evenly.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing thinning-out state information in the non-transmission state used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. The thinning state information 109 in the non-transmission state is the thinning state information in which all the element antennas 6X are in the non-transmission state. When all the element antennas 6X are in the non-transmission state, the array antenna device 1A stops transmitting the RF signal.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the thinning states S1 to S8 capable of maintaining the beam width and suppressing the generation of the grating lobe are stored in the storage area 10. Then, the control unit 9A reads out the thinning state information 52 corresponding to the amount of power suppression included in the control signal from the thinning state information 52 in the storage area 10, and based on the read out thinning state information 52, Control each transmission module 5X. As a result, the array antenna device 1A can transmit the RF signal according to the amount of power suppression while maintaining the beam width and suppressing the generation of the grating lobe.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of correspondence data used in the array antenna device according to the first embodiment. The correspondence data 51 is data showing the correspondence between the required suppression amount of power consumption (power suppression amount) and the thinning state. The thinning state included in the correspondence data 51 includes a normal state indicating 0% thinning and a transmission stop state indicating 100% thinning.

In the correspondence data 51, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption is 0% and the normal state are associated with each other. Further, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 0% and is 10% or less is associated with the thinning state S1. Further, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 10% and is 20% or less is associated with the thinning state S2. Further, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 20% and is 30% or less is associated with the thinning state S3. Further, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 30% and is 40% or less is associated with the thinning state S4. Further, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 40% and is 50% or less is associated with the thinning state S5. Further, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 50% and is 60% or less is associated with the thinning state S6. Further, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 60% and is 70% or less is associated with the thinning state S7. Further, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 70% and is 80% or less is associated with the thinning state S8. Further, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 80% and the transmission stop state are associated with each other.

In FIG. 12, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption is set up to 80% in 10% increments has been described, but the range of the required suppression amount of power consumption set in the correspondence data 51 can be set as necessary. It may be changed to any range.

Next, the operation processing of the array antenna device 1A will be described. An RF signal is input to the array antenna device 1A from the RF input terminal 2. The input RF signal is distributed by the distributor 4 and then input to the transmission module 5X.

The RF signal input to the transmission module 5X is phase-modulated by the phase shifter 7 and amplified by the amplifier 8. At this time, the control unit 9A connected to each transmission module 5X controls the phase modulation in the phase shifter 7 in each transmission module 5X based on the control signal sent from the control signal input terminal 3. Here, the control unit 9A controls the phase shifter 7 so that the RF signal radiated from the element antenna 6X into space forms a wave surface in the direction indicated by the control signal. The wave surface may be other than the equiphase wave surface. Further, the direction indicated by the control signal may be a plurality of directions.

Further, the control unit 9A controls switching of the operating state of the amplifier 8 in each transmission module 5X based on the control signal sent from the control signal input terminal 3 and the correspondence data 51 stored in the storage area 10. To do. When the amplifier 8 is in the operating state, the RF signal that has undergone phase modulation and amplification is radiated into space by the element antenna 6X connected to the transmission module 5X. When the amplifier 8 is in the non-operating state, the amplifier 8 does not amplify the RF signal, and the element antenna 6X connected to the non-operating amplifier 8 does not radiate the RF signal into space.

Here, the control process of the transmission module 5X according to the amount of power suppression by the control unit 9A will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a transmission module control process according to the amount of power suppression executed by the array antenna device according to the first embodiment.

The control unit 9A extracts the power suppression amount (required suppression amount of power consumption) from the control signal sent from the control signal input terminal 3 (step ST10). The control unit 9A selects the thinned-out state corresponding to the extracted power suppression amount from the correspondence data 51 (step ST20). The control unit 9A controls each transmission module 5X with the thinning state information 52 of the selected thinning state (step ST30).

With such a configuration and operation of the array antenna device 1A, the array antenna device 1A can thin out the element antenna 6X to be excited based on the suppression amount required for suppressing the power consumption or the heat generation amount. As a result, the array antenna device 1A can maintain the beam width and suppress the generation of grating lobes while suppressing the power consumption or the amount of heat generated.

