Multiplexer and array antenna module

Abstract

A multiplexer and an array antenna module, the multiplexer is applied to the array antenna module, the array antenna module comprises an array antenna and a beam forming module, the multiplexer comprises a first end and at least two second ends, and the at least two second ends extend towards the direction of the first end; one of the first end or the at least two second ends is connected to the array antenna, the other of the first end or the at least two second ends is connected to the beam forming module, and the first end and the at least two second ends are used for conducting signals between the array antenna and the beam forming module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of antennas, and particularly to a multiplexer and an array antenna module. Background Art

[0002] A Low-orbit satellite system (LEO) is a large satellite system composed of multiple satellites that can perform real-time information processing. Low-orbit satellites are also used for communication of mobile terminals such as mobile phones. Due to the low orbital altitude, mobile terminals using low-orbit satellite communication have the advantages of short transmission delay and small path loss. A mobile communication system composed of multiple low-orbit satellites can achieve true global coverage, and frequency reuse is more effective. Technologies such as cellular communication, multiple access, spot beam, and frequency reuse also provide technical guarantees for the application of low-orbit satellites in mobile communication. In short, low-orbit satellites are currently highly promising mobile communication systems.

[0003] However, for the existing array antenna module applied to low-orbit satellites, in order to reduce the overall area of the antenna design, the arrangement distance between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna is relatively close, and the signal transmission wiring between the antennas is difficult, so that more considerations are required in the design of the array antenna. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above, the present invention provides a multiplexer and an array antenna module.

[0005] In a first aspect of the present application, a multiplexer is provided, which is applied to an array antenna module. The array antenna module includes an array antenna and a beamforming module. The multiplexer includes: a first end and at least two second ends, and the at least two second ends extend in a direction towards the first end; one of the first end or the at least two second ends is connected to the array antenna, and the other of the first end or the at least two second ends is connected to the beamforming module. The first end and the at least two second ends are used for conducting signals between the array antenna and the beamforming module.

[0006] In a second aspect of the present application, an array antenna module is further provided, which includes an array antenna, a beamforming module, and the above-mentioned multiplexer.

[0007] One of the first end or the at least two second ends of the multiplexer provided in the present application is connected to the array antenna, and the other of the first end or the at least two second ends is connected to the beamforming module, so that the multiplexer can conduct signals between the array antenna and the beamforming module, and the signal conduction directions of the at least two second ends are opposite to the signal conduction direction of the first end, which can enable the multiplexer not to be arranged flat on the same plane, saving the design space of the multiplexer on the plane and being more conducive to the signal transmission wiring of the array antenna module. Description of the Drawings

[0008] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the functional modules of the array antenna module provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0009] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the multiplexer of the array antenna module provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0010] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the multiplexer of the array antenna module provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Figure 4 Cross-sectional schematic diagram of the array antenna module provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the array antenna module provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Figure 6 Another schematic diagram of the structure of the array antenna module provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Description of the main element symbols

[0015] Array antenna module 1; array antenna 10; transmitting antenna 12; receiving antenna 14; LNA 20; beamforming module 40;

[0016] Multiplexer 30; first end 31; second end 32; connection point 322; first connection part 33; second connection part 34; resistor 35;

[0017] First ground layer 50; second ground layer 60; third connection part 70.

[0018] The following specific embodiments will further illustrate the present application in conjunction with the above-mentioned drawings. Specific embodiments

[0019] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0020] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "electrically connected" to another element, it can be directly on the other element or there can also be an intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "electrically connected" to another element, it can be a contact connection, for example, it can be in the form of a wire connection, or it can be a non-contact connection, for example, it can be in the form of non-contact coupling.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the technical field to which this invention belongs. The terms used in the description of the present invention herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0022] The following will describe in detail some embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the case of no conflict, the embodiments described below and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0023] A low-orbit satellite system (LEO) is a large satellite system composed of multiple satellites that can perform real-time information processing. Low-orbit satellites are also used for the communication of mobile terminals such as mobile phones. Due to the low orbit altitude, mobile terminals using low-orbit satellite communication have the advantages of short transmission delay and small path loss. A mobile communication system composed of multiple low-orbit satellites can achieve true global coverage and more effective frequency reuse. Technologies such as cellular communication, multiple access, spot beam, and frequency reuse also provide technical guarantees for the application of low-orbit satellites in mobile communication. All in all, low-orbit satellites are currently highly regarded mobile communication systems.

