Antenna and its manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an antenna and a manufacturing method thereof, relating to the field of communication technologies. The antenna includes a plurality of sub-antennas arranged in an array; each sub-antenna includes a first substrate and a second substrate arranged opposite to each other, and a dielectric functional layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a grounding metal layer is disposed on a side of the first substrate facing the dielectric functional layer; the first substrates of all the sub-antennas are coplanar, and the second substrates of all the sub-antennas are coplanar; each sub-antenna further includes a metal connecting member; adjacent two sub-antennas include a splicing area, and in the splicing area, the first substrates of the adjacent two sub-antennas are connected through the metal connecting member. The metal connecting member disposed in the splicing area is beneficial to avoiding or reducing microwave leakage in the splicing area, thereby being beneficial to avoiding or reducing signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage, so as to improve the stability of microwave signals and enhance the radiation performance of the antenna.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technologies, and more specifically, to an antenna and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] A liquid crystal antenna is a new type of array antenna made based on a liquid crystal phase shifter, and the liquid crystal antenna has broad application prospects in fields such as satellite receiving antennas, vehicle-mounted radars, and 5G base station antennas.

[0003] In related technologies, in order to achieve large-area coverage of a liquid crystal antenna and facilitate the portability of single-group maintenance, single small liquid crystal antenna boxes are generally used in the market for splicing to achieve a large-area antenna. However, currently, the large-area liquid crystal antennas achieved by the splicing method generally have the technical problem that the radiation gain cannot reach the expectation.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the radiation gain of the spliced antenna is one of the technical problems that need to be solved urgently at the present stage. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides an antenna and a manufacturing method thereof. A metal connecting member is arranged in a splicing area, which is beneficial to avoiding or reducing microwave leakage in the splicing area, thereby being beneficial to avoiding or reducing signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage, improving the stability of microwave signals, and improving the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides an antenna, including a plurality of sub-antennas arranged in an array;

[0007] The sub-antenna includes a first substrate and a second substrate arranged oppositely, and a dielectric functional layer arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate; a grounding metal layer is arranged on one side of the first substrate facing the dielectric functional layer;

[0008] The first substrates of the sub-antennas are coplanar, and the second substrates of the sub-antennas are coplanar; the sub-antenna further includes a metal connecting member; adjacent two sub-antennas include a splicing area, and in the splicing area, the first substrates of the adjacent two sub-antennas are connected through the metal connecting member.

[0009] In a second aspect, the present application provides a manufacturing method of an antenna, including:

[0010] Providing a plurality of sub-antennas, wherein the sub-antenna includes a first substrate and a second substrate arranged oppositely, and a dielectric functional layer arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate; a grounding metal layer is arranged on one side of the first substrate facing the dielectric functional layer;

[0011] Arranging the plurality of sub-antennas in an array, so that the first substrates of the sub-antennas are coplanar, and the second substrates of the sub-antennas are coplanar;

[0012] A metal connecting member is provided in the splicing area between two adjacent sub-antennas, so that the metal connecting member connects the first substrates of the two adjacent sub-antennas.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the antenna and its manufacturing method provided by the present invention at least achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0014] The antenna provided by the present invention includes a plurality of sub-antennas arranged in an array. The first substrates of the plurality of sub-antennas are coplanar, and the second substrates are coplanar. That is to say, the plurality of sub-antennas are spliced to form an antenna with a larger area. Two adjacent sub-antennas include a splicing area, which can be understood as the gap between two adjacent sub-antennas and at least part of the areas on both sides of the gap. In the splicing area, the first substrates of two adjacent sub-antennas are connected by a metal connecting member. That is to say, a metal connecting member is introduced in the splicing area. In this way, the metal connecting member can reduce the microwave leakage at the gap to a certain extent, which is beneficial to avoiding or reducing the signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage, so as to improve the stability of the microwave signal and the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0015] In the manufacturing method of the antenna provided by the present invention, after arranging a plurality of sub-antennas in an array, making the first substrates of each sub-antenna coplanar, and making the second substrates of each sub-antenna coplanar, a metal connecting member is provided in the splicing area between two adjacent sub-antennas, and the metal connecting member is used to connect the first substrates of the two adjacent sub-antennas. The metal connecting member plays a role in signal shielding, avoiding or reducing the leakage of microwaves from the gap between adjacent sub-antennas. Moreover, only by setting the metal connecting member in the splicing area to improve the radiation performance of the antenna, the manufacturing method is simple and easy to operate, and thus it is also beneficial to improving the production efficiency of the antenna.

[0016] Of course, it is not necessarily required for any product implementing the present invention to achieve all the above technical effects simultaneously.

[0017] Through the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, other features and advantages of the present invention will become clear. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The drawings incorporated in the specification and constituting a part of the specification illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, are used to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 Shown is another schematic structural diagram of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3The following is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 The following is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 The following is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 The following is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 The following is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8 The following is a diagram showing a relative positional relationship of a first substrate, a ground metal layer, and a metal connector of two adjacent sub-antennas in the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 9 The following is another diagram showing a relative positional relationship of a first substrate, a ground metal layer, and a metal connector of two adjacent sub-antennas in the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 10 The following is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 11 The following is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 12 The following shows Figure 11 a schematic diagram of a relative relationship of a first substrate, a second auxiliary substrate, and a metal connector in

[0031] Figure 13 The following is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 14 The following shows Figure 13 a schematic diagram of a relative relationship of a first substrate, a second auxiliary substrate, and a metal connector in

[0033] Figure 15 The following is a schematic structural diagram of a spliced sub-antenna and a fixed frame in the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 16 The following is a diagram showing a relative positional relationship of a protruding portion in a second fixed frame and two adjacent sub-antennas;

[0035] Figure 17 The following is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0036] Now, various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that: unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangements of components and steps, numerical expressions, and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0037] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

[0038] Technologies, methods, and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the said technologies, methods, and devices should be regarded as part of the specification.

[0039] In all the examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values should be construed as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0040] Without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention, various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present invention that fall within the scope of the corresponding claims (claimed technical solutions) and their equivalents. It should be noted that the embodiments provided by the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0041] It should be noted that: similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0042] A spliced antenna is manufactured by manufacturing individual antennas separately and then splicing multiple antennas together by bolts or other means to form an integral structure, so as to increase the scale of the antenna array and thereby increase the radiation gain of the antenna.

