Antenna devices and radar systems

Abstract

The present disclosure can improve the beam sweep characteristics and resolution of a directional antenna in a two-dimensional direction. A plurality of antenna elements are arranged in a two-dimensional plane shape. The first power supply line and the second power supply line are lines for supplying power to the plurality of antenna elements from a first direction and a second direction different from each other. Switching the power supply direction changes the directivity. The first power supply line and the second power supply line can each be provided with a plurality of power supply lines. Supplying power to the plurality of power supply lines at different phases from each other changes the directivity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present technology relates to an antenna device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an antenna device having a plurality of antenna elements and a radar system using the antenna device. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a device in which a plurality of antenna elements are arranged is known. For example, a device has been proposed which uses: a receiving antenna of a two-dimensional array in which a plurality of antenna element groups are arranged in a horizontal direction, each antenna element group including a plurality of vertically arranged antenna elements fed in series; and a transmitting antenna in which two such antenna element groups are arranged vertically and are switchable (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-215328 Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] In the above conventional technology, the main beam is scanned (sweeped) two-dimensionally by independently adjusting the phases of the antenna elements arranged two-dimensionally. However, in this conventional technology, the resolution and the beam scanning range in the vertical direction are smaller than the resolution and the beam scanning range in the horizontal direction, and in order to improve the characteristics in the vertical direction, the number of antennas in the vertical direction must be increased, which has the risk of causing the device to be large-scale.

[0008] The present technology has been proposed in consideration of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the resolution and characteristics of beam sweeping in two-dimensional directions of an antenna having directivity.

[0009] Solution to the problem

[0010] The present technology is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems. In its first aspect, an antenna device includes a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a two-dimensional plane; and a first feeding line and a second feeding device, which feed the plurality of antenna elements from a first direction and a second direction different from each other. Therefore, by feeding the plurality of antenna elements from the first direction and the second direction different from each other, an operation of improving the resolution in two directions is achieved.

[0011] Furthermore, in the first aspect, the plurality of antenna elements and the first feeder line and the second feeder line can be coupled by electromagnetic field coupling. Thus, an operation of coupling the plurality of antenna elements and the first feeder line and the second feeder line as required is achieved.

[0012] In addition, in the first aspect, a switching unit may be further included, which switches the signal to at least one of the first feeder line and the second feeder line. Therefore, the operation of feeding power to the first feeder line and the second feeder line while switching between the first feeder line and the second feeder line is realized.

[0013] In addition, in the first aspect, a phase shifter may be provided to control the phases of the signals of the plurality of feeders. In this case, the phase shifter may make the phases of the signals of the plurality of feeders all the same or different from each other. In the latter case, an operation of performing beam scanning without moving the antenna itself is realized.

[0014] In addition, in the first aspect, the first feeder line and the second feeder line may be orthogonal to each other or may not be orthogonal to each other. When the first feeder line and the second feeder line are orthogonal to each other, vertical and horizontal feeding can be performed simultaneously without interference. On the other hand, when the first feeder line and the second feeder line are not orthogonal to each other, an operation of increasing the degree of freedom of two-dimensional mapping is achieved.

[0015] Furthermore, in the first aspect, the shape of each of the plurality of antenna elements may be a polygon having sides orthogonal to the first feeder line and the second feeder line, or a circle or a cross.

[0016] In addition, in the first aspect, the plurality of antenna elements may include a plurality of antenna element groups arranged along the feeding direction, and in the plurality of antenna element groups, the width of the antenna element arranged on the center side may be wider than the width of the antenna element arranged on both end sides of the feeding direction. Thus, an operation of reducing side lobes is achieved.

[0017] In addition, a second aspect of the present technology is a radar system including a plurality of antenna devices, each of which includes: a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a two-dimensional plane; and first and second feed lines that feed the plurality of antenna elements from first and second directions different from each other and each including a plurality of feed lines; a plurality of phase shifters connected to at least one of the first feed line and the second feed line of each of the plurality of antenna devices to control the phase of the signal of the plurality of feed lines; and a communication unit that performs transmission via one of the plurality of phase shifters and reception via another of the plurality of phase shifters to acquire information about an object. Thus, an operation of feeding the plurality of antenna elements from first and second directions different from each other, improving the resolution in both directions, and acquiring information about an object is achieved.