[0024] However, for the existing array antenna modules applied in low-orbit satellites, in order to reduce the overall area of the antenna design, the arrangement distance between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna is relatively close, and the signal transmission wiring between the antennas is difficult, so that more considerations are required in the design of the array antenna.

[0025] For this reason, please refer to Figure 1 together. The present application provides an array antenna module 1, which can be applied to a wireless communication device (not shown in the figure) to realize the wireless communication of the wireless communication device based on low-orbit satellites. Among them, the array antenna module 1 is used to transmit or receive wireless signals to realize wireless communication.

[0026] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 together. In some embodiments of the present application, the array antenna module 1 may include an array antenna 10, a low noise amplifier (LNA) 20, a multiplexer 30, and a beamforming module 40.

[0027] The array antenna 10, the LNA 20, the multiplexer 30, and the beamforming module 40 are electrically connected in sequence. The array antenna 10 can be used to receive or transmit wireless communication signals. One end of the multiplexer 30 is connected to the array antenna 10 through the LNA, and the other end is connected to the beamforming module 40. The LNA 20 can be used to obtain wireless communication signals from the array antenna 10, amplify them, and output them to the multiplexer 30, or obtain wireless communication signals from the multiplexer 30, amplify them, and output them to the array antenna 10. The multiplexer 30 can be used to conduct the wireless communication signals of the array antenna 10 to the beamforming module 40, or conduct the wireless communication signals of the beamforming module 40 to the beamforming module 40. The beamforming module 40 can be used to obtain wireless communication signals from the array antenna 10 through the multiplexer 30, analyze them, or compile wireless communication signals, and conduct them to the array antenna 10 through the multiplexer 30.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 2 together. The multiplexer 30 may include a first end 31, at least two second ends 32, a first connection portion 33, and a second connection portion 34.

[0029] One of the first end 31 or at least two second ends 32 is connected to the array antenna 10 through the LNA 20, and the other of the first end 31 or at least two second ends 32 is connected to the beamforming module 40. In some embodiments, both the first end 31 and at least two second ends 32 are generally linear metal segment structures and are generally arranged parallel to each other. At least two second ends 32 are coplanar, and the first end 31 and at least two second ends 32 are not coplanar.

[0030] The first connection portion 33 is connected to the first end 31 and is coplanar with the first end 31. In some embodiments, the first connection portion 33 is generally a rectangular ring-shaped metal segment structure, and the first end 31 is connected to a position approximately in the middle of a long side of the rectangular ring-shaped first connection portion 33. In some embodiments, the plane or layer where the first end 31 and the first connection portion 33 are located is generally parallel to the plane or layer where at least two second ends are located. In some embodiments, the first connection portion 33 may also be in other symmetric regular shapes, such as circular, elliptical, rectangular, linear, or a combination of any two of the above shapes, etc., and the first connection portion 33 is symmetrically structured with respect to the first end 31; or the first connection portion 33 may also be in an asymmetric or irregular shape. In comparison, when the first connection portion 33 is in a symmetric regular shape, due to having substantially the same signal conduction path, the signal conduction effect is better.

[0031] One end of the second connecting portion 34 is connected to the end of the first connecting portion 33 away from the first end 31, and the other end of the second connecting portion 34 is connected to at least two second ends 32. The second connecting portion 34 connects the plane or layer where the first end 31 is located and the plane or layer where at least two second ends are located. In some embodiments, the second connecting portion 34 may be, but is not limited to, two metal columns. One ends of the two metal columns are respectively connected to at least two second ends 32, and the other ends of the two metal columns are respectively connected to a position approximately in the middle of a long side of the rectangular ring-shaped first connecting portion 33 away from the first end 31.

[0032] In some embodiments, each of the at least two second ends 32 includes a connection point 322. The connection point 322 is connected to the second connecting portion 34, and the second end 32 is formed by the connection point 322 extending in the direction from the second connecting portion 34 towards the first end 31. In some embodiments, the projection of the at least two second ends 32 in the first direction is within the projection range of the first connecting portion 33 in the first direction. Wherein, the first direction is the direction in which the at least two second ends 32 vertically face the first connecting portion 33.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the direction of the second end 32 from the connection point 322 towards the first end 31 and the direction perpendicular to one side of the second connecting portion 34 have an included angle θ. In some embodiments, the range of the included angle θ can be, but is not limited to, 0 degree to 90 degrees.

