Double-ridge waveguide antenna array applied to satellite communication

Abstract

The invention relates to a double-ridge waveguide antenna array applied to satellite communication, and relates to the technical field of antennas. The antenna comprises a horn radiation layer, a waveguide transmission layer, a low-frequency feed layer and a high-frequency feed layer which are sequentially arranged in the stacking direction. The low-frequency feed layer and the high-frequency feed layer are connected with the horn radiation layer through the waveguide transmission layer and the stepped impedance conversion waveguide; the horn radiation layer comprises dual-band horn common-caliber radiation units, metal blocks and metal strips, the metal blocks and the metal strips are used for constructing ridge waveguide structures, the adjacent dual-band horn common-caliber radiation units are separated by the metal strips, and the ridge waveguide structures constructed by the metal blocks are used for loading and expanding bandwidth; according to the invention, the design complexity of double frequency bands with a large frequency ratio is effectively simplified, and the design compactness of the antenna array is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of antennas, and in particular to a dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for use in satellite communications. Background Technology

[0002] Antennas are essential components of various civilian and military radio systems, including radio communication, navigation, and radar. With the rapid development of mobile communication, the main technological trends in radio systems are miniaturization, broadband, high efficiency, and high data rate. Satellite communication is a crucial part of wireless communication, urgently requiring dual-band antenna arrays capable of operating in both Ku and Ka bands while meeting high gain and low loss requirements. Waveguide antennas, constructed of metal, maintain high radiation efficiency while exhibiting extremely low energy loss. Through a stepped impedance matching structure, they can achieve a wide bandwidth operating mode, exhibiting good anti-interference performance. Dual-band applications can be realized through different feeding structures, making them suitable for the potential application needs of millimeter-wave satellite communication.

[0003] There are many ways to design and implement dual-band waveguide antennas and arrays, but with the increasing application requirements, there are still design challenges. For example, the design of dual-band antennas with large frequency ratios is quite difficult. In previous studies, horn radiating apertures of different sizes corresponding to different frequencies are usually used to form a common aperture antenna array. It is necessary to design the feeding structure of the radiating antenna corresponding to each frequency band separately. This inevitably leads to the complexity of design and manufacturing, and also makes the antenna array lose its advantage of compactness. Therefore, it needs to be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To effectively simplify the design complexity of dual-band antennas with large frequency ratios and improve the compactness of antenna array design, this application provides a dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication.

[0005] This application provides a dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication, comprising a horn radiating layer, a waveguide transmission layer, a low-frequency feed layer, and a high-frequency feed layer arranged sequentially along the stacking direction; the low-frequency feed layer and the high-frequency feed layer are connected to the horn radiating layer through the waveguide transmission layer and a stepped impedance transformation waveguide; the horn radiating layer includes dual-band horn common-aperture radiating elements, metal blocks for constructing the ridge waveguide structure, and metal strips, with adjacent dual-band horn common-aperture radiating elements separated by the metal strips, and the bandwidth is extended by loading the ridge waveguide structure constructed from the metal blocks.

[0006] By adopting the above technical solution, compared with general waveguide antennas, the horn radiating layer uses dual-band horn common-aperture radiating units, achieving high and low frequency radiation through the same physical aperture. This avoids the spatial redundancy of traditional split structures, realizing a common-aperture design that integrates high and low frequency radiation functions. It simplifies the design and improves compactness by using metal blocks and strips to construct the ridge waveguide, supporting dual-band operation (the ridge waveguide can expand bandwidth). This reduces the size difference caused by large frequency ratios. The metal blocks used to form the ridge waveguide structure also reduce the small radiating aperture width of the low-frequency waveguide horn, thereby reducing the array spacing between high-frequency horn radiating units and suppressing sidelobe levels. Through layered design of independent ground feed layers and high-frequency feed layers, physical isolation of the feed network is achieved, avoiding cross-interference while maintaining the compactness of the common-aperture radiating layer.

[0007] Preferably, the four dual-band horn antenna elements with the same aperture form a 2×2 horn antenna subarray. The 2×2 horn antenna subarray consists of several antennas arranged at uniform intervals to form a 16×16 antenna radiation array. The antennas are transmitted to the low-frequency feed layer and the high-frequency feed layer through the 16×16 subarray feed waveguide contained in the waveguide transmission layer.

