Antenna device with improved radiation directivity
By stacking radiation elements on the reflector of the antenna device and adjusting the radiation field using the phase difference and amplitude difference, the problem of increasing width and depth when the radiation direction of the antenna device is improved in the prior art is solved, and the effect of significantly improving directionality and maintaining signal performance is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202080102769.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2020-07-20
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-07
- Estimated Expiration
- 2040-07-20
AI Technical Summary
When existing antenna devices improve radiation direction, they usually need to increase the width or depth of the antenna device, resulting in a decrease in signal gain and bandwidth, and it is difficult to meet the regulatory limitations on the size and wind load of new antenna devices.
By stacking radiation elements on the reflector of the antenna device and adjusting the radiation field using phase difference and amplitude difference, a significant increase in the direction of the combined radiation pattern is achieved.
Without increasing the width of the antenna device, the radiation direction of the antenna device is significantly improved, the signal interference noise ratio (SINR) is enhanced, and the signal gain and bandwidth are kept unreduced.
Smart Images

Figure CN115917879B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to an antenna device. Specifically, the present disclosure proposes an antenna device, which includes one or more radiating element arrays, wherein each radiating element array can be an end-fire array. The one or more arrays (specifically end-fire arrays) can together form a broadside array (also called a side-fire array) of the antenna device. Each array of the antenna device is also designed to have improved radiation directivity. Background Art
[0002] With the deployment of long-term evolution (LTE) almost complete, operators are preparing for the upcoming fifth generation (5G). th The 5G generation mobile network is ready for the network. A key technology to achieve the next generation of mobile communications is massive multiple input multiple output (mMIMO) below 6 GHz. Therefore, new antenna devices that can integrate mMIMO with passive antenna arrays are needed.
[0003] However, there are some limitations to the deployment of new antenna equipment. For example, regulations in many countries (particularly in Europe) are a practical limiting factor when it comes to rolling out new services and infrastructure, and the pace at which new services and infrastructure can develop is slower than the pace at which antenna technology can advance.
[0004] Therefore, to facilitate antenna site awareness and comply with local regulations regarding antenna site upgrades, any new antenna equipment should be comparable in size to legacy antenna equipment. Additionally, to be able to maintain the existing mechanical support structure at the antenna site, the wind load of any new antenna equipment should be comparable or equivalent to the currently installed antenna equipment. These factors result in very strict limitations on the width of new antenna equipment.
[0005] However, the width of the antenna device also affects its radiation directivity. In particular, the directivity of the antenna device is limited by its aperture and therefore by its width. This effect becomes particularly critical when multiple antenna arrays are placed in the same housing of the antenna device.
[0006] Antenna arrays placed in small reflectors usually exhibit a wide horizontal beamwidth (HBM). This is because when dipoles, which can be used as radiating elements of the antenna array, are placed on the small reflector in a side-by-side configuration, the HBM increases. This increase reduces the antenna directivity and therefore needs to be addressed.
[0007] Some exemplary approaches address this problem by using a 90° hybrid to conform the HBW. Since the hybrid produces side lobes from the main notch, the hybrid provides a small increase in directivity but does not fully exploit the reduction in beamwidth.
[0008] Some other exemplary approaches to addressing this problem provide for increased depth (thickness), reduced gain, or reduced bandwidth of the antenna device. Summary of the invention
[0009] In view of the challenges and shortcomings of the exemplary methods described above, embodiments of the present invention are intended to provide an improved antenna device. Therefore, the purpose is to improve the directivity of the antenna device without increasing the width of the antenna device, specifically the width of the reflector of the antenna device. Ideally, the width can even be reduced. In addition, the depth (thickness) of the antenna device will not be significantly increased compared to the antenna device implemented by the exemplary methods described above. In addition, the gain and bandwidth of the antenna device will not be reduced.
[0010] This object is achieved by the embodiments of the invention described in the attached independent claim. Advantageous implementations of the embodiments of the invention are further defined in the dependent claims.
