JP7113774B2 - array antenna device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an array antenna apparatus having 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 consisting of a plurality of element antennas. In order to suppress power consumption and heat generation, the array antenna device described in Patent Document 1 thins out the element antennas to be excited based on the wavelength of the transmission signal and the beam orientation direction of the transmission beam, thereby maintaining the beam width. At the same time, the generation of grating lobes, which are unnecessary waves, is suppressed.

Japanese Patent No. 4005577

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, the wavelength of the transmission signal and the beam pointing direction of the transmission beam change for each beam scanning, so calculation for thinning out the element antennas for each beam scanning is required, and the beams are switched at high speed. For radar transmission, it has been difficult to suppress the generation of grating lobes while maintaining the beam width.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides an array antenna apparatus that can easily maintain the beam width and suppress the generation of grating lobes even when performing high-speed beam switching. with the aim of obtaining

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an array antenna apparatus for transmitting beams, which is arranged in a first element arrangement, has a first beam width and a first A plurality of element antennas for transmitting beams with grating lobes suppressed by a suppression amount, and a plurality of transmission modules, each transmitting a transmission signal to each of the element antennas. Further, the array antenna apparatus of the present invention stores thinning state information indicating a second element array in which a part of the element antennas is thinned while maintaining the first beam width and the first suppression amount, and a storage unit for storing a correspondence relationship between a suppression amount for suppressing power consumption or heat generation in the device and thinning state information; a control unit that reads the corresponding thinning state information from the storage unit and switches the thinning state of the element antennas by switching the element antennas to be excited for the plurality of transmission modules based on the read thinning state information.

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

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1; FIG. FIG. 10 shows thinning state information in a normal state used in the array antenna device according to Embodiment 1; A diagram showing first decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 A diagram showing second decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 A diagram showing third decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 A diagram showing fourth decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 A diagram showing fifth decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 A diagram showing sixth decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 A diagram showing seventh decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 A diagram showing eighth decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 FIG. 10 shows thinning state information in a non-transmitting state used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of correspondence data used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1; 4 is a flow chart showing a procedure of control processing of a transmission module according to power suppression amount, which is executed by the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 3; FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 4; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of correspondence data used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 4; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first hardware configuration example of a control unit included in the array antenna devices according to the first to fourth embodiments; The figure which shows the 2nd hardware configuration example of the control part with which the array antenna apparatus concerning Embodiment 1 to 4 is equipped

An embodiment of an array antenna device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by these embodiments.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The array antenna device 1A is a device that thins out element antennas to be excited based on information on the amount of heat generated or power consumption of the array antenna device 1A and transmits RF signals. The array antenna device 1A is a phased array antenna device, and is applied to, for example, a radar device that performs beam switching at high speed. At the time of beam switching, the beam transmission direction, frequency, and the like 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 apparatus 1A includes a plurality of element antennas 6-1 to 6-N (N is a natural number of 2 or more) that radiate a transmission signal as radio waves into space, and a plurality of element antennas 6-1 to 6-N, respectively. -N and a plurality of transmitting modules 5-1 to 5-N connected to each of the . 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, the element antennas 6-1 to 6-N may be referred to as the element antenna 6X when there is no need to identify the element antennas 6-1 to 6-N. Further, when there is no need 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.

The array antenna apparatus 1A also has a distributor 4 connected to the RF input terminal 2 and the N transmission modules 5X. The array antenna apparatus 1A also has a control section 9A connected to the control signal input terminal 3 and the N transmission modules 5X.

RF input terminal 2 receives an RF signal and inputs it to distributor 4 . The control signal input terminal 3 receives a control signal and inputs it to the control section 9A. Information such as the frequency of the RF signal and the direction of beam operation is included in the control signal input to the control unit 9A. In addition, the control signal of the present embodiment includes the amount of heat generated by the array antenna apparatus 1A or the amount of power consumption required to be suppressed. The required suppression amount is information indicating the amount of heat generation or 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 the power suppression amount. The amount of power suppression may be the amount of power suppression of the entire array antenna apparatus 1A, or the amount of power suppression of any component (for example, the transmission module 5X) included in the array antenna apparatus 1A.