[0008] By adopting the above technical solution, the 2×2 horn antenna subarray can be modularly expanded into a 16×16 overall antenna radiation array, reducing the complexity of direct large-scale feeding.

[0009] Preferably, the 2×2 horn antenna subarray includes two metal blocks, a cross-shaped metal strip between dual-band horn common-aperture radiating elements, a high-frequency input port, and a low-frequency input port located on the side and rear; the cross-shaped metal strip is composed of four metal strips, and the metal blocks are distributed on two parallel waveguide sides of the 2×2 horn antenna subarray.

[0010] By adopting the above technical solutions, the cross-shaped metal strip optimizes the unit spacing within the subarray, reduces waveguide bending requirements, simplifies phase consistency design, and can effectively suppress sidelobe levels and adjust beam width by adjusting the width and height of the cross-shaped metal strip.

[0011] Preferably, the metal blocks contained in the horn radiating layer are arranged in a 32×32 array.

[0012] By adopting the above technical solution, the performance of the ridge waveguide is enhanced by a high-density metal structure, supporting efficient dual-band transmission and indirectly solving the problem of a large frequency ratio.

[0013] Preferably, the low-frequency feed layer includes a low-frequency parallel feed power divider network and a low-frequency input port, and the low-frequency feed layer has a 16×16 low-frequency output port; when a feed excitation is applied to the low-frequency input port, the dual-ridge waveguide antenna array operates in the low-frequency band.

[0014] Preferably, the high-frequency feed layer includes a high-frequency parallel feed power divider network and a high-frequency input port. The high-frequency feed layer has a 16×16 high-frequency output port. When a feed excitation is applied to the high-frequency input port, the dual-ridge waveguide antenna array operates in the high-frequency band.

[0015] Preferably, the low-frequency parallel-fed power divider network is designed with corresponding stepped impedance matching structures at the waveguide corners and branches of the power divider; the high-frequency parallel-fed power divider network is designed with corresponding stepped impedance matching structures at the waveguide corners and branches of the power divider, and the stepped impedance matching structures are used to achieve impedance matching over a wide frequency band.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, a stepped matching structure is designed at the corner and branch of the power divider to solve the impedance matching problem of medium amplitude power supply in large-scale arrays.

[0017] Preferably, both the low-frequency parallel-fed power divider network and the high-frequency parallel-fed power divider network are composed of multiple simple waveguide power dividers, and the power distribution relationship is equal power amplitude and phase.

[0018] By adopting the above technical solution, a simple waveguide power divider is used to form an equal amplitude and in-phase network, reducing the complexity of the power supply.

[0019] Preferably, the low-frequency feed layer and the high-frequency feed layer are independent of each other.

[0020] By adopting the above technical solution, coupling of dual-band power supply networks is avoided, and the design complexity of the power supply structure is simplified.

[0021] Preferably, the overall planar dimensions of the ridge waveguide antenna array are 550mm × 550mm.

[0022] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: 1. The horn radiating layer adopts a dual-band horn common-diameter radiating unit, which realizes high and low frequency radiation through the same physical aperture, avoiding the spatial redundancy of the traditional split structure. It realizes the integration of high and low frequency radiation functions in the common-diameter design, avoids the traditional split structure, simplifies the design and improves compactness. 2. The ridge waveguide is constructed using metal blocks and strips to support dual-band operation (the ridge waveguide can expand the bandwidth), reducing the size difference problem caused by the large frequency ratio. The metal blocks used to form the ridge waveguide structure also reduce the small radiation aperture width of the low-frequency waveguide horn, thereby reducing the array spacing between the high-frequency horn radiation units and suppressing the sidelobe level. 3. By designing an independent ground-level power supply layer and a high-frequency power supply layer, physical isolation of the power supply network is achieved, avoiding cross-interference, while retaining the compactness of the common-aperture radiation layer. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of a dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication disclosed in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the speaker radiating layer in an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2×2 horn antenna subarray structure in an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the viewpoint indicated by the middle arrow A.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the low-frequency feed layer structure in an embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the high-frequency feed layer structure in an embodiment of this application.

