Beam searching method, computer program, and beam searching device using active phased array antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11876590-B2
Application number	US-202217713660-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2022
Priority date	Apr 5, 2021
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

A beam search method using an active phased array antenna, in which the beam search method uses a single tile-type phased array antenna including a plurality of radiating elements arranged in a matrix form, and the phased array antenna includes a plurality of sub-arrays including the plurality of radiating elements and arranged in one direction, includes: calculating a beam coefficient application vector for each of the sub-arrays by using a received signal for each of the sub-arrays and a beam coefficient for each of the sub-arrays; determining, as an initial value, a beam coefficient of an effective sub-array corresponding to a maximum value from among absolute values of beam coefficient application vectors for each of the sub-arrays; and performing a monopulse algorithm based on the initial value, to obtain an extended beamwidth greater than a reference beamwidth, which is a range of a beam detected by the phased array antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A beam search method using an active phased array antenna, wherein the beam search method uses a single tile-type phased array antenna including a plurality of radiating elements arranged in a matrix form, and the phased array antenna comprises a plurality of sub-arrays including the plurality of radiating elements and arranged in one direction, comprises:
calculating a beam coefficient application vector for each of the sub-arrays by using a received signal for each of the sub-arrays and a beam coefficient for each of the sub-arrays;
determining, as an initial value, a beam coefficient of an effective sub-array corresponding to a maximum value from among absolute values of beam coefficient application vectors for each of the sub-arrays; and
performing a monopulse algorithm based on the initial value, to obtain an expanded beamwidth greater than a reference beamwidth, which is a range of a beam detected by the phased array antenna,
wherein the monopulse algorithm is performed on an effective sub-array corresponding to the initial value, and the performing of the monopulse algorithm to obtain the expanded beamwidth further comprises:
determining a midpoint of the effective sub-array; and
calculating a summation coefficient for radiating elements arranged on both sides of the midpoint,
wherein the summation coefficient comprises: a first summation coefficient for a first radiating element group arranged on one side of the midpoint; and a second summation coefficient for a second radiating element group arranged on the other side of the midpoint, and
the effective sub-array comprises an overlapping portion including overlapping elements used for both calculation of the first summation coefficient and calculation of the second summation coefficient.

2. The beam search method of claim 1 , wherein the first summation coefficient is calculated by including a beam coefficient applied value of a first overlapping element that is at least a portion of the second radiating element group, and
the second summation coefficient is calculated by including a beam coefficient applied value of a second overlapping element that is at least a portion of the first radiating element group.

3. The beam search method of claim 1 , wherein the performing of the monopulse algorithm to obtain the expanded beamwidth further comprises:
after the calculating of the summation coefficient,
calculating a ratio value by using a sum and difference of the first summation coefficient and the second summation coefficient, and
obtaining the expanded beamwidth using a trigonometric function calculated based on the ratio value.

4. The beam search method of claim 3 , wherein the calculating of the ratio value comprises:
calculating a first arithmetic expression calculated as the sum of the first summation coefficient and the second summation coefficient, and a second arithmetic expression calculated as the difference between the first summation coefficient and the second summation coefficient; and
calculating the ratio value as a ratio of the second arithmetic expression to the first arithmetic expression.

5. The beam search method of claim 1 , wherein, when the effective sub-array has a reference distance in a direction in which the radiating elements are arranged in the effective sub-array,
as the number of the overlapping elements increases, the reference distance decreases.

6. The beam search method of claim 5 , wherein the reference distance and the expanded beamwidth are in inverse proportion to each other.

7. The beam search method of claim 1 , wherein the phased array antenna is a polygonal phased array antenna in which a plurality of single tiles are arranged in a polygonal structure, and
the phased array antenna is able to search a 360-degree beam by using an expanded beamwidth of each of the plurality of single tiles.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program including instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes a computer to execute the method of claim 1 .

9. A beam search device using an active phased array antenna, the beam search device using a single tile-type phased array antenna including a plurality of radiating elements arranged in a matrix form, wherein the phased array antenna comprises a plurality of sub-arrays including the plurality of radiating elements and arranged in one direction, the beam search device comprising:
a controller,
wherein the controller calculates a beam coefficient application vector for each of the sub-arrays by using a received signal for each of the sub-arrays and a beam coefficient for each of the sub-arrays,
determines, as an initial value, a beam coefficient of an effective sub-array corresponding to a maximum value from among absolute values of beam coefficient application vectors for each of the sub-arrays, and
performs a monopulse algorithm based on the initial value, to obtain an expanded beamwidth greater than a reference beamwidth, which is a range of a beam detected by the phased array antenna,
wherein the controller performs the monopulse algorithm on an effective sub-array corresponding to the initial value, and in performing the monopulse algorithm,
determines a midpoint of the effective sub-array, and
calculates a summation coefficient for radiating elements arranged on both sides of the midpoint,
wherein the summation coefficient comprises: a first summation coefficient for a first radiating element group arranged on one side of the midpoint and a second summation coefficient for a second radiating element group arranged on the other side of the midpoint, and
the effective sub-array comprises an overlapping portion including overlapping elements used for both calculation of the first summation coefficient and calculation of the second summation coefficient.

10. The beam search device using an active phased array antenna of claim 9 , wherein the first summation coefficient is calculated by including a beam coefficient applied value of a first overlapping element that is at least a portion of the second radiating element group, and
the second summation coefficient is calculated by including a beam coefficient applied value of a second overlapping element that is at least a portion of the first radiating element group.

11. The beam search device using an active phased array antenna of claim 9 , wherein the controller, after the calculating of the summation coefficient,
calculates a ratio value using a sum and difference of the first summation coefficient and the second sum coefficient, and
obtains the expanded beamwidth by using a trigonometric function calculated based on the ratio value.

12. The beam search device using an active phased array antenna of claim 11 , wherein the controller, when calculating the ratio value,
calculates a first arithmetic expression calculated as the sum of the first summation coefficient and the second summation coefficient, and a second arithmetic expression calculated as the difference between the first summation coefficient and the second summation coefficient, and
calculates the ratio value as a ratio of the second arithmetic expression to the first arithmetic expression.

13. The beam search device using an active phased array antenna of claim 9 , wherein, when the effective sub-array has a reference distance in a direction in which the radiating elements are arranged in the effective sub-array,
as the number of the overlapping elements increases, the reference distance decreases.

14. The beam search device using an active phased array antenna of claim 13 , wherein the reference di

Assignees

• Agency Defense Dev

Inventors

• Hwang Chanho
• Joo Taehwan
• Kim Kichul
• Jeong Kilsoo
• Kwon Daehoon
• Seo Jongwoo
• Jeong Jaesoo
• Kim Youngdam

Classifications

• H04B7/0634 Primary

  Antenna weights or vector/matrix coefficients · CPC title

• H04B7/0626

  Channel coefficients, e.g. channel state information [CSI] · CPC title

• H04B7/0639

  Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection · CPC title

• H04B7/0691

  using subgroups of transmit antennas · CPC title

• H04B7/0617 Primary

  for beam forming · CPC title