EP2654121B1 - Network for forming a beam of a compact antenna for circular or tapering antenna network - Google Patents
Network for forming a beam of a compact antenna for circular or tapering antenna network Download PDFInfo
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- EP2654121B1 EP2654121B1 EP20130163734 EP13163734A EP2654121B1 EP 2654121 B1 EP2654121 B1 EP 2654121B1 EP 20130163734 EP20130163734 EP 20130163734 EP 13163734 A EP13163734 A EP 13163734A EP 2654121 B1 EP2654121 B1 EP 2654121B1
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- antenna
- antenna array
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- couplers
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01P—WAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
- H01P5/00—Coupling devices of the waveguide type
- H01P5/12—Coupling devices having more than two ports
- H01P5/16—Conjugate devices, i.e. devices having at least one port decoupled from one other port
- H01P5/18—Conjugate devices, i.e. devices having at least one port decoupled from one other port consisting of two coupled guides, e.g. directional couplers
- H01P5/181—Conjugate devices, i.e. devices having at least one port decoupled from one other port consisting of two coupled guides, e.g. directional couplers the guides being hollow waveguides
- H01P5/182—Conjugate devices, i.e. devices having at least one port decoupled from one other port consisting of two coupled guides, e.g. directional couplers the guides being hollow waveguides the waveguides being arranged in parallel
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01P—WAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
- H01P5/00—Coupling devices of the waveguide type
- H01P5/12—Coupling devices having more than two ports
- H01P5/16—Conjugate devices, i.e. devices having at least one port decoupled from one other port
- H01P5/19—Conjugate devices, i.e. devices having at least one port decoupled from one other port of the junction type
- H01P5/22—Hybrid ring junctions
- H01P5/227—90° branch line couplers
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
- H01Q21/06—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
- H01Q21/20—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path
- H01Q21/205—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path providing an omnidirectional coverage
Definitions
- the subject of the present invention is a low-profile antenna beam forming network for a circular or truncated-conical antenna network and an antenna device comprising such a network.
- the field of the invention is that of antennal networks, in particular for Ka-band satellite antennas, but also that of devices enabling the formation of an antenna beam by routing the appropriate signal to the different antenna elements of a network in order to configure the diagram of the antenna formed by all of said elements.
- the invention relates to the field of beam-forming devices based on coupler networks as well as the fields associated with waveguide technology.
- the invention is advantageously applicable for truncated-conical antenna beam formation of the type described in the applicant's European patent application published under the number EP0512487 and dealing with a formed lobe antenna and great gain.
- European patent application published under the number EP0512487 and dealing with a formed lobe antenna and great gain.
- the contents of this earlier application are incorporated by reference in this application.
- the invention is however not limited to use for truncated-conical antennas, it can also be applied for any antennal network whose access points to the antennal element power supplies are arranged on the circumference of a circle.
- the European patent application EP0512487 describes a truncated-conical antenna, usable for the transmission of data between a satellite and a ground station, whose main characteristics are recalled to the figure 1 .
- Such an antenna comprises a shaped network 10 disposed on a shaped surface 11 having an axis of revolution and a truncated-conical profile.
- the network 10 consists of sources or radiating elements 13 arranged along generatrices 12 of the shaped surface 11 truncated conical.
- the set of radiating sources 13 of the same generator constitutes a sub-network.
- the antenna further comprises, for each generator, a phase-shifter 14 and a passive distributor 15 dividing the signal in amplitude and in phase between each of the sources 13.
- the figure 2 schematizes an exemplary embodiment of the antenna described in the aforementioned patent application comprising twenty-four sub-networks 21 each consisting of a row of radiating elements (not shown).
- Butler 22 matrices with four inputs and four outputs commonly referred to as Butler 4x4 matrices are used.
- a Butler matrix is a passive device, composed of couplers and phase shifters, commonly used for the formation of antenna beams.
- a Butler matrix 22 is used to feed four antenna sub-arrays arranged at 90 ° angular distance from one another as shown in FIG. figure 2 .
- six Butler matrices are required to address all twenty-four subnetworks 21.
- connections 23,24,25,26 are made with coaxial cables which make it possible to respect several technical constraints.
- the isolongeur must be respected between the main signal access and each antennal subnetwork. This point is important to avoid the introduction of unmaintained phase shifts and phase dispersion on the routed signals to the antennal subnetworks.
- the length of the cables must be minimized so as to limit the overall size of the antenna and the losses.
- the traditional coaxial cables suffer from excessive high frequency losses. to constitute an acceptable technical solution, that is to say that the signal suffers too much attenuation.
- a linear Butler matrix 31 is shown on the upper part of the figure 3 . It has four inputs and four outputs arranged linearly, that is to say that all the outputs are arranged on the same side of the matrix and all the inputs are arranged on the opposite side to the outputs.
- the invention aims to solve the aforementioned insulation and congestion management problems by proposing an antenna beam forming network arranged to respect these constraints.
- Such a network is particularly suitable for a truncated-conical antenna for communications between a satellite and a ground station as described in the European application. EP0512487 .
- the invention thus relates to an antenna array beamforming network comprising a plurality of superimposed elements each comprising a cross coupler array having two opposing groups of a number K of paired inputs and two opposing groups of a number K of paired outputs, a number, equal to the number of inputs, of rigid input waveguides of equal lengths connected at one end to said inputs of the coupler array and intended to receive, their free opposite ends, a supply signal and a number, equal to the number of outputs, of rigid output waveguides of equal lengths connected at one end to said outputs of the coupler array and intended to be connected at their free opposite ends to the radiating elements of said antenna array for powering them, the lengths of said waveguides of each element being configured that the electrical path traveled by a wave between a free end of an input waveguide connected to a given input (E1, E2, E3, E4) and a free end of an output waveguide connected to a given output (S1, S2, S3, S4) is constant for all elements, each coupler array of
- a network of cross couplers is formed of a plurality of couplers with K inputs and K outputs arranged to form a cross.
- the value of the predetermined angle is substantially equal to a multiple of 360 ° divided by the number N of antenna elements to feed.
- said free ends of the input waveguides are arranged in a first plane substantially parallel to the plane of the cross network and said free ends of the output waveguides are arranged in a second plane substantially parallel to the plane of the cross network and disposed on the opposite side to the foreground.
- the free ends of the output waveguides are arranged on the circumference of a circle equitably.
- the output waveguides connected to a pair of paired outputs are oriented, at their connection with said outputs, so as to form between them an angle substantially equal to 180 / K degrees.
- the total number 2K of inputs and the total number 2K of outputs of the matrix is equal to four.
- each output waveguide comprises at least a first branch, connected to a first output of a cross coupler array, extending in a direction forming a 45 ° angle. with the axis passing through two opposite outlets of said network of couplers, a second branch connected at one end to the first branch and extending at the other end to a point on the axis of symmetry of said circle passing through the free end of the waveguide and a third branch connected to the second branch and extending to the free end.
- said waveguides are formed of aluminum.
- the invention also relates to an antenna array characterized in that it comprises a plurality of radiating elements arranged in antennal subnetworks, the supply inputs of said antennal sub-networks being arranged equidistributed on the circumference of the antenna.
- a circle a splitter for dividing the power of a supply signal between the plurality of radiating elements and a beam forming network according to the invention arranged so that the free ends of the input waveguides are connected to the outputs of said splitter and the free ends of the output waveguides are connected to the power inputs of the antenna subnetworks.