[0011] In particular, embodiments of the present invention may be based on stacking radiating elements in a normal direction relative to an antenna reflector (the normal direction is also referred to as the "z-axis" in the present disclosure). The radiating elements may be fed and may radiate at the same frequency, wherein the radiating elements may be fed with a phase difference (also referred to as "α" in the present disclosure) between the individual radiating elements. Furthermore, the amplitude relationship between the radiating elements may also be used as another degree of freedom.
[0012] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides an antenna device, comprising: an array of N radiating elements, where N is an integer greater than 1, the N radiating elements are arranged on a common axis, each radiating element being used to radiate radio waves in response to an RF signal fed to a corresponding radiating element; a reflector, arranged on the common axis and used to reflect N radio waves from the N radiating elements to a main radiation direction; a feeding structure, the feeding structure being used to feed an RF signal to each radiating element, the RF signal at each radiating element having a corresponding phase difference relative to the RF signal at the first radiating element of the array, wherein the feeding structure comprises one or more phase shifters, the one or more phase shifters being used to set the phase difference of the RF signal at the corresponding radiating element for one or more or all radiating elements of the array.
[0013] Therefore, in the antenna device of the first aspect, one or more (specifically N-1) radiating elements may be added to the first radiating element. For example, if the first radiating element is the radiating element closest to the reflector, these radiating elements may be added above the first radiating element (i.e., along a common axis, where the common axis may be parallel to the z-axis). However, any radiating element of the array may be considered as the first radiating element.
[0014] Furthermore, by controlling the phase differences between the radiating elements, the radiated fields (i.e., the radio waves radiated by the radiating elements) can be made to constructively interfere. The result can be a combined radiation pattern that is more directional than the radio waves of a simple / single radiating element.
[0015] The overall result may be a significant increase in the directivity of the combined radiation pattern of the antenna device. This may enable miniaturization of reflectors or increase the coverage provided by the antenna device and / or improve the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR). The phase difference (and potential amplitude difference as another degree of freedom) between the RF signals at the respective radiating elements may also be used to improve the front to back and cross-polar discrimination of the antenna device.
[0016] It should be noted that the antenna device of the first aspect is described as a transmitting (non-receiving) device. However, the antenna device can also operate as a receiving device.
[0017] In an implementation of the first aspect, the N radiating elements and the reflector are positioned and the phase shifter is configured so that the radio waves radiated by the radiating elements constructively interfere in the main radiation direction.
[0018] Therefore, the directivity of radiation from the antenna device can be improved without sacrificing signal gain.
[0019] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the main radiation direction is a direction away from the reflector along the common axis.
[0020] In an implementation of the first aspect, the one or more phase shifters include one or more controllable phase shifters, and the one or more controllable phase shifters are used to adjust the phase difference of the RF signal at one or more or all of the radiating elements of the array.
[0021] Thus, the radio waves of the individual radiating elements may be controlled relative to each other (ie one or more phase differences), so that the radiation pattern of the antenna device may be adjusted as desired.
[0022] In an implementation of the first aspect, the one or more controllable phase shifters may be controlled separately for different frequencies.
[0023] For example, the phase difference of the RF signal or signal component of the first frequency or first frequency band can be set to be different from the phase difference of the RF signal or signal component of the second frequency or second frequency band. Therefore, the bandwidth of the antenna device can be improved, and in particular, a broadband antenna device can be enabled.
[0024] In an implementation of the first aspect, each radiating element of the array is arranged in a different plane.
[0025] For example, each radiating element may include a planar element (eg, a PCB substrate) arranged in its respective plane, with a radiating structure (eg, a dipole) disposed on the planar element.
[0026] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the planes are parallel to each other.
[0027] Thus, the radiating elements may be stacked one after another along a common axis. The common axis may be parallel to the z-axis, i.e. the radiating elements may be stacked one above the other.
[0028] In an implementation of the first aspect, the radiating elements of the array are concentrically arranged on the common axis.
[0029] This may mean that the common axis may pass through the centre of gravity of each radiating element.Thus, the radiating elements of the array may be considered to be juxtaposed.
