Device for the measurement of microwave signals and a method for the configuration of the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9638795-B2
Application number	US-201314134458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2013
Priority date	Dec 19, 2012
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A method for the configuration of a multi-static measuring device with an antenna arrangement, which is formed from several antenna clusters, each of which comprises several transmitting antennas and several receiving antennas, is characterized by the formation of configuration groups and associated group apertures. A configuration group is configured through the allocation of a subset of the antenna clusters of the antenna arrangement to a configuration group. At least one subset of the antenna clusters of this configuration group is configured as a receiving cluster in which exclusively the receiving antennas are activated. At least one subset of the antenna clusters of the configuration group are configured as transmitting clusters by activating the transmitting antennas. Microwave signals radiated from all transmitting antennas of all transmitting clusters of the configuration group and reflected on an object are measured in every receiving antenna of the receiving clusters of the configuration group.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for configuring a testing device with an antenna arrangement, which is formed from several antenna clusters, wherein each antenna cluster comprises several transmitting antennas and several receiving antennas, wherein at least one configuration group is configured and evaluated, the method comprising:
allocating a subset of the antenna cluster of the antenna arrangement to a configuration group;
configuring at least one subset of the antenna cluster of the configuration group as a receiving cluster by activating the receiving antennas of the respective antenna cluster;
configuring at least one subset of the antenna cluster of the configuration group as a transmitting cluster by activating the transmitting antennas of the respective antenna cluster;
measuring microwave signals transmitted from all transmitting antennas of all transmitting clusters of the configuration group and reflected on an object to every receiving antenna of the receiving clusters of the configuration group; and
configuring the transmitting clusters and the receiving clusters of a configuration group in an arbitrary two-dimensional raster.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein only a single antenna cluster of the configuration group is configured as a receiving cluster.

3. A method for configuring a testing device with an antenna arrangement, which is formed from several antenna clusters, wherein each antenna cluster comprises several transmitting antennas and several receiving antennas, wherein at least one configuration group is configured and evaluated, the method comprising:
allocating a subset of the antenna cluster of the antenna arrangement to a configuration group;
configuring at least one subset of the antenna cluster of the configuration group as a receiving cluster by activating the receiving antennas of the respective antenna cluster;
configuring at least one subset of the antenna cluster of the configuration group as a transmitting cluster by activating the transmitting antennas of the respective antenna cluster; and
measuring microwave signals transmitted from all transmitting antennas of all transmitting clusters of the configuration group and reflected on an object to every receiving antenna of the receiving clusters of the configuration group,
wherein the transmitting antennas and the receiving antennas of an antenna cluster are arranged in such a manner that a totality of mid-points of paths which are plotted from each transmitting antenna of the antenna cluster to each receiving antenna of an antenna cluster form a two-dimensional raster, which provides identical spacing distances in each case in one direction of extension, so that an effective aperture is plotted through the totality of the mid-points.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the arbitrary two-dimensional raster provides identical spacing distances in each case in one direction of extension.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein several configuration groups are configured which are arranged spatially in such a manner that all associated group apertures of the individual configuration groups together form a common, coherent aperture without gaps.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an image of the object is reconstructed for every individual configuration group.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein for every configuration group, the image is reconstructed for spatial points of a predefined, always identical spatial grid.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the microwave signals measured in an overlapping region of the apertures of several configuration groups are weighted with a weighting factor.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a reflector element is arranged near to the antenna arrangement, parallel to an edge of one or more transmitting clusters and/or perpendicular to an aperture plane of a configuration group, and the microwave signals reflected from the reflector element are interpreted and reconstructed as measured from virtual transmitting antennas of a reflected transmitting cluster.

10. A device for measurement of microwave signals, comprising:
an antenna arrangement;
a control unit; and
an evaluation unit, wherein the antenna arrangement includes several antenna clusters, and in each case an antenna cluster includes several transmitting antennas and several receiving antennas,
wherein the control unit is embodied in such a manner that a subset of the antenna clusters can be allocated to a configuration group, at least one subset of the antenna cluster of the configuration group can be configured as a receiving cluster by activating the receiving antennas of the respective antenna cluster, at least one subset of the antenna clusters of the configuration group can be configured as a transmitting cluster by activating the transmitting antennas of the respective antenna cluster, and
wherein the evaluation unit is embodied in such a manner that the microwave signals radiated from all transmitting antennas of all transmitting clusters of the configuration group and reflected on an object are measured in every receiving antenna of the receiving clusters of the configuration group; and
wherein the transmitting clusters and the receiving clusters of a configuration group are arranged in an arbitrary two-dimensional raster.

11. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the transmitting antennas and the receiving antennas of one antenna cluster are arranged in such a manner that a totality of mid-points of paths which are plotted from every transmitting antenna of the antenna cluster to every receiving antenna of an antenna cluster form a two-dimensional raster which provides identical spacing distances in each case in one direction of extension, so that the totality of the mid-points plots an effective aperture.

12. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the transmitting clusters and the receiving cluster of a configuration group are arranged in an arbitrary two-dimensional raster which provides identical spacing distances in each case in one direction of extension.

13. The device according to claim 11 , wherein in one antenna cluster, the receiving antennas are arranged in two regions arranged parallel to one another, and the transmitting antennas are arranged in two parallel regions perpendicular to the receiving antennas in the form of a rectangular frame.

14. The device according to claim 11 , wherein in one antenna cluster, the receiving antennas are arranged in a rectangular region, and one or more transmitting antennas are arranged in each case outside every corner of the region.

15. The device according to claim 11 , wherein in one antenna cluster, the transmitting antennas are arranged in a rectangular region, and one or more receiving antennas are arranged in each case outside every corner of the region.

16. The device according to claim 11 , wherein in one antenna cluster, the transmitting and receiving antennas are arranged offset relative to one another in the manner of a chessboard.

17. The device according to claim 11 , wherein in one antenna cluster, the transmitting antennas are arranged point symmetrically relative to a mid-point of the antenna cluster, and the receiving antennas are arranged in a same shape but rotated through 90° to the former.

18. The device according to claim 10 , wherein a reflector element is arranged near to the antenna arrangement, parallel to an edge of one or more transmitting clusters and perpendicular to a group aperture plane of a configuration group,

Assignees

• Rohde & Schwarz

Inventors

• Ahmed Sherif

Classifications

• G01S13/89 Primary

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• Y10T29/49004

  including measuring or testing of device or component part · CPC title

• G01S2013/0245

  Radar with phased array antenna · CPC title

• H01Q9/0407

  Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna (dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40) · CPC title

• H01Q21/0006

  Particular feeding systems · CPC title