[0043] The inventors found that in the related art, when multiple sub-antennas are spliced to form an antenna with a relatively large area, gaps are formed between adjacent two sub-antennas (for example, between the ground metal layers of adjacent two sub-antennas). At the gap positions, glue is usually used for bonding to achieve the fixation between adjacent two sub-antennas. However, the gaps bonded with glue cannot avoid the leakage of microwaves, and the leakage of microwaves will inevitably reduce the radiation gain of the antenna to a certain extent and affect the radiation gain of the antenna.

[0044] Therefore, the present invention provides an antenna, which includes a plurality of sub-antennas arranged in an array; the sub-antenna includes a first substrate, a second substrate disposed opposite to each other, and a dielectric functional layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a ground metal layer is disposed on a side of the first substrate facing the dielectric functional layer; the first substrates of the sub-antennas are coplanar, and the second substrates of the sub-antennas are coplanar; the sub-antenna further includes a metal connecting member; adjacent two sub-antennas include a splicing area, and in the splicing area, the first substrates in the adjacent two sub-antennas are connected by the metal connecting member. Arranging the metal connecting member in the splicing area is beneficial to avoiding or reducing microwave leakage in the splicing area, thereby being beneficial to avoiding or reducing signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage, and therefore being beneficial to improving the stability of microwave signals and the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0045] The above is the core idea of the present invention. Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope protected by the embodiments of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 1 The following shows a schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Figure 1 , the antenna 100 provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of sub-antennas 00 arranged in an array;

[0047] The sub-antenna 00 includes a first substrate 10, a second substrate 20 disposed opposite to each other, and a dielectric functional layer 30 disposed between the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20; a ground metal layer 11 is disposed on a side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30;

[0048] The first substrates 10 of the sub-antennas 00 are coplanar, and the second substrates 20 of the sub-antennas 00 are coplanar; the sub-antenna 00 further includes a metal connecting member 40; adjacent two sub-antennas 00 include a splicing area Q, and in the splicing area Q, the first substrates 10 in the adjacent two sub-antennas 00 are connected by the metal connecting member 40.

[0049] Optionally, the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention further includes a phase shifter 21 disposed on the second substrate 20 facing the dielectric functional layer 30. The dielectric functional layer 30 disposed between the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 may be, for example, a liquid crystal layer or a photo-induced dielectric change layer, etc., which are functional layers that can change the dielectric constant. When the dielectric functional layer 30 is a liquid crystal layer, the phase shifter 21 can not only transmit the high-frequency signal introduced into the antenna, but also apply a bias voltage to the phase shifter 21 to generate an electric field in cooperation with the grounded metal layer 11 to drive the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to deflect. By deflecting the liquid crystal molecules, the phase of the high-frequency signal transmitted on the phase shifter 21 is changed, realizing the phase shift function of the high-frequency signal. When the dielectric functional layer 30 is a photo-induced dielectric change layer, the phase shifter 21 only transmits the high-frequency signal introduced into the antenna. For example, the dielectric constant of the photo-induced dielectric change layer can be controlled by controlling the light intensity, or the dielectric constant change of the photo-induced dielectric change layer can also be controlled by the wavelength. The present invention does not limit this, as long as the dielectric constant of the photo-induced dielectric change layer can be changed. When the dielectric constant of the photo-induced dielectric change layer changes, the high-frequency signal transmitted on the phase shifter is phase-shifted, changing the phase of the high-frequency signal, and realizing the phase shift function of the high-frequency signal. Exemplarily, when the dielectric functional layer 30 is a photo-induced dielectric change layer, the material of the photo-induced dielectric change layer may include azo dyes or azo polymers, etc.

[0050] Optionally, a radiator 12 is disposed on the side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30. After the phase of the high-frequency signal transmitted on the phase shifter 21 is changed, the high-frequency signal is finally coupled to the radiator 12, and the high-frequency signal is radiated outward through the radiator 12. Optionally, the multiple radiators 12 are multiple independent radiators 12, and each radiator 12 can radiate signals outward.

[0051] Although Figure 1 only two sub-antennas 00 arranged in a spliced manner are shown, the number of sub-antennas 00 included in the antenna in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited. In other words, the number of sub-antennas 00 included in the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention can be flexibly set according to the actual situation. For example, it can be arranged in an NxN matrix, where N≥2.

[0052] Specifically, the antenna provided by the implementation of the present invention includes a plurality of sub-antennas 00 arranged in an array. The first substrates 10 of the plurality of sub-antennas 00 are coplanar, and the second substrates 20 are coplanar. That is to say, the first substrates 10 of the plurality of sub-antennas 00 are flush, and the second substrates 20 are also flush. The plurality of sub-antennas 00 are spliced to form an antenna with a larger area. Adjacent two sub-antennas 00 include a splicing area Q. The splicing area Q can be understood as the gap between adjacent two sub-antennas 00 and at least part of the areas on both sides of the gap. In the splicing area Q, the first substrates 10 of adjacent two sub-antennas 00 are connected by a metal connecting member 40. That is to say, the metal connecting member 40 is introduced in the splicing area Q. The metal connecting member 40 has a signal shielding function, and the metal connecting member 40 is simultaneously connected to the first substrates 10 in adjacent two sub-antennas 00. In this way, the metal connecting member 40 can reduce the microwave leakage at the gap between adjacent two sub-antennas 00 to a certain extent, thereby being beneficial to avoiding or reducing the signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage, so as to improve the stability of microwave signals and the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0053] Figure 2 The following shows another structural schematic diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment focuses on showing a relative position relationship between the first gap 51 of adjacent two sub-antennas 00 and the metal connecting member 40. Please refer to Figure 2 In an optional embodiment of the present invention, in the splicing area Q, a first gap 51 is formed between the grounding metal layers 11 of adjacent two sub-antennas 00, and along the direction perpendicular to the first substrate 10, the metal connecting member 40 covers the first gap 51.

