RF devices and antenna devices

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a radio frequency device and an antenna device, belonging to the field of wireless communication technology. The radio frequency device of the present disclosure includes: a dielectric structure, which includes a magnetoelectric coupling material; at least one group of control electrodes, each of the at least one group of control electrodes includes a first sub-electrode and a second sub-electrode; and the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode are configured to generate an electric field after a voltage signal is applied to change the magnetic permeability of the dielectric structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of wireless communications, and in particular relates to a radio frequency device and an antenna device. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the information age, wireless terminals with high integration, miniaturization, multi-functions and low cost have gradually become the development trend of communication technology. In communication and radar applications, RF devices are essential key components in RF systems.

[0003] However, existing radio frequency devices have the disadvantages of being large in size and weight, which is not conducive to miniaturization of radio frequency systems. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art and provide a radio frequency device and an antenna device.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a radio frequency device, including:

[0006] a dielectric structure including a magneto-electric coupling material;

[0007] At least one group of control electrodes, each group of the at least one group of control electrodes includes a first sub-electrode and a second sub-electrode; and the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode are configured to generate an electric field after a voltage signal is applied to change the magnetic permeability of the dielectric structure.

[0008] Optionally, the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode of each group of the at least one group of control electrodes are arranged in the same layer, and the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode both include interdigitated electrodes, and the interdigitated electrodes of the first sub-electrode and the interdigitated electrodes of the second sub-electrode are alternately arranged.

[0009] Optionally, the radio frequency device is a waveguide phase shifter; the waveguide phase shifter further comprises: a waveguide cavity;

[0010] The dielectric structure comprises at least one dielectric sub-cavity; the extension direction of the dielectric sub-cavity is the same as the extension direction of the waveguide cavity;

[0011] The control electrode is arranged in the side wall of the dielectric sub-cavity.

[0012] Optionally, the control electrode is arranged in each side wall of the dielectric sub-cavity.

[0013] Optionally, multiple groups of control electrodes are disposed in each side wall of the dielectric sub-cavity, and the multiple groups of control electrodes are sequentially arranged along the extension direction of the dielectric sub-cavity; the number of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes of each group of control electrodes in any of the side walls is different.

[0014] Optionally, the number of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes of each group of the control electrodes in any of the side walls increases monotonically or decreases monotonically.

[0015] Optionally, the waveguide phase shifter includes two dielectric sub-cavities; and a loading medium is arranged between the two dielectric sub-cavities.

[0016] Optionally, the loading medium comprises ceramic.

[0017] Optionally, the waveguide phase shifter further includes a voltage control interface, and one of the voltage control interfaces is connected to the first sub-electrode or the second sub-electrode through the waveguide cavity.

[0018] Optionally, the RF device is a variable inductor; the dielectric structure includes a first surface and a second surface arranged opposite to each other; the at least one group of control electrodes is arranged on the first surface of the dielectric structure; and the variable inductor also includes an inductor component located on the second surface of the dielectric structure.

[0019] Optionally, the variable inductor comprises a plurality of groups of control electrodes, which are arranged side by side along the length direction of the variable inductor, and the numbers of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes of the control electrodes in different groups are different.

[0020] Optionally, the number of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes of each group of control electrodes increases monotonically or decreases monotonically.

[0021] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an antenna device, comprising the above-mentioned radio frequency device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 2a is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary ferrite waveguide phase shifter;

[0024] Figure 2b is a schematic structural diagram of another exemplary ferrite waveguide phase shifter;

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a waveguide phase shifter provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a cross-sectional view of a waveguide phase shifter shown;

[0027] Figure 5 for Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a vertical cross-section of a waveguide phase shifter shown;

[0028] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a variable inductor provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a control electrode of a variable inductor shown;

[0030] Figure 8 for Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another control electrode of a variable inductor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present disclosure belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in the present disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, similar words such as "one", "one" or "the" do not indicate quantity restrictions, but indicate that there is at least one. Similar words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Similar words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0033] In communication and radar applications, RF devices are essential key components in RF systems. However, existing RF devices have the disadvantages of being large in size and weight, which is not conducive to miniaturization of RF systems.