Further, since the thinning state may be selected in the switching control of the operating state of the amplifier 8 in each transmission module 5X, the calculation for thinning out becomes unnecessary. As a result, the array antenna device 1A can be switched to an appropriate operating state in which the beam width is maintained and the occurrence of grating lobes is suppressed without spending a calculation load and a calculation time.

The information used for switching the thinning state is not limited to the required suppression amount of power consumption or the control suppression amount of the calorific value, but may be the required suppression amount of the transmission output, or the object generated by the transmission of the RF signal. It may be the temperature. An example of an object that generates heat by transmitting an RF signal is a radio wave absorber arranged outside the array antenna device 1A. When the array antenna device 1A is tested, a radio wave absorber may be arranged outside the array antenna device 1A. The array antenna device 1A may switch the thinning state based on the temperature of the radio wave absorber in this case. When the thinning state is switched based on the required suppression amount of the transmission output, the correspondence data showing the correspondence relationship between the required suppression amount of the transmission output and the thinning state is stored in the storage area 10. When the thinning state is switched based on the temperature of the radio wave absorber, the correspondence data indicating the correspondence between the temperature of the radio wave absorber and the thinning state is stored in the storage area 10.

Further, when the calorific value of the internal component of the array antenna device 1A fluctuates depending on the frequency of the transmission signal, the array antenna device 1A may switch the thinning state based on the frequency of the transmission signal. In this case, the correspondence data indicating the correspondence between the frequency of the transmission signal and the thinning state is stored in the storage area 10. Further, the array antenna device 1A may switch the thinning state based on the combination of the above-mentioned information used for switching the thinning state.

Further, the input of the information used for switching the thinning state to the control unit 9A is not limited to the input of the control signal from the control signal input terminal 3, but the input of the signal from the sensors installed in the array antenna device 1A. There may be.

Further, in the example of the thinned-out state shown in FIGS. 3 to 12, the normal power consumption state in which the power suppression amount is 0% is set to the normal state without thinning, but the normal operating state is thinned out. It may be set to a certain thinning state. For example, it is assumed that the power supply will increase from the normal time, and it may be desired to increase the transmission output according to the power supply. In this case, the correspondence between the supplied power and the thinned out state is stored in the storage area 10 as the correspondence data. In this case, the normal power supply state is associated with the thinned-out state. As a result, when the power supply increases from the normal power supply state, the thinning rate is reduced compared to the normal power supply state, or there is no thinning out (normally shown in FIG. 2). State) can be applied.

Further, the array antenna device 1A needs to suppress the transmission output to the limit value or less in the area where the transmission output is restricted, but in the area where the transmission output is not restricted, the array antenna device 1A outputs a transmission output larger than the limit value. You may. For example, the normal transmission output must be kept below the transmission output approved by the domestic radio wave use application, but the array antenna device 1A has a transmission output higher than the transmission output approved by the domestic radio wave use application. May have the ability. In this case, the array antenna device 1A may select the thinned-out state in Japan, and may select the non-thinned-out state in an area such as the open ocean where the application for radio wave use does not need to be observed. A signal indicating whether or not the area does not need to comply with the radio wave use application such as in the open ocean is input from the control signal input terminal 3 and sent to the control unit 9A. When the control unit 9A receives a signal indicating that the area does not need to comply with the radio wave use application, the control unit 9A transmits an RF signal with the maximum capacity by selecting a state without thinning out (normal state in FIG. 2). Is possible.

The present embodiment is also applicable to the case where the transmitting module 5X is replaced with the receiving module and the array antenna device 1A is used as the receiving array antenna in the array antenna device 1A.