[0018] In addition, in the second aspect, a plurality of switching units may be included, which switch between the phase shifter and at least one of the first feeder line or the second feeder line for each of the plurality of antenna devices, wherein the plurality of switching units may perform the same switching in synchronization with each other. Thus, an operation of performing synchronous communication in transmission and reception is achieved.

[0019] In addition, in the second aspect, a signal processing unit may be further included, which combines the acquired information to generate the position of the object. Therefore, an operation of acquiring more accurate information by combining the information acquired by the beam scanning of the antenna and the information acquired by the radar is realized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 : is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the radar system in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0021] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the communication device 300 in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0022] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the antenna 100 in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0023] Figure 4 : is a diagram showing an example of the feeding direction of the antenna 100 in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0024] Figure 5 : is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the antenna 100 performing vertical feeding in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0025] Figure 6 : is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the antenna 100 performing horizontal feeding in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0026] Figure 7 : is a diagram showing an example of the phase of each port of the feeder line 150 in the second embodiment of the present technology.

[0027] Figure 8 : is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the antenna 100 performing vertical feeding in the second embodiment of the present technology.

[0028] Fig. 9 : is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the antenna 100 performing horizontal feeding in the second embodiment of the present technology.

[0029] Fig.10 : is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a radar system in a third embodiment of the present technology.

[0030] Fig.11 : is a diagram showing a specific example of determining the position of an object in the third embodiment of the present technology.

[0031] Fig.12 : is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a radar system in a fourth embodiment of the present technology.

[0032] Fig.13 : is a diagram showing a first shape example of the antenna 100 in the fifth embodiment of the present technology.

[0033] Fig.14 is a diagram showing a second shape example of the antenna 100 in the fifth embodiment of the present technology.

[0034] Fig.15 is a diagram showing a third shape example of the antenna 100 in the fifth embodiment of the present technology.

[0035] Fig.16 : is a diagram showing an arrangement example of the antenna element 110 of the antenna 100 in the sixth embodiment of the present technology.

[0036] Fig.17 is a diagram illustrating an example of object detection in the sixth embodiment of the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present technology (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described. The description will be given in the following order.

[0038] 1. First Embodiment (Example of Feeding Power from Different Directions)

[0039] 2. Second Embodiment (Example of Feeding with Phase Shift)

[0040] 3. Third Embodiment (Example of Combining Radar Information)

[0041] 4. Fourth Embodiment (Example of Simultaneous Feeding)

[0042] 5. Fifth Embodiment (Modification of the Shape of the Antenna Element)

[0043] 6. Sixth Embodiment (Example of Shifted Arrangement of Antenna)

[0044] <1. First Embodiment>

[0045] [Configuration]

[0046] Figure 1 : is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the radar system in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0047] The radar system includes an antenna 100 , a phase shifter 200 , a switching unit 250 , and a communication device 300 .

[0048] The antenna 100 includes a plurality of antenna elements 110 and a plurality of feed lines 150. The plurality of antenna elements 110 are arranged two-dimensionally. In this example, a total of sixteen antenna elements 110 are arranged in an array in the horizontal direction (row direction) and four in the vertical direction (column direction) to form a two-dimensional antenna array.

[0049] The plurality of antenna elements have a configuration in which they can be fed from different directions by a plurality of feeder lines 150. In this example, a feeder line for feeding in a vertical direction from the lower side and a feeder line for feeding in a horizontal direction from the right side are provided. That is, the plurality of feeder lines 150 include feeder lines orthogonal to each other. It should be noted that the plurality of feeder lines 150 are examples of the first feeder line and the second feeder line described in the claims.

[0050] It should be noted that in this example, it is assumed that the shape of the antenna element 110 is a square, but as will be described later, other shapes such as a polygon or a circle may also be used.

[0051] Each of the plurality of feeder lines 150 includes a plurality of feeder lines according to the number of the plurality of antenna elements 110. In this example, four feeder lines that feed in the vertical direction from the lower side and four feeder lines that feed in the horizontal direction from the right side are provided.