[0034] In order to solve at least one of the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a radio frequency device and an antenna device. The radio frequency device and the antenna device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure are further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0035] First, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Figure 1As shown, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a radio frequency device, which includes a dielectric structure 11 and at least one group of control electrodes. The material of the dielectric structure 11 is a magnetoelectric coupling material. The number of control electrodes can be one group or multiple groups. This embodiment is described by taking the control electrodes as one group as an example. Figure 1 , the control electrode includes two sub-electrodes, namely, a first sub-electrode 12 and a second sub-electrode 13. The first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13 can be arranged on the surface of the dielectric structure 11 and in contact with the dielectric structure, or the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13 can be arranged inside the dielectric structure 11. This embodiment is described by taking the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13 as an example that the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13 can be arranged inside the dielectric structure 11. By applying a voltage signal to the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13, an electric field will be generated between the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13. Since the dielectric structure 11 adopts a magneto-electric coupling material, the magnetic permeability of the dielectric structure 11 can be changed by the electric field generated between the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13.

[0036] In this embodiment, since the control electrode is arranged inside the dielectric structure, compared with the existing RF device, the bulky coil component outside the RF device is omitted, the volume and weight are reduced, and the miniaturization of the RF system is easier to achieve.

[0037] In some embodiments, continue to refer to Figure 1 ,like Figure 1 As shown, the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13 in the control electrode are arranged in the dielectric structure 11 in the same layer. The structures of the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13 can be the same or different, and the structures of the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13 can also be selected according to actual conditions, which is not specifically limited here. Preferably, this embodiment takes the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13 having the same structure as an example, wherein the first sub-electrode 12 and the second sub-electrode 13 both have interdigitated electrodes (121, 131), and the interdigitated electrodes 121 of the first sub-electrode and the interdigitated electrodes of the second sub-electrode 131 are alternately arranged in the dielectric structure 11.

[0038] In this embodiment, since the interdigitated electrodes 121 of the first sub-electrode 12 and the interdigitated electrodes 131 of the second sub-electrode 13 are alternately arranged in the dielectric structure 11, an electric field can be generated on the interdigitated electrodes 121 of the first sub-electrode 12 and the interdigitated electrodes 131 of the second sub-electrode 13 by applying a voltage signal to the interdigitated electrodes 121 of the first sub-electrode 12 and the interdigitated electrodes 131 of the second sub-electrode 13, so that the magnetic permeability of the dielectric structure 11 can be changed more accurately according to the generated electric field.

[0039] It should be noted that the RF device may be any device used for RF transmission. The following description will be made by taking the RF device being a waveguide phase shifter and the RF device being a variable inductor as examples.

[0040] Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of an exemplary structure of a ferrite waveguide phase shifter, Figure 2b FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary ferrite waveguide phase shifter structure. Conventional ferrite waveguide phase shifter structures are generally divided into two categories. One type of ferrite waveguide phase shifter relies on an external magnetic field to control the change in ferrite magnetic permeability (e.g. Figure 2a ), one type is a ferrite waveguide phase shifter that adds a coil inside the waveguide cavity to provide a magnetic field (such as Figure 2b ). These two traditional ferrite phase shifters usually require a large coil to provide an electromagnetic field to regulate the ferrite permeability in the waveguide cavity, thereby achieving the phase shifting function of the electromagnetic wave. However, the existing ferrite waveguide phase shifter is large in size and weight, which is not conducive to the miniaturization of the waveguide phase shifter.

