Dual polarized solar antenna unit and array

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of dual-polarized solar antenna unit and array, dual-polarized solar antenna unit includes the solar sheet layer of equal plane area from top to bottom sequentially arranged, dual-polarized antenna oscillator layer, frequency selective surface layer and antenna base layer, and adjacent two layers are all separated by foam support, the dual-polarized antenna oscillator layer is connected with the antenna base layer by coaxial radio frequency connector and metal ground column through frequency selective surface layer.This solar cell piece is exposed 100%, simultaneously play the role of expanding antenna original working bandwidth;Antenna has wideband dual-polarized wide-angle scanning capability, both ensure the radiation performance of antenna, also maximize ensure the power generation efficiency of solar cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the fields of antenna technology and solar cell applications, specifically to a dual-polarized solar antenna unit and array. Background Technology

[0002] The integration of solar cells and antennas has become a research topic of great interest. Integrating solar cells and antennas into one unit, with the solar cells generating electricity to power the antenna system, provides a new approach to powering traditional antenna systems.

[0003] Currently, the methods for integrating solar antennas both domestically and internationally mainly fall into two categories. The first category is slotted solar antennas, which have two integration methods: one is to directly etch slots onto the bottom electrode of the solar cell to serve as the antenna, with the electrode itself acting as the antenna's ground plane; the other is to place the slotted antenna in the gap between the solar cells, with the slot itself etched onto another carrier. In comparison, the latter technology has a relatively simpler manufacturing process and can be fully integrated into a narrow slot. Its disadvantages are a small antenna aperture, which cannot fully utilize the aperture of the solar panel, and the antenna needs to be fabricated separately, thus not reducing costs.

[0004] The second type involves using solar cells as reflectors or radiating patches. Using solar panels as reflectors effectively utilizes them and increases their utilization rate. However, the antenna above can obstruct the solar panel to some extent. To ensure light transmittance, the solar cells are typically used as the radiators of the patch antenna, integrating the antenna and solar cell unit into a single structure. This reduces the complexity of the manufacturing process and lowers production costs, thus this type of integrated solar antenna technology undoubtedly has broad application prospects.

[0005] In summary, the main bottleneck in integrating solar cells and antennas lies in the antenna structure's obstruction of sunlight reaching the solar cells. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a dual-polarized solar antenna unit and array to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0007] The present invention achieves the above objectives through the following technical solutions:

[0008] The present invention provides a dual-polarized solar antenna unit, comprising, from top to bottom, a solar panel layer with equal planar area, a dual-polarized antenna vibrator layer, a frequency selective surface layer, and an antenna base layer, wherein adjacent layers are separated and supported by foam. The dual-polarized antenna vibrator layer is connected to the antenna base layer through the frequency selective surface layer via a coaxial radio frequency connector and a metal grounding post.

[0009] A further improvement is that the solar cell layer includes a dielectric substrate, a first metal stamp located at the center of the surface of the dielectric substrate, a solar cell located above the first metal stamp, a second metal stamp connected to the first metal stamp and perpendicular to the edge of the first metal stamp, and an inductor located on the second metal stamp. The positive electrode of the solar cell is connected to the first metal stamp and led out by the second metal stamp. The negative electrode of the solar cell is located on the upper surface of the solar cell and led out by the bus electrode of the grid-like electrode line of the solar cell itself.

[0010] A further improvement is that the first metal stamp is rectangular and the second metal stamp is strip-shaped.

[0011] A further improvement is that the dual-polarized antenna vibrator layer includes a dielectric substrate and dual-polarized vibrators located on the upper and lower surfaces of the dielectric substrate, respectively.

[0012] A further improvement is that the dual-polarized vibrator includes a vertically polarized vibrator and a horizontally polarized vibrator, which are arranged orthogonally in a cross shape. The vertically polarized vibrator and the horizontally polarized vibrator are connected to the antenna base layer through a coaxial radio frequency connector and a metal grounding post.

[0013] A further improvement is that both the vertically polarized oscillator and the horizontally polarized oscillator include a first oscillator portion and a second oscillator portion symmetrically arranged along the geometric center of the dielectric substrate. The first oscillator portion and the second oscillator portion are not directly connected. The first oscillator portion is disposed on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate, and the second oscillator portion is disposed on the lower surface of the dielectric substrate. Furthermore, the first oscillator portion and the second oscillator portion are provided with metal portions for connecting the coaxial RF connector at the same vertical position.

