Phased array antenna and radar device

Abstract

The application provides a phased array antenna and a radar device. The phased array antenna comprises a first substrate, a second substrate, a ground plate, a feed network layer, a radio frequency front-end circuit layer and a phased array antenna radiating unit layer. The phased array antenna radiating unit layer is attached to a first surface of the first substrate. The second surface of the first substrate is provided with a first region and a second region with different heights. The ground plate with a coupling gap array is attached to the second region with a relatively low height. The second substrate is attached to the other surface of the ground plate. The radio frequency front-end circuit layer and the feed network layer are attached to the first region of the first substrate and the surface of the second substrate away from the ground plate, respectively. The radio frequency signal and / or electromagnetic wave emission control signal output by the radio frequency front-end circuit layer is fed back to the phased array antenna radiating unit layer through the feed network layer, so that the phased array antenna radiating unit layer radiates electromagnetic waves at corresponding scanning angles in time. Therefore, the phased array antenna provided by the application has a large bandwidth, a simple structure, a low manufacturing cost and is easy to implement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to a phased array antenna and radar device. Background Technology

[0002] Millimeter-wave radar is a crucial sensor in autonomous driving systems, enabling the measurement of target distance, speed, angle, and other information, while remaining relatively unaffected by environmental factors such as nighttime or weather. The millimeter-wave radar antenna determines its detection range and resolution, making it a key component. Currently, millimeter-wave radar primarily employs series-fed microstrip patch antennas.

[0003] Microstrip patch antennas have advantages such as small size and low profile, but traditional microstrip antennas have disadvantages such as inductive effect and parasitic radiation, and their bandwidth is narrow, which limits their application in many situations.

[0004] To achieve high resolution and a large detection range, most microstrip antennas for millimeter-wave vehicle-mounted radars currently employ phased array configurations. Phased array antennas can be coplanar with the moving vehicle and can achieve beam scanning within a certain range, providing excellent flexibility for detection during movement. However, existing phased array antennas have complex structures and high manufacturing costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a phased array antenna and radar device with a simple structure and low manufacturing cost.

[0006] A phased array antenna includes a first substrate, a phased array antenna radiating element layer, a ground plane, a second substrate, a radio frequency front-end circuit layer, and a feed network layer.

[0007] The first substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, the second surface has an adjacent first region and a second region, and the first region protrudes relative to the second region;

[0008] The phased array antenna radiating element layer is disposed on the first surface of the first substrate;

[0009] The ground plane has a third and a fourth opposing surface, the third surface being in contact with the second region, and the ground plane having a coupling gap array extending from the third surface to the fourth surface, the coupling gap array being used to couple the phased array antenna radiating element layer and the feed network layer;

[0010] The second substrate has a fifth and a sixth opposing surface, which are attached to the fourth surface;

[0011] The radio frequency front-end circuit layer is disposed in the first region and is used to control the phased array antenna radiating element layer to transmit and / or receive electromagnetic waves in a time-division manner.

[0012] The power supply network layer is disposed on the sixth surface and is used for power supply between the phased array antenna radiating element layer and the radio frequency front-end circuit layer.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first substrate and the second substrate are respectively dielectric substrates, and the dielectric constant of the first substrate is greater than that of the second substrate.

[0014] In some embodiments, the height by which the first region protrudes relative to the second region is equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the ground plane and the second substrate along the stacking direction.

[0015] In some embodiments, the phased array antenna radiating element layer includes a radiating patch array disposed on the first surface.

[0016] In some embodiments, each coupling gap in the coupling gap array is a through hole penetrating the ground plane, the center of the through hole is aligned with the center of the corresponding antenna radiating element in the phased array antenna radiating element layer, and at least one of the through holes includes a first part, a second part, and a third part connected in sequence in the length direction, the first part and the third part are symmetrical about the second part, and the width of the first part gradually increases along the direction away from the second part;

[0017] The size relationship between the maximum width and the minimum width of the first part satisfies a first preset relationship;

[0018] The size relationship between the width of the second part and the width of at least one of the through holes satisfies a second preset relationship.

