JPS6064277A - Active faced array radar - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to diagnose the trouble of an array element being a main constitutional article by simple constitutional alteration and active faced array data itself, by substituting the phase shifter in an active module with a delay circuit having a predetermined delay time. CONSTITUTION:One or more of a test module 7, wherein the phase shifter of an active module 1 is substituted with a delay circuit 15 having a delay time over transmission pulse amplitude or more, is provided. When the receiving system noise amplifier 12 of the module 7 is operated, a transmission pulse is outputted from a current supply part 3 and the operated module 1 of a transmission system and a transmission pulse due to mutual couplings between emission parts 2 is delayed by the circuit through the receiving system of the module 1. Therefore, a coupling pulse is subjected to receiving processing by a transmitter receiver 4 without allowing a leak transmission pulse to be present simultaneously and the transmission system of an array element is subjected to self-diagnosis. When an array 7 is set to a transmission system and an array 1 to a receiving system, the diagnosis of the receiving system is similarily performed and active faced array data is self-diagnosed by simple constitutional alteration and itself without providing a measuring instrument.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Technical field of invention] The invention controls a phase shifter and a semiconductor amplifier.

This invention relates to an active phased array radar that achieves radar functions through electrical beam scanning, and particularly to its failure diagnosis.

[Prior art]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional active phased array radar. In FIG. 1, (1) is an active module, (2) is a radiating section arranged on the same plane and connected to the active module (1), and (3) is a radiating section connected to the active module (1). ) is the power supply unit connected to the active module (1).

(4) is a transceiver connected to the power supply (3), (5) is a control unit connected to the active module (1) and the transceiver (4), and (6) is a control unit connected to the control unit (5). It is a calculator.

Also, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the inside of the active module +11. In Fig. 1, 0υ is a high output amplifier, and 0
2 is a low noise amplifier, αTen is a transmitting/receiving switch, and αXUN is a phase shifter.

A conventional active phased array radar is configured as described above.9 When used as a radar, for example, a transmission pulse from a transceiver (4) is transmitted to a power feeding section (3).

It is radiated into space via the active module (1) and the radiator (2), and after a certain period of time, the reflected wave of the transmitted pulse, that is, the received pulse, is radiated into the space via the radiator (2), the active module +11, and the feeder (3). Transmitter/receiver (4
) and is processed.

At this time, the transmitted pulse passes through the high-output amplifier αυ and the phase shifter 0 slope controlled by the computer (6) and the control unit (5), so that it is efficiently emitted in a predetermined direction in space. On the other hand, the received pulse passes through the low-noise amplifier 117J and phase shifter (14) controlled by the computer (6) and control unit (5), so it efficiently enters the transceiver (4) from a predetermined direction in space.

As a result, for example, the distance to a distant place where a reflection occurs can be determined from the time difference between the transmitted pulse and the received pulse, thereby realizing a radar function.

A large number of such active modules +1), namely a large number of high-power amplifiers αυ, low-noise amplifiers α2 . Phase shifter a
In an active 7 aided array radar formed using 4, it is necessary to periodically carry out these failure diagnosis.

However, the conventional active phased array radar has a drawback that it cannot diagnose the failure of the array element consisting of the radiating section (2), the active module (1), and the power feeding section (3) by itself. In other words, in order to diagnose the failure of array elements in the conventional active 7 aided array radar, it is necessary to install a measurement antenna and a measurement receiver to measure the output in the case of the transmission system, and it is necessary to install a measurement antenna and a measurement receiver to measure the output of the transmission system. In this case, it was necessary to install a measurement antenna and a measurement transmitter to measure the gain.

As described above, the conventional active phased array radar has the drawback that it cannot diagnose the failure of the array element, which is the main component, by itself, and that measurement equipment must be installed separately in order to diagnose the failure.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention was made with the aim of improving such drawbacks, and includes replacing the phase shifter in one or more active modules with a slow wave circuit having a delay time equal to or longer than the transmission pulse width,
The present invention also proposes an active phased array radar in which failure diagnosis of each array element can be performed by itself by utilizing the coupling between the radiating parts.

[Embodiments of the invention]

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an active phased array radar according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- (6) are exactly the same as the above-mentioned conventional active phased array antenna. (7) is a test module, which, like the active module (1+), is connected to the radiation section (2), the power supply section (3), and the control section (5).

Further, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the inside of the test module (7), and in FIG. 1, moats 00 to a are the same as the active module (1). ([3 is a slow wave circuit, which has a delay time longer than the transmission pulse width.