[0054] Specifically, in the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the metal connecting member 40 is set in the splicing area Q to connect the first substrates 10 of adjacent two sub-antennas 00, the corresponding relationship between the metal connecting member 40 and the first gap 51 between the grounding metal layers 11 corresponding to adjacent two sub-antennas 00 is reflected in that the orthographic projection of the metal connecting member 40 on the plane where the first substrate 10 is located covers the orthographic projection of the first gap 51 between the grounding metal layers 11 of adjacent two sub-antennas 00 on the plane where the first substrate 10 is located. That is to say, the first gap 51 will be covered by the metal connecting member 40, thereby effectively blocking the path of microwave leakage, being more beneficial to avoiding or reducing the signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage, and thus being more beneficial to improving the stability of microwave signals and the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0055] It can be understood that when splicing adjacent two sub-antennas 00, a second gap 52 may be formed between adjacent two first substrates 10. Optionally, please refer to Figure 3 that the orthographic projection of the second gap 52 and the first gap 51 on the plane where the first substrate 10 is located coincides, or, please refer to Figure 2, the orthographic projection of the second gap 52 on the plane where the first substrate 10 is located is within the orthographic projection range of the first gap 51 on the plane where the first substrate 10 is located, where Figure 3 Shown is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Optionally, the orthographic projection of the metal connector 40 on the plane where the first substrate 10 is located not only covers the orthographic projection of the first gap 51 on the plane where the first substrate 10 is located, but also covers the orthographic projection of the second gap 52 on the plane where the first substrate 10 is located. Thus, the metal connector 40 can preferably block the path of microwave leakage, and therefore is more beneficial to improving the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0056] Figure 4 and Figure 5 respectively show another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 and Figure 5 The embodiment of Figures 1 to 3 differs from the antenna in the appendix in the relative positional relationship between the metal connector 40 and the first substrate 10, where Figures 1 to 3 In the shown embodiment, the metal connector 40 is located above the first substrate 10, that is, on the surface facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30; Figure 4 In the shown embodiment, the metal connector 40 is located below the first substrate 10, that is, on the surface facing the dielectric functional layer 30; Figure 5 In the shown embodiment, metal connectors 40 are introduced both above and below the first substrate 10.

[0057] Please refer to Figures 1 to 5 In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the metal connector 40 is located on the surface of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30, and / or the metal connector 40 is located on the surface of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30.

[0058] Specifically, in the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the metal connector 40 is introduced into the splicing area Q, for example, please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , the metal connector 40 can be located on the surfaces of two adjacent first substrates 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30. When the microwave of the sub-antenna 00 is transmitted, it will be blocked by the metal connector 40 above the first substrate 10 in the splicing area Q, which is beneficial to reducing the amount of microwave leakage and reducing the signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage. Moreover, the process of manufacturing the metal connector 40 is also simpler in the way of introducing the metal connector 40 on the surface of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30.

[0059] Please refer to Figure 4, when the metal connector 40 is disposed below the first substrate 10, that is, on the surface of the metal connector 40 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30, the metal connector 40 will be able to form a signal shielding barrier on the side where the ground metal layer 11 is located, reducing or avoiding the phenomenon that microwave signals enter the first gap 51 between adjacent first substrates 10 and further diffuse from the first gap 51. Therefore, when the metal connector 40 is disposed below the first substrate 10, it is more conducive to preventing microwave signal leakage and more conducive to improving the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 5 , in this embodiment, in the splicing area Q, metal connectors 40 are introduced on both the side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30 and the side facing the dielectric functional layer 30. When at least part of the microwave signals generated by the antenna are transmitted to the metal connector 40 on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, the metal connector 40 can shield the microwave signals. Even when part of the microwave signals further transmit outward from the first gap 51 between the first substrates 10, the metal connector 40 on the side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30 can further shield this part of the microwave signals. The metal connectors 40 on both sides of the dielectric functional layer 30 form two signal shielding barriers, which is thus more conducive to preventing microwave leakage and avoiding signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage, and thus is conducive to improving the overall radiation gain of the spliced antenna.

[0061] Continue to refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the metal connector 40 is located on the surface of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, and the metal connector 40 is in contact with the ground metal layers 11 corresponding to two adjacent first substrates 10 respectively.

[0062] Specifically, since the ground metal layer 11 is disposed on the surface of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, when the metal connector 40 is disposed on the surface of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, in this embodiment, the metal connector 40 is in contact with the ground metal layers 11 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00 respectively, making the metal connector 40 and the ground metal layer 11 equipotential. The metal connector 40 is used to block the second gap 52 between the ground metal layers 11 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00, and at the same time, the metal connector 40 and the ground metal layer 11 connected thereto form a shielding layer with a relatively large area, which is conducive to avoiding microwave signal leakage from the gap between the ground metal layer 11 and the metal connector 40, and thus is more conducive to achieving shielding of microwave signals and avoiding microwave signal leakage.

[0063] Continue to refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a first gap 61 is formed between the second substrates 20 of two adjacent sub-antennas 00.

[0064] Specifically, when splicing multiple sub-antennas 00 to form an antenna with a larger area, the above embodiment shows a solution of setting metal connectors 40 on the surface of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30 and / or on the surface facing the dielectric functional layer 30 to reduce or avoid signal attenuation caused by microwave signal leakage. In this embodiment, it is further defined that a first gap 61 is formed between the second substrates 20 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00, that is, the second substrates 20 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00 do not contact each other. In this way, when it is necessary to set the metal connector 40 on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, it can be set through the first gap 61 between the second substrates 20, so as to simplify the manufacturing difficulty when setting the metal connector 40 on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30.

[0065] Continue to refer to Figure 5 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the width of the first gap 61 is: 0.1 mm ≤ D0 ≤ 1 mm. Specifically, when setting the metal connector 40 on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, the metal connector 40 can be, for example, a metal foil. When the width of the first gap 61 is set between 0.1 mm and 1 mm, an auxiliary tool can be used to place the metal foil into the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30 through the first gap 61, so as to realize the connection between the metal connector 40 and the first substrates 10 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00, or to realize the connection between the metal connector 40 and the ground metal layers 11 of two adjacent sub-antennas 00. In some other embodiments of the present invention, the metal connector 40 can also be formed by curing metal paste. During the actual manufacturing process, an auxiliary tool (such as a needle) can be used to inject the metal paste into the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30 through the first gap 61. At this time, the width of the first gap 61 only needs to ensure the passage of the auxiliary tool. For example, the width of the first gap 61 can be set to 0.1 mm ≤ D0 ≤ 0.5 mm.

