Antenna Feed Network and Array Antenna

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and discloses an antenna feeding network and an array antenna, wherein the antenna feeding network includes a phase shifter and a bridge circuit, wherein the bridge circuit is integrated inside the phase shifter and is used to connect the output port of the phase shifter and the radiation unit of the antenna. The antenna feeding network and the array antenna provided by the present invention simplify the connection of radio frequency cables, reduce the number of solder joints and installation parts, and improve the stability of the system through the integrated design of the bridge circuit and the phase shifter.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to an antenna feeding network and an array antenna. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of mobile communication technology, multi-frequency base station antennas can support networks of various standards, and have the advantages of reducing the total number of antennas in the network, reducing the cost of site construction, and alleviating the contradiction of antenna site resources. They are widely used in the industry and have become one of the future development directions of base station antennas. In a limited space, the radiation performance of the antenna array brings challenges to antenna design.

[0003] The convergence of the horizontal plane beam has become a technical difficulty of multi-frequency antennas. In existing solutions, the radiating elements in the two planar sub-arrays of the antenna are cascaded to improve the convergence of the horizontal plane beam. Generally, the cascading of the radiating elements can be achieved through a bridge.

[0004] Currently, most antennas adjust the beam width by adding a bridge. The setting of the bridge increases the number of solder joints, resulting in an increase in antenna cost and feed network complexity, and reduces system stability. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present invention provide an antenna feeding network and an array antenna, which are used to solve or partially solve the problem that the setting of a bridge in the current antenna will increase the antenna cost and the complexity of the feeding network, and reduce the stability of the system.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna feeding network, including a phase shifter and a bridge circuit, wherein the bridge circuit is integrated inside the phase shifter and is used to connect an output port of the phase shifter and a radiation unit of an antenna.

[0007] On the basis of the above scheme, at least one group of feeding units is included, and the feeding unit includes two phase shifters and a four-port bridge circuit, wherein two ports of the bridge circuit are correspondingly connected to the output ports of the two phase shifters, and the other two ports of the bridge circuit are used to be correspondingly connected to a group of two radiating units in the two sub-arrays of the antenna.

[0008] On the basis of the above scheme, the bridge circuit is a four-port microwave circuit, the input port of the bridge circuit is connected to the output port of a phase shifter, the isolation port of the bridge circuit is connected to the output port of another phase shifter, and the through port and the coupling port of the bridge circuit are used to be connected to a group of two radiating units in two sub-arrays of the antenna.

[0009] On the basis of the above solution, in any feeding unit, the bridge circuit is arranged inside one of the phase shifters, and the bridge circuit is connected to the other phase shifter via a jumper.

[0010] On the basis of the above scheme, in any feeding unit, a connecting through hole is provided between the two phase shifters, and the jumper passes through the through hole to connect the phase shifter and the bridge circuit; or an opening is provided on the side wall of each phase shifter, and the jumper passes through the openings on the two phase shifters to connect the phase shifter and the bridge circuit.

[0011] On the basis of the above solution, the phase shifter includes a fixed circuit and a sliding component arranged on a substrate, wherein the sliding component is slidably arranged relative to the fixed circuit.

[0012] On the basis of the above solution, in any feeding unit, two phase shifters are stacked or arranged side by side.

[0013] On the basis of the above solution, in any feeding unit, the bridge circuits are respectively provided at the multiple output ports of the phase shifter, and the multiple bridge circuits are used to be connected to the multiple groups of radiation units in the two sub-arrays of the antenna.

[0014] On the basis of the above solution, the bridge circuit includes a front circuit and a back circuit connected by metallized vias, and a gap is formed in the front circuit.

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention further provides an array antenna, comprising the above-mentioned antenna feeding network, and also comprising a plurality of antenna sub-arrays, wherein any antenna sub-array comprises a plurality of radiating units.