[0019] In some embodiments, the power supply network layer includes a plurality of subnets, each subnet including a subnet input terminal connected to a corresponding output terminal of the RF front-end circuit layer, a microstrip line connected to the subnet input terminal, and a plurality of subnet output terminals respectively connected to the microstrip line, wherein the length of the microstrip line between each subnet output terminal and the corresponding subnet input terminal is different.

[0020] In some embodiments, the subnet output terminal array formed by each of the subnet output terminals in the power supply network corresponds to the position of the coupling gap array;

[0021] The projection area of ​​each subnet output terminal in the subnet output terminal array on the ground plane extends through the width direction of the corresponding coupling gap in the coupling gap array and passes through the corresponding coupling gap. The relationship between the distance between the outer edge of the projection area and the center of the corresponding coupling gap and the operating wavelength of the phased array antenna is a third preset relationship.

[0022] In some embodiments, the radio frequency front-end circuit layer is used to output corresponding radio frequency signals to the corresponding subnet in the feed network layer in a time-division manner, so as to feed the radio frequency signals to the corresponding antenna radiating element in the phased array antenna radiating element layer in a time-division manner through the corresponding subnet, so as to control the phased array antenna radiating element layer to transmit W-band electromagnetic waves in a time-division scanning manner.

[0023] The scanning angle range corresponding to the time-division scanning is -45 degrees to 45 degrees.

[0024] In some embodiments, the ground plane, the phased array antenna radiating element layer, and the feed network layer are all metal layers, and the thickness of each metal layer is greater than the skin depth of the phased array antenna operating frequency band.

[0025] The ground plane is used to reflect electromagnetic waves and to isolate the phased array antenna radiating element layer from the feed network layer.

[0026] A radar device comprising a phased array antenna as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0027] As can be seen from the above, in the phased array antenna and radar device provided in this application embodiment, the phased array antenna radiating element layer is attached to the first surface of the first substrate, and the second surface of the first substrate is configured into a first region and a second region with different heights, so that the ground plane with a coupling gap array is attached to the second region with a relatively lower height. Then, the second substrate is attached to the other side of the ground plane. Then, the radio frequency front-end circuit layer and the feed network layer are attached to the first region of the first substrate and the side of the second substrate away from the ground plane, respectively, so that the radio frequency signal and / or electromagnetic wave transmission control signal output by the radio frequency front-end circuit layer is fed back to the phased array antenna radiating element layer through the feed network layer, thereby enabling the phased array antenna radiating element layer to radiate electromagnetic waves at a corresponding scanning angle in a time-division manner. In addition, the phased array antenna provided in this application embodiment, by using a coupling gap array to couple the phased array antenna radiating element layer to the feed network layer, can isolate the influence of the microstrip line in the feed network layer on the antenna radiating element in the phased array antenna radiating element layer, thereby achieving the effect of expanding the bandwidth. Moreover, its processing is simple, the control method is simple, the manufacturing cost is low, and it is easy to implement. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a phased array antenna structure provided according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of a partial structure of a phased array antenna provided according to an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 3 An exploded view of a phased array antenna provided according to an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the coupling gap in a phased array antenna provided according to an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the subnet output terminal and the corresponding coupling gap in the feed network layer of a phased array antenna according to an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a radiation pattern of the scanning angle of a phased array antenna provided according to an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the simulation results of the phased array antenna provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0035] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0036] 1-First substrate, 2-Phase array antenna radiating element layer, 3-Ground plane, 31-Coupled gap array, 4-Second substrate, 5-RF front-end circuit layer, 6-Feed network layer, 61-Subnet input terminal, 62-Subnet output terminal, 63-Microstrip line, A-First surface of the first substrate, B1-First region of the second surface of the first substrate, B2-Second region of the second surface of the first substrate, 11-First component of the first substrate, 12-Second component of the first substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The technical solution of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0038] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein in the specification of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the ways in which this application may be implemented. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0039] In the following description, the expression “some embodiments” refers to a subset of all possible embodiments. However, it should be understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and may be combined with each other without conflict.