[0030] In an implementation of the first aspect, each radiating element of the array includes a dipole; the feeding structure also includes one or more rotating baluns, wherein each of the one or more rotating baluns is associated with one of the radiating elements of the array and is used to contribute a 180° phase shift to the one of the radiating elements relative to the phase difference of the RF signal at the first radiating element of the array.
[0031] This may reduce the absolute phase difference that needs to be set, and thus may reduce the difference in feed line lengths for different radiating elements. This may also increase the bandwidth of the antenna device. The rotational balun may be referred to as a mirror balun. The rotational balun may include a certain bend or curvature, in particular a 180° bend or curvature.
[0032] In an implementation of the first aspect, the feed structure comprises a feed line for each radiating element of the array; each feed line has a different length from the other feed lines.
[0033] The feed line may extend from the reflector upwards (ie along the z-axis, eg parallel to the common axis) towards one or more respective radiating elements.
[0034] In an implementation of the first aspect, the one or more feed lines each include a meandering line portion.
[0035] This can extend the length of a particular feed line for a particular radiating element without requiring more space for the feed line along the common axis.
[0036] In an implementation of the first aspect, the RF signals at one or more radiating elements have corresponding amplitude differences relative to the RF signal at the first radiating element of the array.
[0037] The one or more amplitude differences may be used as a further degree of freedom, in particular for influencing the radiation pattern of the antenna device, for example the radiation directivity of the antenna device.
[0038] In an implementation of the first aspect, the feeding structure further includes one or more power dividers, and the one or more power dividers are used to set the amplitude difference of the RF signal at the corresponding radiating elements for one or more or all radiating elements of the array.
[0039] The power divider may be a controllable power divider for adjusting the amplitude difference of the RF signal at one or more or all of the radiating elements of the array.
[0040] In an implementation of the first aspect, the feeding structure is used to feed two or more radiating elements of the array from two or more different sources or from the same source alone.
[0041] For example, for an mMIMO antenna device, the radiating elements may be fed from two or more different sources.
[0042] In an implementation of the first aspect, the feeding structure is used to feed the radiating elements of the array in parallel.
[0043] Hence, the radiating elements of the array may all be fed with the same RF signal, wherein a phase difference is applied between the RF signals provided to the respective radiating elements compared to the RF signal provided to the first radiating element.
[0044] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, one or more radiating elements of the array are respectively surrounded by a conductive ring.
[0045] This can increase the bandwidth of the radiating element and thereby the bandwidth of the entire antenna device.
[0046] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the antenna device further includes a conductive structure, specifically a ring structure, which is arranged between two adjacent radiating elements of the array.
[0047] This conductive structure can be used to change the phase in the near field and can achieve coupling between radiating elements.
[0048] In an implementation of the first aspect, one or more radiating elements of the array are dual-polarized radiating elements.
[0049] In an implementation of the first aspect, a radiation element closer to the reflector along the common axis has a larger radiation area than a radiation element farther from the reflector.
[0050] This may be advantageous for certain types of arrays formed from radiating elements, such as end-fire arrays.
[0051] In an implementation of the first aspect, the array of N radiating elements is an end-fire array.
[0052] In an implementation of the first aspect, the antenna device further includes a supporting structure for supporting each radiating element of the array, so that the radiating elements are arranged on the common axis.
[0053] In an implementation of the first aspect, each radiating element has a different defined distance from the first radiating element of the array.
[0054] In an implementation of the first aspect, the antenna device further includes: another array of M radiating elements, M being an integer greater than 1, the M radiating elements being arranged on another common axis, each radiating element of the another array being used to radiate radio waves in response to an RF signal fed to the corresponding radiating element of the another array; another feeding structure, the another feeding structure being used to feed an RF signal to each radiating element of the another array, the RF signal at each radiating element of the another array having a corresponding phase difference relative to the RF signal at the first radiating element of the another array, wherein the another feeding structure includes one or more phase shifters, the one or more phase shifters being used to set the phase difference of the RF signal at the corresponding radiating element of the another array for one or more or all radiating elements of the another array; wherein the array of N radiating elements and the another array of M radiating elements are arranged to form a side-fire array of the antenna device.
