Reflective dual polarized 1-bit encoding device, method and system

Abstract

The application discloses a reflective dual-polarized 1bit coding device, method and system. The reflective dual-polarized 1bit coding device comprises an x-direction feed layer, a y-direction feed layer, a metal ground layer, a substrate, a two-dimensional array of N*N structural units arranged periodically on the substrate, wherein the structural unit comprises a center metal patch, a capacitor, a peripheral metal patch, an inductor and a metal via hole which surround the center metal patch in turn, and the center metal patch, the capacitor, the peripheral metal patch, the inductor and the metal via hole are electrically connected in turn; the center of the center metal patch is defined as the origin of an xy coordinate system, the x-axis of the xy coordinate system defines the x-direction of the x-direction feed layer, and the y-axis of the xy coordinate system defines the y-direction of the y-direction feed layer. The application is suitable for millimeter wave frequency band communication, and the varactor diode is carried on the x-direction and the y-direction at the same time, so that the incident waves in the two polarization directions can be well regulated.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of millimeter wave communication, and in particular to a reflective dual-polarized 1bit coding device, method and system. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, metamaterials have attracted much attention due to their strong ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves and have been widely used in modern communication systems. Metasurfaces have shown their potential in improving the performance of various electromagnetic devices, including reflective array antennas, frequency selective surfaces, and wave-absorbing devices. However, the functions of these metasurfaces are usually fixed after they are prepared. Therefore, by integrating active components such as PIN diodes, MEMS, and varactor diodes into the metasurface, the function of the metasurface can be changed by changing the state of the active component. Reconfigurable coding metasurfaces can reconfigure electromagnetic waves in the spatial and frequency domains, and beam scanning or beam shaping under dual polarization can be achieved by loading active components. Since reconfigurable metasurfaces usually have a discrete phase response, Cui et al. proposed the concept of digital coding metasurfaces, which have phase responses of 0 and π, which can be regarded as coding "0" and "1", respectively. By adjusting the coding phase of the units on the array, the desired scattering function can be obtained. Since the active component itself has a relatively narrow resonance bandwidth, the proposed metasurface also has a narrow bandwidth.

[0003] With the development of 6G communication technology, a wireless communication system has been developed by RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces) to provide low-cost, high-gain wireless communication transmission in urban communication. However, most of the current RISs only work in x-polarization or y-polarization directions, but in complex communication environments, the attenuation caused by this working mode is very large.

[0004] With the increasing complexity of communication environments, there is an urgent need for a dual-polarized coding device that can work in x-polarization and y-polarization directions simultaneously, is simple to process, and is highly efficient in the field of millimeter wave communication. SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, the present application provides a reflective dual-polarized 1bit coding device, method and system, which can realize simultaneous operation in x-polarization and y-polarization directions in the millimeter wave frequency band, and has the advantages of simple processing and high efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a reflective dual-polarized 1bit coding device, comprising:

[0007] an x-direction feed layer;

[0008] a y-direction feed layer;

[0009] a metal ground layer;

[0010] a substrate;

[0011] a two-dimensional array of N×N structure units arranged on the substrate and periodically arranged;

[0012] the structure unit comprises a center metal patch, and a capacitor, a peripheral metal patch, an inductor and a metal via which surround the center metal patch in sequence from near to far, and the center metal patch, the capacitor, the peripheral metal patch, the inductor and the metal via are electrically connected in sequence;

[0013] the center of the center metal patch is defined as the origin of an xy coordinate system, the x axis of the xy coordinate system defines the x direction of the x direction feed layer, and the y axis of the xy coordinate system defines the y direction of the y direction feed layer.

[0014] Optionally, the capacitor, the peripheral metal patch, the inductor and the metal via of each structure unit each have four, which are annularly arranged around the center of the center metal patch at an interval angle of 90°.

[0015] Optionally, the shape of the center metal patch is a square with a central angle.

[0016] Optionally, the peripheral metal patch is an inverted trapezoid in the direction pointing to the center metal patch.

[0017] Optionally, the metal ground layer is a hollow metal layer, and the metal via penetrates through the metal ground layer.

[0018] Optionally, the substrate is F4B substrate with a thickness of 0.1-5 mm.

[0019] Preferably, the thickness of the metal ground layer is 0.1-5 mm.