[0052] The phase shifter 200 is a phase switch that controls the phase when feeding power to the antenna element 110. The phase shifter 200 is provided corresponding to each feeder line in the feeder line 150. In this example, four phase shifters 200 are provided corresponding to four feeders. In addition, in the first embodiment, it is assumed that the four phase shifters 200 feed power in the same phase.

[0053] The switching unit 250 switches the connection between the phase shifter 200 and the plurality of feeding lines 150. Here, for example, a high frequency (radio frequency (RF)) switch such as a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) is assumed as the switching unit 250. The switching unit 250 is used to connect one phase shifter 200 to a feeding line in a vertical direction or a feeding line in a horizontal direction.

[0054] The communication device 300 is a device connected to the antenna 100 via the phase shifter 200 to perform transmission and reception. The communication device 300 is assumed to be a radar device that transmits radio waves such as millimeter waves toward an object, receives its reflected waves, and measures the distance to the object by time difference. In this case, a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna are usually set separately. Therefore, two types of antennas 100 are set: a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna. In addition, in this case, the switching units 250 of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna perform the same switching in synchronization with each other.

[0055] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the communication device 300 in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0056] The communication device 300 includes a modulation signal generator 310, a voltage-controlled oscillator 320, a power amplifier 330, a transmitting antenna 341, a receiving antenna 342, a low noise amplifier 350, a mixer 360, an intermediate frequency amplifier 370, an analog-to-digital converter 380, and an FFT processing unit 390. The transmitting antenna 341 and the receiving antenna 342 correspond to the antenna 100 of this embodiment.

[0057] The modulation signal generator 310 generates a modulation signal obtained by modulating a carrier to be transmitted. The voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) 320 is an oscillator that controls the oscillation frequency for transmission and reception by controlling the voltage. The power amplifier (PA) 330 amplifies the power of the transmission signal by the oscillation frequency of the voltage controlled oscillator 320, and transmits the signal through the transmission antenna 341.

[0058] The low noise amplifier (LNA) 350 is an amplifier that amplifies a signal in a high frequency region received by the receiving antenna 342. The mixer 360 is a mixer that converts the carrier frequency of the output signal of the low noise amplifier 350 into a lower intermediate frequency by mixing the oscillation frequency of the voltage controlled oscillator 320. The intermediate frequency (IF) amplifier 370 is an amplifier that amplifies the signal converted into the intermediate frequency by the mixer 360. The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 380 converts the output of the intermediate frequency amplifier 370 from an analog signal to a digital signal. The FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) processing unit 390 performs a fast Fourier transform (FFT) process on the output of the analog-to-digital converter 380 to extract a necessary signal.

[0059] [antenna]

[0060] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the antenna 100 in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0061] The antenna 100 includes a multilayer substrate. In the figure, a represents the uppermost layer of the antenna 100. In the figure, b represents the second layer and the lower layers. The antenna elements 110 are arranged two-dimensionally on the uppermost layer. Each of the antenna elements 110 is implemented, for example, by a patch antenna. On the uppermost layer, each antenna element 110 is insulated from each other by a resin that is a material of the multilayer substrate. Therefore, when no power is supplied, each antenna element 110 is in a floating state.

[0062] Then, a vertical feed line 150 is formed in the second layer, and a horizontal feed line 150 is formed in the third layer. These feed lines 150 are formed by, for example, a microstrip line (MSL). These feed lines 150 are also insulated from each other by the resin that is the material of the multilayer substrate in each layer. In addition, in each layer, one end of the feed line 150 is an open end.

[0063] A ground (GND) is formed on the entire surface of the fourth layer which is the lowest layer, and serves as a ground plate for the feeder lines 150 of the second and third layers.

[0064] In such a structure, the antenna element 110 and the feed line 150 are coupled by electromagnetic field coupling. That is, when power is fed to the feed line 150, the feed line 150 is coupled to the antenna element 110 arranged on the upper layer thereof via the electromagnetic field.