[0055] The reflector may also be arranged on another common axis and may be used to reflect M radio waves from M radiating elements of another array into the main radiation direction.
[0056] In particular, two arrays of M radiating elements and two arrays of N radiating elements, respectively (and one or more additional arrays of radiating elements formed and configured in the same manner, for example, as end-fire arrays) may be used to form a broadside array of the antenna device. Thus, each of the two or more arrays may have the same number of radiating elements, or a different number of radiating elements. Thus, M may be equal to N, but may also be different from N.
[0057] It should be noted that all devices, elements, units and modules described in this application can be implemented in software or hardware elements or any combination thereof. All steps performed by various entities described in this application and the functions described to be performed by various entities are intended to indicate that the corresponding entity is suitable for or used to perform the corresponding steps and functions. Although in the description of the following specific embodiments, the specific functions or steps performed by the external entity are not reflected in the description of the specific detailed elements of the entity that performs the specific steps or functions, it should be clear to the technician that these methods and functions can be implemented in the corresponding hardware or software elements or any combination thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0058] In conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the following description of specific embodiments will illustrate the above aspects and implementation methods, wherein:
[0059] Figure 1 An antenna device provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;
[0060] Figure 2An antenna device provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;
[0061] Figure 3 An antenna device provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;
[0062] Figure 4 A perspective view of an antenna device provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;
[0063] Figure 5 Shows Figure 4 A top view of an antenna device;
[0064] Figure 6 Shows Figure 4 and Figure 5 Side view of an antenna device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0065] Figure 1 The antenna device 100 provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Specifically, the antenna device 100 may be a broadband antenna device, and / or may be an antenna device suitable for mMIMO. The antenna device 100 is designed to have improved radiation directivity.
[0066] The antenna device 100 includes an array of N radiating elements 101 (where N is an integer greater than 1, for example, N may be 2, 3 or 4). The N radiating elements 101 are arranged on a common axis 102, where the common axis 102 may (but need not) be parallel to the z-axis (i.e., perpendicular to the plane of the reflector 103). Each of the N radiating elements 101 is used to radiate radio waves in response to an RF signal fed to the radiating element 101. To this end, one or more of the radiating elements 101 or each radiating element 101 may include a dipole. For example, one or more of the radiating elements 101 or each radiating element 101 may be a dual-polarized radiating element 101.
[0067] Furthermore, the antenna device 100 comprises a reflector 103 arranged on the common axis 102 and for reflecting N radio waves from the N radiating elements 101 to a main radiation direction of the antenna device 100. The main radiation direction may be along the common axis 102 and / or the z-axis.
[0068] In addition, the antenna device 100 further includes a feeding structure 104, which is used to feed an RF signal to each radiating element 101. The RF signal fed to each radiating element 101 may be the same RF signal. The RF signal at each radiating element 101 has a corresponding phase difference α relative to the RF signal at the first radiating element 101 of the array. The first radiating element 101 of the array may be any one of the radiating elements 101, but generally the first radiating element 101 is the radiating element 101 closest to the reflector 103.
[0069] The feeding structure 104 includes one or more phase shifters 105, and the one or more phase shifters 105 are used to set the phase difference α of the RF signal at the corresponding radiating element 101 for one or more or all radiating elements 101 of the array. For example, the feeding structure 104 may include a phase shifter 105 for each radiating element 101. One or more phase shifters 105 or each phase shifter 105 may be a controllable phase shifter 105, which can be controlled to adjust the phase difference α of the RF signal at one or more or all radiating elements 101 of the array. Each phase shifter 105 may be a digital phase shifter or an analog phase shifter.
[0070] For example, in Figure 1 In the antenna device 100 shown, a first radiating element 101_1 may be fed with an RF signal. One or more additional radiating elements 101_2 ... 102_N may be placed one after another next to the first radiating element 101_1, i.e., all radiating elements 101 may be arranged on a common axis 102. One or more additional radiating elements 101_2 ... 101_N are fed with respective RF signals having respective phase differences α_2 ... α_N relative to the RF signal at the first radiating element 101_1 of the array. Furthermore, an amplitude difference may also be applied to the respective RF signals.