[0020] Optionally, the x direction feed layer is FR4 material with a thickness of 0.1-5 mm.

[0021] Preferably, the y direction feed layer is FR4 material with a thickness of 0.1-5 mm.

[0022] Optionally, the side length of the center metal patch is 15-20 mm, and the angle-removed side length is 0.5-3 mm.

[0023] Preferably, the upper base of the peripheral metal patch is 10-17 mm, and the lower base is 8-15 mm.

[0024] In a second aspect, the application provides a method for encoding the reflective dual-polarized 1bit encoder device as described above, the method comprising:

[0025] controlling the voltage of the x direction feed layer and the y direction feed layer.

[0026] When the x-direction feed layer voltage is 3V and the y-direction feed layer voltage is 0V, the device works in the x polarization direction and is coded as "0";

[0027] When the x-direction feed layer voltage is 9V and the y-direction feed layer voltage is 0V, the device works in the x polarization direction and is coded as "1";

[0028] When the x-direction feed layer voltage is 0V and the y-direction feed layer voltage is 3V, the device works in the y polarization direction and is coded as "0";

[0029] When the x-direction feed layer voltage is 0V and the y-direction feed layer voltage is 9V, the device works in the y polarization direction and is coded as "1".

[0030] In a third aspect, the application provides a reflective dual-polarization 1bit coding system, which comprises:

[0031] The reflective dual-polarization 1bit coding device, the incident horn, the receiving horn, and the control power supply are as described above;

[0032] The incident horn emits electromagnetic waves to irradiate the surface of the coding device controlled by the power supply, and the electromagnetic waves reflected by the coding device are reflected to the receiving horn, thereby completing the coding;

[0033] When the x-direction feed layer voltage is 3V and the y-direction feed layer voltage is 0V, the device works in the x polarization direction and is coded as "0";

[0034] When the x-direction feed layer voltage is 9V and the y-direction feed layer voltage is 0V, the device works in the x polarization direction and is coded as "1";

[0035] When the x-direction feed layer voltage is 0V and the y-direction feed layer voltage is 3V, the device works in the y polarization direction and is coded as "0";

[0036] When the x-direction feed layer voltage is 0V and the y-direction feed layer voltage is 9V, the device works in the y polarization direction and is coded as "1".

[0037] As described above, the reflective dual-polarization 1bit coding device, method and system of the application have the following beneficial effects:

[0038] The application provides a coding device suitable for complex communication environment in the field of millimeter waves, which well meets the demand of the current millimeter wave frequency band multi-polarization communication scene. Because the varactor diode has a certain response time, the theoretical coding speed can reach the response time of the varactor diode.

[0039] This application uses a loaded metal layer, which can effectively improve the reflection efficiency, greatly reflect the energy of the incident electromagnetic wave, and reduce the loss of the communication system. Attached Figure Description

[0040] The technical solution and other beneficial effects of this application will become apparent from the following detailed description of specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structural unit of a reflective dual-polarized coding device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 2 This is a left view of a reflective dual-polarized encoding device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a front view of a reflective dual-polarized coding device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 4 In one embodiment of this application, when the bias voltage in the x-direction is 3V, the structure's response to the x-polarized wave is encoded as "0".

[0045] Figure 5 In one embodiment of this application, when the bias voltage in the x-direction is 9V, the structure's response to the x-polarized wave is encoded as "1".

[0046] Figure 6 In one embodiment of this application, when the bias voltage in the y direction is 3V, the structure's response to the y-polarized wave is encoded as "0".

[0047] Figure 7 In one embodiment of this application, when the bias voltage in the y direction is 9V, the structure's response to the y-polarized wave is encoded as "1".

[0048] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the amplitude response under different encodings in an example of this application.

[0049] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the phase response under different encodings in an example of this application.

[0050] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the encoding system in an example of this application.

[0051] The components in the diagram are labeled as follows:

[0052] 11-x-direction feed layer; 12-y-direction feed layer; 13-metal ground layer; 14-substrate; 1-center metal patch; 2-peripheral metal patch; 3-inductor; 4-metal via; 21, 22-feed horn; 23, 24-receive horn. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0054] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "first", "second" are used only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.

[0055] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integral connection; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection or can communicate with each other; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0056] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of the present application. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present application, the components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present application. In addition, the present application can repeatedly refer to numbers and / or letters in different examples. Such repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, and does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present application provides various specific examples of processes and materials, but those skilled in the art can realize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0057] Before introducing the technical solutions of the present application, it is necessary to explain the background of the creation of the invention of the present application.

