阅读说明：本技术 用于实时可视化辐射图的系统和方法 (System and method for real-time visualization of a radiometric map ) 是由 斯蒂芬·赫尤尔 安德烈·肖赫 J·斯蒂芬斯 于 2020-01-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及用于实时可视化辐射图的系统和方法。提供了一种用于实时可视化辐射图的测量系统。所述测量系统包括具有多个天线的天线阵列,所述多个天线被配置成提供与接收到的无线电信号相对应的电压增益。此外,所述测量系统包括多个射频检测器,所述多个射频检测器被配置成对来自所述多个天线中的每个天线的所述电压增益进行整流。另外,所述测量系统包括多个放大器,所述多个放大器位于所述多个射频检测器的下游且被配置成放大来自每个所述射频检测器的已整流电压的幅度。所述测量系统还包括多个接收元件,每个接收元件包括发光二极管且被配置成接收与所述多个放大器中的每个放大器相对应的已放大电压。(The invention relates to a system and a method for visualizing a radiometric image in real time. A measurement system for visualizing a radiometric image in real time is provided. The measurement system includes an antenna array having a plurality of antennas configured to provide a voltage gain corresponding to a received radio signal. Further, the measurement system includes a plurality of radio frequency detectors configured to rectify the voltage gain from each of the plurality of antennas. In addition, the measurement system includes a plurality of amplifiers located downstream of the plurality of radio frequency detectors and configured to amplify the magnitude of the rectified voltage from each of the radio frequency detectors. The measurement system also includes a plurality of receiving elements, each receiving element including a light emitting diode and configured to receive an amplified voltage corresponding to each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers.)

1. A measurement system for visualizing a radiometric image in real time, comprising:

-an antenna array having a plurality of antennas configured to provide a voltage gain corresponding to a received radio signal,

a plurality of radio frequency detectors configured to rectify voltage gain from each of the plurality of antennas,

-a plurality of amplifiers located downstream of the plurality of radio frequency detectors and configured to amplify the amplitude of the rectified voltage from each of the radio frequency detectors, an

-a plurality of receiving elements, each receiving element comprising a light emitting diode and being configured to receive an amplified voltage corresponding to each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers.

2. The measuring system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the light emitting diode is an RGB light emitting diode, preferably a multicolor light emitting diode configured to emit at least three different colors.

3. The measuring system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the measurement system further comprises a tuning element configured to adjust the amplified voltage of each of the plurality of amplifiers corresponding to an input voltage range of the light emitting diode associated with each of the plurality of amplifiers.

4. The measuring system according to claim 3, wherein,

wherein the tuning element is further configured to assign different intensity levels to the amplified voltage corresponding to different colors of the light emitting diodes.

5. The measuring system according to claim 4, wherein,

wherein the light emitting diodes are configured to encode the intensity levels of the amplified voltage with respect to different colors.

6. The measuring system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the measurement system further comprises a reference antenna, wherein the reference color mapping is observed relative to an intensity level of a known radiation pattern of the reference antenna in a reference environment having a reference antenna distance.

7. The measuring system according to claim 6, wherein,

wherein each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers is calibrated by adjusting the intensity level with respect to the reference color mapping.

8. The measuring system according to claim 6, wherein,

wherein the observing of the reference color mapping is performed using a camera.

9. The measuring system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the antenna, the radio frequency detector, the amplifier, and the receiving element are arranged by pixel.

10. The measuring system as set forth in claim 9,

wherein the camera is further configured to take the pixels and visually display the measured radiation pattern in real time.

11. A measurement method for visualizing a radiation pattern in real time in a measurement system comprising an antenna array with a plurality of antennas, a plurality of radio frequency detectors, a plurality of amplifiers and a plurality of receiving elements comprising light emitting diodes, the measurement method comprising the steps of:

-obtaining a voltage gain corresponding to the received radio signal from each of the plurality of antennas,

-rectifying the voltage gain,

-amplifying the amplitude of the rectified voltage from each of said radio frequency detectors, and

-receiving an amplified voltage from each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers located downstream of the plurality of radio frequency detectors.