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, thereby distributing 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. FIG. Phase shifter 7 is connected to distributor 4 and amplifier 8, and amplifier 8 is connected to 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. Note that the transmission module 5X may not include the phase shifter 7. FIG.

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

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

The correspondence data 51 may contain one or more types of thinning state information 52 in which thinning is set. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which a plurality of types of thinning state information 52 in which thinning is set is registered in correspondence data 51 . For example, the correspondence data 51 includes decimation state information 52 in which P (P>0)% of element antennas 6X are decimated, and decimation state information 52 in which Q (100>Q>P)% of element antennas 6X are decimated. It contains thinning state information 52 thinned at various ratios such as. In the following description, the element antenna 6X to be excited may be referred to as an excited element antenna, and the element antenna 6X not to be excited may be referred to as a non-excited element antenna.

The correspondence data 51 also includes decimation state information 52 in a normal state in which decimation is not set, and decimation state information 52 in a transmission stop state in which all element antennas 6X have been decimated. In the thinning state information 52 in the normal state, all the element antennas 6X are set as excitation element antennas, and in the thinning state information 52 in the transmission stop state, all the element antennas 6X are set as passive element antennas. That is, the correspondence data 51 includes decimation state information 52 in which specific element antennas 6X such as P% and Q% are decimated, decimation state information 52 in a normal state in which the decimated element antennas 6X are 0%, Thinning state information 52 of a transmission stop state in which the number of thinned element antennas 6X is 100% is registered.

Each thinning state information 52 includes information on the arrangement (element arrangement) of the element antennas 6X, which element antennas 6X among the element antennas 6X are excitation element antennas, and which element antennas 6X are non-excitation element antennas. It contains information indicating whether

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

Here, an example of the thinning state information 52 will be described. Here, a case where the thinning state information 52 is the thinning state information 100 to 109 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing decimation state information in a normal state used in the array antenna device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 and FIGS. 3 to 11, which will be described later, the black dots indicate the element antennas 6X in the transmitting state, ie, the excited element antennas, and the white dots indicate the element antennas 6X in the non-transmitting state, ie, the passive element antennas. is shown.

In the decimation 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 arrangement. Note that the thinning state information 100 may include element coordinates other than the triangular array and multiple types of transmission amplitudes.

Thinning state information in which element antennas 6X that are not excited at a specific rate are set for each element antenna 6X of this thinning state information 100 is stored in the storage area 10. FIG. The thinning state information 101 to 108 of the thinning states S1 to S8 in which the element antennas 6X that are not excited at the first to eighth ratios with respect to the entire element antennas 6X are set will be described below. In this embodiment, the thinning state information 101 to 108 may be referred to as first to eighth thinning state information, respectively. The element arrangement in the first to eighth thinning state information will be described below.

3 is a diagram showing first thinning state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Thinning state information 101, which is the first thinning state information, is information on the thinning state S1. The thinning state S1 is a state in which 10% of the element antennas 6X are thinned out (10% off state). That is, in the thinning state S1, 10% of the element antennas 6X are set as non-excited element antennas, and 90% of the element antennas 6X are set as excited element antennas.

4 is a diagram showing second thinning state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Thinning state information 102, which is the second thinning state information, is information on the thinning state S2. The thinning state S2 is a state in which 20% of the element antennas 6X are thinned. That is, in the thinning state S2, 20% of the element antennas 6X are set as non-excited element antennas, and 80% of the element antennas 6X are set as excited element antennas.

5 is a diagram showing third thinning state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The thinning state information 103, which is the third thinning state information, is information on the thinning state S3. The thinning state S3 is a state in which 30% of the element antennas 6X are thinned. That is, in the thinning state S3, 30% of the element antennas 6X are set as non-excited element antennas, and 70% of the element antennas 6X are set as excited element antennas.

6 is a diagram showing fourth decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The thinning state information 104, which is the fourth thinning state information, is information on the thinning state S4. The thinning state S4 is a state in which 40% of the element antennas 6X are thinned. That is, in the thinning state S4, 40% of the element antennas 6X are set as non-excited element antennas, and 60% of the element antennas 6X are set as excited element antennas.