[0065] [characteristic]

[0066] Figure 4 : is a diagram showing an example of the feeding direction of the antenna 100 in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0067] As described above, the antenna 100 is provided with the feed lines 150 in two directions, and can be fed from each of them. Hereinafter, as shown, when describing the characteristics of the feed line 150, the terms "vertical feed" and "horizontal feed" will be used.

[0068] By adopting a two-dimensional antenna array, the antenna 100 has characteristics of a three-dimensional radiation pattern for vertical feeding or horizontal feeding as shown below. Note that, as described above, in the first embodiment, it is assumed that the four phase shifters 200 are fed with the same phase.

[0069] Figure 5 : is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the antenna 100 performing vertical feeding in the first embodiment of the present technology. Note that the characteristics shown below are obtained by numerical simulation.

[0070] In this figure, a represents a graph showing directivity in the horizontal direction (i.e., the direction of the azimuth angle). Specifically, it is a graph of a radiation pattern captured by a cross section taken along a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction as the feeding direction at the center position of the two-dimensional antenna array. In this figure, the horizontal axis represents the beam sweep angle (degrees), and the vertical axis represents the gain (dBi) (i.e., the antenna gain). In this graph, it can be seen that the gain peak exists at zero angle, and side lobes appear around the peak.

[0071] In this figure, b represents a graph showing directivity in the vertical direction (i.e., the direction of the elevation angle). Specifically, it is a graph in which a radiation pattern is captured by a cross section taken along a plane parallel to the vertical direction as the feeding direction at the center position of the two-dimensional antenna array. In this graph, it can be seen that the gain peak exists at zero angle, and more side lobes appear around the peak than in the case of the horizontal direction.

[0072] Figure 6 : is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the antenna 100 performing horizontal feeding in the first embodiment of the present technology.

[0073] In this figure, a represents a graph showing directivity in the horizontal direction. Specifically, it is a diagram in which a radiation pattern is captured by a cross section taken along a plane parallel to the horizontal direction as a feeding direction at the center position of a two-dimensional antenna array.

[0074] In this figure, b represents a graph showing directivity in the vertical direction. Specifically, it is a diagram in which a radiation pattern is captured by a cross section taken along a plane perpendicular to the horizontal direction as a feeding direction at the center position of the two-dimensional antenna array.

[0075] It can be seen that even in these horizontal feeds, a gain peak exists at zero angle, and side lobes appear around the peak.

[0076] As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present technology, the feed lines 150 in different directions are provided and coupled to the antenna element 110 by electromagnetic field coupling to switch between the vertical direction and the horizontal direction for feeding, thereby improving the resolution in both directions.

[0077] <2. Second Embodiment>

[0078] In the first embodiment described above, it is assumed that the four phase shifters 200 are fed with the same phase. On the other hand, in this second embodiment, the beam sweep angle is changed by shifting the phases to each other. It should be noted that the device configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment described above, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0079] [Phase]

[0080] Figure 7 : is a diagram showing an example of the phase of each port of the feeder line 150 in the second embodiment of the present technology.

[0081] As described above, each of the feeder lines 150 is provided with four feeders, and four independent phase shifters 200 are respectively connected via the switching unit 250. In this second embodiment, the phase is adjusted by the four phase shifters 200, and power with different phases is fed to the four feeders. It should be noted that in the figure, the open ends of the four feeders of the feeder line 150 are sequentially referred to as ports #1 to #4.

[0082] As shown, port #1 is fed with the same phase as that fed from the communication device 300. Then, referring to the phase of port #1, ports #2 to #4 are fed with the phase shifted. Therefore, the feeds at ports #1 to #4 are phase-shifted from each other.

[0083] By performing such phase shift feeding in each of the vertical feeding and the horizontal feeding, the following characteristics can be obtained.

[0084] [characteristic]

[0085] Figure 8 : is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the antenna 100 performing vertical feeding in the second embodiment of the present technology.