[0016] An antenna feeding network and an array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention simplify the connection of radio frequency cables, reduce the number of solder joints and installation parts, and improve the stability of the system through the integrated design of a bridge circuit and a phase shifter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a feeding network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 A specific connection diagram of a feeding network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of an antenna array solution in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 is a first schematic diagram of a jumper in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 is a second schematic diagram of a jumper in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 is a third schematic diagram of a jumper according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the first specific structural component decomposition of the phase shifter in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the connection between the bridge circuit and the fixed circuit in the phase shifter in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of another array solution of antennas in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Fig.10 is a specific schematic diagram of a bridge circuit in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Fig.11 Schematic diagram of the front and back circuits of the bridge circuit in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration components of the bridge circuit in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram of a second specific structure of a phase shifter in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram of a third specific structure of a phase shifter in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Fig.15 Schematic diagram of a fourth specific structure of a phase shifter in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Description of reference numerals:

[0034] Among them, 1. phase shifter; 11. first phase shifter; 12. second phase shifter; 2. fixed circuit; 21. first fixed circuit; 22. second fixed circuit; 3. sliding component; 31. first sliding component; 32. second sliding component; 4. jumper; 5. cavity; 6. substrate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0037] refer to Figure 1 An embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna feeding network, which includes a phase shifter 1 and a bridge circuit B1. The bridge circuit B1 is integrated inside the phase shifter 1 and is used to connect the output port of the phase shifter 1 and the radiation unit of the antenna.

[0038] The antenna feed network can realize power distribution and reuse between the radiating units by setting up a bridge circuit B1 to connect the radiating units, thereby improving the convergence of the antenna horizontal plane beam. It is also proposed to directly integrate the bridge circuit B1 inside the phase shifter 1, connecting the output port of the phase shifter 1 and the radiating unit, which can not only improve the convergence of the antenna horizontal plane beam, but also avoid the independent setting of the bridge and the phase shifter 1, thereby reducing the installation space of the feed network and the number of solder joints, which is conducive to reducing the complexity of the feed network and the antenna cost, and improving the stability of the system.

[0039] The antenna feeding network provided in this embodiment has an integrated design of a bridge circuit and a phase shifter. Compared with the prior art, it simplifies the connection of RF cables, reduces the number of solder joints and installation parts, and improves the stability of the system.

[0040] On the basis of the above embodiments, further, referring to Figure 1 The phase shifter 1 includes a fixed circuit 2 and a sliding component 3 arranged on a substrate, wherein the sliding component 3 is arranged to slide relative to the fixed circuit 2. The input port of the phase shifter 1 is Pin, and the output port is PO.

[0041] On the basis of the above embodiments, further, the antenna feeding network provided in this embodiment includes at least one group of feeding units, and the feeding units include two phase shifters 1 and a four-port bridge circuit B1, wherein two ports of the bridge circuit B1 are correspondingly connected to the output ports of the two phase shifters 1, and the other two ports of the bridge circuit B1 are used to be correspondingly connected to a group of two radiating units in the two sub-arrays of the antenna. A group of two radiating units means that a group of radiating units includes two radiating units, and the two radiating units come from the two sub-arrays of the antenna. That is, the other two ports of the bridge circuit are connected one-to-one with the two radiating units in the two sub-arrays.

[0042] Furthermore, the polarization modes of the two sub-arrays of the antenna corresponding to any feeding unit are the same.

[0043] On the basis of the above embodiments, further, referring to Figure 2 The bridge circuit B1 is a four-port microwave circuit. The input port P of the bridge circuit B1 is connected to the output port of one phase shifter 1, the isolation port I of the bridge circuit B1 is connected to the output port of another phase shifter 1, and the through port A and the coupling port C of the bridge circuit B1 are used to be connected to a group of two radiating elements in the two sub-arrays of the antenna.

[0044] Specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the bridge circuit B1 is a four-port microwave circuit, and the bridge circuit includes an input port P, a through port A, a coupled port C and an isolated port I. The bridge is a reciprocal network, any port can be used as an input port, and the definition of other ports changes accordingly according to the energy obtained. When a signal is input to the P port, the energy obtained at the through port A is higher than that at the coupled port C. The two phase shifters in the feed unit are the first phase shifter 11 and the second phase shifter 12. The first phase shifter 11 includes a first fixed circuit 21 and a first sliding component 31. The input port of the first phase shifter 11 is Pin1, and the output port is PO1. The second phase shifter 12 includes a second fixed circuit 22 and a second sliding component 32; the input port of the second phase shifter 12 is Pin2, and the output port is PO2.

[0045] refer to Figure 3 , the radiation elements e1 and e2 at the end are cascaded through a bridge circuit, that is, the through port and the coupling port of the bridge circuit are connected to the radiation elements e1 and e2 one by one. Then, the two subarrays Arr1 and Arr2 of the antenna both reuse the radiation elements e1 and e2.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, the bridge circuit B1 includes an input port P, a through port A, a coupling port C and an isolation port I. The input port P is electrically connected to the first phase shifter 11 .