[0014] A further improvement is that the coaxial RF connector is arranged perpendicular to the antenna base, the inner core of the coaxial RF connector is connected to the first oscillator part of the vertically polarized oscillator and the horizontally polarized oscillator through a dielectric substrate, and the metal outer wall of the coaxial RF connector is connected to the second oscillator part of the vertically polarized oscillator and the horizontally polarized oscillator on the lower surface of the substrate.

[0015] A further improvement is that the metal grounding post passes through the frequency selective surface layer and is disposed perpendicular to the antenna base, and the second oscillator portion of the vertically polarized oscillator and the horizontally polarized oscillator are connected to the metal grounding post.

[0016] A further improvement is that the frequency selective surface layer includes a dielectric substrate and a square ring metal stamp located on its upper surface, with the square ring metal stamp located on the upper periphery of the dielectric substrate.

[0017] A further improvement is that the foam is made of a material with a low dielectric constant.

[0018] The present invention provides an antenna array comprising a plurality of dual-polarized solar antenna elements located in the same coordinate system and distributed along a first direction and a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other, and adjacent dual-polarized solar antenna elements distributed along the second direction are interconnected.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0020] (1) In this invention, the solar panel layer and the frequency selective surface layer are combined as the parasitic radiating sheet of the antenna, which broadens the working bandwidth of the antenna. At the same time, this design allows the solar panel to be located at the top, so that 100% illumination can be achieved.

[0021] (2) The antenna array composed of antenna elements has wide-band dual-polarization large-angle phased scanning capability under appropriate element spacing. Furthermore, the solar cells of each element in the array are connected in series on a horizontal straight line, which expands the working voltage range of the solar cells. This not only ensures the performance of the antenna but also ensures the power generation efficiency of the solar cells, thus possessing high engineering application value.

[0022] (3) The metal grounding post effectively reduces the standing wave ratio of the antenna array when scanning at large angles within the working frequency band.

[0023] (4) The dual-polarized solar cell antenna can be powered by solar cells. Because it has wide-band dual-polarization capability, it is suitable for 5G low-frequency sub-6GHz band transmitting and receiving terminal equipment and has high scalability. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural view of the dual-polarized solar antenna.

[0025] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the solar panel of the dual-polarized solar antenna.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the connection of the oscillator layers of the dual-polarized solar antenna.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a top view of the oscillator layer of the dual-polarized solar antenna;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a top view of the oscillator layer of the dual-polarized solar antenna;

[0029] Figure 6 Top view of the surface layer for frequency selection of the dual-polarized solar antenna;

[0030] Figure 7 The standing wave ratio (SWR) diagrams for the vertically polarized and horizontally polarized elements of the dual-polarized solar antenna are shown below.

[0031] Figure 8 The isolation diagram of the vertically polarized and horizontally polarized elements of the dual-polarized solar antenna is shown.

[0032] Figure 9 The actual gain pattern of the E-plane of the horizontally polarized oscillator of the dual-polarized solar antenna;

[0033] Figure 10 The actual gain pattern of the H-plane of the horizontally polarized oscillator of the dual-polarized solar antenna;

[0034] Figure 11 The actual gain pattern of the E-plane of the vertically polarized oscillator of the dual-polarized solar antenna;

[0035] Figure 12 The actual gain pattern of the H-plane of the vertically polarized oscillator of the dual-polarized solar antenna;

[0036] Figure 13 This is a three-dimensional structural view of the dual-polarized solar antenna array;

[0037] Figure 14 This is a top view of the structure of the dual-polarized solar antenna array;

[0038] Figure 15 A schematic diagram showing the connection of solar cells between adjacent dual-polarized solar cell antennas;

[0039] The numbers in the image represent:

[0040] 1. Solar cell; 2. Solar cell dielectric substrate; 3. Inductor; 4. Metal stamp; 5. First foam; 6. First oscillator section of vertically polarized oscillator; 7. First oscillator section of horizontally polarized oscillator; 8. Second oscillator section of horizontally polarized oscillator; 9. Second oscillator section of vertically polarized oscillator; 10. Oscillator layer dielectric substrate; 11. Second foam; 12. Annular metal stamp; 13. Frequency selective surface layer dielectric substrate; 14. Metal grounding post; 15. Coaxial RF connector; 16. Third foam; 17. Metal antenna base; 18. Metal electrode strip. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following specific embodiments are only used to further illustrate the present application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art can make some non-essential improvements and adjustments to the present application based on the above application content.