12. The method of measurement according to claim 11,

wherein the light emitting diode is an RGB light emitting diode, preferably a multicolor light emitting diode configured to emit at least three different colors.

13. The method of measurement according to claim 11,

wherein the measuring method further comprises the step of adjusting the amplified voltage of each of the plurality of amplifiers corresponding to a range of input voltages of the light emitting diode associated with each of the plurality of amplifiers.

14. The method of measurement according to claim 11,

wherein the measuring method further comprises the step of assigning different intensity levels for the amplified voltage corresponding to different colors of the light emitting diodes.

15. The method of measurement according to claim 11,

wherein the measuring method further comprises the step of encoding the intensity level of the amplified voltage with respect to different colors of the light emitting diodes.

16. The method of measurement according to claim 11,

wherein the measurement system further comprises a reference antenna and the measurement method further comprises the step of observing a reference color mapping with respect to an intensity level of a known radiation pattern of the reference antenna in a reference environment having a reference antenna distance.

17. The method of measurement as set forth in claim 16,

wherein the measurement method further comprises the step of calibrating each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers by adjusting the intensity level with respect to the reference color mapping.

18. The method of measurement as set forth in claim 16,

wherein said observing of said reference color mapping is performed using a camera.

19. The method of measurement according to claim 11,

wherein the measuring method further comprises the step of arranging the antenna, the radio frequency detector, the amplifier, and the receiving element by pixel.

20. The method of measurement as set forth in claim 19,

wherein the measuring method further comprises the step of taking the pixels and visually displaying the measured radiation pattern in real time.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a measuring system and a corresponding measuring method for visualizing a radiation pattern in real time, in particular for measuring radio-frequency radiation in order to evaluate the signal strength and the radiation direction of a received signal.

Background

For measuring the radiation pattern, mechanically moving measuring probes are generally used (which are moved in a transverse direction along a measuring axis) and the corresponding radiation intensity level is sampled. Instead of the point-by-point measurement as described above, the radiation pattern can also be measured by using a fixed measurement probe and by moving the device under test in a lateral direction with respect to the measurement axis.

For example, CN 105242169B shows a measuring device for signal transmitting and receiving ends of distribution frame. The device includes a housing, a test connector, and a detection module disposed in the housing. Test connectors are also connected through leads external to the housing to obtain measurements from the point to be tested.

However, acquiring the sampled data with the measurement probe disadvantageously requires subsequent evaluation logic involving additional processing time, so that the system cannot perform real-time measurements.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a measurement system and a corresponding measurement method for visualizing a radiation pattern in real time and for performing real-time measurements in a simplified manner.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a measurement system for visualizing a radiometric image in real time is provided. The measurement system includes an antenna array having a plurality of antennas configured to provide a voltage gain corresponding to a received radio signal. Further, the measurement system includes a plurality of radio frequency detectors configured to rectify voltage gain from each of the plurality of antennas. Advantageously, the measurement system operates at a rectified voltage (rectified voltage) corresponding to the level of the received radio frequency signal, thus simplifying the processing scheme. In addition, the measurement system includes a plurality of amplifiers located downstream of the plurality of radio frequency detectors and configured to amplify the magnitude of the rectified voltage from each of the radio frequency detectors. The measurement system also includes a plurality of receiving elements, each receiving element including a light emitting diode and configured to receive an amplified voltage (amplified voltage) corresponding to each of the plurality of amplifiers. By means of these light emitting diodes, the measurement system is configured to optically visualize the radiance map in real time, which further enables a simple evaluation of the measured signal strength.

In this case, it is particularly advantageous that the light emitting diode is an RGB light emitting diode, preferably a multicolor light emitting diode configured to emit at least three different colors. A simplified and low-cost measurement for distinguishing the radiation patterns is thus achieved.

