JP4005577B2 - Phased array antenna apparatus and beam scanning control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a phased array antenna apparatus and a beam scanning control method, and more particularly to an improvement in a phased array antenna apparatus that forms a transmission beam by an array antenna including a plurality of element antennas and performs electronic scanning.

An ECM (Electronic Counter Measure) radar mounted on an aircraft or the like forms a transmission beam using an array antenna composed of a plurality of element antennas, and performs electronic scanning with a wide-band radio wave (for example, non-countermeasurement). Patent Document 1). In such a phased array antenna apparatus, the effective radiated power P can be expressed by the following equation (101) by the transmission power Pt and the antenna gain G.
P = Pt × G (101)

This transmission power Pt can be obtained by the following equation (102) as the sum of output powers Pmdl in a plurality of transmission modules provided for each element antenna.
Pt = ΣPmdl (102)

The antenna gain G is proportional to the aperture area A of the array antenna, and can be obtained by the following equation (103), where the proportionality coefficient is C1.
G = C1 × A (103)

The beam width B of the transmission beam formed by the array antenna is inversely proportional to the aperture size D of the array antenna, and can be expressed by the following equation (104), where the proportionality coefficient is C2.
B = C2 / D (104)

  In the conventional phased array antenna device described above, when it is desired to suppress power consumption and heat generation according to the use status of the array antenna, the effective radiated power P must be reduced by narrowing the antenna aperture. According to the above equation (101), in order to reduce the effective radiated power P, it is conceivable to reduce the antenna gain G or reduce the transmission power Pt by reducing the number of operating transmission modules. When the antenna gain G is decreased, it is necessary to reduce the aperture area A of the array antenna by the above equation (103). However, when the aperture area A is decreased, the aperture dimension D of the array antenna is decreased, and the beam width B is increased by the above equation (104). When the beam width B of the transmission beam is widened in the scanning direction, the resolution in the scanning direction is lowered, so that radio waves are transmitted in an unintended direction, causing interference with other radio waves.

Therefore, in order not to widen the beam width B of the transmission beam, it is conceivable to reduce the number of operating transmission modules while keeping the aperture area A constant. That is, it is conceivable to perform electronic scanning by thinning out the intervals between the excited element antennas so as to increase in the scanning direction. However, if the spacing between the excited element antennas is increased, a grating lobe that becomes an unnecessary wave is generated in the visible region, so that the gain of the main lobe is reduced and a beam is formed in a direction other than the main axis. There was a problem that.
JP 2002-158528 A JP 2001-24421 A “Applied ECM” by Leroy B. Brunt, 1978, Vol. 1, p. 210, FIG. 41

  As described above, the conventional phased array antenna apparatus has a problem that a grating lobe is generated in the visible region, the gain of the main lobe is reduced, and a beam is formed in a direction other than the main axis.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a phased array antenna device capable of suppressing power consumption and heat generation according to the use state of an array antenna without causing unintended interference with other radio waves. It is another object of the present invention to provide a beam scanning control method. In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a phased array antenna device capable of reducing effective radiated power without generating a grating lobe in the visible region.

A phased array antenna apparatus according to the present invention is a phased array antenna apparatus that forms a transmission beam by an array antenna including a plurality of element antennas and performs electronic scanning in a predetermined scanning direction, and is one of two or more different transmission frequencies. A signal generation unit that selects one to generate a transmission signal, a signal distribution unit that distributes the transmission signal to each element antenna, and a phase shifter that shifts the signal phase for each element antenna. The phase shift control means for controlling the phase amount and the element antenna to be excited are selected based on the wavelength of the transmission signal and the beam pointing direction of the transmission beam, and the interval between the excited element antennas is widened in the scanning direction. Thus, it is constituted by scanning control means for performing electronic scanning by thinning out.

According to such a configuration, the element antenna to be excited is selected based on the wavelength of the transmission signal and the beam directing direction of the transmission beam, and electronic scanning is performed by thinning out each element antenna in the scanning direction. Power consumption and heat generation can be suppressed according to the situation.