By the way, there is a method of thinning out the element antennas so that the distance between the element antennas satisfies a specific mathematical formula. In this method, when the distance between the element antennas before thinning is almost the same as the distance shown by a specific mathematical formula, the element antennas cannot be thinned out, and power consumption and heat generation amount cannot be suppressed. Further, when the distance between the element antennas is wide, it is difficult to thin out the element antennas for a radar having a frequency band of less than one octave. Further, when the element antenna is thinned out based on the transmission frequency and the beam directing direction, the beam cannot be controlled according to the required suppression amount of power consumption or heat generation amount.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the thinning state information 52 capable of maintaining the beam width and suppressing the generation of the grating lobe is stored in the storage area 10 in advance, and the thinning state information 52 corresponding to the power suppression amount is read out. , The transmission module 5X is controlled based on the read thinning state information 52. This eliminates the need for calculation processing when changing the thinning state, so even when beam switching is performed at high speed, the beam width is maintained and the generation of grating lobes is suppressed while suppressing power consumption or heat generation. Can be easily realized.

Embodiment 2.
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, a storage device having a configuration different from that of the control unit stores the correspondence data 51 and the thinning-out state information 52.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the array antenna device according to the second embodiment. Of the components of FIG. 14, the components that achieve the same functions as the array antenna device 1A shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

The array antenna device 1B has a control unit 9B instead of the control unit 9A as compared with the array antenna device 1A. Further, the array antenna device 1B has a storage device 12 which is a storage unit. In the array antenna device 1B, the correspondence data 51 and the thinning state information 52 are stored in the storage device 12. The control unit 9B is connected to the storage device 12 and reads out the correspondence data 51 and the thinning state information 52 from the storage device 12. The storage device 12 can be accessed by the user, and the correspondence data 51 or the thinning-out state information 52 in the storage device 12 can be modified according to an instruction from the user. As a result, it becomes easy to change the correspondence relation data 51 or the thinning state information 52, and to cope with the increase in size.

Embodiment 3.
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the third embodiment, the invention of the first embodiment is applied to the array antenna device having a receiving function. That is, in the third embodiment, the array antenna device includes a transmission / reception module instead of the transmission module, and the control unit controls the transmission / reception module based on the thinning state information 52.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the array antenna device according to the third embodiment. Of the components of FIG. 15, the components that achieve the same functions as the array antenna device 1A shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

Compared with the array antenna device 1A, the array antenna device 1C has a composite distributor 14 instead of the distributor 4, and has a control unit 9C instead of the control unit 9A. Further, the array antenna device 1C has a transmission / reception module 15-1 to 15-N instead of the transmission module 5-1 to 5-N as compared with the array antenna device 1A. In the following description, when it is not necessary to identify the transmission / reception modules 15-1 to 15-N, the transmission / reception modules 15-1 to 15-N may be referred to as the transmission / reception module 15X. The transmission / reception module 15X is a module including the function of the transmission module and the function of the reception module.

Each transmission / reception module 15X has a phase shifter 7, transmission / reception switching switches 16a and 16b, and amplifiers 8a and 8b. The phase shifter 7 is connected to the composite distributor 14 and the transmission / reception switch 16a. The transmission / reception switch 16a is connected to the amplifiers 8a and 8b, the amplifiers 8a and 8b are connected to the transmission / reception switch 16b, and the transmission / reception switch 16b is connected to the element antenna 6X.

The composite distributor 14 is connected to the RF input / output terminal 13 and the transmission / reception module 15X. The composite distributor 14 distributes the RF signal sent from the RF input / output terminal 13 to each of the transmission / reception modules 15X. Further, the synthesis distributor 14 synthesizes the signals sent from each of the transmission / reception modules 15X and sends them to the RF input / output terminal 13.

The control unit 9C is connected to the control signal input terminal 3, the phase shifter 7, the transmission / reception switching devices 16a and 16b, and the amplifiers 8a and 8b.

The phase shifter 7 phase-modulates the RF signal sent from the composite distributor 14 and sends it to the transmission / reception switch 16a, and phase-modulates the RF signal sent from the transmission / reception switch 16a to the composite distributor 14. send.

