Thales

Pierre Levy

Christian Renard

Eric Estebe

Philippe Freyssinier

Frédéric LeClerc

Alain Adamjee

Alain Bouedo

An electronic-scanning antenna composed of radiating elements each forming an active channel in which the signals arising from the channels are grouped together to form deviometry signals, each deviometry signal forming a deviometry channel, and are grouped together according to sectors to form a sector-based signal forming a sector channel, a computation-based beam being formed on the basis of the signals arising from each of the sectors, the method comprises the following steps: measuring the response to a calibration signal of each active channel at one and the same time on the sum deviometry channel and on the sector channel to which it belongs, the responses on the sum channel to obtain the calibration of the sum channel; computing, for each active channel, the disparity between the mean of the responses measured on the sum channel and the mean of the responses measured on the sector to which it belongs; in the operational phase, forming the beam by computation on the basis of the measurements of the signals arising from the sector channels calibrated with the calibration obtained for the sum channel, and correcting the computation of the beam as a function of the disparity.

Method for calibrating an electronically scanned sector antenna and corresponding measuring device

A device includes a test enclosure defining a cavity forming an anechoic chamber, having a test probe placed inside the cavity. The cavity comprises an aperture against which the radiating surface of antenna is positioned. The device includes a microwave-frequency test signal generator and a receiver for microwave-frequency signal emitted by the antenna under test and for measuring its amplitude and its phase in relation to a reference. Depending on the depth of the cavity and the dimensions of the radiation pattern of a test probe, the device comprises one or more test probes placed in fixed positions in the cavity or a mobile probe that can be positioned in various locations of the cavity, the probe or probes being configured and arranged to illuminate the whole active surface of the antenna and that the radiation pattern of each radiating element illuminates at least one test probe.

Calibration and testing device for an active antenna, particularly a nose-cone antenna of an airborne radar

Growing community of inventors

Elancourt, France

Pierre Levy