[0040] It should also be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly attached to the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," "outer," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0041] To address the aforementioned problems in existing technologies, this application proposes a phased array antenna capable of time-division scanning, which has a simple structure and low manufacturing cost. The following will combine... Figures 1 to 7 The phased array antenna and radar device provided in the various embodiments of this application will be described in detail. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a phased array antenna structure provided according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This is an exploded view of a partial structure of a phased array antenna provided according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 This is an exploded view of a phased array antenna provided according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the coupling gap in a phased array antenna provided according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the subnet output terminal and the corresponding coupling gap in the feed network layer of a phased array antenna according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 This is a radiation pattern of the scanning angle of the phased array antenna provided according to the embodiments of this application. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the simulation results of the phased array antenna provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0042] Please see Figure 1 As shown, the phased array antenna provided in this application embodiment includes a first substrate 1, a phased array antenna radiating element layer 2, a ground plane 3, a second substrate 4, a radio frequency front-end circuit layer 5, and a feed network layer 6.

[0043] In the phased antenna array provided in this application embodiment, the first substrate 1 has opposing first and second surfaces. The first surface of the first substrate 1 is as follows: Figure 2 As shown by label A in the diagram. Further, see [link to documentation]. Figure 3As shown, the second surface of the first substrate 1 has adjacent first region B1 and second region B2, with the first region B1 protruding relative to the second region B2. The phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 is disposed on the first surface A of the first substrate 1, i.e., the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 is attached to the first surface of the first substrate 1. The ground plane 3 has opposing third and fourth surfaces, with its third surface attached to the second region B2 of the first substrate 1. The ground plane 3 has a coupling gap array 31 extending from its third surface to its fourth surface, which is used to couple the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 and the feed network layer 6. The second substrate 4 has opposing fifth and sixth surfaces, with the fifth surface attached to the fourth surface of the ground plane 3. The radio frequency front-end circuit layer 5 is disposed in the first region B1 of the first substrate 1 and is used to control the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 to transmit and / or receive electromagnetic waves in a time-division multiplexing manner. The feed network layer 6 is disposed on the sixth surface of the second substrate 4 and is used for feeding between the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 and the radio frequency front-end circuit layer 5.

[0044] A phased array antenna refers to an antenna whose radiation pattern shape is changed by controlling the feed phase of the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2. Controlling the phase can change the direction of the maximum value of the antenna radiation pattern to achieve beam scanning. A phased array antenna array typically consists of hundreds to tens of thousands of channel-excited antenna radiating elements controlled by phase. These antenna radiating elements can be individual waveguide horn antennas, dipole antennas, patch antennas, etc. These antenna radiating elements are distributed on the first surface of the first substrate 1. The RF front-end circuit layer includes at least one RF channel for transmitting and / or receiving RF signals, and can amplify RF signals to form multiple RF signals. The ground plane 3 is a component in the phased array antenna radiating element layer used to connect to the reference ground. The coupling gap array 31 is an array of multiple coupling gaps arranged according to a certain rule.

[0045] As can be seen from the above, the phased array antenna provided in this application embodiment has the phased array antenna radiating element layer attached to the first surface A of the first substrate 1, and the second surface of the first substrate 1 is set into a first region B1 and a second region B2 with different heights (here, the height of the first region is the distance between the first region B1 and the first surface A, and the height of the second region B2 is the distance between the second region B2 and the first surface A), so that the ground plane 3 with coupling gap array 31 is attached to the relatively lower second region B2, and then the second substrate 4 is attached to the other side of the ground plane 3. Then, the radio frequency front-end circuit layer 5 and the feed network layer 6 are attached to the first region B1 of the first substrate 1 and the side of the second substrate 4 away from the ground plane 3, respectively, so that the radio frequency signal and / or electromagnetic wave transmission control signal output by the radio frequency front-end circuit layer 5 is fed back to the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 through the feed network layer 6, so that the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 radiates electromagnetic waves at the corresponding scanning angle in a time-division multiplexing manner. Furthermore, the phased array antenna provided in this application uses a coupling gap array 31 to couple the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 to the feed network layer 6, which can isolate the influence of the microstrip line in the feed network layer 6 on the antenna radiating element in the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2, thereby achieving the effect of expanding the bandwidth. Moreover, it is simple to process, simple to control, low in manufacturing cost, and easy to implement.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 4 of the phased array antenna provided in this application are both dielectric substrates, that is, the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 4 are composed of different dielectric materials. Furthermore, the dielectric constant of the first substrate 1 is higher than that of the second substrate 4.

