The present invention relates to a method for calibrating a sectorized active
antenna. It also relates to a measurement device for the implementation of
such a method.
The invention applies in particular to the field of electronic-scanning active
antennas used in particular to equip radars or seekers of missiles and
10 architectured in sectors to perform computational beamforming (CBF). More
generally, it applies to any sectorized electronic-scanning antenna, whatever
its application.
An electronic-scanning antenna is an antenna with an array of radiating
15 elements which comprises electronic devices allowing changes of states of
the shape of the transmitted beam. Depending on their nature, these
electronic devices (phase-shifters, attenuators), which are connected to the N
radiating elements so as to form N active channels, act on the shape, the
direction, the frequency or the polarization of the wave formed.
20 An active electronic-scanning antenna corresponds to an antenna whose
devices for amplifying the transmitted or received signals are included in the
antenna and distributed as close as possible to the radiating elements,
forming an array of active transmit and receive channels. Conventionally, in
reception the signals arising from the N radiating elements are grouped
25 together after amplification, weighting and phase-shifting by physical devices
called distributers or summators so as to form four sectors of identical
general shape commonly called "antenna quarters". These 4 quarters are
thereafter combined together by a physical device incorporated into the
antenna and called a "channel formatter" which forms the conventional
30 deviometry channels used in radars or seekers in particular, these channels
being the sum channel I, the bearing difference channel LlB and the
elevation difference channel LlE.
A sectorized active electronic-scanning antenna is an antenna which does
not group the N radiating elements together directly to form the four sectors
35 and then the conventional deviometry channels but performs M partial
2
groupings thereof, each containing a certain number of channels. These
partial groupings go by the name of sector channels and are available at
antenna output. A sectorized antenna can continue to give access to the
conventional deviomelry channels as a supplement to the outputs of the
5 sector channels. The deviometry signals are processed conventionally while
the signals arising from the sectors are used by the system whatever it be
(radar, seeker, ... ) to form, by computation a certain number of channels: the
conventional deviometry channels for example but also any other type of
combination of the signals arising from the M sectors which are intended to
10 improve the information processing. Thus, in addition to the fomnulation of the
conventional deviometry channels, a sectorized antenna formulates output
signals of sector channels corresponding to the partial and disjoint groupings
of a certain number of active channels of the antenna. The fact of having
access to these various sector signals makes it possible to recompose by
15 computation a CBF signal according to all combinations of the type:
Signal JBF = :E~1 BieN'. Channel_sector(i) (1)
Where M is the number of sectors, Channel_sector(i) the signal arising from
20 the sector of order i, and BieN' a complex weight assigned to sector i. In
practice M is a multiple of 4, M is for example equal to 16 or 32.
25
30
35
Hereinafter, equation (1) will be called the CBF equation.
Hereinafter also, the following terminology will be used:
Active channel: one of the N unitary channels of which the antenna is
composed;
Conventional deviometry channel: one of the three deviometry
channels conventionally formulated in a traditional electronic-scanning
antenna;
Sector channel: one of the M sector channels formulated by a
sectorized antenna;
Antenna Channel: generic term designating a sector channel or a
conventional channel.
3
The adjustment of active antennas involves a so-called calibration phase
which consists in measuring on the assembled antenna the dispersions of
amplitude and of phase in transmission or reception on the N various active
channels of the antenna, these dispersions being due in particular to the
5, dispersions of the components included in the active channels as well as to
the assemblage dispersions. These dispersions are thereafter compensated
by appropriate corrections applied to the amplitude control and phase control
of each active channel by virtue of the pointing computer. In the case of a
conventional antenna, this calibration is traditionally done at the antenna
10 output on the sum channel E.
Within the framework of a sectorized active antenna, the conventional
deviometry channels and the sector channels must be optimized
simultaneously, a problem which does not actually arise for a conventional
antenna.
15 Once calibrated with the required precision, the active antennas, be they
sectorized or not, have to be tested according to a certain number of
parameters (patterns, EIRP, G/T, ... ). In the case of a sectorized antenna,
the number of measurements to be made is much more significant than for a
conventional antenna and increases nearly in proportion to the number of
20 sector channels.