7 is a diagram showing fifth decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Thinning state information 105, which is the fifth thinning state information, is information on the thinning state S5. The thinning state S5 is a state in which 50% of the element antennas 6X are thinned. That is, in the thinning state S5, 50% of the element antennas 6X are set as non-excited element antennas, and 50% of the element antennas 6X are set as excited element antennas.

8 is a diagram showing sixth decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Thinning state information 106, which is the sixth thinning state information, is information on the thinning state S6. The thinning state S6 is a state in which 60% of the element antennas 6X are thinned. That is, in the thinning state S6, 60% of the element antennas 6X are set as non-excited element antennas, and 40% of the element antennas 6X are set as excited element antennas.

9 is a diagram showing seventh decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The thinning state information 107, which is the seventh thinning state information, is information of the thinning state S7. The thinning state S7 is a state in which 70% of the element antennas 6X are thinned. That is, in the thinning state S7, 70% of the element antennas 6X are set as non-excited element antennas, and 30% of the element antennas 6X are set as excited element antennas.

10 is a diagram showing eighth decimation state information used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The thinning state information 108, which is the eighth thinning state information, is information on the thinning state S8. The thinning state S8 is a state in which 80% of the element antennas 6X are thinned. That is, in the thinning state S8, 80% of the element antennas 6X are set as non-excited element antennas, and 20% of the element antennas 6X are set as excited element antennas.

In the thinning states S1 to S8 shown in FIGS. 3 to 10, the generation of grating lobes, which are unnecessary waves, is suppressed, and the beam width is within the same range as in the normal state (within ±5% difference). A grating lobe is a pseudo-component that diffuses to the sides of the central axis in the sound pressure distribution of an RF signal. Grating lobes tend to occur when the element antennas 6X are arranged regularly and periodically. Therefore, the generation of grating lobes can be suppressed. In addition, in the present embodiment, the arrangement of the element antennas 6X is not evenly distributed, and since the element antennas 6X are evenly thinned out, the beam width can be maintained.

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

Thus, in this embodiment, the storage area 10 stores the thinning states S1 to S8 capable of maintaining the beam width and suppressing the generation of grating lobes. Then, the control unit 9A reads the thinning state information 52 corresponding to the power suppression amount included in the control signal from the thinning state information 52 in the storage area 10, and based on the read thinning state information 52, It controls each transmission module 5X. As a result, the array antenna apparatus 1A can transmit RF signals according to the amount of power suppression while maintaining the beam width and suppressing the generation of grating lobes.

12 is a diagram showing a configuration of correspondence data used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The correspondence data 51 is data indicating the correspondence between the required suppression amount of power consumption (power suppression amount) and the thinning state. The thinning states included in the correspondence data 51 include 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% is associated with the normal state. Further, the thinning state S1 is associated with the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 0% and is 10% or less. Further, the thinning state S2 is associated with the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 10% and is 20% or less. Further, the thinning state S3 is associated with the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 20% and is 30% or less. Further, the thinning state S4 is associated with the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 30% and is 40% or less. Further, the thinning state S5 is associated with the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 40% and is 50% or less. Further, the thinning state S6 is associated with the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 50% and is 60% or less. Further, the thinning state S7 is associated with the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 60% and is 70% or less. Further, the thinning state S8 is associated with the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 70% and is 80% or less. Further, the case where the required suppression amount of power consumption exceeds 80% is associated with the transmission stop state.

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

Next, operation processing of the array antenna apparatus 1A will be described. An RF signal is input from an RF input terminal 2 to the array antenna device 1A. 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. FIG. At this time, the controller 9A connected to each transmission module 5X controls 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. FIG. Here, the controller 9A controls the phase shifter 7 so that the RF signal radiated from the element antenna 6X into space forms a wavefront in the direction indicated by the control signal. Note that this wavefront may be other than the equiphase wavefront. Also, the directions indicated by the control signal may be multiple 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. do. When the amplifier 8 is in an operating state, the phase-modulated and amplified RF signal is radiated into space by the element antenna 6X connected to the transmission module 5X. When the amplifier 8 is in a non-operating state, the amplifier 8 does not amplify RF signals, and the element antennas 6X connected to the non-operating amplifier 8 do not radiate RF signals into space.

