Antenna device and antenna system

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna device and an antenna system. The antenna device includes: a first circuit board, at least one group of radiating elements, and at least one filtering element. Each group of radiating elements includes at least one radiating element. The radiating elements and the filtering element are both disposed on the first circuit board. Each group of radiating elements corresponds to a filtering element. Each radiating element is connected to a first end of a corresponding filtering element, and the second end of each filtering element is connected to a calibration network. By arranging the filtering element and the radiating element on the same circuit board, the embodiment of the present invention makes the antenna device and the antenna system more compact, facilitating the miniaturization of communication base stations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an antenna device and an antenna system. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of mobile communication technology from 4G (the 4th Generation Mobile Communication Technology) to 5G (the 5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology), large-scale array antennas have become widely used. In traditional large-scale array antennas, the antenna integrated calibration network is connected to the filter output port via an RF connector, and the filter input port is connected to the transceiver circuit module of the base station equipment via an RF connector. This architecture has a large number of components and complex assembly, which is not conducive to antenna miniaturization and lightweighting. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna device and an antenna system. By setting the filtering unit and the radiation unit on the same circuit board, the structure of the antenna device and the antenna system is made more compact, which is conducive to the miniaturization of the communication base station.

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna device comprising: a first circuit board, at least one group of radiating units and at least one filtering unit, each group of the radiating units comprising at least one radiating unit, the radiating units and the filtering units being both arranged on the first circuit board, each group of the radiating units corresponding to one filtering unit, each of the radiating units being connected to the first end of the corresponding filtering unit, and the second end of each filtering unit being used to connect to a calibration network.

[0005] Preferably, the filtering unit is a dielectric filter.

[0006] Preferably, the filtering unit includes: a dielectric filter and a low-pass filter, the first end of the dielectric filter serves as the first end of the filtering unit, the first end of the low-pass filter is connected to the second end of the dielectric filter, and the second end of the low-pass filter is connected as the second end of the filtering unit.

[0007] Preferably, the antenna device further comprises a reflecting plate arranged on the first circuit board, the radiating unit is arranged on a surface of the reflecting plate facing away from the first circuit board, and the filtering unit is arranged on a side of the reflecting plate facing away from the radiating unit.

[0008] Preferably, the radiation unit is connected to the first end of the corresponding filtering unit through a metal probe.

[0009] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna system, comprising the above-mentioned antenna device, wherein the calibration network comprises: a power splitter and at least one coupler, each group of the radiating elements corresponding to one coupler, and each coupler comprising a main signal channel and a coupled signal channel coupled to the main signal channel;

[0010] The second end of each filtering unit is connected to the main signal channel of the corresponding coupler; the coupled signal channel is connected to the input end of the power divider, and the common end of the power divider is connected to the calibration port.

[0011] Preferably, the antenna system further comprises: at least one circulator, at least one power amplifier and at least one signal transceiver unit, wherein the circulator, the power amplifier and the signal transceiver unit all correspond to the filter unit in a one-to-one manner;

[0012] The signal transceiver unit is connected to the first end of the corresponding power amplifier, the second end of the power amplifier is connected to the first end of the corresponding circulator, and the second end of the circulator is connected to the second end of the corresponding filtering unit.

[0013] Preferably, the power amplifier and the circulator both correspond to the coupler one-to-one;

[0014] The second end of the power amplifier is connected to the first end of the corresponding circulator through the main signal channel of the corresponding coupler, and the second end of the filter unit is connected to the main signal channel of the corresponding coupler through the circulator;

[0015] Alternatively, the second end of the circulator is connected to the second end of the filtering unit through a main signal channel of a corresponding coupler.

[0016] Preferably, the antenna system further comprises: a second circuit board, on which the circulator, the power amplifier, the signal transceiver unit and the calibration network are all arranged.

[0017] Preferably, the calibration network is provided on the first circuit board.