25
30
Thus for a sectorized antenna, the following problems arise in an acute
manner:
calibration of the antenna, since several Antenna channels have to be
optimized simultaneously (the conventional channels and the various
sector channels) in contradistinction to a conventional antenna where
the calibration is generally performed on the sum channel L:;
testing, since a lot of data must be measured:
with a precision at least equal,. or indeed increased, with
respect to a conventional antenna;
in a measurement time which is of the same class as for a
conventional antenna so that the schedules of the test
phases do not increase in duration.
4
Several documents deal with the calibration of conventional scanning
antennas, this being the case in particular for the documents FR0904045,
FR 1103143 and FR 1302928 as well as the documents by C Renard: ·
"Calibration et mesure faible coOt d'une antenne a balayage electronique
5 active" [Low-cost calibration and measurement of an active electronicscanning
antenna] CNES Workshop, December 2008, by E.GRORUD et al
"Design and Measurement of an active array antenna for an airborne X-band
SAR/MTI Radar", EUCAP Nice 2006 and by C. Renard: "Etalonnage des
antennes aeroportees" [Calibration of airborne antennas], CCT CNES
10 January 2009.
In the case of sectorized antennas, few or no satisfactory known solutions
exist.
15 As regards the test measurements, the number of channels to be measured
simultaneously in reception in a conventional electronic-scanning antenna is
limited to the three conventional deviometry channels and the problem of the
simultaneity of the measurements is conventionally solved:
20
25
either by using a multiport array analyzer capable of measuring these
three conventional channels at the same time, the number of
measurement ports of the analyzer not being able to be increased
indefinitely and being limited in a standard manner to 8 currently;
or by multiplexing the three measurements on a conventional array
analyzer comprising a reception port, the multiplexer being linked to
the three outputs of the antenna to be measured and comprising
switches making it possible to orient the desired channel
The application of these schemes to an antenna that comprised for example
16 or 32 sectors to be tested in reception is not possible, either because the
30 number of Antenna channels to be tested exceeds the simultaneous capacity
of current array analyzers, or because of the trail effect in the case of
multiplexed measurements. Indeed the antenna being in motion during the
measurement, the Antenna channels are not all actually measured at the
same location of the antenna pattern, this not being serious when the number
5
of channels is low but which becomes crippling when the number of channels
increases greatly, then causing the so-called "trail" effect
Stopping the antenna, which is necessary for the time the measurement is
being performed, leads to crippling measurement times and cannot be an
5 acceptable solution either.
An aim of the invention is in particular to enable the CBF signals to be of the
same quality as the conventional deviometry signals formulated by the
antenna, and to do so in a sectorized-antenna calibration and measurement
time comparable to that for a conventional electronic-scanning active
10 antenna.
To this end, the subject of the invention is a method for calibrating an
electronic-scanning antenna composed of radiating elements each forming
an active channel in which the signals arising from said channels are
grouped together on the one hand to form deviometry signals, each
15 deviometry signal forming a deviometry channel, and are grouped together
on the other hand according to sectors (S1, S2, SM) to form a sectorbased
signal forming a sector channel, a computation-based beam being
fonrned on the basis of the signals arising from each of said sectors, said
method comprising at least the following steps:
20
25
30
measuring the response to a calibration signal of each active channel
at one and the same time on the sum deviometry channel and on the
sector channel to which it belongs, the responses on the sum channel
making it possible to obtain the calibration of the sum channel;
computing, for each active channel, the disparity between the mean of
the responses measured on the sum channel and the mean of the
responses measured on the sector to which it belongs;
in the operational phase, forming said beam by computation on the
basis of the measurements of the signals arising from the sector
channels calibrated with the calibration obtained for the sum channel,
and correcting the computation of said beam as a function of said
disparity.
The measurement of the response to a calibration signal of each active
channel at one and the same time on the sum deviometry channel and on the
6
sector channel to which it belongs is for example performed in one and the
same instantaneous measurement sequence.
The signal n1easurements arising from the sector channels are for example
performed in one and the same instantaneous measurement sequence.