[0066] If the width of the first interval 61 is set to be small, for example, less than 0.1 mm, it will increase the difficulty of fabricating or fixing the metal connecting member 40 on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30. Therefore, when the width of the first interval 61 is set to be greater than or equal to 0.1 mm, it can, to a certain extent, reduce the difficulty of fabricating or fixing the metal connecting member 40 on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30 and simplify the manufacturing process. If the width of the first interval 61 is set to be large, for example, greater than 1 mm, it will cause the first gap 51 between the first substrates 10 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00 to be too large, and further cause the second gap 52 between the grounding metal layers 11 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00 to be too large. The larger the first gap 51 and the second gap 52 are, the less conducive it is to the shielding of microwave signals. Therefore, when the width of the first interval 61 is set within 1 mm, it is also beneficial to achieve the shielding of microwave signals on the side of the first substrate 10.

[0067] Figure 6 The following shows another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention, and this embodiment shows a relative position relationship between two adjacent first substrates 10.

[0068] Please refer to Figure 6 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, in the splicing area Q, two first substrates 10 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00 respectively include a special-shaped surface M, and the special-shaped surfaces M of the two are nested with each other.

[0069] Specifically, this embodiment shows a solution in which, among the first substrates 10 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00, two surfaces of the two first substrates 10 facing each other along the arrangement direction of the two sub-antennas 00 are special-shaped surfaces M, and the two special-shaped surfaces M are nested with each other. When two adjacent first substrates 10 are nested through the special-shaped surface M, it is beneficial to improve the splicing reliability of the first substrates 10 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00, and further beneficial to increase the overall splicing reliability of two adjacent sub-antennas 00.

[0070] Continue to refer to Figure 6 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, among two first substrates 10 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00, the two special-shaped surfaces M are both L-shaped.

[0071] Specifically, this embodiment shows a solution in which the shapes of the special-shaped surfaces M corresponding to the first substrates 10 of two adjacent sub-antennas 00 are both L-shaped. When fabricating the first substrate 10, a substrate with a conventional shape is usually cut to form the special-shaped surface M. When the shape of the special-shaped surface M is set to be L-shaped, the structure is relatively simple and can be formed by simple cutting, so it is beneficial to simplify the manufacturing process of the antenna and improve production efficiency.

[0072] Of course, in some other embodiments of the present invention, the special-shaped surfaces M corresponding to two adjacent first substrates 10 may also be set to other shapes, such as Figure 7 the "ji" - shaped structure shown, etc. The present invention does not make specific limitations in this regard. Among them, Figure 7 FIG. shows another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] Figure 8 FIG. shows a relative positional relationship diagram of the first substrate 10, the ground metal layer 11, and the metal connector 40 of two adjacent sub - antennas 00 in the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment shows a solution of introducing a metal layer 70 between the special - shaped surfaces M of two adjacent first substrates 10.

[0074] Please refer to Figure 8 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a metal layer 70 is provided between two special - shaped surfaces M, and the metal layer 70 is electrically connected to the metal connector 40.

[0075] Specifically, when two adjacent first substrates 10 are spliced using two special - shaped surfaces M, a metal layer 70 can also be provided in the area between the two special - shaped surfaces M, which is equivalent to providing a metal layer 70 in the gap between the two special - shaped surfaces M. Further, the above - mentioned metal layer 70 is electrically connected to the metal connector 40, so that the metal layer 70 and the metal connector 40 are at the same potential. In this way, when part of the microwave is transmitted into the gap between the two special - shaped surfaces M, the metal layer 70 provided in the gap between the two special - shaped surfaces M can also play a role in shielding the microwave and suppressing further leakage of the microwave.

[0076] Figure 8 FIG. shows a solution of providing a metal layer 70 between the special - shaped surfaces M of two adjacent first substrates 10 while the metal connector 40 is provided on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30. In some other embodiments of the present invention, when the metal connector 40 is provided on the side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30, a metal layer 70 can also be provided between the special - shaped surfaces M of two adjacent first substrates 10. Of course, in some other embodiments of the present invention, please refer to Figure 9 , while metal connectors 40 are provided on both the side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30 and the side facing the dielectric functional layer 30, a metal layer 70 is provided between the special - shaped surfaces M of two adjacent first substrates 10, and the metal layer 70 is electrically connected to the metal connectors 40 located on its upper and lower sides respectively. The three together form a microwave shielding barrier, which is more conducive to avoiding microwave leakage and thus more conducive to improving the radiation performance of the antenna. Among them, Figure 9The following is another relative position relationship diagram of the first substrate 10, the ground metal layer 11, and the metal connecting member 40 of two adjacent sub-antennas 00 in the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] It should be noted that the metal layer 70 disposed in the gap between the shaped surfaces M of two adjacent first substrates 10 can be fixed to the shaped surface M by means of pasting.

[0078] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the metal connecting member 40 is formed by curing metal paste, or the metal connecting member 40 is a metal foil.

[0079] Specifically, when the metal connecting member 40 is formed by curing metal paste, after the sub-antennas 00 are spliced, the metal paste can be injected into the corresponding splicing area Q of two adjacent first substrates 10 to form the metal connecting member 40. When making the metal connecting member with metal paste, the metal paste can fill in the first gap 51 formed by the ground metal layers 11 of two adjacent sub-antennas 00. For example, please refer to Figures 7 to 9 , which is more conducive to reducing the transmission path of microwave signals, and is also more conducive to avoiding or reducing the signal attenuation phenomenon caused by microwave leakage. When the metal connecting member 40 is a metal foil, the metal foil can be pasted on the corresponding splicing area Q of two adjacent first substrates 10 by means of pasting. The metal connecting member 40 formed by curing metal paste or the metal connecting member 40 formed by metal foil can play a role in shielding microwaves, and both are beneficial to reducing or avoiding the possibility of microwave leakage.

[0080] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the metal connecting member 40 includes at least one of silver, copper, aluminum, and gold.