[0058] It is generally known that in the related art, most of the RIS currently only works in x polarization or y polarization direction, but in a complex communication environment, the attenuation caused by this working mode is very large.

[0059] Based on the awareness of the above-mentioned problems by the inventors, the inventors consider the demand of modern communication scenarios, and the main working frequency band of the current 5G signal and Sub6GHz signal is in the C band, so the super surface working in the millimeter wave is designed. The period of the super surface can be calculated by the working wavelength, which is in the range of 20-40mm. Due to the complexity of modern communication scenarios, and most of the super surfaces only work in a single polarized wave, so the varactor diode is carried in the x and y directions, so that it has the same response in the x and y directions. The structure is selected to be a patch form which is simple to prepare and low in cost. According to the equivalent circuit theory, the varactor diode is equivalent to the series connection of capacitors, resistors and inductors under different voltages, and then the size of the patch is designed. Since the introduction of the active device varactor diode will increase the insertion loss, the choke inductors and the reflective ground are introduced to reduce the loss and improve the reflection amplitude. Since it is in the super surface array, the unit has the requirement of independent control in the x and y directions, so the feeding layer is specially designed. The feeding layer is divided into x-direction feeding layer 11 and y-direction feeding layer 12, and the material is selected as FR4, which is low in price. The x and y directions are connected to the feeding layer through the via copper column, and the reflection phase reaches 180° difference by providing a reverse bias voltage to the x and y direction varactor diodes of different units on the array, so as to construct a multi-bit dual-polarized reflective super surface. Based on this, the present application is created.

[0060] The embodiment of the present application provides a reflective dual-polarized 1bit encoder device, as shown in the figure, the encoder device comprises: Figures 1-3

[0061] x-direction feeding layer 11;

[0062] y-direction feeding layer 12;

[0063] metal ground layer 13;

[0064] substrate 14;

[0065] a two-dimensional array composed of N×N structure units arranged periodically on the substrate 14;

[0066] Each structure unit comprises a center metal patch 1, and a capacitor, a peripheral metal patch 2, an inductor 3 and a metal via 4 which successively surround the center metal patch 1 from near to far, and the center metal patch 1, the capacitor, the peripheral metal patch 2, the inductor 3 and the metal via 4 are electrically connected in sequence.

[0067] The center of the center metal patch 1 is defined as the origin of an xy coordinate system, the x-axis of the xy coordinate system defines the x-direction of the x-direction feeding layer 11, and the y-axis of the xy coordinate system defines the y-direction of the y-direction feeding layer 12.

[0068] ​As a demonstrable way, the x-axis and y-axis of the coordinate system divide the metal layer into four square regions of equal size.

[0069] In some embodiments, each structural unit has four capacitors, four peripheral metal patches 2, four inductors 3, and four metal vias 4, which are arranged in a ring around the center of the central metal patch 1 at an interval angle of 90°.

[0070] In order to more clearly illustrate the structural unit, the number of capacitors, peripheral metal patches 2, inductors 3, and metal vias 4 is four respectively, and is respectively marked with "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" to distinguish the reference.

[0071] The structural unit includes a first central metal patch 1, a first peripheral metal patch 2, a second peripheral metal patch 2, a third peripheral metal patch 2, a fourth peripheral metal patch 2, a first inductor 3, a second inductor 3, a third inductor 3, a fourth inductor 3, a first capacitor, a second capacitor, a third capacitor, a fourth capacitor, a first metal via 4, a second metal via 4, a third metal via 4, and a fourth metal via 4.

[0072] The first central metal patch 1 is located at the origin of the xy coordinate system and has a square notch at the angle bisector of each quadrant. The first central metal patch 1 is a symmetric structure, and the symmetry axis is the x-axis and y-axis of the xy coordinate system.

[0073] The first peripheral metal patch 2 is located directly above the first central metal patch 1, and the length of the upper base is the same as the side length of the first central metal patch 1, and the length of the lower base is the same as the side length of the first central metal patch 1 after the angle is removed. The first peripheral metal patch 2 is a symmetric structure, and the symmetry axis is the y-axis of the xy coordinate system.