[0071] By controlling one or more phase differences α, the HBW of the antenna device 100 can be controlled. In particular, an optimal HBW can be achieved (i.e., maximum directivity can be achieved). Specifically, the directivity can be improved by up to 1.5 dB compared to the antenna device provided by the exemplary method. As one or more phase differences between the radiating elements 101 change, the HBW of the antenna device 100 also changes. In addition, more radiating elements 101 can always be added to provide additional degrees of freedom. This concept of the antenna device 100 can also be used to improve its cross-polarization discrimination and front to back ratio. It should be noted that all radiating elements 101 can be fed in parallel, and one or more phase differences and optionally one or more amplitude differences can be arbitrarily selected.
[0072] Figure 2The antenna device 100 provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The antenna device 100 is based on Figure 1 The embodiment shown is constructed. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The same elements in FIG. 1 are marked with the same reference numerals and may be implemented similarly.
[0073] In particular, Figure 2 In a three-dimensional (3D) view, N radiating elements 101 (here, four radiating elements 101_1 ... 101_4 are shown as examples) can be concentrically arranged on a common axis 102. The N radiating elements 101 can be stacked along the common axis 102 in this way, in particular along the z-axis. Therefore, the N radiating elements 101 can form an end-fire array. Figure 2 As shown, each radiating element 101 can be arranged in a different plane above the reflector 103 (i.e., along the z-axis). The planes can be equidistant and parallel, but different distances between the planes can also be applied. Each radiating element 101 can have the same radiating area, such as Figure 2 However, generally, the radiating elements 101 that are closer to the reflector 103 along the common axis 102 have a larger radiating area than the radiating elements 101 that are farther from the reflector 103 .
[0074] Figure 3 The antenna device 100 provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The antenna device 100 is based on Figure 1 and Figure 2 The embodiment shown is constructed. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 Identical elements in FIG. 8 are respectively marked with the same reference numerals and can be implemented similarly.
[0075] In particular, Figure 3 It is shown that the feeding structure 104 may comprise a feed line 301 for each radiating element 101 of the array. Thus, each feed line 301 may have a different length than the other feed lines 301. Figure 3 It is also shown that different feed lines 301 may be fed from and / or may branch from the combining port 302 (which may be a common feed point for an array of radiating elements 101 , in particular if each radiating element 101 is fed with the same RF signal).
[0076] Furthermore, each feed line 301 may use a phase shifter 105 to influence the phase of the RF signal provided via the feed line 301. However, a phase shifter 105 may also influence the phase of the RF signal provided via the feed line 301. Figure 3Multiple feed lines 301 are shown. Because the feed lines 301 feed radiating elements 101 at different defined distances from the reflector 103 (the feed lines 301 may extend from the reflector 103 along the common axis 102 to the respective radiating elements 101), each feed line 301 may also have a different length from the other feed lines 301.
[0077] Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 The antenna device 100 provided by the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. The antenna device 100 is based on Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The antenna device 100 is constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The same elements in the figures are marked with the same reference numerals and can be implemented similarly.
[0078] The antenna device 100 provided by the exemplary embodiment includes two stacked radiating elements 101 (ie, N=2 here). Each of the radiating elements 101 includes a dipole. Figure 2 A feed structure 104 is also shown.
[0079] In particular, Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 Two radiating elements 101_1 and 101_2 are shown. The bottom radiating element 101_1 comprises a bottom dipole and the top radiating element 101_2 comprises a top dipole (see Figure 4 ). Each radiating element 101 specifically includes a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate 406, on which a corresponding dipole is arranged. The top radiating element 101_2 includes a top dipole arm 401_2a for a first polarization and a top dipole arm 401_2b for a second polarization. These polarizations can be orthogonal. The top dipole arm 401_2a and the top dipole arm 401_2b are arranged in the PCB substrate 406 of the top radiating element 101_2. The antenna device 100 may also include a top dipole balun 404_2 for the top dipole. In addition, the bottom radiating element 101_2 includes a bottom dipole arm 401_1a for a first polarization and a bottom dipole arm 401_1b for a second polarization. The bottom dipole arm 401_1a and the bottom dipole arm 401_1b are arranged in the PCB substrate 406 of the bottom radiating element 101_1. The antenna device 100 may include a bottom dipole balun 404_1 for the bottom dipole.
