The Ocean 4A scatterometer, expected to be launched in 2024, is poised to be the world’s first spaceborne microwave scatterometer utilizing a digital beamforming system. To ensure high-precision measurements and perf...The Ocean 4A scatterometer, expected to be launched in 2024, is poised to be the world’s first spaceborne microwave scatterometer utilizing a digital beamforming system. To ensure high-precision measurements and performance sta-bility across diverse environments, stringent requirements are placed on the dynamic range of its receiving system. This paper provides a detailed exposition of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based automatic gain control (AGC) design for the spaceborne scatterometer. Implemented on an FPGA, the algo-rithm harnesses its parallel processing capabilities and high-speed performance to monitor the received echo signals in real time. Employing an adaptive AGC algorithm, the system gene-rates gain control codes applicable to the intermediate fre-quency variable attenuator, enabling rapid and stable adjust-ment of signal amplitudes from the intermediate frequency amplifier to an optimal range. By adopting a purely digital pro-cessing approach, experimental results demonstrate that the AGC algorithm exhibits several advantages, including fast con-vergence, strong flexibility, high precision, and outstanding sta-bility. This innovative design lays a solid foundation for the high-precision measurements of the Ocean 4A scatterometer, with potential implications for the future of spaceborne microwave scatterometers.展开更多
文摘The Ocean 4A scatterometer, expected to be launched in 2024, is poised to be the world’s first spaceborne microwave scatterometer utilizing a digital beamforming system. To ensure high-precision measurements and performance sta-bility across diverse environments, stringent requirements are placed on the dynamic range of its receiving system. This paper provides a detailed exposition of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based automatic gain control (AGC) design for the spaceborne scatterometer. Implemented on an FPGA, the algo-rithm harnesses its parallel processing capabilities and high-speed performance to monitor the received echo signals in real time. Employing an adaptive AGC algorithm, the system gene-rates gain control codes applicable to the intermediate fre-quency variable attenuator, enabling rapid and stable adjust-ment of signal amplitudes from the intermediate frequency amplifier to an optimal range. By adopting a purely digital pro-cessing approach, experimental results demonstrate that the AGC algorithm exhibits several advantages, including fast con-vergence, strong flexibility, high precision, and outstanding sta-bility. This innovative design lays a solid foundation for the high-precision measurements of the Ocean 4A scatterometer, with potential implications for the future of spaceborne microwave scatterometers.