The transmission / reception switching devices 16a and 16b switch between transmission and reception of RF signals. The transmission / reception switch 16a sends an RF signal to the amplifier 8a when an RF signal is sent from the phase shifter 7, and RF is sent to the phase shifter 7 when an RF signal is sent from the amplifier 8b. Send a signal. The amplifier 8a amplifies the RF signal sent from the transmission / reception switch 16a and sends it to the transmission / reception switch 16b. The amplifier 8b amplifies the RF signal sent from the transmission / reception switch 16b and sends it to the transmission / reception switch 16a. The transmission / reception switch 16b sends an RF signal to the element antenna 6X when an RF signal is sent from the amplifier 8a, and sends an RF signal to the amplifier 8b when an RF signal is sent from the element antenna 6X. send.

The control unit 9C has a storage area 10 like the control unit 9A. The control unit 9C reads out the thinning state information 52 corresponding to the power suppression amount included in the control signal from the thinning state information 52 based on the correspondence data 51. The control unit 9C controls each transmission / reception module 15X based on the read thinning state information 52.

The control unit 9C causes the transmission / reception module 15X of the element antenna 6X set in the excitation element antenna in the thinning state information 52 to execute signal processing for transmitting an RF signal. On the other hand, the control unit 9C does not cause the transmission / reception module 15X of the element antenna 6X set in the non-excitation element antenna in the thinning state information 52 to execute signal processing for transmitting the RF signal.

The thinning state information 52 may include information on the thinning state at the time of reception. In this case, the control unit 9C causes the transmission / reception module 15X of the element antenna 6X set in the excitation element antenna in the thinning state information 52 to execute signal processing for receiving the RF signal. On the other hand, the control unit 9C does not cause the transmission / reception module 15X of the element antenna 6X set in the non-excited element antenna in the thinning state information 52 to execute signal processing for receiving the RF signal. In the thinning state information 52, the thinning state used when transmitting the RF signal and the thinning state used when receiving the RF signal may be different or the same.

The control unit 9C operates the phase shifter 7, the transmission / reception switching devices 16a and 16b, and the amplifier 8a for the transmission / reception module 15X that executes signal processing for transmitting the RF signal, and transmits the RF signal. For the transmission / reception module 15X that does not execute the signal processing of the above, the phase shifter 7, the transmission / reception switching devices 16a and 16b, and the amplifier 8a are stopped.

Further, the control unit 9C operates the phase shifter 7, the transmission / reception switching devices 16a and 16b, and the amplifier 8b for the transmission / reception module 15X that executes signal processing for receiving the RF signal, and receives the RF signal. For the transmission / reception module 15X that does not execute the signal processing for the operation, the phase shifter 7, the transmission / reception switching devices 16a and 16b, and the amplifier 8b are stopped.

The control processing procedure for the transmission / reception module 15X according to the amount of power suppression executed by the array antenna device 1C is the same as the control processing procedure for the transmission module 5X by the array antenna device 1A, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

Instead of arranging the storage area 10 in the control unit 9C, the array antenna device 1C may include the storage device 12 described with reference to FIG.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to easily maintain the beam width and suppress the generation of the grating lobe even when the beam is switched at high speed when transmitting and receiving the RF signal. Can be done.

Embodiment 4.
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the fourth embodiment, the array antenna device reads out the thinning state information 52 corresponding to the number of failures of the power supply unit included in the power supply device from the storage area 10 and uses it for controlling each transmission module 5X.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the array antenna device according to the fourth embodiment. Of the components of FIG. 16, components that achieve the same functions as the array antenna device 1A shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

The array antenna device 1D has a control unit 9D instead of the control unit 9A as compared with the array antenna device 1A. The array antenna device 1D is connected to the power supply device 17.