According to a first preferred implementation form of the first aspect of the invention, the measurement system further comprises a tuning element configured to adjust the amplified voltage of each of the plurality of amplifiers corresponding to an input voltage range of the light emitting diode associated with each of the plurality of amplifiers. Advantageously, the drive voltages for the light emitting diodes are individually adjusted before or during the measurement of the individual amplifier outputs, which significantly improves the system reliability.

Furthermore, the tuning element is further configured to assign different intensity levels for the amplified voltage corresponding to different colors of the light emitting diodes, and wherein the light emitting diodes are configured to encode the intensity levels of the amplified voltage with respect to different colors. Advantageously, the measured signal intensities are visually distinguishable by the color of the radiation, e.g., red for high signal intensities, green for medium signal intensities, etc.

According to a second preferred implementation form of the first aspect of the invention, the measurement system further comprises a reference antenna, wherein the reference color mapping is observed with respect to an intensity level of a known radiation pattern of the reference antenna in a reference environment with a reference antenna distance. In this case, each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers is calibrated by adjusting the intensity level with respect to the reference color mapping. Advantageously, each amplifier is individually calibrated to provide an acceptable signal strength to drive the associated light emitting diode to give the correct colour corresponding to a known antenna pattern, which significantly improves the measurement accuracy.

According to another preferred implementation form of the first aspect of the invention, the observing of the reference color mapping is performed using a camera. In this case, the antenna, the radio frequency detector, the amplifier, and the receiving element are arranged in pixels, and wherein the camera is further configured to take the pixels and visually display the measured radiation pattern in real time. Advantageously, a simplified viewing scheme is achieved, wherein the camera takes images of pixels with different radiation colors corresponding to different radiation intensities.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a measurement method for visualizing a radiation pattern in real time in a measurement system is provided, the measurement system comprising an antenna array with a plurality of antennas, a plurality of radio frequency detectors, a plurality of amplifiers and a plurality of receiving elements comprising light emitting diodes. The measuring method comprises the following steps: obtaining a voltage gain corresponding to the received radio signal from each of the plurality of antennas, rectifying the voltage gain, amplifying an amplitude of the rectified voltage from each of the radio frequency detectors, and receiving the amplified voltage from each of the plurality of amplifiers located downstream of the plurality of radio frequency detectors. Advantageously, the method provides a simplified processing scheme operating at a rectified voltage corresponding to the level of the received radio frequency signal, enabling a simple evaluation of the measured signal strength by optically visualizing the radiation pattern in real time.

In this case, it is particularly advantageous that the light emitting diode is an RGB light emitting diode, preferably a multicolor light emitting diode configured to emit at least three different colors. A simplified and low-cost measurement for distinguishing the radiation patterns is thus achieved.

According to a first preferred implementation form of the second aspect of the invention, the measuring method further comprises the step of adjusting the amplified voltage of each of the plurality of amplifiers corresponding to the input voltage range of the light emitting diode associated with each of the plurality of amplifiers. Advantageously, the drive voltages for the light emitting diodes are individually adjusted before or during the measurement of the individual amplifier outputs, which significantly improves the system reliability.

Furthermore, the measuring method comprises the steps of assigning different intensity levels for the amplified voltage corresponding to different colors of the light emitting diodes, and encoding the intensity levels of the amplified voltage with respect to the different colors of the light emitting diodes. Advantageously, the measured signal intensities are visually distinguishable by the color of the radiation, e.g., red for high signal intensities, green for medium signal intensities, etc.

According to a second preferred implementation form of the second aspect of the invention, the measurement system further comprises a reference antenna, and wherein the measurement method further comprises the step of observing a reference color mapping with respect to an intensity level of a known radiation pattern of the reference antenna in a reference environment with a reference antenna distance, and calibrating each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers by adjusting the intensity level with respect to the reference color mapping. Advantageously, each amplifier is individually calibrated to provide an acceptable signal strength to drive the associated light emitting diode to give the correct colour corresponding to a known antenna pattern, which significantly improves the measurement accuracy.