[0047] In some embodiments, the first substrate 1 is a single-crystal quartz glass with a dielectric constant of 3.6, a loss tangent of 0.0001, and a thickness of 200 μm. Using a dielectric material with a relatively high dielectric constant to construct the first substrate 1 facilitates the integration of the RF front-end circuit layer 5 into the first region B1 of the first substrate 1. To better integrate the RF front-end circuit 5 into the first region B1 of the first substrate, the RF front-end circuit layer can be a carbon-based RF front-end circuit layer. The first substrate 1 can be rectangular or other shapes, i.e., the first surface of the first substrate 1 is rectangular, and both the first region B1 and the second region B2 of the first substrate 1 are rectangular. In some embodiments, the length and width of the first substrate 1 can be 10 cm and 11.6 cm, respectively.

[0048] In some embodiments, the second substrate 4 may be made of BCB resin material with a dielectric constant of 2.65, a loss tangent of 0.001, and a thickness of 10 μm. The second substrate 4 exhibits better electrical performance and lower loss compared to the first substrate 1. Due to the good electrical performance of this material, in some embodiments, the length and width of the second substrate 4 may be 8 cm and 11.6 cm, respectively. In some embodiments, the width of the second substrate 4 is the same as the length of the first substrate 1, and the length is less than the length of the first substrate 1.

[0049] Please continue reading. Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the phased array antenna provided according to this application, the height of the first region B1 protruding relative to the second region B2 is equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the ground plane 3 and the second substrate 4 along the stacking direction. Here, the height of the first region is the distance between the first region B1 and the first surface A, the height of the second region B2 is the distance between the second region B2 and the first surface A, the thickness of the ground plane 3 is the distance between the third and fourth surfaces of the ground plane 3, and the thickness of the second substrate 4 is the distance between the fifth and sixth surfaces of the second substrate.

[0050] Please participate Figure 2 As shown, in the phased array antenna provided according to the embodiments of this application, the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 is a radiating patch array disposed on the first surface A of the first substrate 1. This radiating patch array includes an array of multiple radiating patches arranged in a certain regular pattern. Each column of radiating patches constitutes an antenna radiating element. For example, in... Figure 2 In this embodiment, the radiating patch array is a 4x7 array, meaning the array has 4 rows and 7 columns. Each row contains seven radiating patches, and each column contains four radiating patches. The phased array antenna provided in this embodiment is a one-dimensional phased array antenna, which has a simple structure and low manufacturing cost.

[0051] In the phased array antenna provided in this application embodiment, each radiating patch in the aforementioned radiating patch array acts as an oscillator, that is, it radiates energy and resonates electromagnetic waves in the air. In some embodiments, the dimension of each radiating patch in the length direction of the first substrate 1 is approximately 0.75 operating wavelengths, and the dimension in the width direction of the first substrate 1 is approximately 0.5 operating wavelengths. The operating wavelength is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave along the propagation direction corresponding to the center frequency of the phased array antenna. Further, in some embodiments, the thickness of each radiating patch is 300 nm, and this thickness is greater than the skin depth of the phased array antenna's operating frequency band. In some embodiments, the dimensions of the radiating patch in the length direction and the width direction are 0.82 mm and 0.6 mm, respectively.

[0052] Please see Figures 1 to 4As shown, in the phased array antenna provided according to the embodiments of this application, each coupling gap in the coupling gap array 31 is a through-hole penetrating the ground plane 3. The center of the through-hole is aligned with the center of the corresponding antenna radiating element in the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2. At least one through-hole includes a first part, a second part, and a third part connected sequentially in the length direction. The first part and the third part are symmetrical about the second part, and the width of the first part gradually increases along the direction away from the second part. Here, the length direction refers to the length direction of the first substrate 1, that is, the arrangement direction of the first region B1 and the second region B2 of the first substrate 1. Here, the width refers to the dimension of the width direction of the first substrate 1. The relationship between the maximum width and the minimum width of the first part of the coupling gap satisfies a first preset relationship, and the relationship between the width of the second part of the coupling gap and the width of at least one through-hole satisfies a second preset relationship. The first preset relationship is set according to the bandwidth requirement range of the phased array antenna, and the second preset relationship is set according to the input impedance variation range required by the phased array antenna.

