Beam-pointing error compensation method of phased array radar seeker with phantom-bit technology

Abstract A phased array radar seeker (PARS) must be able to effectively decouple body motion and accurately extract the line-of-sight (LOS) rate for target missile tracking. In this study, the real-time two-channel beam pointing error (BPE) compensation method of PARS for LOS rate extraction is designed. The PARS discrete beam motion principium is analyzed, and the mathematical model of beam scanning control is finished. According to the principle of the antenna element shift phase, both the antenna element shift phase law and the causes of beam-pointing error under phantom-bit conditions are analyzed, and the effect of BPE caused by phantom-bit technology (PBT) on the extraction accuracy of the LOS rate is examined. A compensation method is given, which includes coordinate transforms, beam angle margin compensation, and detector dislocation angle calculation. When the method is used, the beam angle margin in the pitch and yaw directions is calculated to reduce the effect of the missile body disturbance and to improve LOS rate extraction precision by compensating for the detector dislocation angle. The simulation results validate the proposed method.