[0042] Example 1

[0043] like Figure 1As shown, the dual-polarized solar antenna unit includes, from top to bottom, a solar panel layer with equal planar area, a dual-polarized antenna vibrator layer, a frequency selective surface layer, and an antenna base layer. Adjacent layers are separated and supported by foam. The dual-polarized antenna vibrator layer is connected to the antenna base layer through a coaxial RF connector 15 and a metal grounding post 14, passing through the frequency selective surface layer. The antenna base layer is specifically a metal antenna base 17.

[0044] The antenna element has a side length of 30.36 mm. The solar panel is placed on the dual-polarized antenna element layer via a first foam 5. The antenna element layer is connected to the metal antenna base 17 via a coaxial RF connector 15 and a metal grounding post 14. The frequency selective surface layer is placed on the metal antenna base 17 via a third foam 16. A second foam 11 is placed between the dual-polarized antenna element layer and the frequency selective surface layer. The foam is made of a low dielectric constant material.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, the solar cell layer includes a solar cell 1, a metal stamp 4, an inductor 3, and a dielectric substrate 2 (hereinafter referred to as "dielectric substrate" for the solar cell dielectric substrate 2, the transducer layer dielectric substrate 10, and the frequency selective surface layer dielectric substrate 13). The metal stamp 4 includes a square first metal stamp and a strip-shaped second metal stamp. The solar cell 1 is disposed on the square first metal stamp with a side length of 18.33 mm. The inductor 3 has an inductance value of 47 nH and is connected in the middle of the second metal stamp. The metal stamp 4 is printed on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate 2 with a thickness of 0.5 mm. The solar cell layer is placed on the dual-polarized antenna transducer layer through a first foam 5 with a thickness of 9.27 mm.

[0046] Furthermore, the strip-shaped second metal pattern is to facilitate the extraction of the positive electrode of the solar cell, and the addition of inductor element 3 is to reduce the impact of the metal strip connection on the radiation of the antenna vibrator.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, the dual-polarized antenna vibrator layer includes a dual-polarized vibrator and a dielectric substrate 10 with a thickness of 0.5 mm. The dual-polarized vibrator is disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the dielectric substrate 10. The antenna vibrator layer is placed on the frequency selective surface layer through a second foam 11 with a thickness of 3.27 mm.

[0048] like Figure 4-6 As shown, the dual-polarized oscillator is configured in a bow shape, including a vertically polarized oscillator and a horizontally polarized oscillator. The vertically polarized oscillator and the horizontally polarized oscillator are arranged in a cross shape orthogonally. The edge gap between the oscillator and the dielectric substrate 10 is 0.82 mm. The oscillator is composed of a right triangle with a hypotenuse of 28.45 mm and a square with a side length of 5.085 mm cut off. The vertically polarized oscillator and the horizontally polarized oscillator are connected to the metal antenna base 17 through a coaxial RF connector 15 and a metal grounding post 14.

[0049] The vertically polarized oscillator includes a symmetrically arranged first oscillator section 6 and a second oscillator section 9 (hereinafter referred to as "first oscillator section" or "second oscillator section" for the vertically polarized oscillator first oscillator section 6, the horizontally polarized oscillator first oscillator section 7, the horizontally polarized oscillator second oscillator section 8, and the vertically polarized oscillator second oscillator section 9). A square with a side length of 2.67 mm is cut off at the right angle of the first oscillator section 6. A 1 mm wide metal wire is led out from the right angle of the second oscillator section 9 and extends to the bottom of the first oscillator section 6. A coaxial section is carved out at a distance of 3.2 mm from the center point O(0,0) in the negative x-direction. The RF connector 15 has a hole for connection; the horizontally polarized oscillator includes a first oscillator part 7 and a second oscillator part 8 symmetrically arranged, wherein the second oscillator part 8 has a square with a side length of 2.67mm cut off, and a metal wire with a width of 1mm is led out from the right angle of the first oscillator part 7 to the top of the second oscillator part 8. A hole for connection of the coaxial RF connector 15 is drilled at a distance of 3.2mm from the center O(0,0) in the positive y direction; the first oscillator part and the second oscillator part are not directly connected; the first oscillator parts 6 and 7 are disposed on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate 10, and the second oscillator parts 8 and 9 are disposed on the lower surface of the dielectric substrate 10.

