ACTIVE ARRAY ANTENNA DEVICE

• US 20120262328A1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: SHINONAGA, Mitsuyoshi, KAYANO, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,749,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/27
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters

Abstract

In one embodiment, an active array antenna device includes: M (M≧2) bandpass filters to filter signals received by M antenna elements; M low noise amplifiers to amplify the filtered received signals; M distributors to distribute respective of the M amplified signals into N (N≧2) distributed signals; M sets of N phase shifters provided for respective of the M distributors to shift phases of the N distributed signals; M sets of N attenuators to attenuate N phase-shift signals; N beam synthesis circuits provided for N sets of the M attenuators to synthesize a beam by summing attenuator outputs from the M attenuators corresponding to the M distributors; a heat insulating container accommodating the low noise amplifiers and the receiving filters and formed of a superconductor material; and a cooler to cool the receiving filters and the low noise amplifiers to make the receiving filters in a superconducting state.

Claims

1. An active array antenna device comprising:

M (M≧

2) receiving filters configured to allow part of received signals received by M antenna elements or antenna sub-arrays to pass therethrough, the part being signals within a certain band;

M low noise amplifiers configured to amplify M received signals from the M receiving filters;

M distributors each configured to distribute a corresponding one of the M amplified signals amplified by the M low noise amplifiers into N (N≧

2) distributed signals;

M sets of N phase shifters, each set provided for the corresponding one of the distributors and configured to shift phases of the N distributed signals distributed by the distributor;

M sets of N attenuators, each set configured to attenuate N phase-shift signals from the N phase shifters;

N beam synthesis circuits provided respectively for M sets of the N attenuators, and each configured to synthesize a beam by adding up attenuator outputs that correspond to the M distributors and are outputted by the corresponding set of the M attenuators;

a heat insulating container configured to accommodate the low noise amplifiers and the receiving filters formed of a superconductor material; and

a cooler configured to cool the receiving filters and the low noise amplifiers accommodated in the heat insulating container to make the receiving filters in a superconducting state.

2. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, wherein each of all or some pairs of the M receiving filters and the M low noise amplifiers, the pairs each forming a received signal to be inputted to the same distributor, are accommodated in one of a plurality of the heat insulating containers respectively corresponding to all or some of the M antenna elements or the antenna sub-arrays.

3. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, wherein all or some pairs of the M receiving filters and the M low noise amplifiers, the pairs each forming a received signal to be inputted to the same distributor, are divided into groups including two or more pairs and are accommodated group by group in a plurality of the heat insulating containers.

4. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulating container further accommodates the N beam synthesis circuits.

5. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulating container further accommodates the M antenna elements or the antenna sub-arrays and has a transmission member which allows received radio waves to pass through into the insulating container to be inputted to the M antenna arrays or the sub-arrays.

6. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, comprising:

M A/D converters provided for the respective M low noise amplifiers and configured to perform AD conversion on RF signals or IF signals to output digital signals to the M distributors, the RF signals being the M received signals amplified by the low noise amplifiers, the IF signals being signals converted from the RF signals through frequency conversion, wherein

the active array antenna device uses a digital beam forming system for synthesizing N beams from the digital signals obtained by the A/D converters through the A/D conversion.

7. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, comprising:

a first beam synthesis circuit configured to synthesize a beam from RF signals which are received signals, for some of the M antenna elements or antenna sub-arrays;

a frequency converter configured to perform frequency conversion on an RF signal which is the synthesis output from the first beam synthesis circuit;

an A/D converter configured to perform A/D conversion on a signal obtained by the frequency conversion; and

a second beam synthesis circuit configured to further synthesize a plurality of beams from the signals obtained by the A/D conversion, wherein

the second beam synthesis circuit is arranged separately from the heat insulating container.

8. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulating container is a vacuum insulating container at least part of which is in a vacuum state.

9. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, comprising:

a transmission-reception switching unit configured to perform switching between transmission and reception of the signals to and from each of the antenna elements; and

a limiter provided between the transmission-reception switching unit and the low noise amplifier and configured to limit a signal level of a received signal from the transmission-reception switching unit.

10. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, wherein

the M antenna elements or the antenna sub-arrays receive radio waves transmitted from a transmission antenna and reflected from a target, and

the received signals are used by a radar device to detect the object.

11. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, wherein

the M antenna elements or the antenna sub-arrays receive radio waves radiated from a target, and

the received signals are used for measuring radiation intensities of the radio waves from the target.

12. The active array antenna device according to claim 1, wherein

the M antenna elements or the antenna sub-arrays receive radio waves transmitted from a transmission antenna different from the active array antenna device, and

at least a time point of transmitting the radio waves is analyzed.