Antenna array and liquid crystal display having the antenna array

Abstract

The present invention provides an antenna array and a liquid crystal display having the antenna array. The antenna array includes at least two antenna units, each antenna unit includes an antenna module and a control circuit connected to the antenna module, the antenna module includes a first substrate, an antenna arranged on one side of the first substrate, a second substrate, a grounding layer and a feeding portion arranged on both sides of the second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer; the grounding layer is provided with a coupling groove, the antenna, the first substrate, the liquid crystal layer, the grounding layer and the second substrate are stacked in sequence, the control circuit controls the deflection state of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to change the dielectric constant between the antenna and the grounding layer, thereby changing the working frequency of the antenna unit, and the radiation field pattern of the antenna array is adjusted by controlling the working frequency of each antenna unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an antenna array, and in particular to an antenna array applied to a liquid crystal display. Background Art

[0002] The existing liquid crystal display is provided with a patch antenna unit for signal transmission and reception. The patch antenna unit generally shifts its operating frequency through a phase shifter, however, the addition of the phase shifter increases the size of the patch antenna unit and makes the circuit complex. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the above problems, it is necessary to provide an antenna array with a small size, simple circuit, and the ability to shift the operating frequency, and a liquid crystal display having the antenna array.

[0004] An antenna array, the antenna array includes at least two antenna units, each antenna unit includes an antenna module and a control circuit connected to the antenna module, the antenna module includes a first substrate, an antenna arranged on one side of the first substrate, a second substrate, a grounding layer and a feeding portion arranged on both sides of the second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer; the grounding layer is provided with a coupling slot, the antenna, the first substrate, the liquid crystal layer, the grounding layer and the second substrate are stacked in sequence, the control circuit controls the deflection state of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to change the dielectric constant between the antenna and the grounding layer, thereby changing the operating frequency of the antenna unit, and the radiation field pattern of the antenna array is adjusted by controlling the operating frequency of each antenna unit.

[0005] A liquid crystal display comprises a substrate, a display area arranged on the substrate and the above-mentioned antenna array.

[0006] The antenna array of the present invention changes the dielectric constant between the antenna and the ground layer by controlling the deflection state of the liquid crystal molecules, thereby shifting the operating frequency of the antenna unit without the need for an additional phase shifter. Therefore, the antenna array has a simple circuit and a small size. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid crystal display according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an antenna array according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 3 FIG. 4 is an exploded schematic diagram of an antenna unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 4FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an antenna unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Main component symbols

[0012] LCD 200

[0013] Substrate 201

[0014] Display area 202

[0015] Antenna array 100

[0016] Antenna unit 10a

[0017] Antenna module 10

[0018] First substrate 11

[0019] Antenna 12

[0020] Ground layer 13

[0021] Coupling slot 131

[0022] Second substrate 14

[0023] Feeding section 15

[0024] Liquid crystal layer 16

[0025] Liquid crystal molecules 161

[0026] Control circuit 30

[0027] The first capacitor C1

[0028] The second capacitor C2

[0029] Microstrip line 33

[0030] Switch 31

[0031] Drain D

[0032] Gate G

[0033] Source S

[0034] Resistor R

[0035] The following specific implementation manner will further illustrate the present invention in conjunction with the above-mentioned drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments.

[0037] See also Figure 1 A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna array 100, which is disposed in a liquid crystal display 200 for transmitting and receiving wireless signals.

[0038] The liquid crystal display 200 includes a substrate 201 and a display area 202 disposed on the substrate 201. The antenna array 100 is disposed on the substrate 201 and is located in a non-display area of ​​the liquid crystal display 200, for example, at one end of the display area 202. Of course, the antenna array 100 can also be disposed at the other end or both sides of the display area 202.

[0039] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 The antenna array 100 includes at least two antenna units 10 a. Each antenna unit 10 a includes an antenna module 10 and a control circuit 30 connected to the antenna module 10.