The power supply device 17 is a device that supplies electric power to the transmission module 5X of the array antenna device 1D. The power supply device 17 is composed of a power supply device control unit 19 and a plurality of power supply units 18. The power supply units 18 are operating in parallel, and if any of the power supply units 18 fails, the power supply unit 18 that has not failed continues to operate the array antenna device 1D. As a result, if any of the power supply units 18 fails, the power supply of the power supply device 17 decreases, but the operation of the array antenna device 1D does not stop.

The electric power supplied from the power supply unit 18 is collectively sent to the array antenna device 1D. In this case, the array antenna device 1D distributes the power supplied from the power supply unit 18 to each transmission module 5X. The power supply unit 18 and the plurality of transmission modules 5X may be associated with each other. In this case, each power supply unit 18 supplies power to the associated transmission module 5X.

The power supply control unit 19 monitors the state of the power supply device 17, and holds the number of failures of each power supply unit 18 as failure number information. The power supply device control unit 19 transmits failure number information to the control unit 9D of the array antenna device 1D.

The storage area 10 of the fourth embodiment stores the correspondence data 51D and the thinning state information 52. The correspondence data 51D is data in which the failure number information and the type of the thinning state information 52 are associated with each other. The correspondence data 51D may include one or more types of thinning status information 52 for which thinning is set.

The control unit 9D selects a thinning state corresponding to the failure number information included in the control signal from the correspondence data 51D in the storage area 10. The control unit 9D reads the selected thinning state information 52 from the storage area 10, and controls each transmission module 5X based on the read thinning state information 52.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration of correspondence data used in the array antenna device according to the fourth embodiment. The correspondence data 51D is data showing the correspondence between the number of failures of the power supply unit 18 and the thinning state. The thinning state included in the correspondence data 51D includes a normal state indicating 0% thinning and a transmission stop state indicating 100% thinning.

In the correspondence data 51D, the case where the number of failures is 0 or more and less than 3 is associated with the normal state. Further, the case where the number of failures is 3 or more and less than 4 is associated with the thinning state S1. Further, the case where the number of failures is 11 or more and the transmission stop state are associated with each other. Although the case where the number of failures is set in increments of 1 is described in FIG. 17, the range of the number of failures set in the correspondence data 51D can be changed to an arbitrary range.

In the first embodiment, the control unit 9A uses the thinning state information 52 corresponding to the amount of power suppression, but in the fourth embodiment, the control unit 9D uses the thinning state information 52 corresponding to the number of failures. Specifically, the power supply control unit 19 of the power supply device 17 transmits the failure number information indicating the number of failures to the control unit 9D, and the control unit 9D selects the thinning state corresponding to the number of failures from the correspondence data 51D. To do. The control unit 9D reads the thinning state information 52 corresponding to the thinning state from the storage area 10 and uses it for controlling each transmission module 5X.

With such a configuration and operation of the array antenna device 1D, the array antenna device 1D can thin out the element antenna 6X to be excited based on the power supply capacity from the power supply device 17. As a result, the array antenna device 1D can maintain the beam width and suppress the generation of the grating lobe while keeping the power consumption within the range of the power supply capacity. For example, even if some of the power supply units 18 fail, the array antenna device 1D does not stop the operation, and the power supply unit 18 that has not failed exerts the possible capabilities. That is, when a part of the power supply unit 18 fails, the array antenna device 1D reduces the number of transmission modules 5X to be operated by increasing the thinning number of the transmission module 5X, that is, the function of the transmission module 5X is reduced. It operates in the state of being made.

The power supply device control unit 19 may send failure number information from the control signal input terminal 3 to the control unit 9D via an external device of the array antenna device 1D. Further, in the present embodiment, the thinning state is switched based on the failure number information, but the array antenna device 1D switches the thinning state based on the performance deterioration of the cooling device of the element antenna 6X or the failure state information. May be good.

