JP4870638B2 - Phased array antenna device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a phased array antenna device, and in particular, tracks a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an array for receiving radio waves from a transmission antenna, a phase shifter connected to each antenna element, and a plurality of antenna elements. A primary radiator that transmits a radio wave to the antenna element, and controls the phase of the radio wave received by each antenna element by each phase shifter and transmits the radio wave whose phase is controlled from each antenna element. The present invention relates to a phased array antenna apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, radar devices, mobile phone base stations, and the like have used a phased array antenna device in which a large number of antenna elements are arranged on a plane or a straight line and transmitted and received by these antenna elements. This phased array antenna device not only changes the directivity of the phased array antenna device (beam steering) by adjusting the phase of the high-frequency signal transmitted and received by each antenna element, but also gains the direction of arrival of the radio wave of interest. Is also called an adaptive array antenna since the process (tracking) for increasing the frequency and reducing the gain of radio waves coming from other directions can be electrically executed.

  In a phased array antenna device, a large number of antenna elements and phase shifters connected to the antenna elements are arranged on a plane, and each is supplied with a power supply, a control signal line, and a high-frequency signal for transmission and reception. And a power supply line to be wired. However, the higher the frequency of the high-frequency signal transmitted and received, the shorter the wavelength and the smaller the antenna element. Therefore, circuit integration and wiring complexity become problems.

  In such a phased array antenna apparatus, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of a phased array antenna apparatus that eliminates the feeding lines of the antenna elements by supplying a high-frequency signal by spatial power feeding in order to eliminate the complexity of the circuit. Has been.

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a conventional phased array antenna apparatus 100 using space feeding. 6 includes a phase shifter unit (110, 120, 130, 140), transmission / reception antenna elements (111, 121, 131, 141) connected to the phase shifter unit, and a high-frequency signal. And a transmitting antenna 155 connected to the transmitter 154.

  Further, the phase shifter unit (# 1) 110 of FIG. 6 includes a digital phase shifter 112, a perfect reflection element 113 that reflects radio waves, and a voltage stabilizer 115 that stabilizes the power supply voltage supplied from the power supply 153. A serial / parallel converter 114 that converts a control signal transmitted from the control unit 152 by serial communication into a parallel signal for the digital phase shifter 112 is provided. For this reason, each phase shifter unit (120, 130, 140) is similarly connected to the power source 153 and the control unit 152.

  The digital phase shifter 112, the serial / parallel converter 114, and the like used in the phased array antenna apparatus 100 of FIG. 6 each require a control signal and a power supply line. Therefore, in order to use space power supply for the power supply line, Patent Document 2 discloses a technology related to a power supply apparatus that supplies power to a device that uses electricity as a power source in a non-contact manner using radio waves.

  FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a conventional radio wave power supply apparatus 200, and the configuration and operation of the radio wave power supply apparatus 200 will be described with reference to FIG. The radio power feeder 200 has a power receiving station 201 that receives power and a power feeding station 202. The power transmission unit 227 of the power supply station 202 amplifies a radio wave having a predetermined frequency and radiates it from the antenna 221 to the space via the transmission / reception switching unit 222. At this time, it is assumed that the antenna 221 is directed in the direction of the power receiving station 201 by the antenna beam control means 228.

  On the other hand, a radio wave of a predetermined frequency received by the antenna 211 of the power receiving station 201 is sent to the power detection unit 214 via the transmission / reception switching unit 212, and the received radio wave of the predetermined frequency exceeds the detection threshold of the power detection unit 214. Is determined to be a radio wave from the power supply station 202, self-information including the position information of the power receiving station 201 is output from the self-information transmission unit 213 to the transmission switching unit 212, and the output self-information is transmitted from the antenna 211 to the power supply station 202. Sent.

  The power feeding station 202 receives a radio wave including self-information transmitted from the power receiving station 201 by the transmission / reception switching unit 222 after transmitting the radio wave of a predetermined frequency by the receiving unit 233. Next, the target detection unit 224 detects the target signal of the power receiving station 201 from the received radio wave and outputs the signal to the target information decoding unit 225. The target information decoding means 225 decodes the self-information of the target power receiving station 201, obtains the target distance and directivity angle from the position information, instructs the power control means to output in accordance with the distance, and sets the directivity angle to the antenna. The beam control means 228 is instructed. Thereafter, as long as the power receiving station 201 transmits the self information, the same operation is repeated at a constant interval.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-17434 (FIG. 5) JP-A-8-130840