- each element of said beam forming network is connected to a number equal to 2K of antenna subnetworks whose feed inputs are equidistributed on said circle.
- each antenna subarray consists of a plurality of radiating elements arranged linearly on the shaped surface of a cone.
- the antenna array according to the invention further comprises, on each input waveguide, a phase shifter adapted to apply a phase shift to the power supply signal.
- the antennal network according to the invention is used in frequency band Ka.
- the invention consists in using a network of cross couplers as represented in FIGS. Figures 4a and 4c .
- the network of cross couplers 40 schematized at the figure 4a comprises two paired inputs E1, E2 arranged at the end of a first branch 41 of the cross and two paired inputs E3, E4 disposed at the end of a second branch 42 of the cross opposite to the first branch 41. similarly, two paired outputs S1, S2 are arranged at the end of a third branch 43 and two other paired outputs S3, S4 are arranged at the end of a fourth branch 44 opposite the third branch 43.
- a network of cross couplers 40 is characterized by the opposite positioning of the pair of pairs of paired outputs (S1, S2), (S3, S4) as well as the pair of paired inputs (E1, E2), (E3 , E4).
- a cross coupler array 40 is more advantageous than a linear coupler array, such as the Butler matrix 31 shown in FIG. figure 3 to feed four antennal subnets arranged around a circle and spaced at an angular distance of 90 ° as shown in FIG. figure 2 as will be described in more detail later.
- the opposite orientation of the two pairs of outputs (S1, S2) and (S3, S4) of the network 40 makes it easier to address antenna arrays arranged in opposition on a circle, in other words located at an angular distance of 180 ° from each other.
- the figure 4b represents an example of a coupler 401 used to make a network of 4x4 cross couplers.
- the coupler 401 has two inputs I 1 , I 2 and two outputs O 1 , O 2 . It has two parallel transmission lines physically linked together by three branches.
- the coupler 401 shown in FIG. figure 4b is given by way of example and can be replaced by any other two-input and two-output coupling device which distributes the power of the input signal on the two outputs with a possible phase shift of an output relative to the output. another of a multiple of 90 °.
- the figure 4c represents a network of cross couplers 40 formed of four couplers 401, 402, 403, 404 arranged to form four branches of a cross.
- a first output O 1 of a first coupler 401 is connected by forming a bend at + 90 ° to a first input of a second coupler 402.
- a second output O 2 of the first coupler 401 is connected with a bend at -90 ° at a first input of a third coupler 403.
- a fourth coupler 404 are respectively connected to the second input of the second coupler 402 with a bend at -90 ° and the second input of the third coupler 403 with a bend at + 90 °.
- the arrangement of the four couplers forms a cross.
- the power of the signal is routed to the four outputs S1, S2, S3, S4 so as to obtain a given amplitude and phase law.
- the figure 5 schematically a stack 50 of six cross coupler networks arranged to address twenty four antenna subnets as in the example of the figure 2 .
- Each network of couplers 51 is stacked on the preceding 52 by printing a rotation of an angle equal to 360 / N degrees, where N is equal to the number of antennal subnetworks to feed, around a z axis of rotation common to all networks. This angle is also equal to the angular difference between each subnetwork of the antennal network.
- the z axis is also an axis of symmetry of each coupler array as well as the set consisting of the stack of the six coupler networks as shown in FIG. figure 5 .
- each coupler array 51 is rotated at an angle of 15 ° about the z-axis with respect to the grating 52 located just below it.
- each coupler array is arranged so that its outputs are oriented to the appropriate antennal subnetwork.
- the angle of rotation printed between two superimposed coupler networks may be any multiple of 360 / N degrees which is not necessarily linearly increasing with the order of rotation. stacking networks.
- the angles of rotation between two superimposed coupler networks of the same set may also not be constant.
- the arrangement 50 of the set of coupler arrays is advantageously arranged between a one-to-N power distributor situated below the stack and the cone 53 formed by all the antennal sub-networks in the preferred case. joint use with a truncated-conical antenna or more generally the plane of the inputs of the antennal sub-networks.
- the figure 6 represents an example of a beam forming network 600 according to the invention comprising four stacked elements 631,632,633,634.
- Each element consists of a network of cross couplers 601,602,603,604 as described in Figures 4a and 4b and a plurality of waveguides for feeding the feed signal from a splitter to an antenna array.
- Four waveguides 611, 612, 613, 614 are connected to the four outputs of each coupler array 601. These are subsequently referred to as output waveguides.
- Four other waveguides 621, 622, 623, 644 are connected to the four inputs of each coupler array 601. They are subsequently referred to as input waveguides.
- the input waveguides are arranged so that the inputs of a coupler array can be connected to the corresponding outputs of a power splitter (not shown in FIG. figure 6 ) arranged in a plane parallel to the plane of the network, that is to say to the plane defined by the two branches of the cross.
- the output waveguides are arranged to be able to connect the outputs of a coupler array to the corresponding power inputs of an antenna array (not shown in FIG. figure 6 ) disposed in another plane parallel to the plane of the couplers.
- the beam forming network according to the invention is intended to be positioned between a splitter and an antenna array.
- the invention is not limited to a stack of a plurality of coupler networks as indicated in FIG. figure 6 but may also consist of a single network of couplers for feeding four antenna subnetworks if the antenna device does not have more than four antennal subnetworks. The number of elements of the stack is directly defined by the number of antennal subnetworks to feed.
- the figure 7 schematically represents the arrangement of the beam forming network according to the invention when it is integrated in a global antennal device.
- the input waveguides of the cross coupler networks 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76 are connected to a splitter disposed in a first plane 701 substantially parallel to the plane 70 defined by the branches of the cross. This plane is the one defined by the z and y axes on the figure 5 or any other plane parallel to it.
- the splitter has the function of dividing the amplitude supply signal into as many necessary signals as antennal subnetworks to supply.
- the output waveguides of the couplers are connected to the power inputs of the antenna subnetworks. These inputs are disposed on the circumference of a circle located in a second plane 702 also substantially parallel to the plane 700 of each coupler and disposed on the couplers side opposite to that of the first plane 701.
- the length A i, for i varying from 1 to 6 corresponds to the path traveled by the waveguide between the output of the coupler array and the input of the antenna subnetwork.
- the length Bi corresponds to the path traveled by the waveguide between the output of the splitter and the input of the coupler network.
- the lengths of said waveguides of each element are configured so that the electrical path traveled by a wave between a free end of an input waveguide and a free end of a waveguide constant output for all elements.
- the electrical path traversed by a wave between a free end of an input waveguide and a free end of an output waveguide for an element 631 is equal to the electrical path traversed by a wave between a free end of an input waveguide and a free end of an output waveguide for the other elements 632,633,634 by considering an input waveguide and a waveguide output wave associated with the same input or output numbers of the coupler networks 601,602,603,604.
- the path traveled by a wave between a free end of the input waveguide connected to the input E1 of a coupler array and a free end of the output waveguide connected to the output S1 of the same network of couplers is constant for all elements.
- the figure 8a describes an antennal device of the type disclosed in the previous application EP0512487 .
- This device comprises at least one antenna array 801 comprising a plurality of radiating elements disposed on the generatrices of the surface of a cone, a beam forming network 802 according to the invention, a power distributor 803 and a plurality of phase shifters. 804.