[0050] The coaxial RF connector 15 is positioned perpendicular to the metal antenna base 17. The inner core of the coaxial RF connector 15 is connected to the first oscillator portion 6 of the vertically polarized oscillator and the first oscillator portion 7 of the horizontally polarized oscillator through the dielectric substrate 10. The metal outer wall of the coaxial RF connector 15 is connected to the second oscillator portion 9 of the vertically polarized oscillator and the second oscillator portion 8 of the horizontally polarized oscillator on the lower surface of the substrate.

[0051] Furthermore, the metal grounding post 14 effectively reduces the standing wave ratio (SWR) of the antenna array during large-angle scanning within the operating frequency band. The metal grounding post 14 passes through the frequency-selective surface layer and is set perpendicular to the metal antenna base 17. The second oscillator parts 8 and 9 of the horizontally polarized oscillator and the vertically polarized oscillator are connected to the metal grounding post 14 with a diameter of 1 mm. The position coordinates of the metal grounding post 14 connected to the second oscillator part 9 of the vertically polarized oscillator are (7.09 mm, 3.6 mm), and the position coordinates of the metal grounding post 14 connected to the second oscillator part 8 of the horizontally polarized oscillator are (-3.28 mm, 10.32 mm).

[0052] Furthermore, the frequency selective surface layer is combined with the solar panel layer as a parasitic radiating plate for the antenna, which can effectively extend the original bandwidth of the antenna. A second foam 11 is set between the frequency selective surface layer and the dual-polarized antenna vibrator layer. The frequency selective surface is composed of a dielectric substrate 13 and a square annular metal stamp 12 on its edge. The outer side length of the square ring is 30.22 mm and the inner side length is 26.94 mm. The metal ring stamp 12 is made on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate 13 with a thickness of 0.5 mm. The frequency selective surface layer and the metal antenna base 17 are supported and connected by a third foam 16 with a thickness of 15.41 mm.

[0053] The lower end of the grounding metal post 14 is connected to the metal antenna base 17 with a thickness of 5mm. The coaxial RF connector 15 is disposed inside the metal antenna base 17, passes through the metal antenna base 17 and its metal outer wall contacts the base.

[0054] like Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, Figure 7 The standing wave ratio (SWR) diagrams for the vertically polarized and horizontally polarized elements of the dual-polarized solar antenna show that the SWR of both pairs of elements is less than 3 within the 1.8-4.2 GHz frequency band. Figure 8 The isolation diagram of the vertically polarized and horizontally polarized elements of the dual-polarized solar antenna shows that the isolation between the vertically polarized and horizontally polarized elements is less than -20dB within the operating frequency band.

[0055] like Figure 9-12 As shown, Figure 9 The E-plane gain pattern of the horizontally polarized oscillator of the dual-polarized solar antenna is shown below. Figure 10 The H-plane gain pattern of the horizontally polarized oscillator of the dual-polarized solar antenna; Figure 11 The E-plane gain pattern of the vertically polarized oscillator of the dual-polarized solar antenna is shown below. Figure 12 The figure shows the H-plane gain pattern of the vertically polarized element of the dual-polarized solar antenna. As can be seen from the figure, the dual-polarized solar antenna exhibits good radiation performance and high cross-polarization isolation.

[0056] Example 2

[0057] like Figure 13-15 As shown, the antenna array of this invention is formed by vertically arranging several dual-polarized solar antenna elements in a square grid. Using an element spacing of 30.36 mm, an 8×8 antenna array of 64 elements is formed, enabling two-dimensional ±45° phase scanning within the 1.8-4.2 GHz frequency band.