[0074] The first capacitor is located between the first central metal patch 1 and the first peripheral metal patch 2.

[0075] The first metal via 4 is located directly above the first peripheral metal patch 2. The first metal via 4 is a circular structure.

[0076] The first inductor 3 is located between the first peripheral metal patch 2 and the first metal via 4.

[0077] The second peripheral metal patch 2 is formed by rotating the first peripheral metal patch 2 clockwise by 90 degrees, the third peripheral metal patch 2 is formed by rotating the second peripheral metal patch 2 clockwise by 90 degrees, and the fourth peripheral metal patch 2 is formed by rotating the third peripheral metal patch 2 clockwise by 90 degrees. The second capacitor is formed by rotating the first capacitor clockwise by 90 degrees, the third capacitor is formed by rotating the second capacitor clockwise by 90 degrees, and the fourth capacitor is formed by rotating the third capacitor clockwise by 90 degrees. The second inductor 3 is formed by rotating the first inductor 3 clockwise by 90 degrees, the third inductor 3 is formed by rotating the second inductor 3 clockwise by 90 degrees, and the fourth inductor 3 is formed by rotating the third inductor 3 clockwise by 90 degrees. The second metal via 4 is formed by rotating the first metal via 4 clockwise by 90 degrees, the third metal via 4 is formed by rotating the second metal via 4 clockwise by 90 degrees, and the fourth metal via 4 is formed by rotating the third metal via 4 clockwise by 90 degrees.

[0078] As a kind of demonstrable implementation mode of the shape of the central metal patch 1, the shape of the central metal patch 1 is a central angle square.

[0079] As a kind of demonstrable implementation mode of the shape of the peripheral metal patch 2, the shape of the peripheral metal patch 2 is an inverted trapezoid in the direction pointing to the central metal patch 1.

[0080] In some embodiments, the metal ground layer 13 is a hollow metal layer through the metal via 4.

[0081] In some embodiments, the substrate 14 is an F4B substrate with a thickness of 0.1-5 mm.

[0082] In some embodiments, the metal ground layer 13 has a thickness of 0.1-5 mm. The material of the metal layer includes but is not limited to one of aluminum, gold, silver, copper, etc., which is characterized by good electrical conductivity and relative stability and is not easy to oxidize.

[0083] In some embodiments, the x-direction feed layer 11 is made of FR4 material with a thickness of 0.1-5 mm.

[0084] In some embodiments, the y-direction feed layer 12 is made of FR4 material with a thickness of 0.1-5 mm.

[0085] In some embodiments, the central metal patch 1 has a side length of 15-20 mm and an angle of 0.5-3 mm.

[0086] In some embodiments, the peripheral metal patch 2 has an upper base of 10-17 mm and a lower base of 8-15 mm.

[0087] To achieve the above and related objectives, this application provides a method for encoding using a reflective dual-polarization 1-bit encoding device, the method comprising:

[0088] Control the voltage magnitudes of the feed layer 11 in the x-direction and the feed layer 12 in the y-direction;

[0089] When the voltage of the feed layer 11 in the x direction is 3V and the voltage of the feed layer 12 in the y direction is 0V, the device operates in the x-polarization direction and is coded as "0".

[0090] When the voltage of the feed layer 11 in the x direction is 9V and the voltage of the feed layer 12 in the y direction is 0V, the device operates in the x-polarization direction and is coded as "1".

[0091] When the voltage of the feed layer 11 in the x direction is 0V and the voltage of the feed layer 12 in the y direction is 3V, the device operates in the y-polarization direction and is coded as "0".

[0092] When the voltage of the feed layer 11 in the x direction is 0V and the voltage of the feed layer 12 in the y direction is 9V, the device operates in the y-polarization direction and is coded as "1".

[0093] The encoding device described herein is, in principle, a phase control structure. Under different reverse bias voltages, the encoding device exhibits phase delay or lag towards the incident electromagnetic wave, and also has a certain effect on the amplitude. Here, the phase difference of the reflected signal represents two states: an initial state and a state where the signal is 180° ahead or 180° behind. The structure proposed in this invention is equivalent to two parallel phase control structures, independently controlling electromagnetic waves of different frequencies, thereby realizing the encoding function of electromagnetic waves under two polarizations.