Instead of arranging the storage area 10 in the control unit 9D, the array antenna device 1D may include the storage device 12 described with reference to FIG. Further, the array antenna device 1D may include a transmission / reception module 15X instead of the transmission module 5X. In this case, the array antenna device 1D reads the thinning state information 52 from the storage area 10 based on the failure number information, and controls the transmission / reception module 15X by the same method as the array antenna device 1C.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, even when the beam is switched at high speed, the beam width is maintained and the grating lobe is maintained while transmitting the RF signal by the number of transmission modules 5X corresponding to the supplied power. Occurrence suppression can be easily realized.

Embodiment 5.
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the fifth embodiment, the array antenna device reads out a plurality of types of thinning state information 52 corresponding to the amount of power suppression, and controls the transmission module 5X or the transmission / reception module 15X by using each thinning state information 52 in order. The present embodiment may be applied to any of the array antenna devices 1A to 1D of the first to fourth embodiments. Hereinafter, a case where the array antenna device 1A of the first embodiment uses a plurality of types of thinning state information 52 for one power suppression amount will be described. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the array antenna device 1A transmits a pulse signal.

The control unit 9A of the array antenna device 1A of the present embodiment selects a plurality of types of thinning state information 52 from the correspondence data 51 for one power suppression amount. The array antenna device 1A selects thinning state information 52 corresponding to the amount of power suppression and thinning state information 52 close to the thinning ratio of the thinning state information 52. When transmitting a plurality of pulse signals in a specific direction, the control unit 9A obtains different thinning state information 52 from the plurality of selected thinning state information 52 for each one pulse signal or each of the plurality of pulse signals. Use in order. The control unit 9A may determine the order in which the thinning state information 52 is used according to a preset order, or the order in which the thinning state information 52 is used may be a random order.

The control unit 9A may change the number of thinning state information 52 selected for one power suppression amount for each power suppression amount. Further, there may be a power suppression amount such that the control unit 9A selects one thinning state information 52 for one power suppression amount.

In this way, when transmitting a plurality of pulses in a specific direction while changing the thinning state information 52, the side of the pattern shape averaged in time is compared with the case where one thinning state information 52 is fixedly transmitted. The lobe can be lowered.

As described above, in the fifth embodiment, the array antenna device 1A can obtain the same effect as that of the first embodiment and can reduce the side lobe when the pattern shape is time-averaged. Even when the array antenna devices 1B to 1D use a plurality of types of thinning state information 52 for one power suppression amount, the side lobe when the pattern shape is time-averaged can be reduced.

Here, the hardware configuration of the control units 9A to 9D will be described. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a first hardware configuration example of a control unit included in the array antenna device according to the first to fourth embodiments. Since the control units 9A to 9D have the same hardware configuration, the hardware configuration of the control unit 9A will be described here. Some or all the functions of the components constituting the control unit 9A can be realized by the processor 301 and the memory 302.

An example of the processor 301 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit, central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, processor, DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) or system LSI (Large Scale Integration). Examples of the memory 302 are RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory).

The control unit 9A is realized by the processor 301 reading and executing a control program stored in the memory 302 for executing the operation of the control unit 9A. Further, it can be said that this control program causes the computer to execute the procedure or method of the control unit 9A. The memory 302 is also used as a temporary memory when the processor 301 executes various processes.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a second hardware configuration example of the control unit included in the array antenna device according to the first to fourth embodiments. Since the control units 9A to 9D have the same hardware configuration, the hardware configuration of the control unit 9A will be described here. Some or all the functions of the components constituting the control unit 9A can be realized by the processing circuit 303.

The processing circuit 303 is dedicated hardware. The processing circuit 303 is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. Is.

It should be noted that some of the functions of the control unit 9A may be realized by dedicated hardware, and some may be realized by software or firmware. That is, a part of the functions of the control unit 9A may be realized by the processor 301 and the memory 302 shown in FIG. 18, and the remaining functions may be realized by the dedicated processing circuit 303 shown in FIG.

The configuration shown in the above-described embodiment shows an example of the content of the present invention, can be combined with another known technique, and is one of the configurations without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is also possible to omit or change the part.