Here, control processing of the transmission module 5X according to the amount of power suppression by the control unit 9A will be described. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of control processing of the transmission module according to the power suppression amount, which is executed by the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

The control unit 9A extracts a 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 a thinning 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 apparatus 1A, the array antenna apparatus 1A can thin out the element antennas 6X to be excited based on the amount of suppression required to suppress power consumption or heat generation. As a result, the array antenna apparatus 1A can maintain the beam width and suppress the generation of grating lobes while suppressing power consumption or heat generation.

In addition, since it is only necessary to select a thinning state in switching control of the operation state of the amplifier 8 in each transmission module 5X, calculation for thinning is unnecessary. As a result, the array antenna apparatus 1A can be switched to an appropriate operating state in which the beam width is maintained and the generation of grating lobes is suppressed without imposing a computational load and computational time.

The information used for switching the decimation state is not limited to the required power consumption suppression amount or the heat generation amount suppression amount. It may be the temperature. An example of an object that generates heat by transmitting RF signals 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 placed outside the array antenna device 1A. The array antenna apparatus 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, correspondence data indicating the correspondence relationship between the required suppression amount of the transmission output and the thinning state is stored in the storage area 10 . Further, when the thinning state is switched based on the temperature of the wave absorber, correspondence data indicating the correspondence between the temperature of the wave absorber and the thinning state is stored in the storage area 10 .

Further, when the amount of heat generated by the internal components of the array antenna device 1A varies 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, correspondence data indicating the correspondence between the frequency of the transmission signal and the thinning state is stored in the storage area 10 . Also, the array antenna apparatus 1A may switch the thinning state based on the combination of the above-described information used for switching the thinning state.

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

In the thinning state examples 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. It may be set to a certain thinning state. For example, there is a case where it is assumed that the power supply will be higher than usual, and it is desired to increase the transmission output according to the power supply. In this case, the correspondence between the supplied power and the thinning state is stored in the storage area 10 as correspondence data. In this case, the normal supply power state is associated with the decimation state with decimation. As a result, when the power supply is increased from the normal power supply state, a thinning state in which the ratio of thinning is reduced compared to the normal power supply state, or a state without thinning (the normal state shown in FIG. 2) is set. state) can be applied.

In addition, the array antenna apparatus 1A needs to keep the transmission output below the limit value in the area where the transmission output is restricted, but in the area where the transmission output is not restricted, the transmission output is greater than the limit value. may For example, the normal transmission output needs to be kept below the transmission output permitted by the domestic application for use of radio waves. may have the ability. In this case, the array antenna apparatus 1A may select the decimation state in Japan, and may select the non-decimation state in an area such as the open ocean where the application for use of radio waves may not be observed. A signal indicating whether or not it is an area such as the open ocean where the application for radio wave use can be disregarded is input from the control signal input terminal 3 and sent to the control section 9A. When the control unit 9A receives a signal indicating that it is an area where the application for radio wave use may not be observed, it selects the non-thinning state (normal state in FIG. 2), thereby transmitting the RF signal at the maximum capacity. becomes possible.

This embodiment can also be applied to a case in which the transmitting module 5X is replaced with a receiving module in the array antenna device 1A and the array antenna device 1A is used as a receiving array antenna.

By the way, there is a method of thinning out the element antennas so that the interval between the element antennas satisfies a specific formula. In this method, if the interval between the element antennas before thinning is approximately the same as the interval indicated by a specific formula, the element antennas cannot be thinned, and power consumption and heat generation cannot be suppressed. Further, when the interval between element antennas is wide, it is difficult to thin out the element antennas for radar whose frequency band is less than one octave. Further, when the element antennas are thinned out based on the transmission frequency and the beam orientation direction, beam control cannot be performed according to the amount of power consumption or heat generation required to be suppressed.