[0040] The antenna module 10 includes a first substrate 11 , an antenna 12 , a ground layer 13 , a second substrate 14 , a feeding portion 15 , and a liquid crystal layer 16 .

[0041] The antenna 12, the first substrate 11, the liquid crystal layer 16, the ground layer 13 and the second substrate 14 are stacked in sequence, and the control circuit 30 controls the deflection state of the liquid crystal molecules 161 in the liquid crystal layer 16 to change the dielectric constant between the ground layer and the antenna, thereby changing the operating frequency of the antenna unit 10a. The control circuit 30 controls each antenna unit 10a to adjust the radiation field pattern of the antenna array 100.

[0042] In this preferred embodiment, the first substrate 11 is substantially rectangular and is used to set the antenna 12. In this preferred embodiment, the first substrate 11 is made of any one of polymer, glass, and ceramic.

[0043] The antenna 12 is a patch antenna, which is roughly a rectangular sheet. It is understood that the antenna 12 can also be any other shape. The antenna 12 is arranged on one side of the first substrate 11 .

[0044] The grounding layer 13 is used to provide grounding for the antenna 12. The grounding layer 13 also defines a coupling slot 131. In this preferred embodiment, the coupling slot 131 is substantially rectangular, and it can be understood that the coupling slot 131 may also be any other shape.

[0045] In this preferred embodiment, the second substrate 14 is substantially rectangular and is used to set the ground layer 13. The ground layer 13 is set on the side of the second substrate 14 facing the antenna 12. In this preferred embodiment, the second substrate 14 is made of any one of polymer, glass and ceramic.

[0046] The feeding portion 15 is used to feed a signal to the antenna unit 10a. The feeding portion 15 can be made of any one of a microstrip line, a coplanar microstrip line, a slotted transmission line, and a slot-coupled microstrip line. In this preferred embodiment, the feeding portion 15 is in the shape of a long strip and is disposed on a side of the second substrate 14 opposite to the ground layer 13. The feeding portion 15 is approximately located on the central axis of the second substrate 14 and corresponds to the coupling slot 131.

[0047] The liquid crystal layer 16 can be arranged in the substrate 201 of the liquid crystal display 200, which can be the existing liquid crystal substrate in the liquid crystal display 200. The antenna array 100 is embedded in the liquid crystal display 200. The deflection state of the liquid crystal molecules 161 in the liquid crystal layer 16 can change the dielectric constant between the antenna 12 and the ground layer 13, thereby causing the operating frequency of the antenna unit 10a to shift.

[0048] In this preferred embodiment, the control circuit 30 includes a first capacitor C1 and a switch 31 connected to the first capacitor C1, a first end of the first capacitor C1 is connected to the antenna 12, a second end is connected to the ground layer 13 and grounded, the switch 31 controls the voltage between the first end and the second end, and the first capacitor C1 is used to drive the liquid crystal molecules 161 to deflect. When the switch 31 is turned on, the liquid crystal molecules 161 deflect, and when the switch 31 is turned off, the liquid crystal molecules 161 stop deflecting.

[0049] In this preferred embodiment, the switch 31 is a field effect transistor, whose drain D is connected to the first end, the gate G is grounded, the source S is connected to the driving voltage Vcc, and the source S is connected to the gate G via a resistor R.

[0050] It can be understood that the control circuit 30 further includes a microstrip line 33 and a second capacitor C2, the microstrip line 33 is arranged between the antenna 12 and the first end, the second capacitor C2 is connected in parallel with the first capacitor C1, and the second capacitor C2 cooperates with the microstrip line 33 to adjust the matching impedance of the antenna 12. In this preferred embodiment, the microstrip line 33 is a quarter-wavelength microstrip line.

[0051] See also Figure 4In this preferred embodiment, the antenna array 100 includes a plurality of antenna units 10a, and the antenna array 100 is an N×M antenna array, wherein N and M are both natural numbers. In this preferred embodiment, N and M are equal to 3 and 4, respectively. The arrangement of the antenna array 100 can be adjusted according to the space in the liquid crystal display 200, and can also be in other shapes, such as a circular arrangement. In this preferred embodiment, the antenna array 100 is arranged in an N×M array, which can facilitate the control of the antenna unit 10a, and the antenna unit 10a occupies a small space as a whole, and is easy to install.

