Antenna device and method for transmitting and/or receiving a signal
AssigneeVEGA Grieshaber KG
InventorsSteffen Waelde, Roland Welle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is provided an antenna device including a signal source configured to generate a transmit signal with a basic frequency, a control device, and a first transmit channel. The transmit channel includes a first frequency conversion device and a first transmit device with a first frequency pass band. The control device is connected to the first frequency conversion device, which is configured to perform time-controlled conversion of the basic frequency of the transmit signal to a first transmit frequency, which lies in the first frequency pass band of the first transmit device, in order to provide via the first transmit channel a first transmit signal with the first transmit frequency.
Claims14
An antenna device for a multiple-input multiple-output fill level radar unit, which operates according to a frequency-modulated continuous-wave principle and a time-division multiplexing method, comprising:
- a signal source comprising a single phase-locked loop configured to generate a transmit signal with a basic frequency;
- a control device comprising a switching device;
- a plurality of transmit channels comprising a first transmit channel, comprising:
- a first frequency conversion device, and
- a first transmit device with a first frequency pass band,
- wherein the signal source is connected to the first frequency conversion device,
- wherein the switching device is connected to the first frequency conversion device, and is configured to perform time-controlled switching on and off of the first frequency conversion device and time-controlled conversion of the basic frequency of the transmit signal to a first transmit frequency, which lies in a first frequency pass band of the first transmit device, in order to provide via the first transmit channel a first transmit signal with the first transmit frequency, and
- wherein the conversion of the basic frequency of the transmit signal to the first transmit frequency, which lies in the first frequency pass band, is carried out according to a specifiable first time schedule according to the time-division multiplexing method;
- at least one second transmit channel, comprising:
- a second frequency conversion device, and
- a second transmit device with a second frequency pass band,
- wherein the signal source is further connected to the second frequency conversion device of the respective at least one second transmit channel,
- wherein the control device is connected to the second frequency conversion device, which is further configured to perform time-controlled conversion of the basic frequency of the transmit signal to at least a second transmit frequency, which lies in a second frequency pass band of the second transmit device of the respective at least one second transmit channel, in order to provide a second transmit signal with the second transmit frequency via the at least one second transmit channel,
- wherein the conversion of the basic frequency to the second transmit frequency is carried out according to at least one specifiable second time schedule,
- wherein the control device is further configured to combine the specifiable first time schedule and the at least one specifiable second time schedule to a specifiable overall time schedule, and
- wherein the control device is further configured to provide the specifiable overall time schedule.
A method for transmitting and/or receiving a signal by a multiple-input multiple-output fill level radar unit, which operates according to a frequency-modulated continuous-wave principle and a time-division multiplexing method, comprising:
- generating a transmit signal with a basic frequency in a signal source by a single phase-locked loop;
- supplying the transmit signal to a plurality of transmit channels comprising a first transmit channel, comprising a first frequency conversion device and a first transmit device with a first frequency pass band, and at least one second transmit channel, comprising a second frequency conversion device and a second transmit device with a second frequency pass band;
- switching on and off of the first frequency conversion device;
- and
- converting in a time-controlled manner the basic frequency of the transmit signal to a first transmit frequency, which lies in a first frequency pass band of the first transmit device, in order to provide via the first transmit channel a first transmit signal with the first transmit frequency, and to at least a second transmit frequency, which lies in a second frequency pass band of the second transmit device, in order to provide via the at least one second transmit channel a second transmit signal with the second transmit frequency;
- wherein the conversion of the basic frequency of the transmit signal to the first transmit frequency in the first frequency passband takes place according to a specifiable first time schedule according to the time-division multiplexing method and the conversion of the basic frequency to the second transmit frequency takes place according to at least one specifiable second time schedule.
A nontransitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a program for transmitting and/or receiving a signal, which when executed by a processor of an antenna device for a multiple-input multiple-output fill level radar unit, which operates according to a frequency-modulated continuous-wave principle and a time-division multiplexing method, executes a method comprising:
- generating a transmit signal with a basic frequency in a signal source by a single phase-locked loop;
- supplying the transmit signal to a plurality of transmit channels comprising a first transmit channel, comprising a first frequency conversion device and a first transmit device with a first frequency pass band, and at least one second transmit channel, comprising a second frequency conversion device and a second transmit device with a second frequency pass band;
- switching on and off of the first frequency conversion device;
- and
- converting in a time-controlled manner the basic frequency of the transmit signal to a first transmit frequency, which lies in a first frequency pass band of the first transmit device, in order to provide via the first transmit channel a first transmit signal with the first transmit frequency, and to at least a second transmit frequency, winch lies in a second frequency pass band of the second transmit device, in order to provide via the at least one second transmit channel a second transmit signal with the second transmit frequency;
- wherein the conversion of the basic frequency of the transmit signal to the first transmit frequency in the first frequency passband takes place according to a specifiable first time schedule according to the time-division multiplexing method and the conversion of the basic frequency to the second transmit frequency takes place according to at least one specifiable second time schedule.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.