[0053] In the phased array antenna provided according to the embodiments of this application, each coupling gap in the coupling gap array 31 is arranged in the ground plane 3 according to a certain rule, forming a through hole penetrating the ground plane 3, which serves to couple the radiating element layer 2 and the feed network layer 6 of the phased array antenna. The coupling gap array 31 corresponds to the aforementioned radiating patch array, that is, the arrangement rule of each coupling gap in the coupling gap array 31 is the same as the arrangement rule of each radiating patch in the radiating patch array, for example, both are 4x7 arrays. That is, in the coupling gap array 31, each row consists of seven coupling gaps, and each column consists of four coupling gaps. Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments, the coupling gaps are hourglass-shaped. This shape reduces backscattering of the phased array antenna while increasing the coupling strength between the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 and the feed network layer 6. Specifically, the center of each coupling gap coincides with the center of the corresponding radiating patch, that is, in the stacking direction of the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 and the feed network layer 6, the center of each coupling gap is aligned with the center of the corresponding radiating patch. By adjusting the relationship between the length L2 of the second part of each coupling gap and the total length L1 of the coupling gap, the first preset relationship is satisfied, which can reduce backscattering of the phased array antenna while ensuring that the bandwidth range of the phased array antenna meets the required bandwidth range. In addition, the relationship between the maximum width W1 and the minimum width W2 of the first and third parts can be adjusted to satisfy the second preset relationship, so as to adjust the input impedance variation range of the phased array antenna to meet the required range. The minimum width W2 is also the width of the second part, and the width of the second part is the same along its length.

[0054] Please continue reading. Figure 3As shown, in the phased array antenna provided according to the embodiments of this application, the feed network layer 6 includes multiple subnets. Each subnet includes a subnet input terminal 61 connected to a corresponding output terminal of the RF front-end circuit layer 5, a microstrip line 63 connected to the subnet input terminal 61, and multiple subnet output terminals 62 respectively connected to the microstrip line 63. The lengths of the microstrip lines 63 between each subnet output terminal 62 and its corresponding subnet input terminal 61 are different. Here, the length of the microstrip line 63 refers to the dimension of the microstrip line along the length direction of the first substrate 1. In some embodiments, the subnet output terminal array formed by each subnet output terminal 62 in the feed network layer 6 corresponds to the position of the coupling gap array 31. The subnet output terminal array is an array in which each subnet output terminal is arranged according to a certain arrangement rule, and the arrangement rule of each subnet output terminal in the subnet output terminal array is the same as the arrangement rule of each coupling gap in the coupling gap array 31, for example, it is also a 4X7 array, that is, in the subnet output terminal array, each row consists of seven subnet output terminals 62, and each column consists of four subnet output terminals 62. In this system, each column of subnet output terminals 62 belongs to the same subnet. For a 4x7 subnet output terminal array, the feed network layer 6 includes 7 subnets. Each subnet consists of a column of subnet output terminals 62 and microstrip lines 63 connecting each subnet output terminal 62 to its corresponding subnet input terminal 61. Specifically, in each subnet, the microstrip lines 63 connecting each subnet output terminal 62 to its corresponding subnet input terminal 61 are arranged along the length of the first substrate 1 and connected sequentially. The number of subnets in the feed network layer 6 corresponds to the number of subnet input terminals 61, and each subnet input terminal 61 is connected to its corresponding output terminal in the RF front-end circuit layer.