[0018] The antenna device and antenna system provided by the embodiments of the present invention integrate the radiation unit and the filtering unit on the same first circuit board. Therefore, during the signal transmission and reception process, no external filter is required. In this way, it is only necessary to connect the filtering unit and the radiation unit through the conductive structure on the first circuit board, without setting up too many radio frequency connectors, thereby achieving miniaturization and lightweight of the antenna device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the following detailed description, they are used to explain the present invention but do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of an existing antenna device;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of an antenna device provided in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of the structures of antenna devices provided in other embodiments of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the radiation unit and the filtering unit provided in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the radiation unit and the filtering unit provided in some other embodiments of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the layout of some components in an antenna system provided in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the layout of some components in an antenna system provided in some other embodiments of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 An architectural diagram of an antenna system provided in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of antenna systems provided in some other embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following describes the specific embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0030] In 5G communication systems, antennas and radio remote units (RRUs) are combined into an active antenna unit (AAU), which places higher demands on the miniaturization and lightweighting of antennas. Figure 1 is a structural diagram of an existing antenna device, such as Figure 1As shown, calibration network 03 is connected to the output port of filter 02 via an RF connector, while the input port of filter 02 is connected to the transceiver circuit module of the base station equipment via RF connector 01. During signal transmission, the signal from the transceiver circuit module is transmitted to the filter via RF connector 01. The filtered signal enters calibration network 03, where it adjusts the amplitude and phase of the signal. The signal is then radiated through antenna elements 04a and 04b. This architecture, assembled from antenna elements 04a and 04b, calibration network 03, filter 02, and RF connector 01, is complex and requires numerous components. Filter 02's input and output both require RF connectors. For a large-scale 32-channel array antenna, at least 2 x 32 RF connectors are required. This large number of RF connectors hinders antenna miniaturization and lightweighting.

[0031] As one aspect of the present invention, an antenna device is provided. Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the antenna device provided in some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the antenna device includes: a first circuit board 10, at least one group of radiating elements 11, and at least one filtering element 12. Each group of radiating elements 11 includes at least one radiating element 11. The radiating elements 11 and filtering elements 12 are both disposed on the first circuit board 10, with each group of radiating elements 11 corresponding to one filtering element 12. Each radiating element 11 is connected to a first end of a corresponding filtering element 12, and the second end of each filtering element 12 is used to connect to a calibration network.

[0032] Each radiating unit 11 can independently radiate and receive low-frequency or high-frequency signals. When each group of radiating units 11 includes multiple radiating units 11, the multiple radiating units 11 can be connected in parallel and then connected to the corresponding filter unit 12. The filter unit 12 can perform bidirectional filtering. When the radiating unit 11 is receiving a signal, the filter unit 12 filters the signal received at its first end and outputs the filtered signal from its second end. Conversely, when the radiating unit 11 is transmitting a signal, the filter unit 12 filters the signal received at its second end and outputs the filtered signal from its first end. The filter unit 12 can include one or multiple filters connected in series.

[0033] The calibration network is used to monitor and calibrate the signal from radiating element 11. The signal received by radiating element 11 is often a wide-band signal. After filtering by filtering element 12, a signal of the desired frequency band can be obtained at the second end of filtering element 12. Connecting the calibration network to the second end of filtering element 12 facilitates optimizing the calibration network parameters based on the frequency band of the signal output by filtering element 12, thereby improving the monitoring and calibration effectiveness of the calibration network.

[0034] It should be noted that the radiation unit 11 can be directly provided on the first circuit board 10, or can be provided on an intermediate component and provided on the first circuit board 10 via the intermediate component. In addition, the "connected" in the embodiment of the present invention can mean that two components are directly connected or indirectly connected via an intermediate component.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present invention, the radiation unit 11 and the filtering unit 12 are integrated on the same first circuit board 10. Therefore, during the signal transmission and reception process, no external filter is required. Therefore, it is only necessary to connect the filtering unit 12 to the radiation unit 11 through the conductive structure on the first circuit board 10 (such as metallized vias, metal probes, etc.) without setting too many RF connectors, thereby simplifying the overall structure of the antenna device and facilitating the miniaturization of the communication base station.

[0036] The first circuit board 10 is a printed circuit board (PCB).

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device provided in some other embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, the antenna device may further include a reflector 13 arranged on the first circuit board 10 , the radiation unit 11 is arranged on a surface of the reflector 13 away from the first circuit board 10 , and the filtering unit 12 is arranged on a side of the reflector 13 away from the radiation unit 11 .

[0038] The reflector 13 may be a sheet metal structure made of metal, serving as a reflector and support for electromagnetic wave signals. The edges of the reflector 13 may be folded to improve signal transmission and reception efficiency. The reflector 13 may be circular, rectangular, or other shapes. Specifically, in this embodiment of the present invention, the reflector 13 is a long strip. The radiating elements 11 may be secured to the reflector 13 by welding or other means. If there are multiple radiating elements 11, they may be arranged in an array on the surface of the reflector 13.

[0039] The first circuit board 10 serves as a carrier, and its shape can match the shape of the reflector 13. A predetermined circuit is formed on the first circuit board 10. Specifically, a stripline or microstrip line is formed on the first circuit board 10 to electrically connect the electrical components mounted on the first circuit board 10.