[0047] The specific working process of the bridge circuit is as follows: the signal is input from the input port Pin1 of the first phase shifter 11, and after passing through the first phase shifter, enters the input port P of the bridge B1, and the signal is output from the coupling port C and the through port A. The through port A is electrically connected to the radiation unit e1, and the coupling port C is electrically connected to the radiation unit e2 (not shown in the figure). The isolation port I is electrically connected to the second phase shifter 12. Obviously, for the array Arr1, the power of e1 is greater than the power of e2. For the array Arr1, e1 is a coaxial radiation unit, and e2 is a radiation unit cascaded with e1. The energy obtained by e1 is greater than that of e2. After the input signal passes through the first phase shifter 11 and the bridge B1, the power distribution and phase adjustment of the radiation unit of the radiation array Arr1 are realized, and the electrical downtilt of the radiation beam is realized.

[0048] The signal is input into the bridge from the P port, and it can be approximately considered that the isolation port I does not obtain energy. Therefore, the energy of the first phase shifter 11 does not enter the second phase shifter 12 , so the array Arr2 is not controlled by the first phase shifter 11 .

[0049] Similarly, the signal is input from the input port Pin2 of the second phase shifter 12, and after being shifted by the second phase shifter, it enters the port I of the bridge B1. The bridge B1 is a four-port reciprocal network. At this time, port P becomes an isolated port relative to port I, so the first phase shifter 11 has no energy input. At this time, A becomes a coupling port, electrically connected to the radiation unit e1, and the energy obtained is small. C becomes a through port, electrically connected to the radiation unit e2, and the energy obtained is large. For the array Arr2, e2 is a coaxial radiation unit, and e1 is a radiation unit cascaded with e2. The energy obtained by e2 is greater than that of e1. After the signal passes through the second phase shifter 12 and the bridge B1, the power distribution and phase adjustment of the radiation unit of the radiation array Arr2 are realized, and the electrical downtilt of the radiation beam is realized.

[0050] The antenna in this embodiment is not limited to only including subarrays Arr1 and Arr2, and arrays of other frequency bands can be embedded in arrays Arr1 and / or Arr2, without limitation. Multiple groups of feeding units can also be provided, without specific limitation.

[0051] In this embodiment, the first phase shifter 11 controls the amplitude and phase of the first array Arr1, and the second phase shifter 10 controls the amplitude and phase of the second array Arr2. The first array Arr1 and the second array Arr2 have two multiplexed radiation units, the first multiplexed unit e1 is arranged in the first array, and the second multiplexed unit e2 is arranged in the second array. The through port relative to the input port in the bridge circuit is electrically connected to the first multiplexed radiation unit, and the coupling port is electrically connected to the second multiplexed radiation unit.

[0052] refer to Figure 3The figure shows the division of the two subarrays Arr1 and Arr2 in the antenna. The radiating elements in the dotted lines constitute a planar subarray respectively. The two radiating elements at the end are cascaded with unequal powers, and the planar array is used to improve the convergence of the horizontal beam. The two radiating elements at the end are both subunits of the left array and subunits of the right array. The power distribution and multiplexing of the two radiating elements at the end are achieved through the bridge.

[0053] On the basis of the above embodiment, further, in any feeding unit, the bridge circuit is arranged inside one of the phase shifters, and the bridge circuit is connected to the other phase shifter through a jumper.

[0054] For example, refer to Figure 2 The bridge circuit is arranged in the first phase shifter 11, the input end of the bridge circuit B1 is electrically connected to the first phase shifter 11, and the isolation port I of the bridge circuit is electrically connected to the second phase shifter 10 through a jumper. The jumper is used to realize the electrical connection between the bridge circuit and the phase shifter, and can be any structure formed by a conductive material, such as a wire, a guide column, etc., and is not specifically limited.

[0055] On the basis of the above embodiments, further, in any feeding unit, a communicating through hole is provided between the two phase shifters, and the jumper passes through the through hole to connect the phase shifter and the bridge circuit; or an opening is provided on the side wall of each phase shifter, and the jumper passes through the openings on the two phase shifters to connect the phase shifter and the bridge circuit.