[0081] Silver, copper, aluminum, and gold all have good electrical conductivity and shielding performance. When the material of the metal connecting member 40 in the embodiment of the present invention is selected from at least one of silver, copper, aluminum, and gold, the metal connecting member 40 can not only form good electrical contact with the ground metal layer 11, but also form a good electrical signal shielding structure, effectively reducing the leakage of microwaves and improving the radiation performance of the large-area antenna.

[0082] Continue to refer to Figure 8 or Figure 9 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, along the direction perpendicular to the first substrate 10, the thickness of the metal connecting member 40 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the ground metal layer 11.

[0083] It can be understood that the greater the thickness of the metal connecting member 40, the better the shielding effect on microwave signals. In the embodiments of the present invention, when the thickness of the metal connecting member 40 is set to be greater than or equal to the thickness of the grounding metal layer 11, on the one hand, it can provide a better shielding effect on microwave signals, and on the other hand, it can also provide a better fixing effect on the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20, improving the fixing reliability between adjacent sub-antennas 00.

[0084] Figure 10 Shown is another structural schematic diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiments of the present invention. This embodiment shows a solution of introducing a first auxiliary substrate 81 on the side of the first substrate 10 of the sub-antenna 00 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30, and the radiator 12 is located on the side of the first auxiliary substrate 81 facing away from the sub-antenna 00. After the phase of the high-frequency signal transmitted on the phase shifter 21 of the sub-antenna 00 is changed, finally the high-frequency signal is coupled to the radiator 12, and the high-frequency signal is radiated outward through the radiator 12.

[0085] Please refer to Figure 10 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the antenna provided by the embodiments of the present invention further includes a first auxiliary substrate 81 and a plurality of radiators 12. The first auxiliary substrate 81 is fixed to the side of the first substrate 10 of the plurality of sub-antennas 00 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30, the radiator 12 is located on the side of the first auxiliary substrate 81 facing away from the first substrate 10, and the plurality of sub-antennas 00 correspond to the same first auxiliary substrate 81.

[0086] Specifically, in the antenna provided by this embodiment, the plurality of sub-antennas 00 correspond to the same first auxiliary substrate 81. The radiators 12 of the sub-antennas 00 are disposed on the same first auxiliary substrate 81 at one time, and finally the plurality of sub-antennas 00 can be disposed on the first auxiliary substrate 81 by means of bonding to prepare a large-scale antenna array. Compared with the splicing scheme in the prior art, the bonding accuracy is higher, the relative position accuracy between the antennas is improved, the assembly difficulty is simplified, and the production efficiency of the antenna is improved.

[0087] Continue to refer to Figure 10 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the metal connecting member 40 is located on the side of the first auxiliary substrate 81 close to the first substrate 10, and the metal connecting member 40 is insulated from the radiator 12. Optionally, the metal connecting member is located on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30.

[0088] Specifically, when the plurality of sub-antennas 00 are spliced and fixed through the same auxiliary substrate, the metal connecting member 40 can be disposed in the splicing area Q on the side of the first auxiliary substrate 81 close to the first substrate 10, Figure 10The embodiment shows a solution of introducing a metal connecting member 40 on the side of the first substrate 10 of two adjacent sub-antennas 00 facing the dielectric functional layer 30. In this way, while splicing multiple sub-antennas 00 with high precision through the same first auxiliary substrate 81, the phenomenon of microwave leakage of the spliced antenna of this structure can be improved, and the overall radiation performance of the antenna can be enhanced.

[0089] Figure 11 The following is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 12 As shown in Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a relative relationship among the first substrate 10, the second auxiliary substrate 82, and the metal connecting member 40 in Figure 13 The following is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 14 As shown in Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a relative relationship among the first substrate 10, the second auxiliary substrate 82, and the metal connecting member 40 in Figures 11 to 14 The embodiment shows a solution that a large-area antenna formed by splicing multiple sub-antennas 00 further includes a second auxiliary substrate 82.

[0090] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the antenna further includes a second auxiliary substrate 82. Please refer to Figure 11 and Figure 12 , the second auxiliary substrate 82 is located on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, or, please refer to Figure 13 and Figure 14 , the second auxiliary substrate 82 is located on the side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30;

[0091] The metal connecting member 40 is located on the surface of the second auxiliary substrate 82 facing the first substrate 10; in the splicing area Q, the metal connecting member 40 is connected to two adjacent first substrates 10 through a conductor 90.

[0092] Specifically, this embodiment shows a solution in which the metal connector 40 is disposed on the second auxiliary substrate 82, and the metal connector 40 is connected to two adjacent first substrates 10 through a conductor 90, for example, electrically connected to the ground metal layers 11 on two adjacent first substrates 10. Optionally, in the process of manufacturing the sub-antenna 00, the process of cutting the substrate may be involved. For example, the phase shifter 21 and the corresponding second substrate 20 may be cut to form a film layer structure of the substrate and the metal layer combination. This part of the structure can be fully utilized as the second auxiliary substrate 82 and the metal connector 40 mentioned in the embodiments of the present invention, thereby realizing the utilization of waste materials and being beneficial to saving production costs. Optionally, the conductor 90 connecting the metal connector 40 and the first substrate 10 may be, for example, metal paste or other materials. In this embodiment, the overall structure composed of the second auxiliary substrate 82, the metal connector 40, and the conductor 90 constitutes a microwave signal shielding layer, which can also reduce the leakage of microwaves and improve the overall radiation performance of the antenna.

[0093] It should be noted that Figure 11 and Figure 12 shows a solution in which the second auxiliary substrate 82 and the metal connector 40 are disposed on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30. Figure 13 and Figure 14 shows a solution in which the second auxiliary substrate 82 and the metal connector 40 are disposed on the side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30. In some other embodiments of the present invention, to further prevent microwave leakage, the second auxiliary substrate 82 and the metal connector 40 may be simultaneously disposed on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30 and the side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30.

[0094] Please refer to Figure 11 and Figure 12 , in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the conductor 90 is electrically connected to the corresponding ground metal layers 11 of two adjacent first substrates 10 respectively.