  By using the above-described technique, it is possible to omit the high-frequency signal power supply line and the power supply line from the antenna element circuit, but the control signal line for controlling the power supply and phase to the circuit is The number of antenna elements is necessary, and it is difficult to further reduce the size of wiring and devices.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a phased array antenna device that can eliminate the complexity of the circuit of the phased array antenna device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a phased array antenna apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of antenna elements arranged in an array for receiving radio waves from a transmitting antenna, and a transfer element connected to each antenna element. A phase shifter and a primary radiator that transmits radio waves to a plurality of antenna elements, the phase of the radio waves received by each antenna element is controlled by each phase shifter, and the radio waves whose phases are controlled are In a phased array antenna apparatus that transmits from an element, a primary radiator transmits an electric wave modulated by a phase shift control signal that controls the relative phase of each antenna element, and an antenna module in which the antenna element and the phase shifter are integrated Is a distributor that distributes radio waves received by an antenna element, a demodulator that demodulates a phase shift control signal from the distributed radio waves, and power supply power from the distributed radio waves. It has a power acquisition unit for Tokusuru, and characterized in that it is driven by the power from the power acquisition unit.

  In the phased array antenna apparatus according to the present invention, each phase shifter is controlled by a phase shift control signal demodulated by the demodulator.

  In the phased array antenna device according to the present invention, the phase shifter is a MEMS phase shifter using a MEMS switch with low power consumption.

  In the phased array antenna device according to the present invention, the phase shifter is a reflection type phase shifter or a transmission type phase shifter.

  By using the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the complexity of the circuit and wiring of the phased array antenna device, and to achieve downsizing and cost reduction.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a phased array antenna apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. A first feature characteristic of the present embodiment is not only to spatially feed a high-frequency signal transmitted by beam steering, but also to provide phase information for each phase shift unit necessary for beam steering and each phase shifter. The power supply power to be driven is supplied to the passive phase shifter panel 70 by space power feeding. In addition, a digital phase shifter (MEMS phase shifter 12) with low power consumption was used in order to use the power supply power as space power supply.

  The phased array antenna device 1 of FIG. 1 is roughly composed of two parts, a primary radiator 60 and a plurality of passive phase shifter panels 70. Here, the primary radiator 60 includes a controller 62, a modulator 63, a transmitter 61, a combiner 64, a beam controller 66, a receiver 67, and a radar processor 68. .

  The primary radiator 60 outputs the transmission signal generated by the transmission unit 61 to the synthesizer 64, and combines the phase information (relative phase) for beam steering output from the control unit 62 after modulating it by the modulator 63. Output to the device 64. The transmission signal synthesized by the synthesizer 64 is transmitted from the transmission antenna 65 and received by the transmission / reception antenna elements (19, 29, 39, 49). For convenience of explanation, the phase shifter unit (# 1) 10 among a plurality of phase shifter units is shown as an example.

  The passive phase shifter panel 70 includes the transmission / reception antenna elements 19 and the transmission antenna elements 18 arranged in an array, and the phase shifter unit 10. The phase shifter unit 10 connected to the transmission / reception antenna element 19 and the transmission antenna element 18 includes a distributor 17 that distributes a high-frequency signal received by the transmission / reception antenna element 19, a circuit that extracts power supply power, and a high-frequency signal. And a circuit for controlling the phase of the phase shifter by extracting the phase information. Here, the circuit for extracting the power supply includes a detector 51, a capacitor 52, and a voltage stabilizer 53 in the order in which they are connected to the distributor 17.

  The circuit for controlling the relative phase of the phase shifter has a receiver 16, a demodulator 15, a decoder 14, and a register 13 in the order of connection to the distributor 17, and is formed by a film forming technique. The MEMS phase shifter 12 using a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) switch is controlled.

  The receiver 16 takes out the signal of the modulation frequency band modulated by the primary radiator 60 and demodulates it into a phase shift control signal by the demodulator. The demodulated phase shift control signal includes ID information for identifying the phase shifter unit and a relative phase, and this data stores in advance the phase shift characteristic data of the phase shifter unit 10 in beam steering. 14 is input. When the ID information matches the ID information set in advance, the decoder 14 outputs the relative phase to the register 13 to hold the value. The register 13 sets the phase shift characteristic of the MEMS phase shifter 12 based on the held relative phase.

  Further, the phase shift characteristic data stored in advance in the decoder 14 can be updated from the primary radiator 60, and updated by the phase shift characteristic data following the phase shift change trigger signal transmitted from the primary radiator 60. Is done.

  In addition, the phased array antenna apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 includes the switch 26 that connects the complete reflection element 25 and the transmission antenna element in a timely manner, so that the primary radiator 60 can be transmitted by self-information transmission to the primary radiator 60. While tracking the passive phase shifter panel 70 is facilitated, it functions as the phased array antenna device 1 having both functions of a transmission type and a reflection type.