[0052] When the antenna array 100 transmits and receives wireless signals, the radiation pattern of the antenna array 100 can be adjusted by controlling the operating frequency of each antenna unit 10a. The radiation pattern of the antenna array 100 is determined by the sum of the operating frequencies of each antenna unit 10a. Specifically, the state of the switch 31 can be controlled by the control circuit 30 to control the driving voltage Vcc. When the switch 31 is turned on, the liquid crystal molecules 161 are deflected. When the switch 31 is turned off, the liquid crystal molecules 161 stop deflecting. The deflection state of the liquid crystal molecules 161 can change the dielectric constant between the antenna 12 and the ground layer 13, thereby causing the operating frequency of the antenna unit 10a to shift. At the same time, by controlling the switch 31 of the antenna unit 10a that is in the off state (for example, Figure 4 The radiation efficiency of the antenna array 100 can be reduced by increasing the number of switches 31 in the off state, thereby adjusting the beam direction of the antenna array 100. Specifically, the more switches 31 are in the off state, the lower the radiation efficiency of the antenna array 100.

[0053] The antenna array 100 of the present invention can shift the operating frequency of the antenna unit 10a without additionally providing a phase shifter. Therefore, the antenna array 100 has a simple circuit and a small size.

[0054] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention is described in detail with reference to the above preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solution of the present invention can be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention. Those skilled in the art may also make other changes within the spirit of the present invention and apply them to the design of the present invention, as long as they do not deviate from the technical effects of the present invention. These changes made according to the spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. An antenna array, characterized in that: The antenna array includes at least two antenna units, each antenna unit includes an antenna module and a control circuit connected to the antenna module, the antenna module includes a first substrate, an antenna arranged on one side of the first substrate, a second substrate, a ground layer and a feeding part arranged on both sides of the second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer; the ground layer is provided with a coupling slot, and the feeding part is arranged corresponding to the coupling slot, the antenna, the first substrate, the liquid crystal layer, the ground layer and the second substrate are stacked in sequence, the control circuit controls the deflection state of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to change the dielectric constant between the antenna and the ground layer, thereby changing the working frequency of the antenna unit, and the radiation field of the antenna array is adjusted by controlling the working frequency of each antenna unit, wherein the control circuit includes a first capacitor and a switch connected to the first capacitor, the first end of the first capacitor is connected to the antenna, and the second end is connected to the ground layer, the switch controls the voltage between the first end and the second end, and the first capacitor is used to drive the liquid crystal molecules to deflect.

2. The antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The switch is a field effect tube, a drain of which is connected to the first end, a gate is grounded, and a source is connected to a driving voltage and connected to the gate via a resistor.

3. The antenna array according to claim 1, wherein: The control circuit further includes a microstrip line and a second capacitor. The microstrip line is arranged between the antenna and the first end. The second capacitor is connected in parallel with the first capacitor. The second capacitor cooperates with the microstrip line to adjust the matching impedance of the antenna.

4. The antenna array according to claim 3, characterized in that: The microstrip line is a quarter-wavelength microstrip line.

5. The antenna array according to claim 1, wherein: The antenna array includes a plurality of antenna units, and the antenna units are arranged in an N×M array, wherein N and M are both natural numbers.

6. The antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The antenna is a patch antenna, which is roughly a rectangular sheet.

7. The antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first substrate and the second substrate are both made of any one of polymer, glass and ceramic.

8. The antenna array according to claim 1, wherein: The feeding part is made of any one of a microstrip line, a coplanar microstrip line, a slotted transmission line, and a slot-coupled microstrip line.

9. A liquid crystal display, comprising a substrate, a display area disposed on the substrate, and an antenna array, wherein: The antenna array is the antenna array described in any one of claims 1-8.

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