[0041] In one example, the radio frequency device is a waveguide phase shifter. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a waveguide phase shifter provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Figure 4 for Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the cross-section of the waveguide phase shifter is shown in FIG. Figure 5 for Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the structure of the vertical section of the waveguide phase shifter is shown in FIG. Figure 3-Figure 5 As shown, the waveguide phase shifter includes a waveguide cavity 31, a dielectric structure 32, a control electrode 33, a loading medium 34, a signal input port 35 and a voltage control interface 36. The signal input port 35 and the voltage control interface 36 are both arranged on the waveguide cavity 31, and the number of the voltage control interface 36 is multiple. The dielectric structure 32 includes a first dielectric sub-cavity 321 and a second dielectric sub-cavity 322. A loading medium 34 is arranged between the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 and the second dielectric sub-cavity 322. The extension direction of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 and the second dielectric sub-cavity 322 is the same as the extension direction of the waveguide cavity 31, and the control electrode 33 is arranged in each side wall of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 and the second dielectric sub-cavity 322. This embodiment is described by taking the dielectric sub-cavity as a rectangular cavity as an example, wherein the dielectric sub-cavity has four side walls, and the control electrodes 33 are arranged in the four side walls. Of course, the control electrode 33 can also be arranged on any side wall of the dielectric sub-cavity, which will not be repeated here. The material of the dielectric structure 32 is a magnetoelectric coupling material. The first dielectric sub-cavity 321 and the second dielectric sub-cavity 322 are both filled with insulating gas, such as air, etc. The material of the loading medium 34 is ceramic.

[0042] The following is an example in which a group of control electrodes 33 are arranged in a side wall of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 and is explained in combination with the principle:

[0043] Among them, Figure 5 As shown, a group of control electrodes (the area framed by dotted lines in the figure) includes a first sub-electrode 331 and a second sub-electrode 332. The first sub-electrode 331 and the second sub-electrode 332 are arranged in the same layer in the first dielectric sub-cavity 321. The first sub-electrode 331 and the second sub-electrode 332 both include interdigitated electrodes, and the interdigitated electrodes of the first sub-electrode 331 and the interdigitated electrodes of the second sub-electrode 332 are arranged alternately. The first sub-electrode 331 and the second sub-electrode 332 pass through the waveguide cavity 31 and are connected to the first voltage control interface (not shown in the figure) and the second voltage control interface (not shown in the figure), respectively.

[0044] The working principle of the waveguide phase shifter of this embodiment is as follows: first, the electromagnetic wave signal enters the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 from the signal input port 35 and propagates along the extension direction of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321; then, voltage signals are provided to the first sub-electrode 331 and the second sub-electrode 332 through the first voltage control interface and the second voltage control interface respectively, so that an electric field is generated between the first sub-electrode 331 and the second sub-electrode 332, and the magnetic permeability of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 is changed by the generated electric field, thereby changing the propagation speed of the electromagnetic wave in the first dielectric sub-cavity 321, thereby realizing the phase shift of the electromagnetic wave.

[0045] Therefore, in this embodiment, since the control electrode 33 is disposed in the dielectric cavity 32, and the magnetic permeability of the dielectric cavity 32 is changed by the electric field generated by the control electrode 33 to achieve phase shifting, compared with the traditional ferrite phase shifter, no external magnetic field control is required, the bulky coil component is omitted, the volume and weight of the phase shifter are reduced, and it is conducive to the miniaturization of the waveguide phase shifter. Furthermore, since the magnetic permeability of the magneto-electric coupling material has a large variation range, the phase shifting performance of the phase shifter can be greatly improved.

[0046] The following description is made by taking a side wall of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 in which a plurality of control electrodes 33 are arranged as an example:

[0047] The structure of the waveguide phase shifter of this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the above-mentioned waveguide phase shifter, except that a plurality of control electrodes 33 are disposed in one side wall of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321. Figure 5As shown, there are multiple groups of control electrodes (the area framed by dotted lines in the figure is one group), and the multiple groups of control electrodes are arranged in sequence along the extension direction of the dielectric sub-cavity. The multiple groups of control electrodes include multiple sub-electrodes, each sub-electrode includes forked electrodes, and the forked electrodes of each sub-electrode are alternately arranged. The multiple sub-electrodes pass through the waveguide cavity 31 and are connected to multiple voltage control interfaces 36. In the present embodiment, the number of forked electrodes of the sub-electrodes of each group of control electrodes in a side wall of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 is different. Specifically, the number of forked electrodes of the sub-electrodes of each group of control electrodes in any side wall of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 increases monotonically or decreases monotonically. For example, as Figure 5 As shown, the number of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes 331 of each group of control electrodes in one side wall of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 decreases monotonically from top to bottom along the vertical direction.