An active phased array radar according to an embodiment of the present invention has a bipedal structure 114, and when used as a radar, for example, the transmitted pulses from the transceiver (4) are transmitted to the power supply (3), the active module (1) and the active module (1). Radiation part (
2), and after a certain period of time, the reflected wave of the transmitted pulse, that is, the received pulse, is emitted to the radiating part (2),
It enters the transceiver (4) via the active module (11) and the power supply (3) and is processed.

When used as a radar, test module #+71 shuts off both the transmitting and receiving systems to eliminate any influence on the active module (1). Therefore, the conventional active phased array radar and the active phased array radar of the present invention have substantially the same radar function.

Next, let us consider failure diagnosis of the array elements in the active phased array radar of the present invention.

For example, one active module (1) operates the transmitting system, that is, the high-power amplifier 0υ, and the test module (7) operates the receiving system, that is, the low-noise amplifier a2. In this case, the transmission pulse from the transceiver (4) is radiated into space via the power feeding section (3), the active module (1) in operation of the transmission system, and the radiating section (2) connected thereto. At this time, some of the transmitted pulses are transmitted to the radiation part (2
) also enters the test module (7) through mutual coupling between them.

The transmitted pulse, that is, the combined pulse that enters the test module (7) is delayed by a time delay equal to or longer than the transmitted pulse width by the slow wave circuit (5), and is then sent to the transmitter/receiver (4) via the connecting part.
to go into.

Therefore, the transmitted pulse (leakage) and the combined pulse do not exist at the same time in the signal processing section of the transceiver (4), and the combined pulse can be processed by the transceiver (4). In other words, this means that a failure diagnosis of the transmission system of the array element consisting of the radiating section (2), the active module (1) and the power feeding section (3) is required. On the other hand, failure diagnosis of the receiving system can be realized simply by reversing the operations of the test module (7) and the active module (1).

In the active phased array radar of the present invention, each active module (11) can be operated sequentially by using the computer (6) and the control unit (5).
Failure diagnosis of each array element can be performed within a short time. In addition, by storing the amount of coupling determined by the positional relationship between the radiating parts (2) in the computer (6) in advance, it can be compared with the actually measured value, and highly accurate failure diagnosis can be realized.

Although the above embodiment has been limited to failure diagnosis of the amplitude level of the array element, failure diagnosis of the phase shifter 04 can also be carried out by the method described in the first section.

For example, if the transmission systems of two active modules (1) are activated simultaneously, one of them (
By sequentially changing the phase shift amount in step 1) using the phase shifter I, the amplitude level of the coupled pulses entering the test module (7) changes sequentially as the phase shift amount changes.This amount of change is analyzed. Accordingly, a failure diagnosis of the phase shifter a4 with a different phase shift amount can be performed.

By the way, in the above explanation, the case where there is one test module (7) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to the case where a plurality of test modules (7) are used in order to improve the reliability of failure diagnosis. Can be applied.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, this invention utilizes coupling between radiating parts by a simple configuration change of replacing the phase shifter in one or more active modules with a slow wave circuit having a delay time longer than the transmission pulse width. Therefore, the active phased array radar itself has the advantage that failure diagnosis of array elements can be carried out within a short time without the need for other measuring equipment.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional active phased array radar, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the inside of an active module, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an active phased array radar according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. The figure is a block diagram showing the inside of the test module used in this invention. In the figure, (1) is an active module, (2) is a radiation section, (3) is a power supply section, (4) is a transceiver, and (5) is a control section. (6) is a calculator, (power is a test module, αυ is a high output amplifier, (ta is a low noise amplifier, (13 is a transmitter/receiver switcher, (14 is a phase shifter, and Q5 is a slow wave circuit. Inside, the same numerals indicate the same or equivalent parts. Agent Masuo Oiwa Figure 2 1 4th is 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] A plurality of active modules each including a high-output amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, a transmitting/receiving switch, and a phase shifter are each equipped with a radiating section and a power feeding section, and the radiating sections are arranged on the same plane. In an active phased array radar formed by connecting a transceiver to a transceiver, a control part to each active module, and a computer and a transceiver to each control part, the phase shift within one or more active modules 1. An active phased array radar characterized in that the active phased array radar is replaced with a slow-wave circuit having a delay time longer than the transmission pulse width, and the coupling between the radiating parts is used to diagnose the failure of each array element.