Beam scanning control method according to the invention, the array antenna comprising a plurality of antenna elements to form a transmission beam, a beam scanning control method in a phased array antenna apparatus for electronic scanning in a predetermined scanning direction, two or more different transmission A signal generation step of selecting any one of the frequencies to generate a transmission signal, a signal distribution step of distributing the transmission signal to each of the element antennas, and a phase shift for shifting the signal phase for each of the element antennas The phase shift control step for controlling the amount of phase shift for the detector, and the element antenna to be excited is selected based on the wavelength of the transmission signal and the beam pointing direction of the transmission beam, and the interval between the element antennas to be excited is And a scanning control step for performing electronic scanning by thinning out so as to widen in the scanning direction.

  According to the phased array antenna apparatus and the beam scanning control method of the present invention, the element antenna to be excited is selected based on the wavelength of the transmission signal, and the electronic scanning is performed by thinning each element antenna in the scanning direction. Without causing unintended interference, it is possible to suppress the power consumption and the amount of heat generated according to the use situation of the array antenna. In particular, since the interval between the excited element antennas is determined according to the wavelength of the transmission signal, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of grating lobes in the visible region, and to reduce the effective radiated power.

  In addition, the frequency of the transmission signal to be generated is selected based on the interval in the scanning direction of each element antenna to be excited, and thinned-out electronic scanning in the scanning direction is performed, so that the array antenna can be used without causing unintended interference with other radio waves. The power consumption and the amount of heat generated can be suppressed according to the usage status. In particular, since the frequency of the transmission signal is determined according to the interval in the scanning direction of each element antenna to be excited, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of grating lobes in the visible region.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a phased array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. A phased array antenna apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is a beam scanning antenna apparatus that forms a transmission beam by an array antenna including a plurality of element antennas 2 and performs electronic scanning in a predetermined scanning direction, and is mounted on an aircraft or the like. It can be applied to ECM radar.

  In this phased array antenna apparatus 1, in order to prevent the beam width of the transmission beam from being expanded, thinning scanning control is performed to reduce the number of each element antenna 2 to be excited while keeping the aperture area of the array antenna constant. Done. At that time, the element antenna 2 to be excited is selected based on the wavelength of the transmission signal.

  The phased array antenna apparatus 1 includes an element antenna 2, a transmission module 3, a module power supply 4, a distribution power supply circuit 5, a transmission signal generation unit 6, a main control unit 7, and a module control unit 10.

  Each element antenna 2 is an antenna element provided in a predetermined scanning direction, and constitutes an array antenna. Here, the scanning direction in electronic scanning is defined as the azimuth direction (horizontal direction), and each element antenna 2 is provided in a straight line along the azimuth direction. The element antennas 2 are arranged one-dimensionally at equal intervals, and the density distribution of the number of elements on the aperture surface of the array antenna is constant.

  The transmission module 3 is provided for each element antenna 2 and performs phase shift of the signal phase and power amplification on the transmission signal. Electric power necessary for the operation of each transmission module 3 is supplied by the module power supply 4. The distribution power supply circuit 5 distributes the power of the transmission signal and supplies power to each transmission module 3.

  The transmission signal generator 6 is a signal generator that generates a transmission signal, and outputs a broadband transmission signal. This transmission signal is generated by selecting any one of two or more different frequencies. Selection of the frequency in the transmission signal is performed based on an instruction from the main control unit 7.

  For example, an appropriate frequency is instructed based on an operation input by the user. The transmission signals generated in this way are sequentially output to the distribution power supply circuit 5 and distributed to the respective transmission modules 3. The distributed transmission signal is radiated into the space via the element antenna 2 by each transmission module 3.

  The module control unit 10 controls the phase shift amount and the thinning scan for each transmission module 3, and includes a phase shift control unit 8 and a scan control unit 9. The phase shift control unit 8 controls the phase shift amount of the signal phase in the transmission signal for each transmission module 3. Thereby, a transmission beam is formed, and electronic scanning can be performed within a predetermined beam scanning range in the azimuth direction.

  The scanning control unit 9 performs thinning scanning control in which electronic scanning is performed by thinning the element antennas 2 to be excited so that the interval between the element antennas 2 is increased in the scanning direction. This thinning-out scanning control is performed based on an instruction from the main control unit 7, and the element antenna 2 to be excited, that is, the transmission module 3 is selected. That is, by selecting and designating the transmission module 3 to be operated, the interval between the respective element antennas 2 to be excited can be increased in the azimuth direction as compared with the case where all the transmission modules 3 are operated. The transmission module 3 to be excited (operated) is selected based on the wavelength of the transmission signal.