  In addition, the second matter characteristic in the present embodiment is that the MEMS phase shifter 12 with low power consumption is taken into consideration in order to achieve the aerial power supply of the power for the passive phase shifter panel 70 in consideration of the aerial power supply efficiency. It is used. In general, since the digital phase shifter 112 in FIG. 6 has a large power consumption, it is necessary to stabilize the voltage by the voltage stabilizer 115. However, in this embodiment, such a problem does not occur, and the MEMS phase shifter. Power saving by means of aerial power supply has become possible. In order to secure a further margin of power consumption of the MEMS phase shifter, the output of the primary radiator 60 may be increased.

  FIG. 2 shows an outline of a transmission type phased array antenna device, and FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the passive phase shifter panel of FIG. In addition, the 3rd matter characteristic in this embodiment is that the wiring to the passive phase shifter panel 70 required conventionally was lost.

  The passive phase shifter panel 70 of FIG. 2 is arranged in a triangle on a metal panel frame 72, and a plurality of passive phase shifter panels 70 that do not require wiring are fixed. With such a configuration, a transmission type phased array antenna device capable of beam steering of a radio wave including a transmission wave transmitted from the transmission antenna 65 and a phase shift control signal is obtained.

  FIG. 3 shows the passive phase shifter panel 70 viewed from the transmitting antenna element 18 side and a cross section A-A ′ of the passive phase shifter panel 70. The passive phase shifter panel 70 has a hexagonal shape, and mounting arms 75 are provided on three sides of the passive phase shifter panel 70, and each mounting arm 75 is provided with one screw hole. Further, as shown in the cross-section AA ′, the surface of the passive phase shifter panel 70 has the reception antenna element 19 and the transmission antenna element 18, and the phase shifter unit 10 is built therein. .

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration of a reflective phased array antenna apparatus 2 according to another embodiment. Since the phased array antenna apparatus 2 of FIG. 4 includes the primary radiator 60 supported by the passive phase shifter panel 70, the switch 26, the receiver 67, the beam controller 66, and the like shown in FIG. 1 are omitted. Has been. Further, in place of the transmission antenna elements (18, 28, 38, 48) of FIG. 1, transmission / reception antenna elements (11, 21, 31, 41) similar to the transmission / reception antenna elements (19, 29, 39, 49) of FIG. The complete reflection element 25 is connected to the output side of the MEMS phase shifter 12. Since other configurations are the same as those in FIG. 1, overlapping description is omitted.

  4 is different from the phased array antenna apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that the transmission signal whose relative phase is adjusted by the MEMS phase shifter 12 is reflected by the perfect reflection element 25. It is transmitted from the transmission / reception antenna element 11 of FIG. 4 as a transmission wave after phase shift adjustment. Thereby, it functions as a reflection type phased array antenna device.

  FIG. 5 shows a communication system 3 equipped with the phased array antenna apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 in the present embodiment. The communication system 3 shown in the figure has a mobile radio station 92 having a primary radiator 60 and a transmission antenna 65 mounted on a truck, etc., and an airship 94 having a passive phase shifter panel 70. The radar observation and the wireless communication that are out of sight can be avoided by avoiding the object.

  Further, since the passive phase shifter panel 70 also functions as a reflection type, it is not limited to a mode in which radio waves are transmitted from the back of the airship 94 and transmitted to the front of the airship 94 as shown in FIG. There is also an effect that it is possible to transmit radio waves to the back of the airship by transmitting radio waves.

  As described above, by using the phased array antenna device according to this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate the complexity of the circuit and wiring of the phased array antenna device, and to realize downsizing and cost reduction. In addition, by using a transmissive and reflective phased array antenna, beam steering over the entire circumference is possible.

  FIG. 7 shows a flow of beam directivity control to the phased array antenna apparatus 1 controlled by the primary radiator 60 of FIG. This processing is performed by supplying power to the phased array antenna apparatus 1 mounted on the airship 94 flying in an arbitrary space and causing the phased array antenna apparatus 1 to perform beam steering. This relates to beam directivity control and phase shift control of the phased array antenna apparatus 1.

  First, the primary radiator 60 starts scanning arbitrary space by the radar processing unit 68 in order to specify the position of the airship 94. The airship 94 or the phased array antenna device 1 having a complicated shape emits a constant reflected wave with respect to the radar wave. The radar processing unit 68 scans an arbitrary space by the beam controller 66 and searches for the direction in which the phased array antenna apparatus 1 exists (step S10). Even when the beam from the primary radiator 60 does not hit the phased array antenna apparatus 1 and the power supply is not started, the radar processing unit 68 measures the reflected wave from the airship 94 or the like (step S20), Supplement is executed (step S30).