[0056] Specifically, refer to Figure 4 The first phase shifter and the second phase shifter are arranged in two separate cavities. The bridge circuit is arranged inside the first phase shifter 11, and the isolation port I of the bridge circuit and the output port PO2 of the second phase shifter 12 are electrically connected through the built-in jumper 4. A through hole is provided on the inner wall in the middle of the cavity to allow the jumper 4 to pass through. Figure 5 In the embodiment, the isolation port I of the bridge circuit and the output port PO2 of the second phase shifter are electrically connected through an external jumper 4. An exemplary jumper 4 can be set as a coaxial radio frequency cable.

[0057] Furthermore, the jumper 4 may also realize the connection between the bridge circuit and the two phase shifters through other structures, which are not specifically limited, with the purpose of realizing the connection.

[0058] On the basis of the above embodiment, further, in any feeding unit, two phase shifters are stacked or arranged side by side.

[0059] Specifically, refer to Figure 6In this embodiment, the first phase shifter 11 and the second phase shifter 12 are arranged side by side in two separated cavities, the isolation port I of the bridge circuit and the output port PO2 of the second phase shifter 12 are electrically connected through the built-in jumper 4, and a through hole is opened on the inner wall in the middle of the cavity to allow the jumper 4 to pass through.

[0060] refer to Figure 7 In this embodiment, the first phase shifter 11 and the second phase shifter 12 are stacked in two separated sub-cavities. The two sub-cavities can be separated by a cavity 5. A substrate 6 is provided in each of the two sub-cavities. The first fixed circuit 21 of the first phase shifter 11 can be etched on the substrate 6 and arranged in one sub-cavity together with the first sliding component 31. The second fixed circuit 22 of the second phase shifter 12 can be etched on the substrate 6 and arranged in another sub-cavity together with the second sliding component.

[0061] The bridge circuit can also be etched into the substrate. Figure 8 The bridge circuit is directly connected to the fixed line of one phase shifter and is connected to the fixed line of another phase shifter through a jumper 4.

[0062] On the basis of the above embodiments, further, in any feeding unit, bridge circuits are respectively provided at multiple output ports of the phase shifter, and the multiple bridge circuits are used to be connected to the multiple groups of radiation units in the two sub-arrays of the antenna.

[0063] Figure 2 As shown, a bridge circuit is set at the output port of the phase shifter with the maximum phase shift amount. It can be imagined that in order to achieve antenna beam convergence, different parallel radiating elements can be selected for cascading, so it is not limited to setting the bridge circuit at the output port of the phase shifter with the maximum phase shift amount. A bridge circuit is also set at some other output port of the phase shifter, such as Fig. 9 As shown, the multiplexed oscillator is set as the first radiating unit e1 of the first array Arr1 and the second radiating unit e2 of the second array Arr2, and the position of the bridge circuit is changed accordingly at the position of the phase shifter output port. Alternatively, multiple bridge circuits can be set corresponding to multiple output ports of the phase shifter. Multiple bridge circuits are correspondingly connected to multiple groups of parallel radiating units.

[0064] On the basis of the above embodiments, further, referring to Fig.10 and Fig.11 The bridge circuit includes a front circuit T1 and a back circuit T2 connected through a metallized via V1, and a gap G is formed in the front circuit T1.

[0065] like Fig.12As shown, the bridge circuit B1 is etched on a substrate 6, the thickness of the substrate is 10 mil (English unit mil), and is disposed in a cavity 5 accommodating a phase shifter. The phase shifter and the bridge circuit can be disposed on the same substrate or on different substrates, and the specific details are not limited. Fig.10 and Fig.11 , T1 is the front circuit of the bridge, T2 is the back circuit of the electric adjustment, and T1 and T2 are electrically connected through the metallized via V1. The bridge is etched on the substrate and installed in the cavity to form a stripline circuit. Among them, P is the input port of the bridge, A is the through port, C is the coupling port, and I is the isolation port. The T1 stripline realizes narrow-side coupling through the gap G, and T1 and T2 realize wide-side coupling through the upper and lower layers. The bridge circuit achieves different coupling degrees by combining narrow-side coupling and wide-side coupling.

[0066] In practical applications, the spacing of the coupling gap G and the area of ​​the broadside coupling, i.e., the back circuit, can be optimized so that the through port and the coupled port can obtain the required power, and the radiating units electrically connected thereto can obtain different power distributions, thereby improving the convergence of the horizontal beam width.