[0048] The working principle of the waveguide phase shifter of this embodiment is as follows: first, the electromagnetic wave signal enters the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 from the signal input port 35 and propagates along the extension direction of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321; then, voltage signals are provided to the multiple interdigitated electrodes through multiple voltage control interfaces respectively, so that an electric field is generated between the multiple interdigitated electrodes, and the magnetic permeability of the first dielectric sub-cavity 321 is changed by the electric field, thereby changing the propagation speed of the electromagnetic wave in the first dielectric sub-cavity 321, thereby realizing the phase shifting function.

[0049] Therefore, in this embodiment, by properly arranging the arrangement of the interdigital electrodes, the change in the magnetic permeability of the dielectric structure 32 can be controlled in sections, thereby realizing a variety of phase shifting functions.

[0050] In one example, the radio frequency device is a variable inductor.

[0051] Inductance formula: L = μ × Ae * N2 / l, where L represents inductance, μ represents the magnetic permeability of the magnetic core, Ae represents the cross-sectional area of ​​the magnetic core, N represents the number of turns of the coil, and 1m represents the magnetic path length of the magnetic core.

[0052] From the inductance formula, we can know that the inductance value of the inductor can be changed by changing the magnetic permeability of the magnetic core. Traditional variable inductors use physical methods to load or remove the core in the inductor coil to change the magnetic permeability and thus change the inductance value. This design requires mechanical moving parts to adjust the position of the core, resulting in a larger overall volume and poor usability in some highly integrated circuit systems.

[0053] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a variable inductor structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Figure 6As shown, the variable inductor includes a dielectric structure 61, a control electrode 62 and an inductor component 63. The material of the dielectric structure 61 adopts a magneto-electric coupling material. The dielectric structure 61 includes a first surface and a second surface arranged opposite to each other, the first surface can be the upper surface of the dielectric structure 61, and the second surface can be the lower surface of the dielectric structure 61; or the first surface can be the lower surface of the dielectric structure 61, and the second surface can be the upper surface of the dielectric structure 61. In this embodiment, the first surface is the lower surface of the dielectric structure 61, and the second surface is the upper surface of the dielectric structure 61. The control electrode 62 is arranged on the lower surface of the dielectric structure 61, and the inductor component 63 is arranged on the upper surface of the dielectric structure 61, and the control electrode 62 and the inductor component 63 are both in contact with the dielectric structure 61. Figure 7 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a control electrode of a variable inductor is shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, the control electrode 62 includes a first sub-electrode 621 and a second sub-electrode 621. The structures of the first sub-electrode 621 and the second sub-electrode 622 may be the same or different, and the structures of the first sub-electrode 621 and the second sub-electrode 622 may be selected according to actual conditions, and are not specifically limited here. Preferably, this embodiment takes the first sub-electrode 621 and the second sub-electrode 622 having the same structure as an example, wherein the first sub-electrode 621 and the second sub-electrode 622 both have interdigitated electrodes, and the interdigitated electrodes of the first sub-electrode and the interdigitated electrodes of the second sub-electrode are alternately arranged on the lower surface of the dielectric structure 61.

[0054] In this embodiment, a voltage is applied to the first sub-electrode 621 and the second sub-electrode 622 provided on the dielectric structure 61 to generate an electric field between the first sub-electrode 621 and the second sub-electrode 622. The magnetic permeability of the dielectric structure 61 is changed by the generated electric field, thereby changing the inductance value of the variable inductor.

[0055] In some embodiments, the variable inductor includes multiple groups of control electrodes arranged side by side along the length direction of the variable inductor, and the number of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes of the control electrodes in different groups is different. Specifically, the number of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes of each group of control electrodes increases or decreases monotonically.