[0086] The figure includes a graph showing directivity in the horizontal direction (i.e., azimuth direction). In the figure, a represents a graph showing directivity of a phase of "-90 degrees", b represents a graph showing directivity of a phase of "-45 degrees", c represents a graph showing directivity of a phase of "0 degrees", d represents a graph showing directivity of a phase of "45 degrees", and e represents a graph showing directivity of a phase of "90 degrees". It can be seen that, by shifting the phase of vertical feeding, beam scanning can be performed by swinging directivity in the horizontal direction, which is a plane perpendicular to the feeding direction.

[0087] Fig. 9 : is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the antenna 100 performing horizontal feeding in the second embodiment of the present technology.

[0088] This figure is a graph showing directivity in the vertical direction (i.e., the elevation direction). In this figure, a represents a graph showing directivity of a phase of "-90 degrees", b represents a graph showing a direction of a phase of "-45 degrees", c represents a graph showing directivity of a phase of "0 degrees", d represents a graph showing directivity of a phase of "45 degrees", and e represents a graph showing directivity of a phase of "90 degrees". Therefore, it can be seen that by shifting the phase of horizontal feeding, beam scanning can be performed by swinging directivity in a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the plane of the feeding direction.

[0089] As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present technology, by feeding by shifting the phases of different feeder lines in the feed lines in the same feeding direction, beam scanning can be performed by swinging directivity in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the feeding direction without moving the antenna 100 itself.

[0090] <3. Third embodiment>

[0091] In the above-mentioned second embodiment, beam scanning can be performed in one-dimensional direction for each of the elevation angle and the azimuth angle, but beam scanning cannot be performed in any two-dimensional direction. Therefore, in the case where multiple objects are detected using each of the elevation angle and the azimuth angle, a situation may occur where the position of each object cannot be grasped by only the information. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the position of the flat surface is determined by further combining the distance information and the speed information by the radar.

[0092] [Configuration]

[0093] Fig.10 : is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a radar system in a third embodiment of the present technology.

[0094] As in the above-described first embodiment, the radar system includes an antenna 100 , a phase shifter 200 , a switching unit 250 , and a communication device 300 , and further includes a signal processing unit 400 .

[0095] The signal processing unit 400 determines the position of the object by combining the information obtained as the radar system. That is, the signal processing unit 400 determines the position of the flat surface of each object by combining the position information in elevation and azimuth obtained by performing the beam scanning with the phase of the feed shifted according to the above-mentioned second embodiment, and the distance information and the speed information obtained by the radar.

[0096] [Location determination]

[0097] Fig.11 : is a diagram showing a specific example of determining the position of an object in the third embodiment of the present technology.

[0098] In the figure, a represents an example in which three objects are detected by performing beam scanning in the vertical direction by horizontal feeding. At this time, as the distance information acquired by the radar, values ​​"150m", "50m" and "100m" from the above objects are shown.

[0099] In the figure, b represents an example in which three objects are detected by performing beam scanning in the horizontal direction by vertical feeding. At this time, as distance information acquired by the radar, values ​​"100m", "150m" and "50m" are shown starting from the right object.

[0100] By combining the vertical position and horizontal position obtained via beam scanning with the distance information obtained by the radar, the position of the flat surface of each object can be specified as shown in C. If only the position obtained by beam scanning is used, the correspondence between the objects detected by the vertical beam scanning and the objects detected by the horizontal beam scanning becomes unclear, and it is impossible to specify the position of the flat surface of each object.

[0101] As described above, according to the third embodiment of the present technology, by combining the position information of the elevation angle and the azimuth angle obtained through beam scanning with the distance information of the radar or the like, the position of the flat surface of each object can be determined.

[0102] <4. Fourth embodiment>

[0103] In the above-described embodiments, it is assumed that the switching unit 250 switches to the vertical direction or the horizontal direction to feed power, but in the fourth embodiment, feeding is performed simultaneously from the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

[0104] [Configuration]

[0105] Fig.12 : is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a radar system in a fourth embodiment of the present technology.

[0106] The radar system includes an antenna 100, phase shifters 201 and 202, and communication devices 301 and 302. Specifically, by independently setting the phase shifter 201 for feeding in the vertical direction and the phase shifter 202 for feeding in the horizontal direction, simultaneous feeding is enabled. Therefore, in this example, the vertical beam and the horizontal beam can be transmitted simultaneously.