According to another preferred implementation form of the second aspect of the invention, the observation of the reference color mapping is performed using a camera, and the measurement method further comprises the steps of arranging the antenna, the radio frequency detector, the amplifier and the receiving element in pixels, and taking the pixels and visually displaying the measured radiation pattern in real time. Advantageously, a simplified viewing scheme is achieved, wherein the camera takes images of pixels with different radiation colors corresponding to different radiation intensities.

Drawings

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be further elucidated, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a first aspect of the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention;

fig. 3 shows a third exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention; and

fig. 4 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Similar entities and reference numerals in different figures have been partly omitted. However, various modifications may be made to the following embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments.

Fig. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a measuring system 1a according to the invention for visualizing a radiation diagram in real time. In this case, the measurement system 1a comprises an antenna array with a plurality of antennas 11a, 11b, …, 11n configured to provide a voltage gain 12 corresponding to the received radio signal 14. Further, the measurement system 1a comprises a plurality of radio frequency detectors 13a, 13b, …, 13n, the plurality of radio frequency detectors 13a, 13b, …, 13n being configured to rectify the voltage gain 12 from each of the plurality of antennas 11a, 11b, …, 11 n. For example, the antenna array may be in the form of a phased array configured to perform constructive and/or destructive interference upon receiving the radio signal 14, and each of the plurality of antennas 11a, 11b, …, 11n provides a respective voltage gain to the subsequently connected plurality of radio frequency detectors 13a, 13b, …, 13n for rectification. The subsequent connection may be realized by a transmission line, for example by means of a coaxial cable. Alternatively, it is also possible to construct each antenna 11a, 11b, …, 11n together with the respective radio frequency detector 13a, 13b, …, 13n as a single element on an antenna array.

In addition, the measurement system 1a comprises a plurality of amplifiers 15a, 15b, …, 15n, the plurality of amplifiers 15a, 15b, …, 15n being located downstream of the plurality of radio frequency detectors 13a, 13b, … 13n and being configured to amplify the amplitude of the rectified voltage 16 from each radio frequency detector 13a, 13b, …, 13 n. The measurement system 1a further comprises a plurality of receiving elements 17a, 17b, …, 17n, each receiving element 17a, 17b, …, 17n comprising a light emitting diode 19a, 19b, …, 19n and being configured to receive an amplified voltage 18 corresponding to each of the plurality of amplifiers 15a, 15b, …, 15 n. The light emitting diodes are typically RGB light emitting diodes, preferably multicolour light emitting diodes which may emit at least three different colours. Alternatively, instead of a single multicolored light emitting diode, at least three individual light emitting diodes of different colors may be included. By means of these light emitting diodes 19a, 19b, …, 19n, the measurement system 1a provides a simple and cost-effective solution to optically visualize the radiation pattern in real time.

Fig. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the measuring system (1b) according to the invention for visualizing a radiation diagram in real time. The respective measuring system 1b is based on the above-described first exemplary embodiment 1a and additionally comprises a tuning element 21a, 21b, …, 21n, which tuning element 21a, 21b, …, 21n is configured to adjust the amplified voltage 18 of each of the plurality of amplifiers 15a, 15b, …, 15n corresponding to the input voltage range of the light emitting diode 19a, 19b, …, 19n associated with each of the plurality of amplifiers 15a, 15b, …, 15 n. In this case, the tuning elements 21a, 21b, …, 21n are further configured to assign the amplified voltage 18 different intensity levels corresponding to different colors of the light emitting diodes 19a, 19b, …, 19n, and the light emitting diodes 19a, 19b, …, 19n are configured to encode the intensity levels of the amplified voltage 18 with respect to the different colors. For example, the tuning elements 21a, 21b, …, 21n may comprise adjustable positive linear regulators that change the rectified and successively amplified voltage with respect to an internal reference voltage. The internal reference voltage may be selected, for example, according to a minimum driving voltage for the light emitting diodes 19a, 19b, …, 19 n.