5 In a particular mode of implementation, the signal received by the beam
formed by computation, denoted Signal_ CBF, is obtained according to the
following relation
10
15
20
25
M
Signal_CBF = L B; eN'. Channel_sector(i). Cor _sector(i)
i.=l
where:
M is the number of sectors;
Channel_sector(i) is the measurement of the signal arising from the
channel of the i1
h sector calibrated with the calibration obtained for the
sum channel, i varying from 1 to M;
B;eN' is a complex weight assigned to the ith sector;
Cor _sector(i) represents the disparity between the mean of the
responses measured on the sum channel and the mean of the
responses measured on the i1
h sector
The invention also relates to a measurement device for the implementation of
said method, which comprises at least:
a multipart array analyzer comprising a total number P of receivers,
said analyzer being able to measure the signals arising from said
active channels in response to said calibration signal;
a set of K switches each having Q input channels and an output
channel to which one of said input channels is wired, said switches
being driven by said analyzer, said input channels being able to each
receive a signal arising from an active channel of said antenna in
response to said calibration signal, said output channels of said each
being linked to one of the P receivers;
said analyzer triggering successively Q measurement according to the
30 following sequence:
5
7
on reception of a measurement order signal, said analyzer driving said
switches so that they each switch their first input channel onto their
output channel and then triggering the measurement on its P receivers
of the signals arising from P first active channels;
and then said analyzer driving said switches so that they each select
their second input channel on their output channel, and then triggering
the measurement on its P receivers of the signals arising from P
following active channels;
and so on and so forth until said analyzer driving said switches makes them
1 o each wire up their Q1
h input channel to their output channel.
An amplifier is for example disposed between each switch output and the
input of the receiver to which it is linked. A port of said analyzer comprises for
example at least one transmit module for generating the transmit signal
intended to be transmitted toward said channels.
15 Said device comprises for example a coupler at the output of said transmit
module, said port comprising at least one receiver for receiving a reference
signal arising from said transmit signal via said coupler. Said port comprises
for example a second receiver receiving a signal arising from an array formed
of a few radiating elements of said antenna.
20
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent
with the aid of the description which follows, given in relation to appended
drawings which represent:
Figure 1, an illustration of the principle of realization of a channel
25 formatter used in a sectorized electronic-scanning antenna;
30
Figure 2, various possible steps of the method according to the
invention;
Figure 3, an exemplary embodiment for the implementation of the
method according to the invention.
Figure 1 illustrates the principle of realization of a channel formatter 1 used
for a sectorized active electronic-scanning antenna.
8
In a conventional active antenna, the conventional deviometry channels 2:,
llE, llB, are formed physically by the antenna through a channel formatter.
The calibration measurement in respect of each active channel is made
between the input of the radiating element and the output of the sum channel
5 2: of the channel formatter in the calibration operation. The quality of the
calibration on the 2: channel associated with the precision of operation
conventionally encountered in channel formatters suffices to guarantee
correct operation of the set of three deviometry channels.
In the case of a sectorized antenna, the simultaneous formation of the
1 o conventional deviometry channels and of the sector channels is ensured by a
specific-channels formatter presented schematically by Figure 1. It comprises
for example a for:matter 2 of conventional channels which is intended for the
formulation of the conventional deviometry channels 2:, llE, llB and a part 3
which manages the sectors S1, S2, ... SM.
15 Each active channel of the antenna arising from a radiating element emerges
simultaneously on the conventional deviometry channels and on the output of
the sector to which it belongs but the path that it follows is not the same.
More precisely, the path difference between the sum channel 2: and the
sector channel is the same for all the active channels belonging to one and
20 the same sector. The paths are common as far as the channel formatter 1
and differ thereafter inside this device 1.
If one chooses to continue to calibrate the antenna on the sum channel 2: as
on a conventional antenna, the corrections made during the pointing of the
antenna lead to well-adjusted deviometry channels but the signals arising
25 from the various sectors are not mutually coherent since the path disparity
between the sun'1 channel 2: and the corresponding sector output is not the
same from sector to sector. If one chooses to do the converse, that is to say
to calibrate on · the sector channels, the deviometry channels 'formed
physically by the' antenna are not good (regrowth of the sidelobes ahd axis
30 deviation in particular) and therefore cannot be used .
. This therefore constitutes a first problem encounter. The various antenna
channels must indeed be optimized simultaneously.
Moreover, application of the CBF computation formula brings to light a need
for increased precision in the measurement of the sectorized antenna with
35 respect to a conventional antenna. Indeed, the summation of errors per
9
antenna sector produces significant effects on the regrowth of the first
sidelobes and on the axis deviation. This problem has no equivalent in
conventional antennas which concentrate the efforts to be made on the
physical devices for grouping the channels and not on the measurement
5 Finally, the quantity of measurements to be performed in a sectorized
antenna is nearly proportional to the number of sectors of the antenna while
the development and test schedules for this type of antenna quite naturally
imposes test timescales which are of substantially the same class as for
conventional antennas.