[0107] In this case, polarizations of the vertical beam and the horizontal beam are orthogonal to each other, and insulation of the feeder line 150 is ensured, and therefore, even if simultaneous feeding is performed in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, they do not interfere with each other.

[0108] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment of the present technology, by performing simultaneous feeding in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, a vertical beam and a horizontal beam can be simultaneously transmitted.

[0109] <5. Fifth embodiment>

[0110] In the above-described embodiment, a quadrangle is assumed as the shape of the antenna element 110 of the antenna 100 , but other shapes may be adopted.

[0111] Fig.13 : is a diagram showing a first shape example of the antenna 100 in the fifth embodiment of the present technology.

[0112] In this example, a cross shape is adopted in consideration of feeding from two orthogonal directions. That is, among the antenna elements 110 arranged in the feeding direction, the width of the antenna elements at both ends is narrow, and the width of the antenna element arranged on the center side is wide.

[0113] Therefore, the power fed to one antenna element 110 can be adjusted, and the side lobe of the transmitted beam can be reduced. The side lobe is a beam other than the main lobe having the highest radiation level. If the level of the side lobe is high, it becomes difficult to separate the side lobe from the main lobe, and the signal-to-noise (SN) ratio deteriorates, which may lead to false detection of the object. In this regard, by narrowing the width of the antenna element toward both ends, the side lobe can be reduced and false detection of the object can be avoided.

[0114] Fig.14 is a diagram showing a second shape example of the antenna 100 in the fifth embodiment of the present technology.

[0115] In this example, in order to feed from three directions, it is assumed that the angle formed by the feed line 150 is 60 degrees, and a hexagon is adopted as the shape of the antenna element 110. That is, the shape is a polygon having sides orthogonal to the feed line 150.

[0116] In this case, the isolation between the feed lines 150 is disadvantageous compared to the case of two orthogonal directions, but there are advantages that the resolution is improved and two-dimensional mapping becomes easy.

[0117] Fig.15 is a diagram showing a third shape example of the antenna 100 in the fifth embodiment of the present technology.

[0118] In this example, a circular shape is adopted as the shape of the antenna element 110. In this case, the feed lines 150 may or may not be orthogonal to each other. That is, there is an advantage of increasing the degree of freedom of two-dimensional mapping.

[0119] Therefore, as described in the fifth embodiment of the present technology, various shapes can be adopted as the shape of the antenna element 110 in consideration of the angle formed by the feed line 150 .

[0120] <6. Sixth embodiment>

[0121] In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, it is assumed that 16 antenna elements 110 are arranged in an array. On the other hand, in the sixth embodiment, there is provided an arrangement structure in which the antenna elements 110 are shifted.

[0122] Fig.16 : is a diagram showing an arrangement example of the antenna element 110 of the antenna 100 in the sixth embodiment of the present technology.

[0123] This embodiment is similar to the first to fourth embodiments described above in that feeding is performed from the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. However, the antenna element group, which is a collection of antenna elements 110 arranged in the feeding direction, is arranged to be shifted in the feeding direction. That is, adjacent antenna element groups are arranged at different positions in the feeding direction.

[0124] In one antenna element group, by arranging the antenna element 110 in one direction, the resolution is improved and the directivity is enhanced. Then, by arranging the antenna element group in a shifted manner, an effect similar to the effect of swinging the beam in the same direction and shifting the feeding center position can be obtained. In this example, since the antenna element 110 is arranged to move in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, the beam can be swung in two directions.

[0125] Fig.17 is a diagram illustrating an example of object detection in the sixth embodiment of the present technology.

[0126] In the sixth embodiment, as described above, since the antenna element 110 is arranged to shift in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, the beam can swing in two directions. At this time, with respect to vertical feeding, the horizontal resolution is high, but the vertical resolution is low. On the other hand, with respect to horizontal feeding, the vertical resolution is high, but the horizontal resolution is low. Therefore, as shown, in vertical feeding, there may be a situation where it is difficult to separate and detect each independent object existing in the vertical direction. In addition, in horizontal feeding, there may be a situation where it is difficult to separate and detect each independent object existing in the horizontal direction.