[0067] Furthermore, the bridge is not limited to the bridge circuit in this embodiment, and other bridge circuits with electrical performance that meets the requirements can be integrated and arranged at the output port of the phase shifter.

[0068] Furthermore, the sliding component of the phase shifter includes a sliding medium or a sliding sheet. Figure 2 and Figure 7 In this embodiment, the sliding component of the phase shifter is a slidable medium. The phase shifter fixed circuit, the sliding component and the bridge circuit are arranged in the cavity, and the cavity is arranged in a stacked manner or side by side.

[0069] In addition, the phase shifter provided in this embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned dielectric phase shifter, and can also be a phase shifter based on other principles. For example, the phase shifter can also be a conductor sliding phase shifter, and the sliding component is a U-shaped sliding component with a straight sliding track or a swing arm with a circular sliding track around a fixed point.

[0070] Specifically, Fig.13 As shown, the phase shifter is a conductor sliding phase shifter, and the sliding component 3 is a U-shaped sliding conductor. The bridge circuit is arranged at the end of the phase shifter, and the principle of the bridge cascade two phase shifters is the same as the above-mentioned dielectric phase shifter. The U-shaped conductor and the fixed line realize signal transmission through capacitive coupling, and the fixed line is a microstrip or stripline circuit. The U-shaped conductor is generally anodized, and there is a DC open circuit between it and the fixed line, and signal transmission is realized by capacitive coupling.

[0071] Or, if Fig.14As shown, the phase shifter is a physical phase shifter, the sliding component is a swing arm, the fixed circuit layer is attached to the substrate, and the sliding component is a PCB slide containing a circuit. The phase shifter is an arc conductor phase shifter, and the sliding component 3 is the swing arm of the arc phase shifter. The sliding component 3 rotates around the center of the circle, and the phase of the output port is changed by changing the physical length of the coupled arc. The bridge is electrically connected to the output end of the second conductor arc of the phase shifter. Generally, the fixed circuit of the arc phase shifter is set on the PCB board. The circuit on the swing arm is generally coated with green oil or a thin film is attached to achieve coupled transmission with the fixed circuit.

[0072] Further, if Fig.15 As shown, in this embodiment, the circuit layers of the two arc phase shifters can be designed with a common ground, that is, they have a common ground gnd. The bridge is electrically connected to the first phase shifter, and the I port of the bridge is electrically connected to the output port PO2 of the second phase shifter through a metallized via V2.

[0073] The phase shifter provided in this embodiment can be easily expanded into a phase shifter product with more ports, and can be adapted to array antennas with different gain levels.

[0074] On the basis of the above embodiments, further, this embodiment provides an array antenna, which includes the antenna feeding network described in any of the above embodiments, and also includes multiple antenna sub-arrays, and any antenna sub-array includes multiple radiating units.

[0075] On the basis of the above embodiment, further, this embodiment provides a phase shifter, comprising a fixed circuit, a sliding component and a bridge circuit. The sliding component can slide relative to the fixed circuit to change the phase of the output port of the phase shifter. At least one output port of the phase shifter is provided with a bridge circuit.

[0076] This embodiment also provides a feeding network, including at least one group of feeding units, the feeding units including a first phase shifter, a second phase shifter and a bridge circuit, wherein the input port of the bridge circuit is electrically connected to the first phase shifter, the isolation port is electrically connected to the second phase shifter, and the through port and the coupling port are electrically connected to the multiplexing oscillator in the array.

[0077] This embodiment also provides an array antenna, including a phase shifter and a feeding network. The array antenna includes at least a first subarray and a second subarray, and the first subarray and the second subarray reuse two radiating units. The input port of the bridge circuit is electrically connected to the first phase shifter, the isolation port is electrically connected to the second phase shifter, and the through port and the coupling port are electrically connected to the reused radiating unit.

[0078] This embodiment integrates the bridge circuit into the phase shifter, so that the antenna cost is reduced, the cable connection method is simplified, the stability of the system and the magnitude of PIM are improved, and the radiation pattern can be optimized.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the sliding component is a sliding medium, the phase shifter comprises a cavity, and the cavity is composed of two stacked sub-cavities. A phase shifter is arranged in each sub-cavity, and the bridge circuit is arranged in one of the cavities.