[0040] The surface of the first circuit board 10 can play a similar function as the reflector 13. Therefore, in other embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 2 As shown, the reflection plate 13 is no longer provided, but the radiation unit 11 and the filter unit 12 are respectively provided on two opposite surfaces of the first circuit board 10 .

[0041] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the radiation unit and the filter unit provided in some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 4 As shown, the filtering unit 12 may be a dielectric filter 121 to filter the signals received and transmitted by the radiation unit 11. The dielectric filter has the advantages of being small in size and light in weight, so that it can be easily fixed on a printed circuit board.

[0042] Of course, the dielectric filter 121 may also be a surface acoustic wave filter (SAW), a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR), or the like.

[0043] The radiating element 11 can be connected to the first end of the corresponding filter unit 12 via a metal probe (PIN). Specifically, the radiating element 11 can be connected to the first end of the filter unit 12 via a feeder circuit, wherein the feeder circuit is connected to the filter unit 12 via the metal probe. That is, one end of the metal probe is inserted into a metalized via on the filter unit 12, and the other end is connected to the feeder circuit. When the filter unit 12 is a dielectric filter, the use of a metal probe connection facilitates signal coupling between the radiating element 11 and the filter and improves the stability of the connection. Of course, the feeder circuit can also be connected to the filter unit 12 via soldering pads.

[0044] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the radiation unit and the filter unit provided in some other embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 5 As shown, in other embodiments, the filter unit 12 may include a dielectric filter 121 and a low-pass filter 122. The first end of the dielectric filter 121 serves as the first end of the filter unit 12, the second end of the dielectric filter 121 is connected to the first end of the low-pass filter 122, and the second end of the low-pass filter 122 serves as the second end of the filter unit 12. That is, the second end of the low-pass filter 122 is used to connect to the calibration network. By configuring the low-pass filter 122, more noise signals can be filtered out.

[0045] In this case, the low-pass filter 122 may be a microstrip filter with a simple design, thereby simplifying the overall structure of the antenna device.

[0046] As another aspect of the present invention, an antenna system is provided. Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the layout of some components in the antenna system provided in some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 6 As shown, the antenna system includes a calibration network 20 and the antenna device in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0047] The calibration network 20 is a microstrip or stripline line. Specifically, it includes a power splitter 22 and at least one coupler 21. Each group of radiating elements 11 corresponds to a coupler 21. Each coupler 21 includes a main signal channel 211 and a coupled signal channel 212 coupled to the main signal channel 211. The second end of each filter unit 12 is connected to the first end of the main signal channel 211 of the corresponding coupler 21. The coupled signal channel 212 is connected to the input end of the power splitter 22, and the common end of the power splitter 22 is connected to the calibration port CAL.

[0048] When the radiation unit 11 receives a signal, the received signal is filtered by the filter unit 12 and then transmitted to the signal transceiver unit through the main signal channel 211. When the radiation unit 11 transmits a signal, the signal of the signal transceiver unit is transmitted to the filter unit 12 through the main signal channel 211 for filtering, and the filtered signal is transmitted to the radiation unit 11. During the signal transmission process on the main signal channel 211, the coupling signal channel 212 transmits the coupled signal to the power divider 22, and then transmits it to the calibration port CAL through the common end of the power divider. The calibration port CAL can be connected to a digital pre-distortion unit (DPD) to transmit the coupled signal to the pre-distortion unit for pre-distortion processing.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present invention, the output end of the coupling signal channel 212 is connected to a circuit matching load. The circuit matching load is used to match the circuit and absorb the power energy transmitted to the end of the circuit, so that the circuit has a smaller standing wave.

[0050] The power divider 22 can be a Wilkinson power divider. For a dual-channel antenna device, each channel corresponds to a set of radiating elements 11, a filter unit 12, and a coupler 21. The power divider 22 includes a common terminal and two input terminals, each of which is electrically connected to the input terminal of a coupled signal channel 212. The signal coupled by the coupled signal channel 212 is transmitted through the power divider to the calibration port CAL, enabling monitoring of the RF signal at each antenna port (one radiating element 11 corresponds to one antenna port).