[0127] Therefore, as in the third embodiment described above, the signal processing unit 400 is assumed, and the detection result of the vertical feed and the detection result of the horizontal feed are combined by signal processing. Therefore, objects that cannot be separated only by feeding in one direction can be separated and detected.

[0128] As described above, according to the sixth embodiment of the present technology, by arranging the antenna element 110 by moving the antenna element 110 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, beam scanning can be performed by swinging the directivity in each direction without moving the antenna 100 itself. In addition, by combining the results in two directions through signal processing, objects that cannot be separated by feeding only in one direction can be separated and detected.

[0129] Note that the above-described embodiments illustrate examples for implementing the present technology, and the matters in the embodiments have respective corresponding relationships with the matters specifying the present invention in the claims. Similarly, the matters specifying the present invention in the claims and the matters with the same names in the embodiments of the present technology have respective corresponding relationships. However, the present technology is not limited to the present embodiment, and can be implemented by making various modifications to the embodiment without departing from the gist of the present technology.

[0130] It should be noted that the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may be provided.

[0131] It should be noted that the present technology can have the following configurations.

[0132] (1) An antenna device, comprising:

[0133] A plurality of antenna elements arranged in a two-dimensional plane; and

[0134] The first feeder line and the second feeder line feed power to the plurality of antenna elements from first and second directions different from each other.

[0135] (2) The antenna device according to (1) above, wherein:

[0136] The plurality of antenna elements are coupled to the first feed line and the second feed line through electromagnetic field coupling.

[0137] (3) The antenna device according to (1) or (2) above, further comprising:

[0138] The switching unit switches the signal to at least one of the first feeding line and the second feeding line.

[0139] (4) The antenna device according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein:

[0140] The first feeder circuit and the second feeder circuit each include a plurality of feeder lines.

[0141] (5) The antenna device according to (4), further comprising:

[0142] Phase shifters control the phase of signals on multiple feed lines.

[0143] (6) The antenna device according to (5) above, wherein:

[0144] The phase shifters control the phases of the signals on multiple feed lines so that they are all the same.

[0145] (7) The antenna device according to (5) above, wherein:

[0146] The phase shifter controls the phases of the signals of the plurality of feed lines to be different from each other.

[0147] (8) The antenna device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein:

[0148] The first feed line and the second feed line are orthogonal to each other.

[0149] (9) The antenna device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein:

[0150] The first feed line and the second feed line are not orthogonal to each other.

[0151] (10) The antenna device according to any one of (1) to (9) above, wherein:

[0152] The shape of each of the plurality of antenna elements is a polygon having sides orthogonal to the first feed line and the second feed line.

[0153] (11) The antenna device according to any one of (1) to (9) above, wherein:

[0154] Each of the plurality of antenna elements is circular in shape.

[0155] (12) The antenna device according to any one of (1) to (11) above, wherein:

[0156] The plurality of antenna elements include a plurality of antenna element groups arranged along a feeding direction, and in the plurality of antenna element groups, the width of antenna elements arranged on a center side along the feeding direction is wider than the width of antenna elements arranged on both end sides.

[0157] (13) The antenna device according to any one of (1) to (12) above, wherein:

[0158] The shape of each of the plurality of antenna elements is a cross.

[0159] (14) The antenna device according to any one of (1) to (13) above, wherein:

[0160] The plurality of antenna elements include a plurality of antenna element groups arranged along a feeding direction, and adjacent antenna element groups of the plurality of antenna element groups are arranged at positions different from each other in the feeding direction.

[0161] (15) Radar systems, including:

[0162] a plurality of antenna devices, each of which includes a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a two-dimensional plane, and a first feeder line and a second feeder line, the first feeder line and the second feeder line feeding the plurality of antenna elements from first and second directions different from each other, and the first feeder line and the second feeder line each including a plurality of feeder lines;

[0163] a plurality of phase shifters connected to at least one of the first feed line and the second feed line of each of the plurality of antenna devices to control the phases of the signals of the plurality of feed lines; and

[0164] A communication unit performs transmission via one of the plurality of phase shifters and reception via another of the plurality of phase shifters to acquire information about an object.

