Fast calibration method for phased array antenna

The study of rapid measurement and calibration for phased array antenna has always been one of hot issues. The low efficiency of traditional calibration method cannot satisfy the requirement of large-scale engineering application of phased array antenna. A fast calibration method called four-phase-cycle amplitude-only measurement (FPC), which can determine the phase of each element in phased arrays by power measurements according to a certain phase distribution, is presented on the basis of theoretical analysis for phase solving algorithm. And theoretical analysis prove that the method takes only about one sixteenth of the time that the conventional rotating element electric field vector method using 6-bit digital phase shifter spends. Finally, a contrast test of three calibration methods, which are FPC, rotating element electric field vector method using 4 bit digital phase shifter and rotating element electric field vector method using 6 bit digital phase shifter, is carried out. And the experimental results verify the correctness and effectiveness of the FPC calibration algorithm.