[0051] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the layout of some components in an antenna system provided in some other embodiments of the present invention, Figure 7The antenna device shown in the figure employs an octal-channel structure and includes eight radiating elements 11, which can be symmetrically distributed on a printed circuit board. Each radiating element 11 corresponds to a filter unit 12 and a coupler 21. The eight couplers 21 corresponding to the eight radiating elements 11 are divided into four groups, each group including two couplers 21. The power divider can be a multi-stage Wilson power divider, specifically including four first-stage Wilson power dividers 221, two second-stage Wilson power dividers 222, and one third-stage Wilson power divider 223. Each group of couplers 21 corresponds to a first-stage Wilson power divider 221, and the two coupled line channels 212 in the same group are connected to the input end of the corresponding first-stage Wilson power divider 221; the common end of each two first-stage Wilson power dividers 221 is respectively connected to the two input ends of the second-stage Wilson power divider 222, and the common end of the two second-stage Wilson power dividers 222 is respectively connected to the two input ends of the third-stage Wilson power divider 223, and the output end of the third-stage Wilson power divider 223 is connected to the calibration port CAL.

[0052] It should be noted that the above-mentioned dual-channel and eight-channel antennas are merely exemplary descriptions, and the antenna device may also be an antenna device with other numbers of channels.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present invention, the calibration network 20 may be as follows: Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown in FIG, the calibration network 20 is disposed on the first circuit board 10. In this case, the correction network 20 and the filter unit 12 can be integrated on the same surface of the first circuit board 10, and the filter unit 12 is connected to the main signal channel 211 of the correction network 20 via surface mounting. Because the filter unit 12 and the calibration network 20 are integrated, the electrical parameter matching performance of the two cascaded components can be fully considered during the design. As a result, the electrical parameter matching performance can be optimized as much as possible, thereby achieving an optimal interconnection design for filter and antenna performance.

[0054] Of course, the calibration network 20 may also be provided on other circuit boards. In this case, the second end of the filter unit 12 may be connected to the calibration network 20 via a standard adapter.

[0055] Figure 8 This is an architecture diagram of an antenna system provided in some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 8 As shown, the antenna system further includes: at least one circulator 50, at least one power amplifier 40, and at least one signal transceiver unit 30. The circulator 50, power amplifier 40, and signal transceiver unit 30 each correspond to a filter unit 12. The signal transceiver unit 30 is connected to the first end of the corresponding power amplifier 40, the second end of the power amplifier 40 is connected to the first end of the corresponding circulator 50, and the second end of the circulator 50 is connected to the second end of the corresponding filter unit 12.

[0056] Specifically, the power amplifier 40 and the circulator 50 each correspond to a coupler in a one-to-one manner. The second end of the power amplifier 40 is connected to the first end of the corresponding circulator 50 via the main signal channel 211 of the corresponding coupler, and the second end of the filter unit 12 is connected to the main signal channel 211 of the corresponding coupler via the circulator. That is, the second end of the power amplifier 40 is connected to the first end of the main signal channel 211, the second end of the main signal channel 211 is connected to the first end of the circulator 50, and the second end of the circulator 50 is connected to the second end of the filter unit 12.

[0057] Among them, the signal transceiver unit 30 is used to transmit signals to the antenna device or receive signals from the antenna device; the power amplifier 40 is used to amplify the power of the signal it transmits; the circulator 50 is used to transmit the signal from its first end to the second end when the signal transceiver unit 30 sends a signal to the antenna device, and to transmit the signal from its second end to the first end when the signal transceiver unit 30 receives a signal from the antenna device.

[0058] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment, when the radiating unit 11 is transmitting a signal, the signal transmitted by the signal transceiver unit 30 is amplified by the power amplifier 40, transmitted to the circulator 50 through the main signal channel 211 of the coupler, and then transmitted to the filter unit 12 through the circulator 50. The signal filtered by the filter unit 12 is then transmitted to the radiating unit 11 for radiation. When the radiating unit 11 is receiving a signal, the signal received by the radiating unit 11 is filtered by the filter unit 12, transmitted to the main signal channel 211 through the circulator 50, and then transmitted to the power amplifier 40 through the main signal channel 211. After being amplified by the power amplifier 40, it is transmitted to the signal transceiver unit 30. During the signal transmission and reception process, the coupled signal channel 212 transmits the coupled signal to the calibration port CAL, and then transmits it to the digital predistortion unit for predistortion processing.

[0059] Figure 9 This is an architecture diagram of an antenna system provided in some other embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 9 As shown, the antenna system also includes: a circulator 50, a power amplifier 40 and a signal transceiver unit 30. Figure 8 The difference is that the coupler of the calibration network is disposed between the circulator 50 and the filter unit 12, and the second end of the circulator 50 is connected to the second end of the filter unit 12 via the main signal channel 211 of the corresponding coupler. Specifically, the signal transceiver unit 30 is connected to the first end of the corresponding power amplifier 40, the second end of the power amplifier 40 is connected to the first end of the corresponding circulator 50, the second end of the circulator 50 is connected to the first end of the main signal channel 211 of the corresponding coupler, and the second end of the main signal channel 211 is connected to the second end of the corresponding filter unit 12.