In general, considering the effect of coupling (coupling) of radiated radio waves, the distance between the element antennas 2 should be as wide as possible. On the other hand, in order to prevent a grating lobe from occurring in the range of the visible region in the beam scanning, that is, the range of the transmission beam forming direction Az ± 90 °, the distance between the element antennas 2 (distance between the element antennas 2) dx ₁ must satisfy the following formula (1).
dx ₁ ≦ λ ₁ / (1 + sinAz ₀ ) (1)

In the above formula (1), the upper limit (the upper limit frequency) corresponding to the wavelength (shortest wavelength) and lambda ₁ in the frequency of the transmitted signal, the maximum beam scan angle with respect to the front direction of the array antenna (the direction perpendicular to the opening surface) Az ₀ .

For these reasons, the distance dx ₁ between the element antennas 2 in the aperture plane of the array antenna is usually determined to be dx ₁ = λ ₁ / (1 + sinAz ₀ ). For example, when the frequency of the transmission signal is lowered to ½ times the upper limit frequency, the wavelength becomes twice the shortest wavelength λ _1. Therefore, if the maximum beam scanning angle Az ₀ is constant, the spacing between the element antennas 2 it can be expanded to twice the dx _1. In this case, even if spread apart antenna elements 2 to 2 times the original spacing dx _1, since Equation (1) is satisfied, it is possible to prevent the can grating lobes occur within the visible region.

  Therefore, the scanning control unit 9 determines the interval between the element antennas 2 based on the wavelength of the transmission signal and selects the element antennas 2 to be excited in order to suppress power consumption and heat generation according to the use status of the array antenna. To do. That is, the transmission module 3 that can be thinned out is determined based on the equation (1). By thinning out the element antennas 2 to be excited, even if the intervals between the element antennas 2 to be excited are widened, if the formula (1) is satisfied, a grating lobe is not generated in the visible region, and power consumption and heat generation are suppressed. can do.

Specifically, when an integer equal to or greater than 2 is m and the wavelength λ ₂ of the transmission signal at the time of thinning scanning satisfies the following equation (2), the interval between the element antennas 2 to be excited is set to m times dx _1. be able to.
λ ₂ ≧ mλ ₁ (2)

  That is, among the element antennas 2 arranged at equal intervals in the azimuth direction, an operation of thinning out uniformly at a rate of one per m is performed. Such thinning scanning is repeatedly performed for each beam scan in the azimuth direction.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the details of the main part of the phased array antenna apparatus of FIG. 1, in which the transmission module 3 and the element antenna 2 are shown. The transmission module 3 includes an amplifier 11, a phase shifter 12, and a control circuit 13.

  The amplifier 11 is an amplifier circuit for power amplification of the transmission signal, and outputs the amplified transmission signal to the element antenna 2. The phase shifter 12 is a phase shift circuit for shifting the signal phase, and shifts the transmission signal input from the distribution power supply circuit 5 by a predetermined phase shift amount and outputs it to the amplifier 11.

  The control circuit 13 performs control of the phase shift amount for beam scanning and control for turning on / off the operation of the transmission module 3 including the amplifier 11 based on an instruction from the module control unit 10. These circuits operate with electric power supplied from the module power supply 4.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the thinning-out operation in the phased array antenna apparatus of FIG. 1, and shows a state in which beam scanning is performed by thinning out the transmission module 3 to be operated. The beam scanning range is −Az ₀ ≦ Az ≦ Az ₀ , where Az is the transmission beam forming direction (beam orientation) with respect to the direction perpendicular to the aperture plane of the array antenna (Az = 0 °). .

For example, when the wavelength λ _{2 of the} transmission signal is three times or more than the shortest wavelength λ ₁ (m = 3), the interval dx ₂ between the excited element antennas 2 is three times dx ₁ (dx ₂ = 3 × dx ₁ The control for turning on / off each transmission module 3 is performed. That is, out of all the transmission modules 3, the ratio of one transmission module (excitation module) to be in the ON state is one in three, and the ratio of transmission modules (non-excitation module) to be in the OFF state is two to three. Become.

  Steps S101 to S107 in FIG. 4 are flowcharts showing an example of the thinning-out operation in the phased array antenna apparatus in FIG. First, when an operation input for starting thinning scanning is performed, the main control unit 7 instructs the transmission signal generation unit 6 on the frequency of the transmission signal (step S101).