[0058] Furthermore, in order to collect the direct current generated by the solar cells, a metal electrode strip 18 is led out from the negative electrode of the solar cell in each unit of the array and connected to the bus electrode of the grid-like electrode line of the solar cell. The metal electrode strip 18 is connected to the strip-shaped portion of the metal stamp 4 of the adjacent unit, so that each solar cell in the y direction of the array is connected in series.

[0059] This invention effectively balances the performance of the antenna and the solar cell. By employing a loaded solar panel layer, the solar cell receives ample sunlight while simultaneously forming a parasitic radiation structure with the annular metal stamp 12 on the frequency-selective surface layer. This expands the antenna's original bandwidth. Furthermore, the addition of the metal stamp 4, inductor 3, and metal electrode strip 18 allows for the extraction of direct current from the solar panel while minimizing the impact of connections on antenna radiation performance. This integrated solar cell antenna provides power to the antenna itself. Due to its wideband dual-polarization capability, it is suitable for 5G low-frequency sub-6GHz band transmitting and receiving terminal equipment and exhibits high scalability.

[0060] The above embodiments merely illustrate several implementation methods of the present invention, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A dual-polarized solar antenna unit, characterized in that, The device includes, from top to bottom, a solar panel layer with equal planar area, a dual-polarized antenna vibrator layer, a frequency selective surface layer, and an antenna base layer, with adjacent layers separated and supported by foam. The dual-polarized antenna vibrator layer is connected to the antenna base layer through a coaxial RF connector and a metal grounding post, passing through the frequency selective surface layer. The solar cell includes a dielectric substrate, a first metal stamp located at the center of the surface of the dielectric substrate, a solar cell located above the first metal stamp, a second metal stamp connected to the first metal stamp and perpendicular to the edge of the first metal stamp, and an inductor located on the second metal stamp. The positive electrode of the solar cell is located on the lower surface of the solar cell, connected to the first metal stamp and led out by the second metal stamp, and the negative electrode of the solar cell is located on the upper surface of the solar cell and led out by the bus electrode of the solar cell wire.

2. The dual-polarized solar antenna unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first metal stamp is rectangular, and the second metal stamp is strip-shaped.

3. The dual-polarized solar antenna unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dual-polarized antenna vibrator layer includes a dielectric substrate and dual-polarized vibrators located on the upper and lower surfaces of the dielectric substrate, respectively.

4. A dual-polarized solar antenna unit according to claim 3, characterized in that: The dual-polarized vibrator includes a vertically polarized vibrator and a horizontally polarized vibrator, which are arranged orthogonally in a cross shape. The vertically polarized vibrator and the horizontally polarized vibrator are connected to the antenna base layer through a coaxial radio frequency connector and a metal grounding post.

5. A dual-polarized solar antenna unit according to claim 4, characterized in that: Both the vertically polarized oscillator and the horizontally polarized oscillator include a first oscillator portion and a second oscillator portion symmetrically arranged along the geometric center of the dielectric substrate. The first oscillator portion and the second oscillator portion are not directly connected. The first oscillator portion is disposed on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate, and the second oscillator portion is disposed on the lower surface of the dielectric substrate. The first oscillator portion and the second oscillator portion are provided with metal portions for connecting the coaxial RF connector at the same vertical position.

6. A dual-polarized solar antenna unit according to claim 5, characterized in that: The coaxial RF connector is positioned perpendicular to the antenna base. The inner core of the coaxial RF connector is connected to the first oscillator portion of the vertically polarized oscillator and the horizontally polarized oscillator via a dielectric substrate. The metal outer wall of the coaxial RF connector is connected to the second oscillator portion of the vertically polarized oscillator and the horizontally polarized oscillator on the lower surface of the substrate.

7. A dual-polarized solar antenna unit according to claim 6, characterized in that: The metal grounding post is disposed perpendicular to the antenna base, passing through the frequency selective surface layer, and the second oscillator portion of the vertically polarized oscillator and the horizontally polarized oscillator are connected to the metal grounding post.

8. A dual-polarized solar antenna unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The frequency selective surface layer includes a dielectric substrate and a square-ring metal stamp located on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the dielectric substrate.

9. An antenna array, characterized in that, The device includes several dual-polarized solar antenna elements as described in any one of claims 1-8, located on the same coordinate system and distributed along a first direction and a second direction, respectively. The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other, and adjacent dual-polarized solar antenna elements distributed along the second direction are interconnected.

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