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

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

14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 2. FIG. Among the constituent elements in FIG. 14, the constituent elements that achieve the same functions as those of the array antenna apparatus 1A shown in FIG.

The array antenna device 1B has a controller 9B instead of the controller 9A, unlike the array antenna device 1A. The array antenna device 1B also has a storage device 12 which is a storage unit. In array antenna apparatus 1B, correspondence data 51 and thinning state information 52 are stored in 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 . A user can access the storage device 12, and the correspondence data 51 or thinning state information 52 in the storage device 12 can be modified according to instructions from the user. This makes it easy to change the correspondence data 51 or the thinning state information 52 and deal with an increase in size.

Embodiment 3.
A third embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG. In Embodiment 3, the invention of Embodiment 1 is applied to an array antenna device having a reception function. That is, in Embodiment 3, the array antenna apparatus 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 .

15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 3. FIG. Among the constituent elements in FIG. 15, the constituent elements that achieve the same functions as those of the array antenna apparatus 1A shown in FIG.

Compared with the array antenna apparatus 1A, the array antenna apparatus 1C has a combiner/divider 14 instead of the distributor 4, and has a controller 9C instead of the controller 9A. Further, the array antenna apparatus 1C has transmission/reception modules 15-1 to 15-N instead of the transmission modules 5-1 to 5-N as compared with the array antenna apparatus 1A. In the following description, the transmission/reception modules 15-1 to 15-N may be called the transmission/reception module 15X when there is no need to identify the transmission/reception modules 15-1 to 15-N. The transmission/reception module 15X is a module that includes the function of a transmission module and the function of a reception module.

Each transmission/reception module 15X has a phase shifter 7, transmission/reception switches 16a and 16b, and amplifiers 8a and 8b. The phase shifter 7 is connected to the combiner/divider 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 combiner/divider 14 is connected to the RF input/output terminal 13 and the transmission/reception module 15X. The synthesizer/distributor 14 distributes the RF signal sent from the RF input/output terminal 13 to each of the transmission/reception modules 15X. Also, the synthesizer/divider 14 synthesizes signals sent from each of the transmission/reception modules 15X and sends the synthesized signals to the RF input/output terminal 13 .

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

The phase shifter 7 phase-modulates the RF signal sent from the synthesizer/divider 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 synthesizer/divider 14. send.

The transmission/reception switches 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 an RF signal 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 the RF signal to the element antenna 6X when the RF signal is sent from the amplifier 8a, and sends the RF signal to the amplifier 8b when the RF signal is sent from the element antenna 6X. send.

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

The control unit 9C causes the transmission/reception module 15X of the element antenna 6X set as the excitation element antenna in the decimation state information 52 to execute signal processing for transmitting 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 as the parasitic element antenna in the decimation state information 52 to perform signal processing for transmitting the RF signal.

Note that 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 as the excitation element antenna in the decimation 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 as the parasitic element antenna in the decimation state information 52 to perform signal processing for receiving the RF signal. In the thinning state information 52, the thinning state used for RF signal transmission and the thinning state used for RF signal reception may be different or the same.

The control unit 9C operates the phase shifter 7, the transmission/reception switches 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. The phase shifter 7, the transmission/reception switches 16a and 16b, and the amplifier 8a are stopped for the transmission/reception module 15X that does not execute the signal processing.

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

The control processing procedure for the transmitting/receiving 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 transmitting module 5X by the array antenna device 1A, so description thereof will be omitted.

Note that the array antenna apparatus 1C may include the storage device 12 described with reference to FIG. 14 instead of the storage area 10 being arranged in the control unit 9C.

As described above, according to Embodiment 3, even when beam switching is performed at high speed when transmitting and receiving RF signals, it is possible to easily realize maintenance of the beam width and suppression of the generation of grating lobes. can be done.

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

16 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 4. FIG. Among the constituent elements in FIG. 16, those constituent elements that achieve the same functions as those of the array antenna apparatus 1A shown in FIG.