[0080] The bottom radiating element 101_1 may have a larger radiating area than the top radiating element 101_2 and, therefore, may have dipole arms of different lengths (see Figure 5). The bottom radiation element 101_1 further includes a conductive ring 402. In particular, the bottom radiation element 101_1 is surrounded by the conductive ring 402. The conductive ring 402 can be used for matching and beam width improvement. It should be noted that the top radiation element 101_2 can also be surrounded by such a conductive ring 402.
[0081] Furthermore, the antenna device 100 includes a base PCB substrate 403. The reflector 103 may be disposed on the base PCB substrate 403, for example, on the bottom side as metallization. On the base PCB substrate 403, the antenna device 100 may further include a power divider 405 to control the amplitude difference between the two radiating elements 101_1 and 101_2. The power divider 405 may be arranged between the feed line 301_1 and the feed line 301_2 of the lower radiating element 101_1 and the upper radiating element 101_2, respectively. The phase shifter 105 (not shown) controls the phase difference α. Furthermore, at least one of the feed line 301_1 and the feed line 301_2 may have a meander line portion. Here, the feed line 301_1 for the lower radiating element 101_1 includes a meander line portion (see Figure 6 ) to additionally increase the phase difference α.
[0082] The antenna device 100 further comprises a support structure 600 for supporting each radiating element 101 of the array such that the radiating elements 101 are arranged on a common axis 102. The support structure 600 may be or comprise a PCB on which the feed line 301 is arranged.
[0083] exist Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the phase difference α between the radiating element 101_1 and the radiating element 101_2 can be selected to be 240°. As an additional feature, the balun 404_2 of the top dipole (of the radiating element 101_2) can be rotated (or mirrored) to provide a 180° phase shift (see Figure 6 ), thereby reducing the required length difference between the feed lines 301_1 and 301_2 of the top dipole and the bottom dipole (radiating element 101_1 and radiating element 101_2). Therefore, the feeding structure 104 may include one or more rotating baluns, wherein each of the one or more rotating baluns is associated with one of the radiating elements 101 of the array. Each rotating balun can be used to contribute a 180° phase shift to the one of the radiating elements 101 relative to the phase difference α of the RF signal at the first radiating element of the array. As a result, the phase dispersion that varies with frequency can also be reduced, so that the radiation pattern of the antenna device 100 is more stable with frequency, and the bandwidth can be effectively increased.
[0084] In summary, embodiments of the present invention provide a new method for increasing the directivity of an array of radiating elements 101 without increasing the width of reflector 103, thereby increasing the directivity of antenna device 100. Embodiments of the present invention enable the HBW of antenna device 100 to be tuned to a desired value. In addition, embodiments of the present invention enable improved front-to-back and cross-polarization discrimination when more than two radiating elements 101 are used. Embodiments of the present invention also enable a reduction in the height of antenna device 100 compared to other antenna architectures.
[0085] In the antenna device 100, the phase difference α, the amplitude difference, and the distance between each of the N radiating elements 101 can be used as degrees of freedom to improve the performance of the antenna device 100. The antenna device 100 is relatively easy to assemble, and standard materials and processes can be used. The resulting broadband of the antenna device 100 is sufficient to support the current frequency bands in base stations, especially the current frequency bands in 5G base stations.
[0086] The invention has been described in conjunction with various embodiments and implementations as examples. However, other variations will be understood and implemented by a person skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, based on a study of the drawings, the present disclosure and the independent claims. In the claims and in the specification, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfil the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The enumeration of certain measures in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used in an advantageous implementation.