- the antennal device described in figure 8 comprises 24 rows of radiating elements which constitute antenna subnetworks 811. Each antenna subnetwork is fed via an entry point (not shown).
- the 24 feed-in points are arranged in the same plane and on the circumference of a circle which corresponds, for example, to the base of the truncated-conical surface.
- Each power supply input is fed by the beam forming network 802 according to the invention via an output waveguide 821 which makes it possible to connect this input to a network of couplers 822.
- the same network 822 is connected at the output to four power inputs arranged at an angular distance of 90 ° from each other as already explained.
- the inputs of the coupler array 822 are connected to a passive splitter 803 through input waveguides 823.
- a phase shifter 804 is further disposed on each input waveguide 823 to enable precise control. in phase of each subnetwork of the antennal network 801 and indirectly the amplitude control or more generally the parameterization of the transfer function of the coupler networks.
- the passive splitter 803 is responsible for distributing the power of the signal between the 24 input waveguides.
- the antenna beam forming network 802 makes it possible to respect the insulation between the feed inputs of the antenna array 801 and the passive splitter 803. It can be used in a similar way to supply any antenna array with formation. beam whose power inputs are arranged on the circumference of a circle.
- the figure 8b represents another view of the antennal device of the figure 8 on which one distinguishes the passive distributor 803 which realizes a distribution of the power of the signal generated towards the 24 input waveguides of the beam forming network 802 according to the invention.
- the input waveguides must be arranged to allow a compact connection with the corresponding outputs of the passive splitter 803 which itself has a plurality of outputs directed outwards so as to be able to connect with the different guides. input waves.
- the splitter 803 has 12 outputs oriented in one direction and 12 outputs oriented in the opposite direction.
- the passive splitter does not modify the phase of the various signals, the electrical path of each channel being identical and thus the isophase is respected between the different signals input phase shifters 804.
- the passive splitter 803 can be replaced by 24 unit amplifiers or any other equivalent device adapted to carry the power of the signal to the 24 waveguides.
- the figure 9 schematizes a partial view of the antennal device of the figure 8 for which only two networks 910,920 stacked couplers are represented.
- the axis of symmetry of the first cross network 910 is rotated a predetermined angle with respect to the axis of symmetry of the second cross network 920 on which the first cross network 910 is superimposed.
- the input waveguides 925, 926, 927, 928 of the second coupler array 920 are also offset at the same angle to the input waveguides 915, 916, 917, 918 of the first coupler array 910.
- each coupler network feeds four antennal subnetworks separated by a 90 ° angular difference.
- the network of couplers superimposed on the preceding feeds four other antennal subnetworks offset by an angle of 15 °.
- the output waveguides must be arranged so as to allow the feeding of the antennal sub-networks to which they are attached and so as to minimize the overall size of the device.
- the figure 10 schematically shows a top view of a network of couplers 910 and four output waveguides 911,912,913,914 connected to the respective four outputs of the network 910. Each of the outputs must be connected to the power input 931, 932, 933, 934 of an antenna subnetwork.
- the inputs to be fed are arranged on the circumference of a circle 930.
- a cross network 910 is in charge of feeding four inputs 931, 932, 933, 934 arranged on this circle 930 at an angular distance of 90 °, some of others as schematized on the figure 10 .
- the figure 10 shows that to obtain this result, the output waveguides 911, 912, 913, 914 can be arranged in a particular geometric configuration.
- a first branch 91, of the waveguide 911 is connected to a first output S1 of the coupler array 910 and extends in a direction forming an angle of 45 ° with the axis passing through two opposite outputs S1, S4 of the Similarly, the waveguide 912, connected to a second output S2 matched to the first output S1, that is to say disposed on the same output branch of the cross network 910 as the first output S1 comprises a first branch 94 which extends in a direction also forming an angle of 45 ° with the same axis A1 and forming an angle of 90 ° with the first branch 91 of the first waveguide 911.
- the waveguides 911, 912, connected to two paired outlets S1, S2 are oriented to form an angular distance of 90 ° equal to the angular distance between the two antennal subnetworks 931, 932 which they must feed.
- the first waveguide 911 also comprises a second branch 92, substantially perpendicular to the first branch 91, and which extends to the axis of symmetry D1 of the circle 930 which passes through the input 931 to supply.
- a third branch 93 connected to the second branch 92, extends along the axis of symmetry D1 to the input 931.
- the second waveguide 912 also has a second and a third arm arranged similarly to reach the second input 932 disposed on the circle 930 at a 90 ° angular distance from the first input 931.
- the third and fourth output waveguides 913, 914 are arranged identically to connect the third and fourth outputs S3, S4 of the matrix 910 to the third and fourth power inputs 933, 934.
- the figure 11 represents a view from below of the figure 9 which makes it possible to visualize the geometrical arrangement of the output waveguides described schematically in the figure 10 .
- the output waveguides may be composed of a number of branches greater than three to adapt to the specific geometrical constraints of the antenna device.
- the arrangement of the output waveguides described in support of figures 10 and 11 has the effect of allowing a compact connection between the outputs of the network of cross couplers 910 and 931,932,933,934 antennal subnets to feed.
- the second branch 92 of a waveguide 911 is not necessarily perpendicular to the two other branches 91, 93 but must make it possible to connect the axis D1 of symmetry of the circle 930 which passes through the feed inlet 931 of the antennal subnetwork to feed.
- the 4x4 coupler network can be replaced by a single coupler with two inputs and two outputs.
- the antennal subnetworks fed by the two outputs of the coupler network will not be separated by an angular difference of 90 ° but by an angular difference of 180 °.
- the 4x4 cross coupler network can be replaced by a network of 2K input and 2K output couplers, where K is an integer greater than or equal to one.
- the output waveguides will be oriented so as to feed antennal networks spaced apart by an angular difference equal to 180 / K degrees.
- the invention has the advantage of allowing the realization of a beam-forming antennal device in frequency bands greater than 20 GHz which is compact in mass and volume while respecting the iso-length constraint between the passive distributor and the antennal subnetworks to feed.
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Description
La présente invention a pour objet un réseau de formation de faisceau d'antenne à faible encombrement pour réseau antennaire circulaire ou tronc-conique ainsi qu'un dispositif antennaire comprenant un tel réseau.The subject of the present invention is a low-profile antenna beam forming network for a circular or truncated-conical antenna network and an antenna device comprising such a network.
Le domaine de l'invention est celui des réseaux antennaires, notamment pour antennes satellites en bande Ka, mais également celui des dispositifs permettant la formation de faisceau d'antenne par routage du signal approprié vers les différents éléments antennaires d'un réseau en vue de configurer le diagramme de l'antenne formée par l'ensemble desdits éléments.The field of the invention is that of antennal networks, in particular for Ka-band satellite antennas, but also that of devices enabling the formation of an antenna beam by routing the appropriate signal to the different antenna elements of a network in order to configure the diagram of the antenna formed by all of said elements.
Plus précisément, l'invention concerne le domaine des dispositifs de formation de faisceau à base de réseaux de coupleurs ainsi que les domaines associés à la technologie guide d'onde.More specifically, the invention relates to the field of beam-forming devices based on coupler networks as well as the fields associated with waveguide technology.