[0095] Specifically, when the second auxiliary substrate 82 is introduced into the splicing area Q and the metal connector 40 is disposed on the second auxiliary substrate 82, for the solution in which the metal connector 40 and the second auxiliary substrate 82 are located on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, this embodiment further defines that the conductor 90 electrically connected to the metal connector 40 is also electrically connected to the corresponding ground metal layers 11 of two adjacent first substrates 10 respectively. In this way, in the splicing area Q, the ground metal layer 11, the conductor 90, and the metal connector 40 together constitute a signal shielding barrier, which can also effectively reduce the signal attenuation phenomenon caused by the leakage of microwaves. Therefore, while saving production costs, it is beneficial to improve the overall radiation performance of the antenna.

[0096] Figure 15The figure shows a schematic structural diagram of the spliced sub - antenna and the fixed frame in the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment shows a solution for further fixing each sub - antenna 00 through the fixed frame.

[0097] Please refer to Figures 1 to 15 In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the antenna further includes a first fixed frame 01 and a second fixed frame 02 which are oppositely arranged. The first fixed frame 01 includes a plurality of first fixed openings K1 corresponding to the first substrates 10 of the sub - antennas 00. The first fixed frame 01 is used to fix each first substrate 10 in different first fixed openings K1. The second fixed frame 02 includes a plurality of second fixed openings K2 corresponding to the second substrates 20 of the sub - antennas 00. The second fixed frame 02 is used to fix each second substrate 20 in different second fixed openings K2.

[0098] Specifically, in the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention, a first fixed frame 01 for fixing the first substrates 10 of a plurality of sub - antennas 00 and a second fixed frame 02 for fixing the second substrates 20 of a plurality of sub - antennas 00 are introduced. Among them, the first fixed frame 01 includes a plurality of first fixed openings K1, and the second fixed frame 02 includes a plurality of second fixed openings K2. One first substrate 10 is fixed in each first fixed opening K1, and one second substrate 20 is fixed in each second fixed opening K2. Optionally, the first fixed opening K1 is a hollow structure to avoid affecting the radiation performance of the antenna. Optionally, after fixing a plurality of first substrates 10 and a plurality of second substrates 20 to the first fixed frame 01 and the second fixed frame 02 respectively, the first fixed frame 01 and the second fixed frame 02 can also be fixed to improve the fixing reliability of the overall antenna with a larger area formed by splicing the sub - antennas 00.

[0099] Figure 16 The figure shows a relative position relationship diagram of the protruding portion 022 in the second fixed frame 02 and two adjacent sub - antennas 00. Please refer to Figure 15 and Figure 16 In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the second fixed frame 02 further includes a protruding portion 022 and a back plate 021 disposed in the second fixed opening K2. The back plate 021 is used to carry the second substrate 20, and the protruding portion 022 is located between the first intervals 61 formed by two adjacent second substrates 20.

[0100] Specifically, in the second fixing frame 02 introduced in the embodiments of the present invention, a backplane 021 is introduced at the position of the second fixing opening K2. When the second substrate 20 is fixed in the second fixing opening K2 of the second fixing frame 02, the backplane 021 can support the second substrate 20 and at the same time isolate the second substrate 20 from the outside world, thus playing a role in protecting the second substrate 20. In addition, the second fixing frame 02 further includes a convex portion 022. Optionally, the convex portion 022 is a structure that protrudes toward the side of the sub-antenna 00 relative to the backplane 021. The convex portion 022 is located in the splicing area Q and between the first intervals 61 formed by two adjacent second substrates 20, and extends toward the first substrate 10 to the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, thereby playing a certain supporting role for the first substrate 10 and being beneficial to increasing the overall splicing stability of the antenna.

[0101] It should be noted that although Figure 16 only the scheme of disposing the metal connecting member 40 on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30 and the first substrate 10 including the irregular surface M is shown, Figures 1 to 14 the structure of the sub-antenna in Figure 16 can be applied to the

[0102] Based on the same inventive concept, the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing an antenna. Figure 17 Shown is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Figures 1 to 17 The manufacturing method includes:

[0103] S01. Provide a plurality of sub-antennas 00, where the sub-antenna 00 includes a first substrate 10 and a second substrate 20 disposed opposite to each other and a dielectric functional layer 30 disposed between the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20; a grounding metal layer 11 is disposed on the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30.

[0104] S02. Arrange the plurality of sub-antennas 00 in an array such that the first substrates 10 of the respective sub-antennas 00 are coplanar and the second substrates 20 of the respective sub-antennas 00 are coplanar.

[0105] S03. Set a metal connecting member 40 in the splicing area Q between two adjacent sub-antennas 00 such that the metal connecting member 40 connects the first substrates 10 in two adjacent sub-antennas 00.

[0106] Specifically, in the method for manufacturing the antenna provided by the embodiments of the present invention, after splicing a plurality of sub-antenna 00 arrays so that the first substrates 10 of each sub-antenna 00 are coplanar and the second substrates 20 are coplanar, a step of arranging a metal connecting member 40 in the splicing area Q between two adjacent sub-antennas 00 is further introduced, and the first substrates 10 in two adjacent sub-antennas 00 are connected by the connecting member. In the method for manufacturing the antenna provided by the present embodiment, a metal connecting member 40 is introduced in the splicing area Q. The metal connecting member 40 has a signal shielding function, and the metal connecting member 40 is simultaneously connected to the first substrates 10 in two adjacent sub-antennas 00. Thus, the metal connecting member 40 can reduce the microwave leakage at the gap between two adjacent sub-antennas 00 to a certain extent, which is beneficial to avoiding or reducing the signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage, so as to improve the stability of microwave signals and the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0107] It should be noted that the manufacturing process of a single sub-antenna 00 can refer to the manufacturing process of sub-antenna 00 in the related art, and the present invention does not specifically limit this.

[0108] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, please refer to Figures 1 to 17 , in the above step S03, the method of arranging the metal connecting member 40 in the splicing area Q between two adjacent sub-antennas 00 at least includes:

[0109] In the splicing area Q, the metal paste is coated on the surface of the first substrates 10 of two adjacent sub-antennas 00 facing away from or towards the dielectric functional layer 30 by means of coating; or, the metal foil is pasted on the surface of the first substrates 10 of two adjacent sub-antennas 00 facing away from or towards the dielectric functional layer 30 by means of pasting.