Claims
1. An antenna device (100), characterized in that: include: An array of N radiating elements (101), N being an integer greater than 1, the N radiating elements (101) being arranged on a common axis (102), each radiating element (101) being configured to radiate radio waves in response to a radio frequency (RF) signal fed to the corresponding radiating element (101); a reflector (103) arranged on the common axis (102) and used to reflect the N radio waves from the N radiation elements (101) to a main radiation direction; A feeding structure (104) for feeding an RF signal to each radiating element (101), the RF signal at each radiating element (101) having a corresponding phase difference (α) relative to the RF signal at the first radiating element (101) of the array, wherein the feeding structure (104) comprises a feeding line (301) for each radiating element (101) of the array and one or more phase shifters (105), the one or more phase shifters (105) being used to set the phase difference (α) of the RF signal at the corresponding radiating element (101) for one or more or all radiating elements (101) of the array, wherein each feeding line (301) has a different length from other feeding lines (301), and one or more feeding lines (301) each comprises a meander line portion, wherein The one or more phase shifters (105) include one or more controllable phase shifters for adjusting the phase difference (α) of the RF signal at one or more or all of the radiating elements (101) of the array, and the one or more controllable phase shifters (105) can be controlled separately for different frequencies.
2. The antenna device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The N radiating elements (101) and the reflector (103) are positioned and the phase shifter (105) is configured so that the radio waves radiated by the radiating elements (101) interfere in the main radiation direction.
3. The antenna device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The main radiation direction is a direction away from the reflector (103) along the common axis (102).
4. The antenna device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each radiating element (101) of the array is arranged in a different plane.
5. The antenna device (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The planes are parallel to each other.
6. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The radiating elements (101) of the array are concentrically arranged on the common axis (102).
7. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Each radiating element (101) of the array comprises a dipole; and The feeding structure (104) further comprises one or more rotating baluns, wherein each of the one or more rotating baluns is associated with one of the radiating elements (101) of the array and is configured to contribute a phase shift of 180° to the phase difference (α) of the RF signal at the one of the radiating elements (101) relative to the first radiating element (101) of the array.
8. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The RF signals at one or more radiating elements (101) have respective amplitude differences relative to the RF signal at the first radiating element (101) of the array.
9. The antenna device (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that The feeding structure (104) further comprises: One or more power dividers (405) for setting the amplitude difference of the RF signal at the corresponding radiating element (101) for one or more or all radiating elements (101) of the array.
10. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The feeding structure (104) is used to feed two or more radiating elements (101) of the array from two or more different sources or solely from the same source.
11. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The feeding structure (104) is used to feed the radiating elements (101) of the array in parallel.
12. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: One or more radiating elements (101) of the array are respectively surrounded by a conductive ring (402).
13. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Also includes: A conductive structure, in particular a ring-shaped structure, is arranged between two adjacent radiating elements (101) of the array.
14. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: One or more radiating elements (101) of the array are dual polarized radiating elements.
15. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: A radiation element (101) that is closer to the reflector (103) along the common axis (102) has a larger radiation area than a radiation element (101) that is farther from the reflector (103).
16. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The array of N radiating elements (101) is an end-fire array.
17. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Also includes: A support structure (600) is used to support each radiating element (101) of the array so that the radiating elements (101) are arranged on the common axis (102).
18. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Each radiating element (101) has a different defined distance from the first radiating element (101) of the array.
19. The antenna device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: include: another array of M radiating elements, M being an integer greater than 1, the M radiating elements being arranged on another common axis, each radiating element of the another array being configured to radiate radio waves in response to an RF signal fed to the corresponding radiating element of the another array; another feeding structure for feeding an RF signal to each radiating element of the another array, the RF signal at each radiating element of the another array having a corresponding phase difference with respect to the RF signal at the first radiating element of the another array, wherein the another feeding structure comprises one or more phase shifters, the one or more phase shifters being used to set the phase difference of the RF signal at the corresponding radiating element of the another array for one or more or all radiating elements of the another array; Wherein, the array of N radiating elements and another array of M radiating elements are arranged to form a broadside array of the antenna device.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Composite antenna element design and method for beamwidth control
WO2020140130A2