  When a beam hits the phased array antenna apparatus 1 and power supply is started (step S60), phase shift control of the phased array antenna apparatus 1 is started (step S70). In addition, the primary radiator 60 uses a perfect reflection element 25 to transmit a transmission wave from the primary radiator 60 for the purpose of increasing the reflected wave from the phased array antenna apparatus 1 in order to examine the panel attitude of the phased array antenna apparatus 1. A reflection mode signal for reflecting the light is transmitted (step S40). When the phased array antenna apparatus 1 receives the reflection mode signal (step S80), the phased array antenna apparatus 1 switches the switch 26 to a reflection mode and a wide-angle beam. By stabilizing the reflected wave from the phased array antenna apparatus 1, it becomes possible to perform more accurate beam control on the phased array antenna apparatus 1. Further, the tracking process (step S50) is repeated by changing to the reflection mode (step S90) at a predetermined cycle.

  In order to efficiently supply power, the attitude of the airship 94 can be controlled so that the attitude of the panel is kept as vertical as possible with respect to the beam from the primary radiator 60. In the present embodiment, the transmission phase shifter unit 10 is used and beam control is performed according to the relative phase relationship between the transmission and reception antennas, so that fluctuations in the refraction of the transmission and reception beams due to subtle changes in the attitude of the panel can be canceled out. There is also an effect that rough attitude control of the airship 94 is sufficient.

  In this embodiment, the phase shift control signal is modulated and transmitted to the passive phase shifter panel. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the primary radiator 60 and the passive phase shifter panel 70 in FIG. If there is, a phase shift control signal of each phase shifter unit and a phase shift change trigger signal may be transmitted using a micro power wireless LAN or the like.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the phased array antenna apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the outline | summary of the transmission type phased array antenna apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the passive phase shifter panel which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the reflection type phased array antenna apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the communication system carrying the phased array antenna apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conventional phased array antenna apparatus by space feeding. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the beam directivity control process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conventional electromagnetic wave electric power feeder.

Explanation of symbols

  1, 2, 100 phased array antenna device, 3 communication system, 10 phase shifter unit, 11, 19, 29, 39, 49, 111, 121, 131, 141 transmission / reception antenna element, 12 MEMS phase shifter, 13 register, 14 Decoder, 15 Demodulator, 16 Receiver, 17 Divider, 18 Transmitting antenna element, 25 Complete reflection element, 26 Switch, 51 Detector, 52 Capacitor, 53 Voltage stabilizer, 60 Primary radiator, 61 Transmitter, 62 Control unit, 63 Modulator, 64 Synthesizer, 65 Transmitting antenna, 66 Beam controller, 67 Receiver, 68 Radar processing unit, 70 Passive phase shifter panel, 72 Panel frame, 75 Mounting arm, 92 Mobile radio station, 94 Airship, 110, 120, 130, 140 Phase shifter unit, 111, 121 , 131, 141 Transmission / reception antenna element, 112 Digital phase shifter, 113 Complete reflection element, 114 Serial / parallel converter, 115 Voltage stabilizer, 152 Control unit, 153 Power supply, 154 Transmitter, 155 Transmitting antenna, 200 Radio wave feeder, 201 Power receiving station, 202 Power feeding station, 211, 221 Antenna, 212, 222 Transmission / reception switching means, 213 Self information transmission means, 214 Power detection means, 224 Target detection means, 225 Target information decoding means, 227 Power transmission means, 228 Antenna beam Control means, 233 receiving means.

Claims (4)

A plurality of antenna elements arranged in an array for receiving radio waves from a transmitting antenna; a phase shifter connected to each antenna element; and a primary radiator for transmitting radio waves to the plurality of antenna elements. In the phased array antenna device for controlling the phase of the radio wave received by each antenna element by each phase shifter and transmitting the radio wave whose phase is controlled from each antenna element,
The primary radiator transmits a radio wave in which a phase shift control signal for controlling the relative phase of each antenna element is modulated,
An antenna module that integrates an antenna element and a phase shifter
A distributor for distributing radio waves received by the antenna element;
A demodulator that demodulates the phase shift control signal from the distributed radio waves;
A power acquisition unit that acquires power from the distributed radio waves;
And a phased array antenna device, wherein the phased array antenna device is driven by a power source from a power source. The phased array antenna apparatus according to claim 1,
Each phase shifter is controlled by a phase shift control signal demodulated by a demodulator, respectively. The phased array antenna device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:
The phased array antenna device, wherein the phase shifter is a MEMS phase shifter using a MEMS switch with low power consumption. The phased array antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:
The phased array antenna device, wherein the phase shifter is a reflection type phase shifter or a transmission type phase shifter.

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