[0056] For example, Figure 8 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of another control electrode structure of a variable inductor is shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown, this embodiment is described by taking the variable inductor including four groups of control electrodes as an example. The four groups of control electrodes are arranged side by side along the length direction of the variable inductor, and each group of control electrodes 62' includes two sub-electrodes (621', 622'), and the two sub-electrodes (621', 622') have interdigitated electrodes. The number of interdigitated electrodes of the first sub-electrode 621' of the control electrodes 62' in different groups is different, where, for example Figure 8 As shown, the number of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes 331 of each group of control electrodes decreases monotonically from left to right along the horizontal direction.

[0057] In this embodiment, different numbers of interdigital electrodes can be provided and voltages can be applied to different numbers of interdigital electrodes to change the magnetic permeability of the dielectric structure 61 in different regions, thereby adjusting the inductance value of the variable inductor in different regions.

[0058] In some embodiments, the shape of the variable inductor can be any shape, which is not specifically limited herein. Preferably, Figure 6 As shown, the variable inductor is a serpentine inductor.

[0059] It should be noted that, in addition to phase shifters and variable inductors, RF devices may also be other types of devices, which will not be described one by one here.

[0060] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an antenna device, which includes the above-mentioned radio frequency device, and the radio frequency device includes a phase shifter, a variable inductor, etc.

[0061] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and substance of the present disclosure, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A radio frequency device, characterized in that: include: a dielectric structure including a magneto-electric coupling material; at least one group of control electrodes, each group of the at least one group of control electrodes comprising a first sub-electrode and a second sub-electrode; The first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode are configured to generate an electric field after a voltage signal is applied thereto, thereby changing the magnetic permeability of the dielectric structure; The radio frequency device is a waveguide phase shifter; The waveguide phase shifter further comprises: a waveguide cavity; the dielectric structure comprises at least one dielectric sub-cavity; the extension direction of the dielectric sub-cavity is the same as the extension direction of the waveguide cavity; the control electrode is arranged in the side wall of the dielectric sub-cavity; the dielectric sub-cavity is filled with an insulating gas; multiple groups of the control electrodes are arranged in each side wall of the dielectric sub-cavity, and the multiple groups of control electrodes are arranged in sequence along the extension direction of the dielectric sub-cavity; the number of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes of each group of the control electrodes in any of the side walls is different; or, The radio frequency device is a variable inductor; the variable inductor is serpentine in shape; the dielectric structure includes a first surface and a second surface that are arranged opposite to each other; the at least one group of control electrodes is arranged on the first surface of the dielectric structure; the variable inductor also includes an inductor component located on the second surface of the dielectric structure; the variable inductor includes multiple groups of control electrodes, which are arranged side by side along the length direction of the variable inductor, and the number of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes of the control electrodes in different groups is different.

2. The radio frequency device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode of each group of the at least one group of control electrodes are arranged in the same layer, and the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode both include interdigitated electrodes, and the interdigitated electrodes of the first sub-electrode and the interdigitated electrodes of the second sub-electrode are alternately arranged.

3. The radio frequency device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control electrode is arranged in each side wall of the dielectric sub-cavity.

4. The radio frequency device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of interdigitated electrodes of the first sub-electrodes of each group of the control electrodes in any of the side walls increases or decreases monotonically.

5. The radio frequency device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The waveguide phase shifter comprises two dielectric sub-cavities; and a loading medium is arranged between the two dielectric sub-cavities.

6. The radio frequency device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The loading medium includes ceramic.

7. The radio frequency device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The waveguide phase shifter further includes a voltage control interface, and one of the voltage control interfaces is connected to the first sub-electrode or the second sub-electrode through the waveguide cavity.

8. The radio frequency device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of interdigital electrodes of the first sub-electrodes of each group of control electrodes increases monotonically or decreases monotonically.

9. An antenna device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a radio frequency device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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