[0029] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. Horn radiating layer; 11. 2×2 horn antenna subarray; 111. Dual-band horn common-aperture radiating element; 112. Metal block; 113. Metal strip; 2. Waveguide transmission layer; 21. Feed transmission waveguide; 3. Low-frequency feed layer; 4. High-frequency feed layer. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-6 This application will be described in further detail.

[0031] This application discloses a dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication. Exemplarily, the overall planar dimensions of the ridge waveguide antenna array are 550mm × 550mm. (Refer to...) Figure 1 The dual-ridge waveguide antenna array includes a horn radiating layer 1, a waveguide transmission layer 2, a low-frequency feed layer 3, and a high-frequency feed layer 4 arranged sequentially along the stacking direction; the low-frequency feed layer 3 and the high-frequency feed layer 4 are connected to the horn radiating layer 1 through the waveguide transmission layer 2 and the stepped impedance transformation waveguide.

[0032] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The horn radiating layer 1 includes dual-band horn common aperture radiating elements 111. Four dual-band horn common aperture radiating elements 111 form a 2×2 horn antenna subarray 11. The 2×2 horn antenna subarray 11 consists of several antennas arranged at uniform intervals to form a 16×16 antenna radiating array. The antennas are transmitted to the low-frequency feed layer 3 and the high-frequency feed layer 4 through the 16×16 subarray feed waveguide 21 contained in the waveguide transmission layer 2.

[0033] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 Each 2×2 horn antenna subarray 11 includes a metal block 112 for constructing the ridge waveguide structure, a cross-shaped metal strip 113, a high-frequency input port, and a low-frequency input port located on the side and rear. The metal block 112 is used to construct the ridge waveguide structure, and is distributed on two parallel waveguide sides of the 2×2 horn antenna subarray 11. The metal block 112 is a cuboid, and its long side is perpendicular to the... Figure 3 Arranged vertically, the shorter side of metal block 112 is at... Figure 4 The metal blocks are arranged horizontally. For example, the longer side of the metal block 112 is 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the waveguide width corresponding to the center frequency in the low-frequency band, and the shorter side is 1 / 4 to 1 / 3 of the waveguide height in the high-frequency band. The length L of the longer side of the metal block 112 satisfies: L = k⋅λ low / 4, where λ low For the low-frequency band wavelength, k is an adjustment coefficient of 0.8 to 1.2. The vertically arranged long sides are used to reduce the low-frequency cutoff frequency, and the horizontally arranged short sides are used to suppress high-frequency high-order modes, thereby expanding the dual-band operating bandwidth.

[0034] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The metal blocks 112 used to construct the ridge waveguide structure are arranged in a 32×32 array, that is, four metal blocks 112 are distributed on each of the two parallel waveguide sides of each 2×2 horn antenna subarray 11, and the entire 16×16 antenna radiation array contains a total of 32×32 metal blocks 112.

[0035] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 Adjacent dual-band horn common-aperture radiating elements 111 are separated by metal strips 113. Correspondingly, the cross-shaped metal strips 113 contained in the 2×2 horn antenna subarray 11 are composed of four metal strips 1131 used to separate the four dual-band horn common-aperture radiating elements 111 contained in the 2×2 horn antenna subarray 11.

[0036] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 The low-frequency feed layer 3 includes a low-frequency parallel feed power divider network and a low-frequency input port. The low-frequency feed layer 3 has a 16×16 low-frequency output port. When a feed excitation is applied to the low-frequency input port, the dual-ridge waveguide antenna array operates in the low-frequency band. The high-frequency feed layer 4 includes a high-frequency parallel feed power divider network and a high-frequency input port. The high-frequency feed layer 4 has a 16×16 high-frequency output port. When a feed excitation is applied to the high-frequency input port, the dual-ridge waveguide antenna array operates in the high-frequency band.

[0037] The low-frequency parallel-fed power divider network incorporates stepped impedance matching structures at the waveguide corners and branches of the power divider; similarly, the high-frequency parallel-fed power divider network also incorporates stepped impedance matching structures at the waveguide corners and branches of the power divider. These stepped impedance matching structures are used to achieve impedance matching over a wide bandwidth. Both the low-frequency and high-frequency parallel-fed power dividers consist of multiple simple waveguide power dividers, with equal power amplitude and phase distribution. The low-frequency feed layer 3 and the high-frequency feed layer 4 are independent of each other.