1 o As indicated previously, a problem posed is therefore to develop a calibration
scheme making it possible to simultaneously optimize the conventional
deviometry channels and the sector channels, with a corresponding test
means whose main characteristics are very good measurement precision
and a capacity to make a multiplicity of measurements in a time comparable
15 with that required for a conventional antenna, 5 to 10 times as many
measurements for example.
20
25
Figure 2 illustrates the possible steps of the method according to the
invention. These steps in fact carry out the following operations:
Undertake the calibration on the sum channel 2: in a conventional
manner to optimize the deviometry channels by virtue of the channel
formatter inserted into the antenna;
Measure the defect in adjustment between the sum channel L and the
sector channels;
Correct the mutual composition of the sectors by a :factor which
compensates this differential adjustment defect
Thus, in a first step 21, the calibration measurements are performed
simultaneously on the sum channel L and the sector channels. More
30 precisely, to simultaneously optimize the antenna on the conventional
deviometry channels and the sector channels serving for the computational
beamforming CBF, the response of each active channel to a test signal is
measured simultaneously, or almost simultaneously, at one and the same
time on the sum channel Land on the sector channel to which it belongs.
35
10
In a following step 22, the calibration on the sum channel 2: is stored. More
particularly this calibration takes the form of a table, consisting of the
measurements of the responses of each active channel to the test signal, is
for example stored in the pointer of the antenna just as for conventional
5 antennas. This calibration is applied to the antenna. Under these conditions
the functional operation of the antenna is optimized on its deviometry
channels but not on its sector channels. In this step also, the difference
between the calibration table of the sum channel L: and the calibration table
on the sector channels is stored. The calibration table of a sector consists, for
10 each· sector, of the responses of each active channel belonging to this sector.
The calibration table on the sector channels groups together the set of
calibration tables of the sectors. In the current art, these calibrations on the
sector channels do not allow optimized operation on these sector channels.
According to the invention, the CBF equation defined by claim 1 is modified
15 as a function of this difference between the tables.
In a following step 23, a correction is therefore determined to be performed
on the CBF signals in the operational phase, that is to say when the antenna
is in operation. More precisely, one determines the correction to be applied to
20 the signals obtained according to the CBF equation defined by relation (1 ).
With this correction, a CBF signal is obtained according to the following
relation (2):
M
Signal_CBF = L B; eit/Ji, Channel_sector(i). Cor _sector(!)
i::::l
25 Just as for relation (1 ), B;eN' is a complex weight assigned to sector i.
Channel_sector(i) is the measurement of the signal at the output of sector i
in response to the test signal on the basis of which the ca'libration of the sum
channel 2: is performed. It is therefore a non-optimize;d measurement in
respect of the calibration of the CBF signal.
30 The s'ignal Cor _sector(i), of each sector i, makes it possible to optimize the
CBF signal, that is to say the calibration. It corresponds to the disparity
between the calibration of an active channel on· fhe sum channel
2:, Cal_ channeli:(i), and the calibration of this active channel on the
11
sectori to which it belongs, Cal_sector(i). More precisely, the
, quantities Cal_ channeli(i) and Cal_ sector(i) are averaged over the set of
. active channels belonging to one and the same sector i:
5 Cor _sector(i) = Cal_channeli:(t)- Cal_ channell:(t) (3)
In the corrected CBF equation of relation (2), it is .necessary to be able to
measure the elements Cor _sector(i), and Channel_sector(i) with very good
precision so that the contribution of the measurement errors to the weighted
summation of the sectors is negligible.
io , A device according to the invention advantageously enables these accuracy
levels desired in the CBF equation to be attained, both for the correction term
and for the actual measurement of the sector channels.
' Figure 3 presents a possible exemplary embodiment of a device according to
15 the invention. Its aim is in particular to allow simultaneous or almost
20
25
simultaneous measurements of the key parameters of the CBF equation. To
, this end:
the response of each active channel is measured on the sum channel
L: and on its sector output in one and the same instantaneous
measurement sequence, thereby minimizing the error incurred in the
response difference and therefore in the term Cor _sector(i);
the responses of the M sectors on each point of the near-field
mapping, plotted according to cartesian coordinates X, Y, or of the farfield
pattern, plotted in polar coordinates (8,