Since different radiation intensities can be received at different antennas 11a, 11b, … 11n of the antenna array with respect to the propagation direction of the received signal, the assignment of the tuning elements 21a, 21b, …, 21n to each of the plurality of amplifiers 15a, 15b, …, 15n significantly improves the system reliability. Furthermore, the adjusted voltage levels are then classified into at least three reference voltage levels with respect to the drive voltage levels required for the light emitting diodes 19a, 19b, …, 19n to radiate the respective color. For example, red may be associated with a high voltage level and may be converted to a high radiation intensity, blue may be associated with a low voltage level and may be converted to a low radiation intensity, and so on. Advantageously, the system does not require trained personnel to take measurements due to the simplicity of color conversion described above.

Fig. 3 shows a third exemplary embodiment of the measuring system (1c) according to the invention for visualizing a radiation diagram in real time. The corresponding measuring system 1c is based on the second exemplary embodiment 1b and further comprises a reference antenna 33, wherein the reference color mapping is observed with respect to the intensity level of the known radiation pattern of the reference antenna 33 in a reference environment with a reference antenna distance. In this case, each of the plurality of amplifiers 15a, 15b, …, 15n is calibrated by adjusting the intensity level with respect to the reference color map. Each amplifier 15a, 15b, …, 15n is individually calibrated by tuning elements 21a, 21b, …, 21n to provide an acceptable signal strength to drive the associated light emitting diode 19a, 19b, …, 19n to give the correct color corresponding to the known antenna pattern, e.g. red for high radiation intensities, blue for low radiation intensities, etc.

Preferably, the observation of the reference color mapping is performed using a camera. In this case, the antennas 11a, 11b, …, 11n, the radio frequency detectors 13a, 13b, …, 13n, the amplifiers 15a, 15b, …, 15n and the receiving elements 17a, 17b, …, 17n are arranged in pixels, and the camera is further configured to take the pixels and visually display the measured radiation patterns in real time. Alternatively, the radiation intensity level can also be observed and compared by implementing an analog-to-digital converter, wherein the respective voltage levels are preferably displayed in real time by means of a graphical representation and/or a tabular form. Advantageously, by means of the analog-to-digital converter, the measurement data corresponding to the reference color map can be stored in a memory location and can be utilized before and/or during the measurement for calibrating the amplifiers 15a, 15b, …, 15 n.

Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the measuring method according to the present invention for visualizing a radiation diagram in real time. In a first step S1, a voltage gain corresponding to a received radio signal is obtained from each of a plurality of antennas. In a second step S2, the received respective voltage gain is rectified. In a third step S3, the amplitude of the rectified voltage from each radio frequency detector is amplified. In a fourth step S4, the amplified voltage is received from each of a plurality of amplifiers located downstream of the plurality of radio frequency detectors.

Then, in a fifth step S5, the amplified voltage of each of the plurality of amplifiers is adjusted corresponding to the input voltage range of the light emitting diode associated with each of the plurality of amplifiers. In a sixth step S6, the amplified voltage is assigned different intensity levels corresponding to different colors of the light emitting diodes. In a seventh step S7, the intensity level of the amplified voltage is encoded for the different colors of the light emitting diodes.

Furthermore, in an eighth step S8, the reference color mapping is observed with respect to the intensity level of the known radiation pattern of the reference antenna in the reference environment with the reference antenna distance. In a ninth step S9, each amplifier of the plurality of amplifiers is calibrated by adjusting the intensity level with respect to the reference color map.

Further, in the tenth step S10, the antenna, the radio frequency detector, the amplifier, and the receiving element are arranged by pixel. Finally, in an eleventh step S11, the pixels are photographed and the measured radiation pattern is visually displayed in real time.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments can be made in accordance with the disclosure herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments. Rather, the scope of the invention should be defined in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.