[0094] In one example, the microwave phase modulation method proposed in this invention employs a designed bias circuit for control. A voltage source provides reverse bias voltages to the x-direction capacitor and the y-direction capacitor through the x-direction feed layer 11 and the y-direction feed layer 12, respectively. Under different reverse bias voltages, the capacitors can be equivalent to different equivalent circuits, thereby changing the resonant point of the unit structure. When the amplitude difference is not significant, changing the phase value to delay or lead the phase by 180° achieves a phase modulation function.

[0095] This invention can work independently, such as Figure 10 As shown, electromagnetic waves are emitted from the x and y directions by feed horns 21 and 22 respectively onto the surface of the encoding device. Simultaneously, by changing the reverse bias voltage of the feed circuit, two reflected waves with a 180° phase difference are generated and sent to the receiving horns 23 and 24. The electromagnetic waves reflected by the encoding device complete the encoding process.

[0096] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited to this, any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A reflective dual-polarization 1-bit encoding device, characterized in that, include: x-direction feed layer; Y-direction feed layer; Metallic strata; substrate; Arranged periodically on a substrate A two-dimensional array composed of structural units; The structural unit includes a central metal patch and a capacitor, an outer metal patch, an inductor, and a metal via that surround the central metal patch from near to far. The central metal patch, capacitor, outer metal patch, inductor, and metal via are electrically connected in sequence. Each structural unit has four capacitors, four outer metal patches, four inductors, and four metal vias, which are arranged in a ring around the center of the central metal patch at 90° intervals. The central metal patch is a square with its corners removed, with a side length of 15-20 mm and a corner removal side length of 0.5-3 mm. The outer metal patch is an inverted trapezoid in the direction pointing towards the central metal patch. The length of the base of the outer metal patch away from the central metal patch is the same as the side length of the central metal patch, and the length of the base of the outer metal patch closer to the central metal patch is the same as the side length of the square after the corners are removed. The center of the central metal patch is defined as the origin of an xy coordinate system. The x-axis of the xy coordinate system defines the x-direction of the feed layer, and the y-axis of the xy coordinate system defines the y-direction of the feed layer.

2. The reflective dual-polarization 1-bit encoding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The metal substrate is a perforated metal layer that is connected to the metal via.

3. The reflective dual-polarization 1-bit encoding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate is an F4B substrate with a thickness of 0.1~5 mm; The thickness of the metallic stratum is 0.1 to 5 mm.

4. The reflective dual-polarization 1-bit encoding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The x-direction feed layer is made of FR4 material with a thickness of 0.1~5 mm; The y-direction feed layer is made of FR4 material with a thickness of 0.1~5 mm.

5. A method for encoding using a reflective dual-polarized 1-bit encoding device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method includes: Control the voltage magnitudes of the feed layer in the x-direction and the feed layer in the y-direction; When the feed layer voltage in the x-direction is 3V and the feed layer voltage in the y-direction is 0V, the device operates in the x-polarization direction and is coded as "0". When the feed layer voltage in the x-direction is 9V and the feed layer voltage in the y-direction is 0V, the device operates in the x-polarization direction and is coded as "1". When the feed layer voltage in the x direction is 0V and the feed layer voltage in the y direction is 3V, the device operates in the y-polarization direction and is coded as "0". When the feed layer voltage in the x-direction is 0V and the feed layer voltage in the y-direction is 9V, the device operates in the y-polarization direction and is coded as "1".

6. A reflective dual-polarization 1-bit encoding system, characterized in that, The encoding system includes: The reflective dual-polarization 1-bit encoding device, incident horn, receiving horn, and control power supply as described in claim 5; The incident horn emits electromagnetic waves that irradiate the surface of the encoding device controlled by the power supply, and the waves are reflected back to the receiving horn. The electromagnetic waves reflected by the encoding device complete the encoding. When the feed layer voltage in the x-direction is 3V and the feed layer voltage in the y-direction is 0V, the device operates in the x-polarization direction and is coded as "0". When the feed layer voltage in the x-direction is 9V and the feed layer voltage in the y-direction is 0V, the device operates in the x-polarization direction and is coded as "1". When the feed layer voltage in the x direction is 0V and the feed layer voltage in the y direction is 3V, the device operates in the y-polarization direction and is coded as "0". When the feed layer voltage in the x-direction is 0V and the feed layer voltage in the y-direction is 9V, the device operates in the y-polarization direction and is coded as "1".

Images