[0165] (16) The radar system according to (15) above further includes a plurality of switching units that switch between the phase shifter and at least one of the first feeder line and the second feeder line for each of the plurality of antenna devices, wherein the plurality of switching units perform the same switching in synchronization with each other.

[0166] (17) The radar system according to (15), further including: a signal processing unit that combines the acquired information to generate a position of the object.

[0167] Reference numerals list

[0168] 100 antennas

[0169] 110 antenna elements

[0170] 150 feeder lines

[0171] 200 to 202 Phase Shifter

[0172] 250 Switching Units

[0173] 300 to 302 Communication equipment

[0174] 310 Modulation Signal Generator

[0175] 320 Voltage Controlled Oscillator

[0176] 330 Power Amplifier

[0177] 341 Transmitting Antenna

[0178] 342 receiving antenna

[0179] 350 Low Noise Amplifier

[0180] 360 mixer

[0181] 370 IF Amplifier

[0182] 380 ADC

[0183] 390FFT processing unit

[0184] 400 signal processing units.

Claims

1. An antenna device, comprising: A plurality of antenna elements are arranged in a two-dimensional plane; as well as The first feed line and the second feed line feed the plurality of antenna elements from first and second directions different from each other, A switching unit switches the signal to at least one of the first feeding line and the second feeding line having directions different from each other, wherein The plurality of antenna elements include a plurality of antenna element groups arranged along a feeding direction, and The plurality of antenna elements are coupled to the first feeding line and the second feeding line through electromagnetic field coupling to switch between the first direction and the second direction for feeding, In the plurality of antenna element groups, the width of the antenna element arranged on the center side is wider than the width of the antenna elements arranged on both end sides in the feeding direction.

2. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The first feeder circuit and the second feeder circuit each include a plurality of feeder lines.

3. The antenna device according to claim 2, further comprising: A phase shifter controls the phases of the signals of the plurality of feeder lines.

4. The antenna device according to claim 3, wherein: The phase shifter makes the phases of the signals of the plurality of feed lines all the same.

5. The antenna device according to claim 3, wherein: The phase shifter makes phases of the signals of the plurality of feed lines different from each other.

6. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The first feed line and the second feed line are orthogonal to each other.

7. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The first feed line and the second feed line are not orthogonal to each other.

8. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The shape of each of the plurality of antenna elements is a polygon having sides orthogonal to the first feed line and the second feed line.

9. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the plurality of antenna elements is circular in shape.

10. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the plurality of antenna elements is in the shape of a cross.

11. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: Adjacent antenna element groups among the plurality of antenna element groups are arranged at positions different from each other in a feeding direction.

12. A radar system comprising: a plurality of antenna devices, each of which includes a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a two-dimensional plane, and a first feeder line and a second feeder line, the first feeder line and the second feeder line feeding the plurality of antenna elements from a first direction and a second direction different from each other, and the first feeder line and the second feeder line each including a plurality of feeder lines; a plurality of phase shifters connected to at least one of the first feed line and the second feed line of each of the plurality of antenna devices to control the phase of the signals of the plurality of feed lines; as well as a communication unit that performs transmission via one of the plurality of phase shifters and reception via another of the plurality of phase shifters to acquire information about an object, wherein The plurality of antenna elements include a plurality of antenna element groups arranged along a feeding direction, and In the plurality of antenna element groups, the width of the antenna element arranged on the center side is wider than the width of the antenna element arranged on both end sides along the feeding direction, a plurality of switching units for switching between the plurality of phase shifters and at least one of the first feeder line and the second feeder line for each of the plurality of antenna devices, wherein a signal is switched to at least one of the first feeder line and the second feeder line having directions different from each other, wherein the plurality of switching units perform the same switching synchronously with each other, And wherein the plurality of antenna elements are coupled with the first feeding line and the second feeding line through electromagnetic field coupling to switch between the first direction and the second direction for feeding.

13. The radar system of claim 12, further comprising: A signal processing unit combines the acquired information to generate the position of the object.

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