L'invention est avantageusement applicable pour la formation de faisceau d'antenne tronc-conique du type de celle décrite dans la demande de brevet européen du demandeur publiée sous le numéro
L'invention n'est cependant pas limitée à une utilisation pour des antennes tronc-coniques, elle peut également s'appliquer pour tout réseau antennaire dont les points d'accès aux alimentations des éléments antennaires sont disposés sur la circonférence d'un cercle.The invention is however not limited to use for truncated-conical antennas, it can also be applied for any antennal network whose access points to the antennal element power supplies are arranged on the circumference of a circle.
La demande de brevet européen
La
Les connexions 23,24,25,26 sont faites avec des câbles coaxiaux qui permettent de respecter plusieurs contraintes techniques. Tout d'abord, l'isolongueur doit être respectée entre l'accès principal du signal et chaque sous-réseau antennaire. Ce point est important pour éviter l'introduction de déphasages non maitrisés et de dispersion de phase sur les signaux routés jusqu'aux sous-réseaux antennaires. En outre la longueur des câbles doit être minimisée de sorte à limiter l'encombrement global de l'antenne ainsi que les pertes.The
L'utilisation de câbles coaxiaux associés à des matrices de Butler linéaires satisfait aux contraintes techniques précitées dans le cas d'application d'antennes fonctionnant dans des bandes de fréquences inférieures à la dizaine de giga hertz.The use of coaxial cables associated with linear Butler matrices satisfies the aforementioned technical constraints in the case of application of antennas operating in frequency bands below ten gigabytes hertz.
Cependant, lorsque l'application visée concerne une antenne fonctionnant dans des bandes de fréquence plus élevées, par exemple la bande Ka ou la bande X ou pour toute fréquence supérieure à 15-GHz, les câbles coaxiaux traditionnels souffrent de pertes en hautes fréquences trop importantes pour constituer une solution technique acceptable, c'est-à-dire que le signal subit une atténuation trop importante.However, when the intended application concerns an antenna operating in higher frequency bands, for example the Ka band or the X band or for any frequency higher than 15-GHz, the traditional coaxial cables suffer from excessive high frequency losses. to constitute an acceptable technical solution, that is to say that the signal suffers too much attenuation.
Afin de limiter les pertes à haute fréquences dans les câbles reliant les sorties des matrices de Butler aux entrées des sous-réseaux antennaires, il est nécessaire d'utiliser, à la place des câbles coaxiaux traditionnels, une technologie guide d'ondes.In order to limit the high frequency losses in the cables connecting the outputs of the Butler matrices to the inputs of the antenna subnetworks, it is necessary to use waveguide technology instead of traditional coaxial cables.
Cependant, cette technologie présente des inconvénients par rapport aux câbles coaxiaux, du point de vue de la flexibilité des connectiques réalisés. En effet, le matériau utilisé étant rigide (par exemple un métal tel que l'aluminium), la gestion de l'isolongueur et de l'encombrement global de l'antenne est plus complexe.However, this technology has drawbacks compared to coaxial cables, from the point of view of the flexibility of the connections made. Indeed, the material used being rigid (for example a metal such as aluminum), the management of the insulator and the overall size of the antenna is more complex.
Une illustration de ce problème est montrée à la
On remarque que l'isolongueur ne peut pas être respectée entre les quatre connexions issues d'une même matrice de Butler 31 linéaire, sans mettre en oeuvre une solution encombrante et complexe, du fait que chaque connexion doit adresser un sous-réseau antennaire disposé autour de la section du cône 32 et que la distance entre une sortie de la matrice de Butler 31 et l'accès à l'un des sous-réseaux visés varie pour chacune des sorties. En outre, l'utilisation de la technologie guide d'onde pour réaliser les connexions entre les matrices de Butler et les éléments antennaires, engendre également des difficultés pour la gestion de l'encombrement global de l'antenne.Note that the isolongeur can not be respected between the four connections coming from the same linear Butler
L'invention vise à résoudre les problèmes de gestion de l'isolongueur et d'encombrement précités en proposant un réseau de formation de faisceau d'antenne agencé pour respecter ces contraintes. Un tel réseau est particulièrement adapté à une antenne tronc-conique pour communications entre un satellite et une station au sol telle que décrite dans la demande européenne
Le document
L'invention a ainsi pour objet un réseau de formation de faisceau pour réseau antennaire comprenant une pluralité d'éléments superposés comprenant chacun un réseau de coupleurs en croix comportant deux groupes opposés d'un nombre K d'entrées appariées et deux groupes opposés d'un nombre K de sorties appariées, un nombre, égal au nombre d'entrées, de guides d'onde d'entrée, rigides, de longueurs égales entre elles, reliés à une extrémité auxdites entrées du réseau de coupleurs et destinées à recevoir, à leurs extrémités opposées libres, un signal d'alimentation et un nombre, égal au nombre de sorties, de guides d'onde de sortie, rigides, de longueurs égales entre elles, reliés à une extrémité auxdites sorties du réseau de coupleurs et destinés à être reliés, à leurs extrémités opposées libres, aux éléments rayonnants dudit réseau antennaire pour les alimenter, les longueurs desdits guides d'onde de chaque élément étant configurées de sorte que le chemin électrique parcouru par une onde entre une extrémité libre d'un guide d'onde d'entrée relié à une entrée (E1,E2,E3,E4) donnée et une extrémité libre d'un guide d'onde de sortie relié à une sortie (S1,S2,S3,S4) donnée est constant pour tous les éléments, chaque réseau de coupleurs d'un élément étant tourné d'un angle prédéterminé par rapport au réseau de coupleurs de l'élément immédiatement inférieur.The invention thus relates to an antenna array beamforming network comprising a plurality of superimposed elements each comprising a cross coupler array having two opposing groups of a number K of paired inputs and two opposing groups of a number K of paired outputs, a number, equal to the number of inputs, of rigid input waveguides of equal lengths connected at one end to said inputs of the coupler array and intended to receive, their free opposite ends, a supply signal and a number, equal to the number of outputs, of rigid output waveguides of equal lengths connected at one end to said outputs of the coupler array and intended to be connected at their free opposite ends to the radiating elements of said antenna array for powering them, the lengths of said waveguides of each element being configured that the electrical path traveled by a wave between a free end of an input waveguide connected to a given input (E1, E2, E3, E4) and a free end of an output waveguide connected to a given output (S1, S2, S3, S4) is constant for all elements, each coupler array of an element being rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the coupler array of the immediately lower element.
Selon un aspect particulier de l'invention, un réseau de coupleurs en croix est formé d'une pluralité de coupleurs à K entrées et K sorties agencés pour former une croix.According to a particular aspect of the invention, a network of cross couplers is formed of a plurality of couplers with K inputs and K outputs arranged to form a cross.
Selon un autre aspect particulier de l'invention, la valeur de l'angle prédéterminé est sensiblement égale à un multiple de 360° divisé par le nombre N d'éléments antennaires à alimenter.According to another particular aspect of the invention, the value of the predetermined angle is substantially equal to a multiple of 360 ° divided by the number N of antenna elements to feed.
Selon un autre aspect particulier de l'invention, lesdites extrémités libres des guides d'onde d'entrée sont disposées dans un premier plan sensiblement parallèle au plan du réseau en croix et lesdites extrémités libres des guides d'onde de sortie sont disposées dans un second plan sensiblement parallèle au plan du réseau en croix et disposé du côté opposé au premier plan.According to another particular aspect of the invention, said free ends of the input waveguides are arranged in a first plane substantially parallel to the plane of the cross network and said free ends of the output waveguides are arranged in a second plane substantially parallel to the plane of the cross network and disposed on the opposite side to the foreground.