Array antenna apparatus 1D has control section 9D instead of control section 9A, as compared with array antenna apparatus 1A. Array antenna device 1D is connected to power supply device 17 .

The power supply device 17 is a device that supplies power to the transmission module 5X of the array antenna device 1D. The power supply device 17 is composed of a power supply control unit 19 and a plurality of power supply units 18 . The power supply units 18 are operated in parallel, and if any of the power supply units 18 fails, the operation of the array antenna apparatus 1D is continued by the power supply unit 18 that is not in failure. As a result, when any one of the power supply units 18 fails, the power supply of the power supply device 17 is reduced, but the operation of the array antenna device 1D does not stop.

The 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 power supplied from the power supply unit 18 to each transmission module 5X. Note that the power supply unit 18 may be associated with a plurality of transmission modules 5X. 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 17 and holds the number of failures of each power supply unit 18 as failure number information. The power supply control unit 19 transmits failure number information to the control section 9D of the array antenna apparatus 1D.

The storage area 10 of the fourth embodiment stores correspondence data 51D and thinning state information 52. FIG. 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 contain one or more types of thinning state information 52 for which thinning is set.

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

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the configuration of correspondence data used in the array antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 4. FIG. The correspondence data 51D is data indicating the correspondence between the number of failures of the power supply unit 18 and the thinning state. The thinning states included in the correspondence data 51D include 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. Also, 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 is associated with the transmission stop state. Note that although FIG. 17 describes the case where the number of failures is set in increments of one, the range of the number of failures set in the correspondence data 51D can be changed to any range.

In the first embodiment, the control unit 9A uses the thinning state information 52 corresponding to the power suppression amount, 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 17 transmits failure number information indicating the number of failures to the control section 9D, and the control section 9D selects the thinning state corresponding to the number of failures from the correspondence data 51D. 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 antennas 6X to be excited based on the power supply capability from the power supply device 17. FIG. As a result, the array antenna apparatus 1D can keep the power consumption within the range of the power supply capability, maintain the beam width, and suppress the generation of grating lobes. For example, even if some of the power supply units 18 fail, the array antenna apparatus 1D does not stop operating and allows the power supply units 18 that are not failing to exhibit their potential. That is, when a part of the power supply unit 18 fails, the array antenna apparatus 1D increases the thinning number of the transmission modules 5X to reduce the number of the transmission modules 5X to be operated, that is, degenerates the functions of the transmission modules 5X. It works with the

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

Note that the array antenna apparatus 1D may include the storage device 12 described with reference to FIG. 14 instead of the storage area 10 being arranged in the control unit 9D. Also, the array antenna apparatus 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 count information, and controls the transmission/reception module 15X in the same manner as the array antenna device 1C.

Thus, according to the fourth embodiment, even when beam switching is performed at high speed, the RF signal is transmitted by the number of transmission modules 5X corresponding to the power supply, and the beam width is maintained and the grating lobe is reduced. occurrence suppression can be easily realized.

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

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

Note that 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 a plurality of pulses are transmitted in a specific direction, if the thinning state information 52 is changed and transmitted, the time-averaged pattern shape side will be larger than the case where one thinning state information 52 is fixed and transmitted. Lobe can be lowered.

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

Here, the hardware configuration of the control units 9A to 9D will be explained. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a first hardware configuration example of a control unit included in the array antenna devices 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 explained here. A part or all of the functions of the components constituting the control unit 9A can be realized by the processor 301 and the memory 302. FIG.

An example of the processor 301 is a CPU (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 implemented by the processor 301 reading out and executing a control program for executing the operation of the control unit 9A, stored in the memory 302. FIG. It can also be said that this control program causes a computer to execute the procedure or method of the control section 9A. The memory 302 is also used as temporary memory when the processor 301 executes various processes.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a second hardware configuration example of a control unit included in the array antenna devices 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 explained here. Some or all of the functions of the constituent elements of the control section 9A can be realized by the processing circuit 303. FIG.

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 the functions of the control unit 9A may be partly realized by dedicated hardware and partly by software or firmware. That is, part of the functions of the control section 9A may be implemented by the processor 301 and memory 302 shown in FIG. 18, and the remaining functions may be implemented by the dedicated processing circuit 303 shown in FIG.