1A to 1D array antenna device, 2 RF input terminal, 3 control signal input terminal, 4 distributor, 5-1 to 5-N, 5X transmitter module, 6-1 to 6-N, 6X element antenna, 7 phase shifter , 8,8a, 8b amplifier, 9A-9D control unit, 10 storage area, 12 storage device, 13 RF input / output terminal, 14 synthesis distributor, 15-1 to 15-N, 15X transmission / reception module, 16a, 16b transmission / reception switching Instrument, 17 power supply, 18 power supply unit, 19 power supply control unit, 51, 51D correspondence data, 52, 100 to 109 thinning status information, 301 processor, 302 memory, 303 processing circuit.

Claims (7)

An array antenna device that transmits a beam
A plurality of element antennas arranged in the first element arrangement and transmitting a beam having the first beam width and the grating lobe suppressed by the first suppression amount,
A plurality of transmission modules, each of which sends a transmission signal to each of the element antennas,
While maintaining the first beam width and the first suppression amount, the thinning state information indicating the second element arrangement in which a part of the element antenna is thinned out is stored, and the power consumption or heat generation in the array antenna device is generated. A storage unit that stores the correspondence between the suppressed amount that suppresses the amount and the thinned-out state information,
When the signal indicating the suppression amount is received, the thinning state information corresponding to the suppression amount is read from the storage unit based on the signal indicating the suppression amount and the correspondence relationship, and the plurality of thinning state information is read out based on the read thinning state information. A control unit that switches the thinning state of the element antenna by switching the element antenna that excites the transmission module of
To prepare
An array antenna device characterized by this. A plurality of transmission / reception modules including the transmission module and the reception module for receiving the reception signal from the element antenna are further provided.
When the control unit receives the signal indicating the suppression amount when receiving the reception signal, the control unit stores the signal indicating the suppression amount and the thinning state information corresponding to the suppression amount based on the correspondence relationship. By switching the element antennas that excite the plurality of transmission / reception modules based on the thinning state information read from, the thinning state of the element antennas is switched.
The array antenna device according to claim 1. An array antenna device that transmits a beam
A plurality of element antennas arranged in the first element arrangement and transmitting a beam having the first beam width and the grating lobe suppressed by the first suppression amount,
A plurality of transmission modules, each of which sends a transmission signal to each of the element antennas,
While maintaining the first beam width and the first suppression amount, the thinning state information indicating the second element arrangement in which a part of the element antenna is thinned out is stored, and power is supplied to the array antenna device. A storage unit that stores the correspondence between the number of failures of the power supply unit of the power supply device and the thinned-out status information,
When the information indicating the number of failures is received, the information indicating the number of failures and the thinning state information corresponding to the number of failures are read from the storage unit based on the correspondence relationship, and the plurality of thinning state information is read out based on the read thinning state information. A control unit that switches the thinning state of the element antenna by switching the element antenna that excites the transmission module of
To prepare
An array antenna device characterized by this. A plurality of transmission / reception modules including the transmission module and the reception module for receiving the reception signal from the element antenna are further provided.
When the control unit receives the information indicating the number of failures when receiving the received signal, the control unit stores the information indicating the number of failures and the thinning-out state information corresponding to the number of failures based on the correspondence relationship. By switching the element antennas that excite the plurality of transmission / reception modules based on the thinning state information read from, the thinning state of the element antennas is switched.
The array antenna device according to claim 3. When transmitting a plurality of pulse transmission signals in a specific direction, the control unit reads a plurality of thinned-out state information from the storage unit based on the correspondence relationship, and the plurality of thinned-out state information is read for each one pulse signal or each multiple pulse signals. Different thinning state information is sequentially selected from the thinning state information, and the element antennas that excite the plurality of transmission modules are switched based on the selected thinning state information.
The array antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the array antenna device is characterized. The storage unit is arranged in the control unit.
The array antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the array antenna device is characterized. The storage unit is arranged outside the control unit.
The array antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the array antenna device is characterized.

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