Selon un autre aspect particulier de l'invention, les extrémités libres des guides d'onde de sortie sont disposées sur la circonférence d'un cercle de façon équirépartie.According to another particular aspect of the invention, the free ends of the output waveguides are arranged on the circumference of a circle equitably.
Selon un autre aspect particulier de l'invention, les guides d'onde de sortie reliés à un couple de sorties appariées sont orientés, à leur connexion avec lesdites sorties, de sorte à former entre eux un angle sensiblement égal à 180/K degrés.According to another particular aspect of the invention, the output waveguides connected to a pair of paired outputs are oriented, at their connection with said outputs, so as to form between them an angle substantially equal to 180 / K degrees.
Selon un autre aspect particulier de l'invention, le nombre total 2K d'entrées et le nombre total 2K de sorties de la matrice est égal à quatre.According to another particular aspect of the invention, the total number 2K of inputs and the total number 2K of outputs of the matrix is equal to four.
Selon un autre aspect particulier de l'invention, chaque guide d'onde de sortie comporte au moins une première branche, reliée à une première sortie d'un réseau de coupleurs en croix, s'étendant dans une direction formant un angle de 45° avec l'axe passant par deux sorties opposées dudit réseau de coupleurs, une deuxième branche reliée à une extrémité à la première branche et s'étendant à l'autre extrémité jusqu'à un point de l'axe de symétrie dudit cercle passant par l'extrémité libre du guide d'onde et une troisième branche reliée à la deuxième branche et s'étendant jusqu'à l'extrémité libre.According to another particular aspect of the invention, each output waveguide comprises at least a first branch, connected to a first output of a cross coupler array, extending in a direction forming a 45 ° angle. with the axis passing through two opposite outlets of said network of couplers, a second branch connected at one end to the first branch and extending at the other end to a point on the axis of symmetry of said circle passing through the free end of the waveguide and a third branch connected to the second branch and extending to the free end.
Selon un autre aspect particulier de l'invention, lesdits guides d'onde sont formés en aluminium.According to another particular aspect of the invention, said waveguides are formed of aluminum.
L'invention a également pour objet un réseau antennaire caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend une pluralité d'éléments rayonnants agencés en sous-réseaux antennaires, les entrées d'alimentation desdits sous-réseaux antennaires étant disposées de façon équirépartie sur la circonférence d'un cercle, un répartiteur pour diviser la puissance d'un signal d'alimentation entre la pluralité d'éléments rayonnants et un réseau de formation de faisceau selon l'invention agencé de sorte que les extrémités libres des guides d'onde d'entrée sont connectées aux sorties dudit répartiteur et les extrémités libres des guides d'onde de sortie sont connectées aux entrées d'alimentation des sous-réseaux antennaires.The invention also relates to an antenna array characterized in that it comprises a plurality of radiating elements arranged in antennal subnetworks, the supply inputs of said antennal sub-networks being arranged equidistributed on the circumference of the antenna. a circle, a splitter for dividing the power of a supply signal between the plurality of radiating elements and a beam forming network according to the invention arranged so that the free ends of the input waveguides are connected to the outputs of said splitter and the free ends of the output waveguides are connected to the power inputs of the antenna subnetworks.
Selon un aspect particulier de l'invention, chaque élément dudit réseau de formation de faisceau est connecté à un nombre égal à 2K de sous-réseaux antennaires dont les entrées d'alimentation sont équiréparties sur ledit cercle.According to a particular aspect of the invention, each element of said beam forming network is connected to a number equal to 2K of antenna subnetworks whose feed inputs are equidistributed on said circle.
Selon un aspect particulier de l'invention, chaque sous-réseau antennaire est constitué d'une pluralité d'éléments rayonnants agencés linéairement sur la surface conformée d'un cône.According to a particular aspect of the invention, each antenna subarray consists of a plurality of radiating elements arranged linearly on the shaped surface of a cone.
Dans une variante de réalisation de l'invention, le réseau antennaire selon l'invention comprend en outre, sur chaque guide d'onde d'entrée, un déphaseur apte à appliquer un déphasage au signal d'alimentation.In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the antenna array according to the invention further comprises, on each input waveguide, a phase shifter adapted to apply a phase shift to the power supply signal.
Dans une variante de réalisation de l'invention, leréseau antennaire selon l'invention est utilisé en bande de fréquences Ka.In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the antennal network according to the invention is used in frequency band Ka.
D'autres caractéristiques et avantages de la présente invention apparaîtront mieux à la lecture de la description qui suit en relation aux dessins annexés qui représentent:
- La
figure 1 , une antenne tronc-conique à formation de faisceau selon l'art antérieur, - La
figure 2 , un schéma particulier d'alimentation des éléments antennaires de l'antenne de lafigure 1 utilisant un ensemble de matrices de Butler linéaires, - La
figure 3 , une illustration des limitations du schéma de lafigure 2 pour des applications dans des bandes de fréquences supérieures à la dizaine de GigaHertz, notamment en bande Ka, - Les
figure 4a, 4b et4c trois schémas de réseaux de coupleurs en croix, - La
figure 5 , un schéma d'un empilement de matrices de Butler 4x4 en croix agencés dans une disposition particulière selon l'invention, - La
figure 6 , un schéma d'un exemple de réalisation d'un réseau de formation de faisceau selon l'invention, - La
figure 7 , un schéma simplifié illustrant l'agencement du réseau de formation de faisceau selon l'invention dans un dispositif antennaire compact, - La
figure 8a , un schéma d'un dispositif antennaire comprenant un réseau de formation de faisceau selon l'invention, - La
figure 8b , un schéma d'un dispositif antennaire comprenant un réseau de formation de faisceau selon l'invention, - La
figure 9 , une vue partielle de certains éléments constituant le réseau de formation de faisceau selon l'invention, - La
figure 10 , une vue de dessus schématique de l'agencement des guides d'onde de sortie d'une matrice de Butler, - La
figure 11 , une vue de dessous des éléments décrits à lafigure 9 .
- The
figure 1 , a truncated-conical beam-forming antenna according to the prior art, - The
figure 2 , a particular diagram of feeding antennal elements of the antenna of thefigure 1 using a set of linear Butler matrices, - The
figure 3 , an illustration of the limitations of the scheme of thefigure 2 for applications in frequency bands greater than ten GigaHertz, especially in Ka-band, - The
Figure 4a, 4b and4c three diagrams of cross coupler networks, - The
figure 5 , a diagram of a stack of Butler 4x4 cross matrices arranged in a particular arrangement according to the invention, - The
figure 6 , a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a beam forming network according to the invention, - The
figure 7 , a simplified diagram illustrating the arrangement of the beam forming network according to the invention in a compact antenna device, - The
figure 8a , a diagram of an antenna device comprising a beam forming network according to the invention, - The
figure 8b , a diagram of an antenna device comprising a beam forming network according to the invention, - The
figure 9 , a partial view of certain elements constituting the beam forming network according to the invention, - The
figure 10 , a schematic top view of the arrangement of the output waveguides of a Butler matrix, - The
figure 11 , a view from below of the elements described infigure 9 .