[0034] In some embodiments, the signal conduction directions of the at least two second ends 32 are substantially opposite to the signal conduction direction of the first end 31. In some embodiments, the vector difference between the signal conduction direction of the first end 31 and the signal conduction directions of the at least two second ends 32 can be 90 degrees to 180 degrees. Exemplarily, the signal conduction direction of the first end 31 faces the first connecting portion 33, and the signal conduction direction of the first end 31 can be defined as the first vector; the first connecting portion 33 obtains a signal from the first end 31 and conducts it to the two second connecting portions 34; the at least two second ends 32 are respectively connected to the two second connecting portions 34 through the connection segments 322 and serve as the endpoints of the signal conduction of the at least two second ends 32. The structure along the at least two second ends 32 serves as the path of the signal conduction of the at least two second ends 32. The signal conduction direction of the at least two second ends 32 can be defined as the second vector, and the vector difference between the first vector and the second vector can be 90 degrees to 180 degrees. It can be understood that when the at least two second ends 32 are signal input ends, the first end 31 is a signal output end, and the signal conduction path can be the same as the above description, but the signal conduction direction is opposite, and details will not be repeated here.

[0035] In some embodiments, the first end 31 and at least two second ends 32 have a first resistance value, and the first connection portion 33 has a second resistance value. Among them, the first resistance value can be less than or equal to the second resistance value. The first resistance value can be, but is not limited to, 50 ohms (Ω), and the second resistance value can be, but is not limited to, 70.7 ohms. In some embodiments, the signal conduction path of one route from the first end 31 is divided into two signal conduction paths of at least two second ends 32. In order to make the energy equal, the first connection portion 33 connecting the first end 31 and at least two second ends 32 conforms to the formula where Z 0 is the first resistance value between the first end 31 and at least two second ends 32, that is, Z 0 = 50 ohms, Z is the second resistance value of the first connection portion 33, and it can be calculated that Z = 70.7 ohms. Since the first end 31 and at least two second ends 32 are respectively set with the same preset resistance value, and the first connection portion 33 is set with a different preset resistance value, the energy conducted by the first end 31, the first connection portion 33, and at least two second ends 32 is approximately equal, reducing the loss of energy conduction. In some embodiments, to cooperate with the setting of the array antenna module 1, the first connection portion 33, the first end 31, and at least two second ends 32 can have different line widths, so that the first connection portion 33, the first end 31, and at least two second ends 32 can have approximately equal signal transmission powers.

[0036] The first end 31 can be used to receive a wireless communication signal from the array antenna 10 through the LNA 20. The first end 31, the first connection portion 33, the second connection portion 34, and at least two second ends 32 conduct the wireless communication signal in sequence, and then the wireless communication signal is conducted by at least two second ends 32 to the beamforming module 40; alternatively, the first end 31 can receive a wireless communication signal from the beamforming module 40. The first end 31, the first connection portion 33, the second connection portion 34, and at least two second ends 32 conduct the wireless communication signal in sequence, and then the wireless communication signal is conducted by at least two second ends 32 through the LNA 20 to the array antenna 10.

[0037] Please refer to Figure 4, in some embodiments, the array antenna module 1 may be a multi-layer structure. The first end 31 is connected to the first connection portion 33, and the first end 31 is coplanar with the first connection portion 33. The first end 31 and the first connection portion 33 may be located on the same layer of the array antenna module 1, such as the third layer. At least two second ends 32 may be located on another layer of the array antenna module 1, such as the first layer. The second connection portion 34 penetrates through the layer where the first end 31 and the first connection portion 33 are located and the layer where at least two second ends 32 are located, that is, the second connection portion 34 penetrates through the first layer to the third layer. In some embodiments, at least two first through holes are formed through the first layer and the third layer of the array antenna module 1, and the at least two first through holes are filled with a metal conductor to form the second connection portion 34. The extending directions of the at least two second ends 32 are substantially the same as that of the first end 31, and the at least two second ends 32 extend to be spaced opposite to the first connection portion 33.

[0038] The multiplexer 30 may further include a resistor 35. The resistor 35 is in contact with at least two second ends 32. In some embodiments, the resistor 35 is in contact with one end of the second connection portion 34 connected to the at least two second ends 32, and the resistor 35 is disposed on the first layer of the array antenna module 1.