[0038] Simulation results show that the low-frequency excitation of the ridge waveguide antenna can cover 10.9-13.1 GHz, and the high-frequency excitation can cover 11.2-15.1 GHz, meeting the requirements for dual-frequency operation. The far-field response of the ridge waveguide antenna array in the E-plane and H-plane (phi=0°, phi=90°) at low and high frequencies is as follows: In the low-frequency operating band, the maximum achievable gain is 35.45 dBi, the sidelobe gain is 21.78 dBi, the main lobe beam directivity is good, and the main polarization cross-polarization ratio reaches 50 dB. In the high-frequency operating band, the maximum achievable gain is 35.47 dBi, the first sidelobe gain is 20.95 dBi, the sidelobe gain appearing at theta=40° is 32.5 dBi, and the main polarization cross-polarization ratio can reach 40 dB.

[0039] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication, characterized in that: The structure includes a horn radiating layer (1), a waveguide transmission layer (2), a low-frequency feed layer (3), and a high-frequency feed layer (4) arranged sequentially along the stacking direction. The low-frequency feed layer (3) and the high-frequency feed layer (4) are connected to the horn radiating layer (1) through the waveguide transmission layer (2) and a stepped impedance transformation waveguide. The horn radiating layer (1) includes a dual-band horn common-aperture radiating unit (111), a metal block (112) for constructing a ridge waveguide structure, and a metal strip (1131). Adjacent dual-band horn common-aperture radiating units (111) are separated by the metal strip (1131), and the bandwidth is extended by loading the ridge waveguide structure constructed by the metal block (112).

2. The dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication according to claim 1, characterized in that: The four dual-band horn common aperture radiating elements (111) constitute a 2×2 horn antenna subarray (11). The 2×2 horn antenna subarray (11) consists of several antennas arranged at uniform intervals to form a 16×16 antenna radiating array. The antennas are transmitted to the low-frequency feed layer (3) and the high-frequency feed layer (4) through the 16×16 subarray feed transmission waveguide (21) contained in the waveguide transmission layer (2).

3. The dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication according to claim 2, characterized in that: The 2×2 horn antenna subarray (11) also includes two metal blocks (112), a cross-shaped metal strip (113) between the dual-band horn common aperture radiating elements (111), a high-frequency input port, and a low-frequency input port located on the side and rear; the cross-shaped metal strip (113) is composed of four metal strips (1131), and the metal blocks (112) are distributed on the two parallel waveguide sides of the 2×2 horn antenna subarray (11).

4. The dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication according to claim 3, characterized in that: The metal blocks (112) contained in the horn radiation layer (1) are arranged in a 32×32 array.

5. The dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication according to claim 1, characterized in that: The low-frequency feed layer (3) includes a low-frequency parallel feed power divider network and a low-frequency input port. The low-frequency feed layer (3) has a 16×16 low-frequency output port. When a feed excitation is applied to the low-frequency input port, the dual-ridge waveguide antenna array operates in the low-frequency band.

6. The dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication according to claim 5, characterized in that: The high-frequency feed layer (4) includes a high-frequency parallel feed power divider network and a high-frequency input port. The high-frequency feed layer (4) has a 16×16 high-frequency output port. When a feed excitation is applied to the high-frequency input port, the dual-ridge waveguide antenna array operates in the high-frequency band.

7. The dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication according to claim 6, characterized in that: The low-frequency parallel-fed power divider network is designed with corresponding stepped impedance matching structures at the waveguide corners and branches of the power divider; the high-frequency parallel-fed power divider network is designed with corresponding stepped impedance matching structures at the waveguide corners and branches of the power divider, and the stepped impedance matching structures are used to achieve impedance matching over a wide frequency band.

8. The dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication according to claim 6, characterized in that: Both the low-frequency parallel-fed power divider network and the high-frequency parallel-fed power divider network are composed of multiple simple waveguide power dividers, and the power distribution relationship is equal power amplitude and phase.

9. The dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication according to claim 1, characterized in that: The low-frequency feed layer (3) and the high-frequency feed layer (4) are independent of each other.

10. The dual-ridge waveguide antenna array for satellite communication according to claim 1, characterized in that: The overall planar dimensions of the ridge waveguide antenna array are 550mm × 550mm.

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