Pour résoudre les problèmes d'encombrement existants lorsqu'on utilise des matrices de Butler linéaires, l'invention consiste à utiliser un réseau de coupleurs en croix tel que représenté aux
Par la suite, on décrit un exemple particulier de réalisation de l'invention à partir d'un réseau de coupleurs matriciel dit 4x4 c'est-à-dire comportant quatre entrées et quatre sorties. Le principe à la base de l'invention peut être élargi à tout réseau de coupleurs comportant un nombre pair d'entrées et de sorties. Le terme matrice de Butler est réservé dans la littérature à un réseau de coupleurs ayant une fonction de transfert particulière. L'invention ne se limite pas à ce cas précis mais s'étend au contraire à tout réseau de coupleurs, tel que décrit par la suite à l'appui des
Le réseau de coupleurs en croix 40 schématisé à la
L'utilisation d'un réseau de coupleurs en croix 40 est plus avantageuse qu'un réseau de coupleurs linéaire, tel que la matrice de Butler 31 représentée à la
La
Le coupleur 401 illustré à la
La
De façon similaire, les deux sorties d'un quatrième coupleur 404 sont connectées respectivement à la deuxième entrée du deuxième coupleur 402 avec un coude à -90° et à la deuxième entrée du troisième coupleur 403 avec un coude à +90°.Similarly, the two outputs of a
De cette façon, l'agencement des quatre coupleurs forme une croix. En fonction d'une loi de phase prédéterminée des signaux sur les quatre entrées E1,E2,E3,E4 du réseau de coupleurs 40, la puissance du signal est acheminée vers les quatre sorties S1,S2,S3,S4 de sorte à obtenir une loi d'amplitude et de phase donnée.In this way, the arrangement of the four couplers forms a cross. According to a predetermined phase law of the signals on the four inputs E1, E2, E3, E4 of the
La
De cette façon, chaque réseau de coupleurs est disposé de sorte que ses sorties sont orientées vers le sous-réseau antennaire approprié.In this way, each coupler array is arranged so that its outputs are oriented to the appropriate antennal subnetwork.
De façon plus générale, dans une variante de réalisation de l'invention, l'angle de rotation imprimé entre deux réseaux de coupleurs superposés peut être un multiple quelconque de 360/N degrés qui n'est pas forcément linéairement croissant avec l'ordre d'empilement des réseaux. En particulier, les angles de rotation entre deux réseaux de coupleurs superposés d'un même ensemble peuvent également ne pas être constants.More generally, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, the angle of rotation printed between two superimposed coupler networks may be any multiple of 360 / N degrees which is not necessarily linearly increasing with the order of rotation. stacking networks. In particular, the angles of rotation between two superimposed coupler networks of the same set may also not be constant.
L'agencement 50 de l'ensemble des réseaux de coupleurs est avantageusement disposé entre un répartiteur de puissance un vers N situé en dessous de l'empilement et le cône 53 formé par l'ensemble des sous-réseaux antennaires dans le cas préféré d'utilisation conjointe avec une antenne tronc-conique ou plus généralement le plan des entrées des sous-réseaux antennaires.The
La
Les guides d'onde d'entrée sont agencés de sorte à pouvoir connecter les entrées d'un réseau de coupleurs aux sorties correspondantes d'un répartiteur de puissance (non représenté à la
La
Les guides d'onde d'entrée des réseaux de coupleurs en croix 71,72,73,74,75,76 sont reliés à un répartiteur disposé dans un premier plan 701 sensiblement parallèle au plan 70 défini par les branches de la croix. Ce plan est celui défini par les axes z et y sur la
Le répartiteur a pour fonction de diviser le signal d'alimentation en amplitude en autant de signaux nécessaires que de sous-réseaux antennaires à alimenter.The splitter has the function of dividing the amplitude supply signal into as many necessary signals as antennal subnetworks to supply.
Les guides d'onde de sortie des coupleurs sont reliés aux entrées d'alimentation des sous-réseaux antennaires. Ces entrées sont disposées sur la circonférence d'un cercle situé dans un deuxième plan 702 également sensiblement parallèle au plan 700 de chaque coupleur et disposé du côté des coupleurs opposé à celui du premier plan 701.The output waveguides of the couplers are connected to the power inputs of the antenna subnetworks. These inputs are disposed on the circumference of a circle located in a
Pour respecter l'isolongueur entre chaque sortie du répartiteur et chaque entrée d'un sous-réseau antennaire, une contrainte à respecter est que, pour chaque réseau de coupleurs, la somme de la longueur A1 d'un guide d'onde de sortie et de la longueur B1 d'un guide d'onde d'entrée doit être constante. Autrement dit, dans l'exemple de la
Plus précisément, la longueur Ai, pour i variant de 1 à 6 correspond au chemin parcouru par le guide d'onde entre la sortie du réseau de coupleurs et l'entrée du sous-réseau antennaire. La longueur Bi correspond au chemin parcouru par le guide d'onde entre la sortie du répartiteur et l'entrée du réseau de coupleurs. Autrement dit, les longueurs desdits guides d'onde de chaque élément sont configurées de sorte que le chemin électrique parcouru par une onde entre une extrémité libre d'un guide d'onde d'entrée et une extrémité libre d'un guide d'onde de sortie constant pour tous les éléments. Autrement dit, le chemin électrique parcouru par une onde entre une extrémité libre d'un guide d'onde d'entrée et une extrémité libre d'un guide d'onde de sortie pour un élément 631 est égale au chemin électrique parcouru par une onde entre une extrémité libre d'un guide d'onde d'entrée et une extrémité libre d'un guide d'onde de sortie pour les autres éléments 632,633,634 en considérant un guide d'onde d'entrée et un guide d'onde de sortie associés aux mêmes numéros d'entrée ou de sortie des réseaux de coupleurs 601,602,603,604. Par exemple, le chemin parcouru par une onde entre une extrémité libre du guide d'onde d'entrée relié à l'entrée E1 d'un réseau de coupleurs et une extrémité libre du guide d'onde de sortie relié à la sortie S1 du même réseau de coupleurs est constant pour tous les éléments.More precisely, the length A i, for i varying from 1 to 6 corresponds to the path traveled by the waveguide between the output of the coupler array and the input of the antenna subnetwork. The length Bi corresponds to the path traveled by the waveguide between the output of the splitter and the input of the coupler network. In other words, the lengths of said waveguides of each element are configured so that the electrical path traveled by a wave between a free end of an input waveguide and a free end of a waveguide constant output for all elements. In other words, the electrical path traversed by a wave between a free end of an input waveguide and a free end of an output waveguide for an
La
Le dispositif antennaire décrit à la
Chaque entrée d'alimentation est alimentée par le réseau de formation de faisceau 802 selon l'invention par le biais d'un guide d'onde de sortie 821 qui permet de relier cette entrée à un réseau de coupleurs 822. Un même réseau 822 est relié en sortie à quatre entrées d'alimentation disposées à une distance angulaire de 90° les unes des autres comme déjà expliqué.Each power supply input is fed by the
Les entrées du réseau de coupleurs 822 sont reliées à un répartiteur passif 803 par le biais de guides d'onde d'entrée 823. Un déphaseur 804 est en outre disposé sur chaque guide d'onde d'entrée 823 afin de permettre la commande précise en phase de chaque sous-réseau du réseau antennaire 801 et indirectement la commande en amplitude ou plus généralement le paramétrage de la fonction de transfert des réseaux de coupleurs. Le répartiteur passif 803 est chargé de répartir la puissance du signal entre les 24 guides d'onde d'entrée.The inputs of the