[0110] Specifically, in the method for manufacturing the antenna provided by the embodiments of the present invention, at least two different methods can be used to arrange the metal connecting member 40 in the splicing area Q between two adjacent sub-antennas 00. One method is to coat the metal paste on the surface of the two adjacent first substrates 10 in the splicing area Q by means of coating, for example, coating on the surface of the two adjacent first substrates 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30, or coating on the surface of the two adjacent first substrates 10 facing towards the dielectric functional layer 30. After the metal paste is coated, the metal paste is cured to form the metal connecting member 40, and the metal connecting member 40 can connect the two adjacent first substrates 10 and can fill the gap between the grounding metal layers 11 of the two adjacent sub-antennas 00. Another method is to use the metal foil as the metal connecting member 40 and paste the metal foil on the surface of the two adjacent first substrates 10 facing away from the dielectric functional layer 30 or paste it on the surface of the two adjacent first substrates 10 facing towards the dielectric functional layer 30, so that the two adjacent first substrates 10 can be connected and the gap between the grounding metal layers 11 of the two sub-antennas 00 can be blocked.

[0111] When setting the metal connector 40 by the above two methods, the metal connector 40 can block the gap between the grounding metal layers 11 corresponding to two adjacent sub-antennas 00 to a certain extent, thereby reducing or blocking the path of microwave leakage, reducing or avoiding signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage, and improving the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0112] Optionally, when coating the metal paste by the coating method, it is selected to cover and fill the entire first gap 51 between the grounding metal layers 11 of two adjacent sub-antennas 00. When using a metal foil as the metal connector 40, ensure that the length of the metal foil can cover the entire first gap 51 between the grounding metal layers 11 of two adjacent sub-antennas 00, so as to block the microwave leakage path as much as possible.

[0113] In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the method for setting the metal connector 40 in the splicing area Q of two adjacent sub-antennas 00 at least includes:

[0114] Place the antenna on the operating table, and place the first substrate 10 on the side of the second substrate 20 facing the operating table; wherein, there is a first interval 61 between two adjacent second substrates 20;

[0115] Place the nozzle filled with metal paste in the first interval 61, and coat the metal paste on the splicing area Q of two adjacent sub-antennas 00 through the nozzle.

[0116] In normal applications, the first substrate 10 is located on the upper surface of the antenna, and the second substrate 20 is located on the lower surface of the antenna. In this embodiment, when setting the metal connector 40 in the splicing area Q of two adjacent sub-antennas 00, the spliced first substrate 10 and second substrate 20 can be flipped so that the second substrate 20 is on the top and the first substrate 10 is on the bottom, that is, place the first substrate 10 on the operating table and the first interval 61 on the second substrate 20 faces upward. In this way, the nozzle filled with metal paste can be extended through the first interval 61 to the side of two adjacent first substrates 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, and the metal paste is coated at the position of the splicing area Q. After the metal paste is cured, the metal connector 40 can be formed. Optionally, the metal paste can be coated at a constant speed during the coating process to improve the convexity uniformity of the metal paste in each part of the splicing area Q and ensure that each area can achieve a better signal shielding effect.

[0117] In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the method for setting the metal connector 40 in the splicing area Q of two adjacent sub-antennas 00 at least includes:

[0118] Place the antenna on the operating table, and place the first substrate 10 on the side of the second substrate 20 facing the operating table; wherein, in the splicing area Q, there is a hollow space between the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 and an opening on the sides of the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20;

[0119] Pour metal paste into the space between two adjacent first substrates 10 from the opening, and tilt the antenna so that the metal paste fills the splicing area Q.

[0120] Specifically, this embodiment shows another implementation manner of arranging the metal connector 40 in the splicing area Q between two adjacent sub-antennas 00. In this embodiment, instead of coating the metal paste through the first gap 61 between the second substrates 20, the metal paste is poured from the opening on the sides of the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20. After a certain amount of metal paste is poured onto the side of the first substrate 10 facing the dielectric functional layer 30, the side of the antenna where the metal paste is poured can be lifted to tilt the whole antenna. In this way, the metal paste can flow along the first gap 51 of the grounding metal layers 11 corresponding to two adjacent first substrates 10 until the entire first gap 51 is covered. After the metal paste is cured, the metal connector 40 with a partial shielding function can be formed.

[0121] Optionally, during the manufacturing process of the antenna, the first substrates of the sub-antennas can be first placed in the first fixing frame 01 as shown in Figure 15 and the first substrates of the sub-antennas are spliced and fixed through the first fixing frame. Before assembling the second substrate with the second fixing frame 02, a metal connector can be arranged on the side of the first substrate facing the dielectric functional layer, and finally the second substrate is fixed with the second fixing frame 02. Of course, in some other embodiments of the present invention, the second substrates of the sub-antennas can also be first placed in the second fixing frame 02 as shown in Figure 15 and the second substrates of the sub-antennas are spliced and fixed through the first fixing frame. Before assembling the first substrate with the first fixing frame 02, a metal connector can be arranged on the side of the first substrate facing away from the dielectric functional layer, and finally the first substrate is fixed with the first fixing frame 01.

[0122] In summary, the antenna and its manufacturing method provided by the present invention achieve at least the following beneficial effects:

[0123] The antenna provided by the present invention includes a plurality of sub-antennas arranged in an array. The first substrates of the plurality of sub-antennas are coplanar, and the second substrates are coplanar. That is to say, the plurality of sub-antennas are spliced to form an antenna with a larger area. Adjacent two sub-antennas include a splicing area, which can be understood as the gap between adjacent two sub-antennas and at least part of the areas on both sides of the gap. In the splicing area, the first substrates of adjacent two sub-antennas are connected by a metal connecting piece. That is to say, a metal connecting piece is introduced in the splicing area. In this way, the metal connecting piece can reduce the microwave leakage at the gap to a certain extent, which is beneficial to avoiding or reducing the signal attenuation caused by microwave leakage, so as to improve the stability of microwave signals and the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0124] In the manufacturing method of the antenna provided by the present invention, after arranging a plurality of sub-antennas in an array to make the first substrates of each sub-antenna coplanar and the second substrates of each sub-antenna coplanar, a metal connecting piece is arranged in the splicing area between adjacent two sub-antennas, and the first substrates in adjacent two sub-antennas are connected by the metal connecting piece. The metal connecting piece plays a role of signal shielding, avoiding or reducing the leakage of microwaves from the gap between adjacent sub-antennas. Moreover, only by arranging a metal connecting piece in the splicing area to improve the radiation performance of the antenna, the manufacturing method is simple and easy to operate, so it is also beneficial to improving the production efficiency of the antenna.