The transmission signal generation unit 6 selects a frequency based on an instruction from the main control unit 7 and generates a transmission signal (steps S102 and S103). Next, the scanning control unit 9 determines the distance dx ₂ between the element antennas 2 to be excited based on the frequency instructed by the main control unit 7, and selects an excitation module (step S104).

  Next, a transmission beam is formed by each excitation module after thinning, and electronic scanning is performed in the azimuth direction (steps S105 and S106). This thinning scanning is repeated until an operation input for ending the thinning scanning is performed (step S107).

According to the present embodiment, the element antenna 2 to be excited is selected based on the wavelength λ _{2 of the} transmission signal, and electronic scanning is performed by thinning out each element antenna 2 in the azimuth direction. Power consumption and heat generation can be suppressed. In particular, since the interval between the element antennas 2 to be excited is determined according to the wavelength λ _{2 of the} transmission signal, the effective radiated power can be reduced without generating a grating lobe in the visible region. In the thinning scanning, since the aperture area of the array antenna does not change, the aperture size does not change, and the beam width of the transmission beam does not increase. Therefore, it is possible to prevent radio waves from being transmitted in an unintended direction and causing interference with other radio waves.

  Also, in the case of a radar system that uses two or more phased array antenna devices 1 to simultaneously perform beam scanning in different azimuth directions, power consumption and heat generation in each array antenna device can be suppressed. It is possible to increase the number of array antenna devices that can be used. Therefore, even when the power supply capacity and cooling performance of the radar system are low, a wide range can be effectively covered.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the element antenna 2 to be excited is selected based on the wavelength of the transmission signal has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the interval between the element antennas 2 to be excited is determined. The frequency (or wavelength) of the transmission signal may be selected based on the above.

  For example, the element antenna 2 to be excited is selected based on an operation input by the user, and an interval in the scanning direction of each element antenna 2 to be excited, that is, a thinning ratio is instructed. Based on the instruction of the element antenna 2 interval, the transmission signal generator 6 selects a frequency in the transmission signal, and thinning scanning is performed. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the power consumption and the heat generation amount according to the use state of the array antenna. In particular, since the frequency of the transmission signal is determined according to the interval in the scanning direction of each element antenna 2 to be excited, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of grating lobes in the visible region.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, the example in which the selection (decimation) of the element antenna to be excited is performed based on the wavelength of the transmission signal has been described. Since the element antenna 2 that can be thinned is determined according to the wavelength λ _{2 of the} transmission signal, it is considered that a case where thinning cannot be performed occurs when the wavelength λ ₂ is close to the shortest wavelength λ ₁ . On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the element antenna 2 to be excited is selected in order to perform the thinning scanning even when the wavelength λ _{2 of the} transmission signal is close to the shortest wavelength λ ₁ . A case where the processing is performed based on the wavelength λ ₂ and the transmission beam forming direction will be described.

In the phased array antenna apparatus according to the present embodiment, the scanning control unit 9 selects the element antenna 2 to be excited based on the wavelength λ _{2 of the} transmission signal and the transmission beam forming direction (beam directing direction). That is, the element antenna 2 that can be thinned out is determined according to the beam directing direction in the beam scanning in the azimuth direction, and thinning scanning is performed.

Specifically, a thinning operation is performed to excite one out of m of each element antenna 2 within a range where the beam directing direction Az satisfies the following expression (3).
λ ₂ / (1 + sinAz) ≧ mλ ₁ / (1 + sinAz ₀ ) (3)

  For example, when the transmission beam is formed in the front direction (Az = 0 °) of the array antenna, the thinning is performed so that the interval between the element antennas 2 to be excited is wider than the interval in the case of forming the transmission beam in a direction other than the front. Is done. That is, the element antenna 2 that can be thinned out is selected in accordance with the beam directing direction in the beam scanning in the azimuth direction. In particular, when the beam directing direction is the front direction of the array antenna, the thinning ratio is set in the direction other than the front direction. Control to make it higher than the time is performed.