Le réseau de formation de faisceau d'antenne 802 selon l'invention permet de respecter l'isolongueur entre les entrées d'alimentation du réseau antennaire 801 et le répartiteur passif 803. Il peut être utilisé de façon similaire pour alimenter tout réseau antennaire à formation de faisceau dont les entrées d'alimentation sont disposées sur la circonférence d'un cercle.The antenna
La
Les guides d'ondes d'entrée doivent être agencés de façon à permettre une connexion compacte avec les sorties correspondantes du répartiteur passif 803 qui lui-même comporte une pluralité de sorties dirigées vers l'extérieur de sorte à pouvoir se connecter avec les différents guides d'ondes d'entrée. Dans l'exemple de la
La
Cet écart angulaire se retrouve également entre les axes d'orientation d'un guide d'onde de sortie du réseau de coupleurs 910 et du guide d'onde de sortie équivalent pour le réseau de coupleurs 920. Ainsi, les guides d'onde de sortie 921,922,923,924 du second réseau de coupleurs 920 sont décalés d'un angle de 15° par rapport aux guides d'onde de sortie 911,912,913,914 du premier réseau de coupleurs 910. Ce principe de décalage angulaire est réitéré pour chaque réseau superposé par rapport au réseau sur lequel il est placé.This angular difference is also found between the orientation axes of an output waveguide of the
De la même façon, les guides d'onde d'entrée 925,926,927,928 du second réseau de coupleurs 920 sont également décalés du même angle par rapport aux guides d'onde d'entrée 915,916,917,918 du premier réseau de coupleurs 910.Similarly, the
Le décalage angulaire d'un réseau en croix par rapport à un autre réseau en croix sur lequel il est superposé a pour effet de permettre une orientation adaptée des sorties des réseaux en croix vers les sous-réseaux antennaires qu'ils doivent chacun alimenter. En effet, chaque réseau de coupleurs alimente quatre sous-réseaux antennaires séparés d'un écart angulaire de 90°. Le réseau de coupleurs superposé au précédent alimente quatre autres sous-réseaux antennaires décalés d'un angle de 15°.The angular offset of a cross network with respect to another cross network on which it is superimposed has the effect of allowing a suitable orientation of the outputs of the cross networks to the antennal subnetworks they must each feed. Indeed, each coupler network feeds four antennal subnetworks separated by a 90 ° angular difference. The network of couplers superimposed on the preceding feeds four other antennal subnetworks offset by an angle of 15 °.
Les guides d'onde de sortie doivent être agencés de sorte à permettre l'alimentation des sous-réseaux antennaires auxquels ils sont rattachés et de sorte à minimiser l'encombrement global du dispositif.The output waveguides must be arranged so as to allow the feeding of the antennal sub-networks to which they are attached and so as to minimize the overall size of the device.
La
La
Une première branche 91, du guide d'onde 911, est reliée à une première sortie S1 du réseau de coupleurs 910 et s'étend dans une direction formant un angle de 45° avec l'axe passant par deux sorties opposées S1,S4 du réseau de coupleurs 910. De façon similaire, le guide d'onde 912, relié à une deuxième sortie S2 appariée à la première sortie S1, c'est-à-dire disposée sur la même branche de sortie du réseau en croix 910 que la première sortie S1, comprend une première branche 94 qui s'étend dans une direction formant également un angle de 45° avec le même axe A1 et formant un angle de 90° avec la première branche 91 du premier guide d'onde 911.A
De cette façon, les guides d'ondes 911,912, reliés à deux sorties appariées S1,S2 sont orientés pour former un écart angulaire de 90° égal à la distance angulaire entre les deux sous-réseaux antennaires 931,932 qu'ils doivent alimenter.In this way, the
Le premier guide d'ondes 911 comporte également une deuxième branche 92, sensiblement perpendiculaire à la première branche 91, et qui s'étend jusqu'à l'axe de symétrie D1 du cercle 930 qui passe par l'entrée 931 à alimenter. Enfin, une troisième branche 93, reliée à la deuxième branche 92, s'étend le long de l'axe de symétrie D1 jusqu'à l'entrée 931.The
Le deuxième guide d'ondes 912 comporte également une deuxième et une troisième branche agencées de façon similaire pour atteindre la deuxième entrée 932 disposée sur le cercle 930 à une distance angulaire de 90° de la première entrée 931.The
Les troisième et quatrième guides d'ondes de sortie 913,914 sont agencés de façon identique pour relier les troisième et quatrième sorties S3,S4 de la matrice 910 vers les troisième et quatrième entrées d'alimentation 933,934.The third and
La
Les guides d'onde de sortie peuvent être composés d'un nombre de branches supérieur à trois pour s'adapter aux contraintes géométriques spécifiques du dispositif antennaire.The output waveguides may be composed of a number of branches greater than three to adapt to the specific geometrical constraints of the antenna device.
L'agencement des guides d'onde de sortie décrit à l'appui des
Tout agencement équivalent des guides d'onde de sortie est compatible de l'invention. En particulier la deuxième branche 92 d'un guide d'onde 911 n'est pas forcément perpendiculaire aux deux autres branches 91,93 mais doit permettre de relier l'axe D1 de symétrie du cercle 930 qui passe par l'entrée d'alimentation 931 du sous-réseau antennaire à alimenter.Any equivalent arrangement of the output waveguides is compatible with the invention. In particular the
Dans une variante de réalisation de l'invention, le réseau de coupleurs 4x4 peut être remplacé par un coupleur simple à deux entrées et deux sorties. Dans ce cas, les sous-réseaux antennaires alimentés par les deux sorties du réseau de coupleurs seront non plus séparés d'un écart angulaire de 90° mais d'un écart angulaire de 180°.In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the 4x4 coupler network can be replaced by a single coupler with two inputs and two outputs. In this case, the antennal subnetworks fed by the two outputs of the coupler network will not be separated by an angular difference of 90 ° but by an angular difference of 180 °.
De façon plus générale, le réseau de coupleurs en croix 4x4 peut être remplacé par un réseau de coupleurs à 2K entrées et 2K sorties, K étant un nombre entier supérieur ou égal à un. Les guides d'onde de sortie seront dans ce cas orientés de sorte à alimenter des réseaux antennaires espacés d'un écart angulaire égal à 180/K degrés.More generally, the 4x4 cross coupler network can be replaced by a network of 2K input and 2K output couplers, where K is an integer greater than or equal to one. In this case, the output waveguides will be oriented so as to feed antennal networks spaced apart by an angular difference equal to 180 / K degrees.
L'invention à pour avantage de permettre la réalisation d'un dispositif antennaire à formation de faisceau dans des bandes de fréquence supérieures à 20GHz qui soit compacte en masse et volume tout en respectant la contrainte d'iso-longueur entre le répartiteur passif et les sous-réseaux antennaires à alimenter.The invention has the advantage of allowing the realization of a beam-forming antennal device in frequency bands greater than 20 GHz which is compact in mass and volume while respecting the iso-length constraint between the passive distributor and the antennal subnetworks to feed.
L'exigence de compacité est d'autant plus importante que plus la bande de fréquence visée est élevée, plus les dimensions de l'antenne doivent être réduites et donc plus l'encombrement doit être maitrisé.The requirement of compactness is all the more important that the higher the target frequency band, the smaller the dimensions of the antenna must be and therefore the more space must be mastered.