[0125] Although some specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are only for illustration and not for limiting the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments can be modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An antenna, characterized in that, Comprising a plurality of sub-antennas arranged in an array; The sub-antenna includes a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other, and a dielectric functional layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a ground metal layer is disposed on a side of the first substrate facing the dielectric functional layer; The first substrates of the respective sub-antennas are coplanar, and the second substrates of the respective sub-antennas are coplanar; the sub-antenna further includes a metal connecting member; adjacent two sub-antennas include a splicing area, and in the splicing area, the first substrates of the adjacent two sub-antennas are connected by the metal connecting member; A first gap is formed between the ground metal layers of the adjacent two sub-antennas, and along a direction perpendicular to the first substrate, the metal connecting member covers the first gap; In the splicing area, the corresponding two first substrates of the adjacent two sub-antennas respectively include irregular surfaces, and the irregular surfaces of the two are nested with each other.

2. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein, The metal connecting member is located on a surface of the first substrate facing away from the dielectric functional layer, and / or, the metal connecting member is located on a surface of the first substrate facing the dielectric functional layer.

3. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that The metal connecting member is located on a surface of the first substrate facing the dielectric functional layer, and the metal connecting member is respectively in contact with the ground metal layers corresponding to the adjacent two first substrates.

4. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first interval is formed between the second substrates of the adjacent two sub-antennas.

5. The antenna according to claim 4, wherein The width of the first interval is: 0.1 mm ≤ D0 ≤ 1 mm.

6. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein Among the corresponding two first substrates of the adjacent two sub-antennas, the two irregular surfaces are both L-shaped.

7. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, A metal layer is disposed between the two irregular surfaces, and the metal layer is electrically connected to the metal connecting member.

8. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein The metal connecting member is formed by curing metal paste, or the metal connecting member is a metal foil.

9. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein The metal connecting member includes at least one of silver, copper, aluminum, and gold.

10. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along a direction perpendicular to the first substrate, the thickness of the metal connecting member is greater than or equal to the thickness of the ground metal layer.

11. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a first auxiliary substrate and a plurality of radiators. The first auxiliary substrate is fixed to a side of the first substrates of the plurality of sub-antennas facing away from the dielectric functional layer, the radiators are located on a side of the first auxiliary substrate facing away from the first substrate, and the plurality of sub-antennas correspond to the same first auxiliary substrate.

12. The antenna according to claim 11, characterized in that, The metal connecting member is located on a side of the first auxiliary substrate close to the first substrate, and the metal connecting member is insulated from the radiator.

13. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a second auxiliary substrate. The second auxiliary substrate is located on a side of the first substrate facing the dielectric functional layer, or the second auxiliary substrate is located on a side of the first substrate facing away from the dielectric functional layer; The metal connecting member is located on a surface of the second auxiliary substrate facing the first substrate; in the splicing area, the metal connecting member is connected to the adjacent two first substrates through a conductor.

14. The antenna according to claim 13, characterized in that, The conductor is respectively electrically connected to the ground metal layers corresponding to the adjacent two first substrates.

15. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a first fixed frame and a second fixed frame which are oppositely arranged. The first fixed frame includes a plurality of first fixed openings corresponding to the first substrates of the plurality of sub-antennas, and the first fixed frame is used to fix each of the first substrates in different first fixed openings; The second fixed frame includes a plurality of second fixed openings corresponding to the second substrates of the sub-antennas, and the second fixed frame is used to fix each of the second substrates in different second fixed openings.

16. The antenna according to claim 15, characterized in that, The second fixed frame further includes a protrusion and a back plate disposed in the second fixed opening. The back plate is used to carry the second substrate, and the protrusion is located between a first gap formed between two adjacent second substrates.

17. A manufacturing method of an antenna, characterized in that It includes: Providing a plurality of sub-antennas, wherein each sub-antenna includes a first substrate and a second substrate which are oppositely arranged, and a dielectric functional layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a ground metal layer is disposed on a side of the first substrate facing the dielectric functional layer; Arranging the plurality of sub-antennas in an array such that the first substrates of each sub-antenna are coplanar and the second substrates of each sub-antenna are coplanar; Providing a metal connector in a splicing area between two adjacent sub-antennas such that the metal connector connects the first substrates in two adjacent sub-antennas; A first gap is formed between the ground metal layers of two adjacent sub-antennas, and along a direction perpendicular to the first substrate, the metal connector covers the first gap; In a splicing area between two adjacent sub-antennas, the two first substrates corresponding to the two adjacent sub-antennas respectively include irregular surfaces, and the irregular surfaces are nested with each other.

18. The manufacturing method according to claim 17, wherein The method of providing a metal connector in a splicing area between two adjacent sub-antennas at least includes: In the splicing area, applying a metal paste on a surface of the first substrates of two adjacent sub-antennas facing away from or towards the dielectric functional layer by a coating method; or, pasting a metal foil on a surface of the first substrates of two adjacent sub-antennas facing away from or towards the dielectric functional layer by an attaching method.

19. The manufacturing method according to claim 17, wherein, The method of providing a metal connector in a splicing area between two adjacent sub-antennas at least includes: Placing the antenna on an operating table, and placing the first substrate on a side of the second substrate facing the operating table; wherein, a first gap is included between two adjacent second substrates; Placing a nozzle filled with metal paste in the first gap, and coating the metal paste on a splicing area between two adjacent sub-antennas through the nozzle.

20. The manufacturing method according to claim 17, wherein, The method of providing a metal connector in a splicing area between two adjacent sub-antennas at least includes: Placing the antenna on an operating table, and placing the first substrate on a side of the second substrate facing the operating table; wherein, in the splicing area, a hollow space and an opening are included between the first substrate and the second substrate on the side surfaces; Pouring metal paste between two adjacent first substrates from the opening, and tilting the antenna to make the metal paste fill the splicing area.

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