[0060] Furthermore, for Figure 8 and Figure 9 The antenna system may further include a second circuit board, on which the circulator 50, the power amplifier 40 and the signal transceiver unit 30 are all arranged. Figure 8 When the architecture shown is used, the calibration network can be integrated on the second circuit board; when the antenna system adopts Figure 9 In the illustrated architecture, the calibration network can be integrated on either the first circuit board 10 or the second circuit board. Regardless of which circuit board the calibration network is integrated on, there is only one calibration network in the entire link, thereby simplifying the overall structure and improving the device's anti-interference performance.

[0061] In addition, it should be noted that, in some embodiments, the second circuit board can be omitted, and the signal transceiver unit 30, the power amplifier 40, the circulator 50 and the filter can be integrated on the same printed circuit board, wherein the signal transceiver unit 30, the power amplifier 40, the circulator 50 and the filter unit 12 can be set on different layers of the printed circuit board.

[0062] The antenna system provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes the above-mentioned antenna device. Since the above-mentioned antenna device can be miniaturized and lightweight, the overall architecture of the antenna system using the antenna device is relatively simple, and there is only one calibration network on the link of the entire system, thereby simplifying the overall architecture of the system and increasing the anti-interference ability of the link.

[0063] It will be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments for illustrating the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and substance of the present invention, and such modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An antenna device, characterized in that: include: a first circuit board, at least one group of radiating elements and at least one filtering unit, each group of radiating elements including at least one radiating element, the radiating elements and the filtering unit being both arranged on the first circuit board, each group of radiating elements corresponding to one filtering unit, each radiating element being connected to a first end of a corresponding filtering unit, and a second end of each filtering unit being used to connect to a coupler and a signal transceiver unit of a calibration network; The radiation unit is connected to the first end of the corresponding filter unit through a metal probe; The signal transceiver unit is connected to the first end of the corresponding power amplifier, the second end of the power amplifier is connected to the first end of the corresponding circulator, and the second end of the circulator is connected to the second end of the corresponding filter unit; The second end of the power amplifier is connected to the first end of the corresponding circulator through the main signal channel of the corresponding coupler, and the second end of the filtering unit is connected to the main signal channel of the corresponding coupler through the circulator; or, the second end of the filtering unit is connected to the second end of the circulator through the main signal channel of the corresponding coupler.

2. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein The filtering unit is a dielectric filter.

3. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein The filtering unit includes: a dielectric filter and a low-pass filter, the first end of the dielectric filter serves as the first end of the filtering unit, the first end of the low-pass filter is connected to the second end of the dielectric filter, and the second end of the low-pass filter serves as the second end of the filtering unit.

4. The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The antenna device further includes a reflecting plate arranged on the first circuit board, the radiating unit is arranged on a surface of the reflecting plate facing away from the first circuit board, and the filtering unit is arranged on a side of the reflecting plate facing away from the radiating unit.

5. An antenna system, characterized in that: The antenna device comprises a calibration network and the antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the calibration network comprises: a power divider and at least one coupler, each group of the radiating elements corresponds to one coupler, and each coupler comprises a main signal channel and a coupled signal channel coupled to the main signal channel; The second end of each filtering unit is connected to the main signal channel of the corresponding coupler; the coupled signal channel is connected to the input end of the power divider, and the common end of the power divider is connected to the calibration port.

6. The antenna system according to claim 5, characterized in that The antenna system further comprises: at least one circulator, at least one power amplifier and at least one signal transceiver unit, wherein the circulator, the power amplifier and the signal transceiver unit all correspond to the filter unit in a one-to-one manner; The signal transceiver unit is connected to the first end of the corresponding power amplifier, the second end of the power amplifier is connected to the first end of the corresponding circulator, and the second end of the circulator is connected to the second end of the corresponding filtering unit.

7. The antenna system according to claim 6, characterized in that The power amplifier and the circulator both correspond to the coupler one-to-one; The second end of the power amplifier is connected to the first end of the corresponding circulator through the main signal channel of the corresponding coupler, and the second end of the filter unit is connected to the main signal channel of the corresponding coupler through the circulator; Alternatively, the second end of the circulator is connected to the second end of the filtering unit through a main signal channel of a corresponding coupler.

8. The antenna system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The antenna system further includes: a second circuit board, on which the circulator, the power amplifier, the signal transceiver unit and the calibration network are all arranged.

9. The antenna system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that: The calibration network is disposed on the first circuit board.

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