[0080] Specifically, refer to Figure 7 , the first fixed circuit 21 of the first phase shifter and the second fixed circuit 22 of the second phase shifter 12 are etched on two substrates 6 respectively. In this embodiment, the thickness of the substrate is set to 10 mil (English unit mil). The sliding component is a sliding medium, and the phase of the output port is changed by sliding the medium. The two sliding components of the first phase shifter 11 are symmetrically arranged about the main power divider. In practical applications, more sliding components can be set, and there is no specific limitation.

[0081] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the first phase shifter 11 is electrically connected to the array Arr1, and the second phase shifter 12 is electrically connected to the array Arr2. The array Arr1 and the array Arr2 reuse the radiation units e1 and e2. The array Arr1 and the array Arr2 are either +45 polarization arrays or -45 polarization arrays. The radiation units e1 and e2 electrically connected to the phase shifter have the same polarization mode. Figure 3 Shown is a ±45 dual polarized radiating element.

[0082] In the existing design, the bridge needs an independent mounting part to be fixed on the antenna reflector, and the bridge and the phase shifter are electrically connected through a radio frequency cable. Compared with the existing technology, the phase shifter provided in this embodiment integrates the bridge circuit and the phase shifter circuit into an integrated design, and does not need to assemble the independent bridge and phase shifter in the antenna feed network, thus reducing the number of solder joints and mounting parts, simplifying the connection method of the feed network, reducing the antenna cost, improving the system stability and the magnitude of PIM (Passive Intermodulation), and optimizing the array's directional pattern.

[0083] This embodiment cascades the output ends of the two phase shifters together through a bridge for output. Compared with the prior art, this can further improve the integration of the antenna, simplify the cable connection of the feed network, reduce the number of installed parts, and improve the stability of the system.

[0084] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An antenna feed network, comprising a phase shifter, characterized in that: It also includes a bridge circuit, which is integrated inside the phase shifter and is used to connect the output port of the phase shifter and the radiation unit of the antenna; The antenna comprises at least one group of feeding units, wherein the feeding unit comprises two phase shifters and a four-port bridge circuit, wherein two ports of the bridge circuit are correspondingly connected to output ports of the two phase shifters, and the other two ports of the bridge circuit are used to be correspondingly connected to a group of two radiating elements in two subarrays of the antenna; In any feed unit, the bridge circuit is arranged inside one of the phase shifters, and the bridge circuit is connected to the other phase shifter via a jumper; The phase shifter comprises a fixed circuit and a sliding component arranged on a substrate, wherein the sliding component is arranged to slide relative to the fixed circuit; The phase shifter is an arc conductor phase shifter, the sliding component is a swing arm of the arc phase shifter, the sliding component rotates around the center of the circle, and the phase of the output port is changed by changing the physical length of the coupled arc. The bridge is electrically connected to the output end of the second conductor arc of the phase shifter. The fixed circuit of the arc phase shifter is set on a PCB board, and the circuit on the swing arm is green oil coated or thin film attached to achieve coupled transmission with the fixed circuit.

2. The antenna feed network according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bridge circuit is a four-port microwave circuit, the input port of the bridge circuit is connected to the output port of a phase shifter, the isolation port of the bridge circuit is connected to the output port of another phase shifter, and the through port and the coupling port of the bridge circuit are used to be connected to a group of two radiating units in two sub-arrays of the antenna.

3. The antenna feed network according to claim 1, characterized in that: In any feeding unit, a communicating through hole is provided between the two phase shifters, and the jumper passes through the through hole to connect the phase shifter and the bridge circuit; or an opening is provided on the side wall of each phase shifter, and the jumper passes through the openings on the two phase shifters to connect the phase shifter and the bridge circuit.

4. The antenna feeding network according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: In any feeding unit, two phase shifters are stacked or arranged side by side.

5. The antenna feeding network according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: In any feeding unit, the bridge circuits are respectively disposed at the multiple output ports of the phase shifter, and the multiple bridge circuits are used to be correspondingly connected to the multiple groups of radiation units in the two sub-arrays of the antenna.

6. The antenna feeding network according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The bridge circuit includes a front circuit and a back circuit connected by a metallized via, and a gap is formed in the front circuit.

7. An array antenna, characterized in that: The antenna feeding network comprises any one of claims 1 to 6, and further comprises a plurality of antenna sub-arrays, wherein each antenna sub-array comprises a plurality of radiating elements.

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