[0039] In some embodiments, the array antenna 10 may be disposed on another layer of the array antenna module 1, and is not coplanar with the layer where the first end 31 and the first connection portion 33 are located and the layer where at least two second ends 32 are located. For example, the array antenna 10 may be disposed on the fifth layer of the array antenna module 1. In some embodiments, the fifth layer where the array antenna 10 is located may be the surface layer of the array antenna module 1, and the first layer where at least two second ends 32 are located may be the inner layer of the array antenna module 1. In other embodiments, the first layer where at least two second ends 32 are located may be the surface layer of the array antenna module 1, and the fifth layer where the array antenna 10 is located may be the inner layer of the array antenna module 1. The LNA 20 may be disposed on the first layer of the array antenna module 1.

[0040] In some embodiments, the array antenna module 1 may further include a first ground layer 50 and a second ground layer 60.

[0041] The first ground layer 50 may be located between the layer where the first end 31 is located and the layer where at least two second ends 32 are located, such as the second layer of the array antenna module 1. The second ground layer 60 may be located between the layer where the first end 31 is located and the layer where the array antenna 10 is located, such as the fourth layer of the array antenna module 1. The first ground layer 50 and the second ground layer 60 may be used to provide grounding for the array antenna 10 and the multiplexer 30.

[0042] In some embodiments, the first layer and the fifth layer of the array antenna module 1 are provided with second through holes which are filled with metal conductors to form a third connection portion 70. The third connection portion 70 penetrates through the first layer and the fifth layer of the array antenna module 1 to respectively connect the LNA 20 located on the first layer and the array antenna 10 located on the fifth layer, so as to realize the electrical connection and signal conduction between the LNA 20 and the array antenna 10. It can be understood that the multi-layer structure of the array antenna module 1, for example, the first layer to the fifth layer, can be respectively spaced apart and arranged in parallel.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the array antenna 10 may include a plurality of transmitting antennas 12 and a plurality of receiving antennas 14.

[0044] The plurality of transmitting antennas 12 are arranged in rows, and in each row, every two adjacent transmitting antennas 12 are spaced apart by a first preset distance.

[0045] The plurality of receiving antennas 14 are arranged in rows, and in each row, every two adjacent receiving antennas 14 are spaced apart by a second preset distance, and each receiving antenna 14 is arranged in a staggered manner between two transmitting antennas 12.

[0046] Each row of transmitting antennas 12 and each row of receiving antennas 14 are arranged in a staggered manner to form an array arrangement, that is, an array antenna 10 is formed. In some embodiments, the first preset distance may be greater than, equal to, or less than the second preset distance, and the present application does not limit this.

[0047] The multiplexer 30 is arranged in a staggered manner between the transmitting antenna 12 and the receiving antenna 14. In some embodiments, the array antenna module 1 may include a plurality of multiplexers 30, and each multiplexer 30 may be correspondingly connected to a group of transmitting antennas 12 and receiving antennas 14. Herein, "a plurality of" may refer to "one" or "more than one".

[0048] When at least two second ends 32 of the multiplexer 30 are connected to the receiving antenna 14 of the array antenna 10 through the LNA 20, the first end 31 is connected to the beamforming module, and the multiplexer 30 can be used as a power combiner for receiving the signals of the array antenna 10 through at least two second ends 32 and conducting the wireless communication signals to the beamforming module 40 through the first end 31. Or, when at least two second ends 32 of the multiplexer 30 are connected to the transmitting antenna 12 of the array antenna 10 through the LNA 20, the first end 31 is connected to the beamforming module 40, and the multiplexer 30 can be used as a power divider for receiving the signals of the beamforming module 40 through the first end 31 and conducting the wireless communication signals to the array antenna 10 through at least two second ends 32.