Claims (14)
- A beam forming network (600, 802) for an antenna array, comprising a plurality of superposed elements (631, 632, 633, 634) each comprising a network of cross-shaped couplers (601, 802, 71, 40) comprising two opposite groups of a number K of matched inputs ((E1, E2), (E3, E4)) and two opposite groups of a number K of matched outputs ((S1, S2), (S3, S4)), a number, equal to the number of inputs ((E1, E2), (E3, E4)), of input waveguides (621, 622, 623, 624), with equal lengths between them, connected at one end with said inputs (E1, E2, E3, E4) of the network of couplers (601, 802, 71) and designed to receive, at their opposite free ends, a feed signal and a number, equal to the number of outputs ((S1, S2), (S3, S4)), of output waveguides (611, 612, 613, 614), with equal lengths between them, connected at one end with said outputs (S1, S2, S3, S4) of the network of couplers (601, 802, 71) and designed to be connected, at their opposite free ends, to the radiating elements of said antenna array so as to feed said elements, with the lengths (A1, B1) of said waveguides of each element (631, 632, 633, 634) being configured so that the electrical path covered by a wave between a free end of an input waveguide connected to a given input (E1, E2, E3, E4) and a free end of an output waveguide connected to a given output (S1, S2, S3, S4) is constant for all of the elements (631, 632, 633, 634), characterised in that said input and output waveguides are rigid, and in that each network of couplers (601) of an element (631) is rotated by a predetermined angle relative to the network of couplers (602) of the element (632) immediately below.
- The beam forming network (600, 802) for an antenna array according to claim 1, characterised in that a network (40) of cross-shaped couplers is formed by a plurality of couplers (401, 402, 403, 404), with K inputs and K outputs, arranged so as to form a cross.
- The beam forming network (600, 802, 71) for an antenna array according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the value of the predetermined angle is substantially equal to a multiple of 360° divided by the number N of antenna elements to be fed.
- The beam forming network (600, 802) for an antenna array according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said free ends of said input waveguides (621, 622, 623, 624) are disposed in a first plane (701) substantially parallel to the plane (700) of the cross-shaped network (601, 802, 71) and said free ends of said output waveguides (611, 612, 613, 614) are disposed in a second plane (702) substantially parallel to the plane (700) of said cross-shaped network (601, 802, 71) and are disposed on the opposite side to the first plane (701).
- The beam forming network (600, 802, 71) for an antenna array according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the free ends (931, 932, 933, 934) of the output waveguides (911, 912, 913, 914) are disposed on the circumference of a circle (930) in an evenly distributed manner.
- The beam forming network (600, 802, 71) for an antenna array according to claim 5, characterised in that said output waveguides (911, 912) connected to a pair of matched outputs (S1, S2) are oriented, at their connection with said outputs (S1, S2), so as to together form an angle substantially equal to 180/K degrees.
- The beam forming network (600, 802, 71) for an antenna array according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the total number 2K of inputs and the total number 2K of outputs of the matrix equals four.
- The beam forming network (600, 802, 71) for an antenna array according to claim 7, characterised in that each output waveguide (911) comprises at least one first branch (91), connected to a first output (S1) of a network of cross-shaped couplers (910), extending in a direction forming an angle of 45° with the axis (A1) passing through two opposite outputs (S1, S4) of said network of couplers (910), a second branch (92) connected at one end to said first branch (91) and extending at the other end up to a point of the axis of symmetry (D1) of said circle (930) passing through the free end (931) of the waveguide (911) and a third branch (93) connected to the second branch (92) and extending up to the free end (931).
- The beam forming network (600, 802, 71) for an antenna array according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said waveguides are made of aluminium.
- An antenna array, characterised in that it comprises a plurality of radiating elements arranged as antenna sub-arrays (811), with the feed inputs of said antenna sub-arrays (811) being disposed in an evenly distributed manner on the circumference of a circle, a splitter (803) for splitting the power of a feed signal between the plurality of radiating elements and a beam forming network (802) according to any one of claims 1 to 9 arranged so that the free ends of said input waveguides (823) are connected to the outputs of said splitter (803) and the free ends of the output waveguides (821) are connected to the feed inputs of said antenna sub-arrays (811).
- The antenna array according to claim 10, characterised in that each element of said beam forming network (802) is connected to a number of antenna sub-arrays (811) that is equal to 2K, the feed inputs of which are evenly distributed on said circle.
- The antenna array according to claim 10 or 11, characterised in that each antenna sub-array (811) is formed by a plurality of radiating elements linearly arranged on the adapted surface of a cone.
- The antenna array according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterised in that it further comprises, on each input waveguide, a phase shifter (804) designed to apply a phase shift to the feed signal.
- The antenna array according to any one of claims 10 to 13 for use in the Ka frequency band.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
FR1201167A FR2989843B1 (en) | 2012-04-20 | 2012-04-20 | LOW-DIMENSIONAL ANTENNA BEAM FORMATION NETWORK FOR CIRCULAR OR TRUNCONIC ANTENNA ARRAY |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2654121A1 EP2654121A1 (en) | 2013-10-23 |
EP2654121B1 true EP2654121B1 (en) | 2014-09-24 |
Family
ID=46785482
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP20130163734 Active EP2654121B1 (en) | 2012-04-20 | 2013-04-15 | Network for forming a beam of a compact antenna for circular or tapering antenna network |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2654121B1 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2524547T3 (en) |
FR (1) | FR2989843B1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP3379640B1 (en) * | 2016-01-12 | 2020-02-19 | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | Feeder circuit and antenna device |
JP6577655B2 (en) * | 2016-02-24 | 2019-09-18 | Necスペーステクノロジー株式会社 | Hybrid circuit, power supply circuit, antenna device, and power supply method |
FR3130459B1 (en) | 2021-12-15 | 2024-05-31 | Airbus Defence & Space Sas | Active antenna particularly for the space domain |
CN115548619B (en) * | 2022-12-01 | 2023-03-10 | 四川太赫兹通信有限公司 | Terahertz four-way power divider and ultra-wideband radiation source |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US446465A (en) * | 1891-02-17 | Thread-unwinder for sewing-machines | ||
US4980692A (en) * | 1989-11-29 | 1990-12-25 | Ail Systems, Inc. | Frequency independent circular array |
FR2676310B1 (en) | 1991-05-06 | 1993-11-05 | Alcatel Espace | LOBE SHAPED AND LARGE GAIN ANTENNA. |
US7081858B2 (en) * | 2004-05-24 | 2006-07-25 | Science Applications International Corporation | Radial constrained lens |
US7508343B1 (en) * | 2006-09-26 | 2009-03-24 | Rockwell Collins, Inc. | Switched beam forming network for an amplitude monopulse directional and omnidirectional antenna |
-
2012
- 2012-04-20 FR FR1201167A patent/FR2989843B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2013
- 2013-04-15 EP EP20130163734 patent/EP2654121B1/en active Active
- 2013-04-15 ES ES13163734.0T patent/ES2524547T3/en active Active
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
FR2989843A1 (en) | 2013-10-25 |
ES2524547T3 (en) | 2014-12-10 |
FR2989843B1 (en) | 2015-02-27 |
EP2654121A1 (en) | 2013-10-23 |
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