The configuration shown in the above embodiment shows an example of the content of the present invention, and it is possible to combine it with another known technology, and one configuration can be used without departing from the scope 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 transmission module, 6-1 to 6-N, 6X element antenna, 7 phase shifter , 8, 8a, 8b amplifier, 9A to 9D control unit, 10 storage area, 12 storage device, 13 RF input/output terminal, 14 combiner/divider, 15-1 to 15-N, 15X transmission/reception module, 16a, 16b transmission/reception switching device, 17 power supply unit, 18 power supply unit, 19 power supply control unit, 51, 51D correspondence data, 52, 100 to 109 thinning state information, 301 processor, 302 memory, 303 processing circuit.

Claims (7)

An array antenna device for transmitting beams,
a plurality of element antennas arranged in a first element array and transmitting beams having a first beam width and a grating lobe suppressed by a first suppression amount;
a plurality of transmit modules, each transmitting a transmit signal to each of the elemental antennas;
storing thinning state information indicating a second element array in which a part of the element antennas are thinned while maintaining the first beam width and the first suppression amount, and power consumption or heat generation in the array antenna apparatus; a storage unit that stores a correspondence relationship between the suppression amount for suppressing the amount and the thinning state information;
When the signal indicating the amount of suppression is received, thinning state information corresponding to the amount of suppression is read from the storage unit based on the signal indicating the amount of suppression and the correspondence relationship, and based on the read state information of thinning, the plurality of A control unit that switches the thinning state of the element antennas by switching the element antennas to be excited with respect to the transmission module of
comprising
An array antenna device characterized by: further comprising a plurality of transmission/reception modules each including the transmission module and a reception module that receives a signal received by the element antenna from the element antenna;
When the control unit receives the signal indicating the amount of suppression when receiving the received signal, the control unit stores decimation state information corresponding to the amount of suppression based on the signal indicating the amount of suppression and the correspondence relationship. and switching the thinning state of the element antennas by causing the plurality of transmitting/receiving modules to switch the element antennas to be excited for signal processing of the received signals, based on the thinning state information read from the
The array antenna apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by: An array antenna device for transmitting beams,
a plurality of element antennas arranged in a first element array and transmitting beams having a first beam width and a grating lobe suppressed by a first suppression amount;
a plurality of transmit modules, each transmitting a transmit signal to each of the elemental antennas;
thinning state information indicating a second element array obtained by thinning a part of the element antennas while maintaining the first beam width and the first suppression amount, and supplying power to the array antenna apparatus; a storage unit that stores a correspondence relationship between the number of failed power supply units of a power supply unit and the thinning state information;
When the information indicating the number of failures is received, thinning state information corresponding to the number of failures is read from the storage unit based on the information indicating the number of failures and the correspondence relationship, and based on the read thinning state information, the plurality of A control unit that switches the thinning state of the element antennas by switching the element antennas to be excited with respect to the transmission module of
comprising
An array antenna device characterized by: further comprising a plurality of transmission/reception modules each including the transmission module and a reception module that receives a signal received by the element antenna from the element antenna;
Upon receiving the information indicating the number of failures at the time of receiving the reception signal, the control unit stores thinning state information corresponding to the number of failures based on the information indicating the number of failures and the correspondence relationship to the storage unit. and switching the thinning state of the element antennas by causing the plurality of transmitting/receiving modules to switch the element antennas to be excited for signal processing of the received signals, based on the thinning state information read from the
4. The array antenna apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by: When transmitting a transmission signal of a plurality of pulses in a specific direction, the control unit reads a plurality of thinning state information from the storage unit based on the correspondence relationship, and reads the plurality of thinning state information for each pulse signal or for each pulse signal. sequentially selecting different thinning-out state information from the thinning-out state information, and switching the element antennas to be excited for the plurality of transmission modules based on the selected thinning-out state information;
The array antenna apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The storage unit is arranged in the control unit,
The array antenna apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The storage unit is arranged outside the control unit,
The array antenna apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that:

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