[0049] In some embodiments, the beamforming module 40 may be connected to the first ends 31 of one or more multiplexers 30. For example, the beamforming module 40 may be connected to the first ends 31 of eight multiplexers 30. At least two second ends 32 of each multiplexer 30 may be connected to one of a set of transmitting antennas 12 and receiving antennas 14 of the array antenna 10. Thus, one beamforming module 40 may be correspondingly connected to eight sets of transmitting antennas 12 and receiving antennas 14 through eight multiplexers 30. Among the multiple multiplexers 30 connected to the beamforming module 40, the connection lengths of the first ends 31 of each multiplexer 30 to the beamforming module 40 are substantially equal, such that the signal conduction paths between the beamforming module 40 and the multiple multiplexers 30 are substantially of equal length, may have substantially equal energy transfer losses, ensuring that the signal conduction qualities of the respective signal conduction paths are substantially the same, and also being more conducive to the signal transfer wiring of the multiple multiplexers 30 in the entire array antenna module 1. In some other embodiments, one beamforming module 40 may also be correspondingly connected to two sets, four sets, or sixteen sets of transmitting antennas 12 and receiving antennas 14, and the present application does not limit this.

[0050] The multiplexer 30 provided in the present application is connected to the array antenna 10 through one of the first end 31 or at least two second ends 32, and the other of the first end 31 or at least two second ends 32 is connected to the beamforming module 40, such that the multiplexer 30 can conduct signals between the array antenna 10 and the beamforming module 40, and the signal conduction directions of the at least two second ends 32 are opposite to the signal conduction direction of the first end 31, which can enable the multiplexer 30 not to be arranged flat on the same plane, saving the design space of the multiplexer 30 on the plane and being more conducive to the signal transfer wiring of the array antenna module 1.

[0051] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention can be modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can also make other changes within the spirit of the present invention for use in the design of the present invention, as long as they do not deviate from the technical effects of the present invention. These changes made in accordance with the spirit of the present invention should all be included within the scope claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A multiplexer is applied to an array antenna module. It is characterized in that the array antenna module includes an array antenna and a beamforming module, and the multiplexer includes: a first end; and at least two second ends that extend in a direction towards the first end; one of the first end or the at least two second ends is connected to the array antenna, and the other of the first end or the at least two second ends is connected to the beamforming module. The first end and the at least two second ends are used to conduct signals between the array antenna and the beamforming module.

2. The multiplexer according to claim 1, characterized in that: the first end and the at least two second ends are located on different layers.

3. The multiplexer according to claim 1, characterized in that: the multiplexer further includes a resistor that contacts the at least two second ends.

4. The multiplexer according to claim 1, characterized in that: when the at least two second ends are connected to the receiving antennas of the array antenna, the first end is connected to the beamforming module, and the multiplexer is a power combiner for receiving the signals of the array antenna through the at least two second ends and conducting the signals to the beamforming module through the first end; or when the at least two second ends are connected to the transmitting antennas of the array antenna, the first end is connected to the beamforming module, and the multiplexer is a power splitter for receiving the signals of the beamforming module through the first end and conducting the signals to the array antenna through the at least two second ends.

5. The multiplexer according to claim 2, characterized in that: the multiplexer further includes a first connection portion and a second connection portion. The first connection portion is connected to the first end and is coplanar with the first end. One end of the second connection portion is connected to the end of the first connection portion away from the first end, and the other end of the second connection portion is connected to the at least two second ends. The second connection portion connects the layer where the first end is located and the layer where the at least two second ends are located.

6. An array antenna module, characterized in that: the array antenna module includes an array antenna, a beamforming module, and a multiplexer according to any one of claims 1-5.

7. The array antenna module according to claim 6, characterized in that: the array antenna module further includes a low noise amplifier LNA. One end of the LNA is connected to the array antenna, and the other end is connected to the at least two second ends.

8. The array antenna module according to claim 6, characterized in that: the array antenna further includes: a plurality of the transmitting antennas arranged in rows, and in each row, every two adjacent transmitting antennas are spaced apart by a first preset distance; a plurality of the receiving antennas arranged in rows, and in each row, every two adjacent receiving antennas are spaced apart by a second preset distance, and each receiving antenna is arranged in a staggered manner between two of the transmitting antennas; each row of the transmitting antennas and each row of the receiving antennas are arranged in a staggered manner to form an array arrangement; the multiplexer is arranged in a staggered manner between the transmitting antennas and the receiving antennas.

9. The array antenna module according to claim 6, wherein: the array antenna module further includes a first ground layer, and the first ground layer is located between the layer where the first end is located and the layer where at least two second ends are located.

10. The array antenna module according to claim 9, wherein: the array antenna module further includes a second ground layer, and the second ground layer is located between the layer where the first end is located and the layer where the array antenna is located.

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