[0055] For details, please refer to Figure 5 In the phased array antenna provided according to the embodiments of this application, the subnet output terminal 62 in the subnet output terminal array ij Projection area 62 on the ground plane 3 ij `via the corresponding coupling gap 31 in the coupling gap array` ij It extends in the width direction and penetrates the corresponding coupling gap 31 ij And the projection area is 62 ij The outer edge D2 and the corresponding coupling gap 31 ij The relationship between the distance W3 between the centers and the operating wavelength of the phased array antenna is the third preset relationship. Here, i represents the output of the subnet 62. ij and the corresponding coupling gap 31 ij In their respective array row positions, j represents the subnet output terminal 62. ij and the corresponding coupling gap 31 ijThe column position in their respective arrays. In some embodiments, W3 is 1 / 4 of the operating wavelength of the phased array antenna, that is, the third preset relationship described above is that the ratio of W3 to the operating wavelength of the phased array antenna is 1 / 4.

[0056] In the phased array antenna provided according to some embodiments of this application, the feed network layer 6 includes seven 1-to-4 subnets, that is, each 1-to-4 subnet has four sub-output terminals 62, which respectively correspond to and couple four radiating patches in a row of radiating elements in the phased array antenna. The input terminal of each subnet is electrically connected to the corresponding output terminal of the RF front-end circuit layer 5. Specifically, the feed network layer 6 composed of seven 1-to-4 subnets includes seven subnet input terminals 61 connected to the corresponding outputs of the RF front-end circuit layer 5, 28 subnet output terminals 62, and microstrip lines 63 connecting each subnet output terminal 62 and the corresponding subnet input terminal 61. The linewidth of the microstrip lines in the feed network layer 6 needs to meet a certain linewidth so that the impedance provided by the phased array antenna matches the input terminal connected to the RF front-end circuit layer.

[0057] In some embodiments, the phased array antenna provides an impedance of 50 ohms. Each subnet output terminal 62 is coupled to a radiating patch on the first surface of the first substrate 1 through a corresponding coupling gap, and the outer edge of each subnet output terminal 62 must extend beyond the center of the corresponding coupling gap, with a distance of 1 / 4 of the operating wavelength of the phased array antenna from the center of the corresponding coupling gap. The microstrip line lengths of the output terminals 62 of each subnet are different to create a phase difference. It acts as a phase shifter, enabling the radiation of a phased antenna array to be directed at a specified angle. The difference in microstrip line length depends on the required phase difference. The corresponding operating wavelength is determined based on the phase difference of the phased array antenna. The calculation formula is as follows:

[0058] =

[0059] This refers to the phase delay or advance of the currently operating antenna radiating element relative to the first operating antenna radiating element in the phased array antenna radiating element layer; n refers to the nth position of the currently operating antenna radiating element after the first operating antenna radiating element; and d refers to the fixed spacing between the antenna radiating elements. In the phased array antenna provided according to some embodiments of this application, the fixed spacing d between the antenna radiating elements in the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 is set to 1 / 2 of the operating wavelength of the phased array antenna, and θ refers to the scanning angle of the currently operating antenna radiating element. Figures 1 to 3 Taking the phased array antenna described in the figure as an example, if the radiation pointing angle of the rightmost antenna radiating element is 45°, then the input signal angle between the four radiating patches should be... , +127° +254° +381° (or +21°).

[0060] In addition, please see Figure 3 As shown, in the phased array antenna provided according to the embodiments of this application, the radio frequency front-end circuit layer 5 is a carbon-based radio frequency front-end circuit layer. Specifically, the first substrate 1 includes a first layer 11 with a first thickness and a second layer 12 with a second thickness. The phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 is disposed on one side of the first layer, and the second layer 12 is disposed on the other side of the first layer 11, exposing a portion of the other side of the first layer. This portion is the second region B2 of the first substrate 1, and the other side of the second layer 12 away from the first layer 11 is the first region B1 of the first substrate 1. The radio frequency front-end circuit layer 5 is disposed on the protruding second layer 12 below the back surface of the first substrate 1. The radio frequency front-end circuit layer 5 is electrically connected to the feed network layer 6 and is used to drive and control the phased array antenna radiating element layer to transmit electromagnetic waves in a time-division multiplexing manner.