  According to the present embodiment, even when the frequency of the transmission signal is close to the upper limit frequency, the thinning scanning can be performed at the time of beam scanning in the vicinity of the antenna front direction where the effective radiation power is large. The power consumption and the heat generation amount can be effectively reduced without being changed.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the first embodiment, an example in which a transmission beam is formed and thinning scanning is performed in the azimuth direction has been described. On the other hand, in this embodiment, a case will be described in which a reflected echo by a target is received and thinning scanning is performed on the received beam.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a phased array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The phased array antenna device 20 according to the present embodiment is a radar that receives a reflected echo by a target and performs direction detection, and includes an element antenna 2, a transmission / reception module 21, a module power supply 4, a distribution / synthesis power supply circuit 22, and a transmission / reception switching unit 23. , A transmission signal generation unit 6, a main control unit 7, a module control unit 10, a reception unit 24, and an azimuth detection processing unit 25.

  The transmission / reception module 21 performs signal phase shift and power amplification on the signal received via the element antenna 2. The distribution / combining power supply circuit 22 combines the reception signals from the respective transmission / reception modules 21 and outputs them to the transmission / reception switching unit 23. The transmission / reception switching unit 23 performs a process of outputting the transmission signal from the transmission signal generation unit 6 to the distribution / combination feeding circuit 22 and outputting the reception signal from the distribution / combination feeding circuit 22 to the reception unit 24.

  The module control unit 10 controls the amount of phase shift with respect to the received signal for each element antenna 2, selects the element antenna 2 to be excited based on the wavelength of the received signal, and determines the interval between the element antennas 2 to be excited. The reception beam is formed by thinning out so as to widen.

  The azimuth detection processing unit 25 performs processing for identifying a target azimuth from a reception signal input from the reception unit 24 via the main control unit 7. The target azimuth identification processing is performed by various methods based on reception information such as the reception beam formation azimuth and the amplitude and phase of the reception signal. For example, it is possible to apply an arrival direction identification method using an amplitude comparison method or a monopulse method.

  In arrival direction identification by the amplitude comparison method, the aperture surface of the array antenna is divided into two, and transmission beams are simultaneously formed in different directions. A reception beam is formed from reflected echoes of these transmission beams, and the arrival direction is determined from the amplitude difference between the divided surfaces in the reception signal. In the arrival direction identification by the monopulse method, the aperture surface of the array antenna is divided into two, and the arrival direction is determined from the amplitude and phase characteristics of the sum signal (Σ signal) and difference signal (Δ signal) based on the received signal for each aperture surface. Is done.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the details of the main part of the phased array antenna apparatus of FIG. 5, in which the transmission / reception module 21 and the element antenna 2 are shown. The transmission / reception module 21 includes a transmission amplifier 27, a reception amplifier 28, a phase shifter 12, a control circuit 13, and a switch 26.

  The transmission amplifier 27 is an amplifier circuit for amplifying the power of the transmission signal, and the reception amplifier 28 is an amplifier circuit for amplifying the power of the reception signal. The switch 26 is provided on the element antenna 2 side and the phase shifter 12 side, respectively, and performs a process of allocating the transmission signal and the reception signal to the corresponding amplifiers 27 and 28. That is, the transmission signal output by the phase shifter 12 is transmitted to the transmission amplifier 27 via the switch 26 on the phase shifter 12 side, and after amplification, the element antenna is transmitted via the switch 26 on the element antenna 2 side. 2 is output. On the other hand, the received signal from the element antenna 2 is transmitted to the receiving amplifier 28 via the switch 26 on the element antenna 2 side, and after amplification, is sent to the phase shifter 12 via the switch 26 on the phase shifter 12 side. Is output. Other configurations are the same as those of the phased array antenna device 1 (Embodiment 1) of FIG.

  According to the present embodiment, when receiving the reflected echo from the target and detecting the target azimuth, it is possible to perform the same thinning scanning as in the first embodiment on the received beam, so that the detection accuracy is not lowered. In addition, power consumption and heat generation can be effectively reduced. In particular, it is possible to suppress deterioration in the accuracy of azimuth identification due to an increase in the beam width of the received beam.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the first embodiment, an example in which each element antenna 2 is one-dimensionally arranged in the azimuth direction and beam scanning is performed in the azimuth direction has been described. In contrast, in the present embodiment, a case will be described in which each element antenna 2 is two-dimensionally arranged in the azimuth direction and the elevation direction, and beam scanning is performed in each direction.

