Monopulse radio direction finder using digital antenna array

DOI: 10.34759/trd-2020-115-07

Аuthors

Chistyakov V. A.

Compani «Information satellite systems of academician M.F. Reshetnev», 52, Lenin str., Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk region, 662972, Russia

e-mail: vitalys1367@mail.ru

Abstract

Digital technologies development at present allows improving radar systems, which opens possibility for application of complex modern methods of digital signal processing. It allows, in the first place, achieving the best results in radar systems operation, improving therewith weight and size characteristics of the systems under development.

Thus, application of digital phased antennae arrays for direction finding problems solving allows employing mathematical tools for angular characteristics estimations of the object under study.

The article deals with a monopulse direction finder with the sum-difference direction-finding method, accomplish based on the sixteen-element flat digital phased antennae array. The idea of the sum-difference monopulse method consists in generating both sum and difference signals to compare their amplitudes and angular coordinates estimation of the object. In addition, there is a necessity in direction-finding characteristic estimation of the antennae system to realize the said method.

Digital phased antenna array allows both sum and difference signals generation at the expense of correctly selected weight factors, avoiding herewith the waveguide converters application. The weight factors represent complex numbers able to change amplitude-phase characteristics of the signals.

To gain the possibility to estimate the azimuth and elevation angle of the place, the elements of the flat antennae array should be represented in the form of rows and columns, which will be nothing else but the linear antennae arrays. The two linear antennae arrays will form two pairs of both sum and difference signals for the azimuthal plane and elevation plane.

The result of the works was the monopulse direction finder simulation with the above-described digital antenna array, during which the monopulse response curve and radiation pattern were estimated. The sum and difference signals were generated, and the corresponding weight coefficients were obtained.

The dependence of the root-mean-square deviation of angular coordinates on the signal-to-noise ratio was plotted for more illustrative estimation of the direction finder with digital sum and difference signals generation.

Keywords:

digital antenna array, sum-difference direction-finding technique, direction finding characteristic, direction pattern, monopulse direction finder

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