[0061] According to some embodiments of this application, the phased array antenna provided is a one-dimensional phased array antenna. When this one-dimensional phased array antenna performs beam scanning, the RF front-end circuit layer 5 feeds the linear array in the radiating layer of the phased array antenna from left to right in a time-division manner, achieving a scanning range of -45° to 45°. That is, in some embodiments, the RF front-end circuit layer 5 is used to output corresponding RF signals to the corresponding subnet in the feeding network layer 6 in a time-division manner, so as to feed the RF signals to the corresponding antenna radiating elements in the radiating element layer 2 of the phased array antenna in a time-division manner, thereby controlling the radiating element layer 2 of the phased array antenna to transmit electromagnetic waves in a time-division scanning manner. For example, the radiating element layer 2 of the phased array antenna can be controlled to transmit W-band millimeter-wave electromagnetic waves in a time-division scanning manner. The W-band is a frequency band in the range of 75GHz to 110GHz.

[0062] like Figure 6 As shown in the embodiment of this application, the phased array antenna includes seven antenna radiating elements C1 to C7, wherein the scanning angles of each antenna radiating element are -45°, -30°, -15°, 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45°, respectively. The scanning angle interval of the phased array antenna can be changed by increasing or decreasing the number of antenna arrays and the scanning angle of the antenna arrays.

[0063] like Figure 7As shown, it displays the bandwidth of the phased array antenna provided in this embodiment across the entire operating frequency band. The S11 parameter of the phased array element provided in this embodiment is below -10 dBi, and the range below -10 dBi is large, resulting in stable operation. Clearly, the bandwidth characteristics of the phased array antenna provided in this embodiment are significantly improved, thereby solving the problem of poor bandwidth characteristics in current millimeter-wave phased array antennas due to the surface waves excited by millimeter-wave microstrip antennas, which drastically narrow the antenna bandwidth.

[0064] Please also refer to Figures 1 to 3 As shown, this application embodiment provides a one-dimensional phased array antenna. The electromagnetic wave emitted by this one-dimensional phased array antenna is a W-band millimeter wave. This one-dimensional phased array antenna consists of 7 strings (7 parallel elements, each parallel element including 4 antennas) with equal phase differences. The antenna array consists of 4 antenna linear arrays. Each antenna array comprises a column of antenna radiating elements, a corresponding column of coupling gaps, and a corresponding subnet. The antenna linear array is fed in a time-division multiplexing manner through the RF front-end circuit layer 7 to achieve one-dimensional beam scanning. It has the advantage of wider bandwidth than conventional microstrip phased array antennas, which can broaden the bandwidth and improve the feeding design, making it a one-dimensional phased array antenna capable of one-dimensional beam scanning at W-band frequencies.

[0065] In some embodiments, based on different application requirements, the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2, feed network layer 6, and ground plane 3 in the phased array antenna provided in this application can be made of different conductor materials, such as metallic conductor materials. In this embodiment, the radiating patch, feed network layer 6, and ground plane 3 in the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 are all made of gold. When metallic conductor materials are applied to the radiating patch, feed network layer 6, and ground plane 3, the thickness of the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 (radiating patch), feed network layer 6, and ground plane 3 is greater than the skin depth of the operating frequency band of the phased array antenna.

[0066] Ground plane 3 is disposed between the second region of the first substrate 1 and the fifth surface of the second substrate 4. It can be made of a metallic material, such as gold, and serves to reflect electromagnetic wave signals. It also isolates the phased array antenna radiating element layer 2 from the feed network layer 6 to eliminate the inductive effect and parasitic radiation introduced by the feed network layer 6. Specifically, in some embodiments, ground plane 3 covers the entire fifth surface of the second substrate 4. Further, the thickness of ground plane 3 is 300 nm.

[0067] In summary, some embodiments of this application provide a one-dimensional W-band phased array antenna. This phased array antenna can control the antenna array to achieve beam scanning in a one-dimensional direction of the W-band frequency by time-division feeding. The structure of coupled gap feeding can isolate the influence of microstrip lines on the radiating patch, thereby achieving the effect of expanding bandwidth. It is simple to manufacture, simple to control, and easy to implement.

[0068] Furthermore, embodiments of this application also provide a radar device, which includes a phased array antenna as shown in any embodiment of this application. Further, the radar device can be, specifically, a millimeter-wave radar. The technical effects obtained by the radar device provided according to the embodiments of this application are the same as those obtained by the phased array antenna provided in the embodiments of this application, and will not be described in detail here.