  In the phased array antenna apparatus according to the present embodiment, each element antenna 2 is provided in a planar shape along the azimuth direction and the elevation direction. That is, they are arranged so that the density distribution of the number of elements is constant on the aperture surface of the array antenna. Using the element antennas 2 arranged two-dimensionally in this way, thinning scanning is performed in the azimuth direction and the elevation direction.

  According to the present embodiment, power consumption and heat generation can be effectively reduced without increasing the beam width in the horizontal plane (azimuth direction) and the beam width in the vertical plane (elevation direction). .

Embodiment 5 FIG.
In the first embodiment, the example in which the thinning scan is repeated for each beam scan has been described. In contrast, in the present embodiment, a case will be described in which thinning scanning is intermittently performed for each beam scanning in the scanning direction.

  In the phased array antenna apparatus according to the present embodiment, thinning scanning is intermittently performed at a predetermined cycle for each beam scanning in the azimuth direction. That is, a cycle in which the thinning scan is performed and a plurality of cycles in which electronic scanning (normal scanning) for exciting all the element antennas 2 is repeated. For example, thinning scanning is performed at a rate of once every two times in beam scanning. According to the present embodiment, since normal scanning and thinning scanning are repeated, it is possible to effectively reduce power consumption and heat generation while suppressing a decrease in coverage.

  Note that, instead of performing thinning scanning at a predetermined cycle, thinning scanning may be performed at random. In other words, normal scanning and thinning scanning may be performed as appropriate.

  Moreover, although Embodiment 1-5 demonstrated the example in case the element antenna 2 to excite was selected based on the wavelength of a transmission signal, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the element antenna 2 to be excited may be selected at random. That is, the element antenna 2 may be selected based on a random number, and thinning scanning may be performed. In this way, scanning control can be simplified.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
In the first embodiment, the example in which the element antenna 2 to be excited is thinned out uniformly in the scanning direction has been described. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a case will be described in which electronic scanning is performed with the thinning rate at the center of the array antenna being lower than the rate at the end.

  In the phased array antenna apparatus according to the present embodiment, scanning control is performed in which the ratio of thinning out the element antenna 2 to be excited is lower than the ratio at the end in the center of the array antenna in the scanning direction. That is, thinning is performed such that the intervals between the excited element antennas 2 are closer than the intervals at the end portions at the central portion of the aperture surface of the array antenna. Specifically, the element antenna 2 to be excited is selected so that the excitation density becomes high at the center of the array antenna (taper distribution).

  FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing an example of the thinning-out operation in the phased array antenna device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. A transmission beam 32 is shown, and FIG. 7B schematically shows the state of the transmission module 3 that is thinned out at the central portion 33 of the array antenna 31.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing an example of the operation during normal scanning in the phased array antenna apparatus. FIG. 8A shows a transmission beam 34 formed by the array antenna 31. FIG. FIG. 8B schematically shows the state of the transmission module 3 operated in the central portion 35 of the array antenna 31.

  In thinning scanning where the excitation density has a taper distribution, the beam width B of the transmission beam does not change and power consumption and heat generation are reduced by half compared to normal scanning. As a result, power consumption and heat generation can be reduced without increasing the beam width, and an antenna pattern with a low sidelobe is realized by the taper distribution of excitation density. Further reduction can be achieved.

Embodiment 7 FIG.
In the third embodiment, an example in which power is supplied to each transmission / reception module 21 by one module power supply 4 has been described. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a case where a plurality of power supply modules that supply power for each element antenna 2 is provided will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a phased array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention. The phased array antenna apparatus 40 according to the present embodiment is different from the phased array antenna apparatus 20 (Embodiment 3) of FIG. 5 in that a power supply module 41 is provided for each transmission / reception module 21.

In the phased array antenna apparatus 40, each power supply module 41 is on / off controlled by the module control unit 10, and each transmission / reception module 21 is turned on / off. Since the power is turned on / off for each transmission / reception module 21, standby power during the thinning scanning of each transmission / reception module 21 can be reduced. In addition, the reliability of the array antenna against power failure can be improved.
The phased array antenna apparatus can also be configured as follows. A phased array antenna device that forms a transmission beam by an array antenna composed of a plurality of element antennas and performs electronic scanning in a predetermined scanning direction, and generates a transmission signal by selecting one of two or more different frequencies. Signal generating means, signal distribution means for distributing the transmission signal to each element antenna, and phase shift control means for controlling the amount of phase shift for a phase shifter that shifts the signal phase for each element antenna. And scanning control means for performing electronic scanning by thinning out the intervals between the excited element antennas so as to increase in the scanning direction, and the signal generating means selects the frequency based on the intervals between the excited element antennas. Can be configured.
According to such a configuration, the frequency of the transmission signal to be generated is selected based on the interval in the scanning direction of each element antenna to be excited, and thinned electronic scanning in the scanning direction is performed. Power consumption and heat generation can be suppressed.

It is the block diagram which showed an example of schematic structure of the phased array antenna apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed an example of the principal part detail in the phased array antenna apparatus of FIG. It is the figure which showed an example of the thinning-out operation | movement in the phased array antenna apparatus of FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a thinning operation in the phased array antenna apparatus of FIG. 1. It is the block diagram which showed an example of schematic structure of the phased array antenna apparatus by Embodiment 3 of this invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of details of main parts in the phased array antenna apparatus of FIG. 5. It is the figure which showed an example of the thinning-out operation | movement in the phased array antenna apparatus by Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the operation | movement at the time of normal scanning in a phased array antenna apparatus. It is the block diagram which showed the structural example of the phased array antenna apparatus by Embodiment 7 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1, 20, 40 Phased array antenna device, 2-element antenna,
3 transmission module, 4 module power supply, 5 distribution power supply circuit, 6 transmission signal generator,
7 main control unit, 8 phase shift control unit, 9 scan control unit, 10 module control unit,
11 amplifier, 12 phase shifter, 13 control circuit, 21 transceiver module,
22 distribution / synthesis power supply circuit, 23 transmission / reception switching unit, 24 reception unit, 25 direction detection processing unit,
26 switching device, 27 transmitting amplifier, 28 receiving amplifier, 41 power supply module

Claims (8)

In a phased array antenna apparatus that forms a transmission beam by an array antenna including a plurality of element antennas and performs electronic scanning in a predetermined scanning direction,
Signal generation means for selecting any one of two or more different transmission frequencies to generate a transmission signal;
Signal distribution means for distributing the transmission signal to the element antennas;
Phase shift control means for controlling the amount of phase shift with respect to the phase shifter that shifts the signal phase for each element antenna,
Scanning control means for performing electronic scanning by selecting the element antenna to be excited based on the wavelength of the transmission signal and the beam directing direction of the transmission beam and thinning the excitation element antenna so that the interval between the element antennas is widened in the scanning direction; A phased array antenna device comprising: 2. The phased array antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanning control means thins out such that an interval between the excited element antennas is an integer multiple of an interval between adjacent element antennas . The scanning control means thins out so that the interval between the respective element antennas to be excited when the transmission beam is formed in the front direction of the array antenna is wider than the interval when the transmission beam is formed in a direction other than the front. The phased array antenna apparatus according to claim 1 . The phase shift control means controls the amount of phase shift for the received signal for each element antenna,
2. The scanning control means selects an element antenna to be excited based on a wavelength of a reception signal, and thins the excitation element so that an interval between the excited element antennas is wide to form a reception beam. The phased array antenna device described. The array antenna is composed of element antennas arranged two-dimensionally in the azimuth direction and the elevation direction, and performs electronic scanning in each direction,
2. The phased array antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanning control means performs electronic scanning by thinning out the intervals between the respective element antennas to be excited in the azimuth direction and the elevation direction.   The phased array antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanning control means intermittently performs thinning scanning for each electronic scanning in the scanning direction. For an amplifier that amplifies a transmission signal for each element antenna, power supply means for supplying power to each element antenna is provided,
The phased array antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanning control unit performs control to turn off power supply for the thinned element antenna. In a beam scanning control method in a phased array antenna apparatus in which a transmission beam is formed by an array antenna including a plurality of element antennas and electronic scanning is performed in a predetermined scanning direction.
A signal generation step of selecting any one of two or more different transmission frequencies to generate a transmission signal;
A signal distribution step of distributing the transmission signal to the element antennas;
For a phase shifter that shifts the signal phase for each element antenna, a phase shift control step for controlling the amount of phase shift;
A scanning control step in which the element antenna to be excited is selected based on the wavelength of the transmission signal and the beam directing direction of the transmission beam, and electronic scanning is performed by thinning out the interval between the excited element antennas so as to be wide in the scanning direction; A beam scanning control method comprising:

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