[0069] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A phased array antenna, characterized in that, It includes a first substrate (1), a phased array antenna radiating element layer (2), a ground plane (3), a second substrate (4), a radio frequency front-end circuit layer (5), and a feed network layer (6). The first substrate (1) has a first surface (A) and a second surface opposite each other, the second surface has an adjacent first region (B1) and a second region (B2), the first region (B1) protruding relative to the second region (B2); The phased array antenna radiating element layer (2) is disposed on the first surface (A) of the first substrate; The ground plane (3) has a third and a fourth surface, the third surface being in contact with the second region (B2), and the ground plane (3) having a coupling gap array (31) extending from the third surface to the fourth surface. The coupling gap array (31) is used to couple the phased array antenna radiating element layer (2) and the feed network layer (6). Each coupling gap in the coupling gap array (31) is a through hole penetrating the ground plane (3), and the center of the through hole is aligned with the center of the corresponding antenna radiating element in the phased array antenna radiating element layer (2). At least one of the through holes includes a first part, a second part, and a third part connected in sequence along its length, the first part and the third part being symmetrical about the second part, and the width of the first part gradually increasing along the direction away from the second part; The second substrate (4) has a fifth surface and a sixth surface facing each other, the fifth surface being attached to the fourth surface; The radio frequency front-end circuit layer (5) is disposed in the first region (B1) and is used to control the phased array antenna radiating unit layer (2) to transmit and / or receive electromagnetic waves in a time-division manner. The power supply network layer (6) is disposed on the sixth surface and is used for power supply between the phased array antenna radiating element layer (2) and the radio frequency front-end circuit layer (5).

2. The phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first substrate (1) and the second substrate (4) are dielectric substrates, and the dielectric constant of the first substrate (1) is greater than that of the second substrate (4).

3. The phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height of the first region (B1) protruding relative to the second region (B2) is equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the ground plane (3) and the second substrate (4) along the stacking direction.

4. The phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The phased array antenna radiating element layer (2) includes a radiating patch array disposed on the first surface (A).

5. The phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The size relationship between the maximum width and the minimum width of the first part satisfies a first preset relationship; The size relationship between the width of the second part and the width of at least one of the through holes satisfies a second preset relationship.

6. The phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power supply network layer (6) includes multiple subnets. Each subnet includes a subnet input terminal (61) connected to a corresponding output terminal of the radio frequency front-end circuit layer (5), a microstrip line (63) connected to the subnet input terminal (61), and multiple subnet output terminals (62) connected to the microstrip line (63). The lengths of the microstrip line (63) between each subnet output terminal (62) and the corresponding subnet input terminal (61) are different.

7. The phased array antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that, The subnet output terminal (62) array formed by each of the subnet output terminals (62) in the power supply network layer (6) corresponds to the position of the coupling gap array (31); The projection area of ​​each of the subnet output terminals (62) in the subnet output terminal (62) array on the ground plane (3) extends through the width direction of the corresponding coupling gap in the coupling gap array (31) and passes through the corresponding coupling gap. The relationship between the distance between the outer edge of the projection area and the center of the corresponding coupling gap and the operating wavelength of the phased array antenna is a third preset relationship.

8. The phased array antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that, The radio frequency front-end circuit layer (5) is used to output corresponding radio frequency signals to the corresponding subnet in the feed network layer (6) in a time-division manner, so as to feed the radio frequency signals to the corresponding antenna radiation unit in the phased array antenna radiation unit layer (2) through the corresponding subnet in a time-division manner, so as to control the phased array antenna radiation unit layer (2) to transmit W-band electromagnetic waves in a time-division scanning manner. The scanning angle range corresponding to the time-division scanning is -45 degrees to 45 degrees.

9. The phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ground plane (3), the phased array antenna radiating element layer (2) and the feed network layer (6) are all metal layers, and the thickness of each metal layer is greater than the skin depth of the phased array antenna operating frequency band. The ground plane (3) is used to reflect electromagnetic waves and to isolate the phased array antenna radiating element layer (2) from the feed network layer (6).

10. A radar device, characterized in that, Includes the phased array antenna as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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