Compact lens antenna

Abstract

A compact lens antenna includes: a lens dielectric body with a feed cavity thereon and a feed source at least partially disposed within the feed cavity; the lens dielectric body includes multiple nested bodies; the lens dielectric body is configured to achieve electromagnetic wave phase compensation and optimize antenna performance by adjusting the size, thickness, and dielectric material of the multiple nested bodies. The compact lens antenna is smaller, lighter, and has reduced wind resistance, improving the reliability and ease of installation on towers. Furthermore, by changing the shape of the lens dielectric body, adding a compensation medium, or increasing the dielectric constant, the phase of the electromagnetic wave is compensated, thus optimizing antenna performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and more particularly to an antenna, and even more specifically to a compact lens antenna. Background Technology

[0002] In the industry, lens antennas have played a significant role in scenarios such as coverage of hotspot areas or sea areas due to their high gain and ability to achieve multi-beam coverage, thus gradually becoming a research hotspot for major antenna manufacturers and universities.

[0003] Existing lens antennas are mainly spherical Luneburg lens antennas and cylindrical lens antennas. Their structure typically involves placing one or more feed sources on one side of a multi-layer sphere or multi-layer cylinder (lens medium), allowing the normal direction of the feed source radiation to pass through the center of the sphere or cylinder, so that the electromagnetic wave forms a plane wave on the other side of the sphere or cylinder, thereby improving the antenna gain. A certain distance is maintained between the feed source and the multi-layer sphere or multi-layer cylinder to facilitate the optimization of antenna performance and installation.

[0004] When the antenna frequency is low, the dimensions of both the feed and the lens medium will increase, resulting in a significant increase in the overall size of the antenna. On the one hand, the increase in antenna size will lead to greater wind resistance, reducing the reliability of the antenna installation on the tower; on the other hand, the increase in antenna size will also lead to an increase in antenna weight, thus making the requirements for the tower higher and correspondingly reducing the ease of installation.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an improved lens antenna to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and optimize the prior art in many aspects such as electrical performance and physical characteristics. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a compact lens antenna.

[0007] To achieve the objectives of this invention, the following technical solution is adopted:

[0008] A compact lens antenna includes: a lens medium having a feed cavity thereon and a feed source at least partially disposed within the feed cavity; the lens medium includes a plurality of nested bodies; the lens medium is configured to achieve electromagnetic wave phase compensation and optimize antenna performance by adjusting the size, thickness and dielectric material of the plurality of nested bodies.

[0009] Preferably, the lens medium is a spherical lens medium, and the innermost nested body among the plurality of nested bodies includes a solid cylinder, while the remaining nested bodies include hollow cylinders and annular spherical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinders.

[0010] Preferably, the dielectric constant of the nested structures changes sequentially from large to small from the innermost to the outermost. More preferably, the dielectric constant of the nested structures changes sequentially from large to small within the range of 2 to 1 from the innermost to the outermost.

[0011] Optionally, the feed cavity is located at the bottom of the lens medium, and the shape of the feed cavity is hemispherical, rectangular, or any other suitable shape that can at least partially accommodate the feed.

[0012] Preferably, a phase compensation dielectric layer is disposed in the feed cavity above the feed, and the dielectric constant of the phase compensation dielectric layer is greater than the dielectric constant of the feed cavity itself.

[0013] The lens medium can have various suitable structures, such as a cylindrical lens medium. The innermost nested body of the plurality of nested bodies includes a solid cylinder, and the remaining nested bodies include hollow cylinders.

[0014] Alternatively, the lens medium can be a biconical lens medium, wherein the innermost nested body of the plurality of nested bodies includes a solid cylinder and conical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the solid cylinder, and the remaining nested bodies include a hollow cylinder and conical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinder; the plurality of nested bodies are nested together to form a lens medium with a cylindrical toroidal surface in the middle and conical surfaces at both ends.

[0015] Alternatively, the lens medium can be a biconical lens medium, and the number of nested bodies is two, wherein the innermost nested body includes a solid cylinder and conical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the solid cylinder, and the outermost nested body includes a hollow cylinder and conical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinder; the nested bodies are nested together to form a lens medium with a cylindrical torus in the middle and conical bodies at both ends; the axis of the biconical body of the lens medium forms an angle with the axis of the cylindrical torus.

[0016] Alternatively, the lens medium can be a spherical lens medium, where the innermost nested body of the plurality of nested bodies comprises a solid cylinder, and the remaining nested bodies comprise hollow cylinders and annular spherical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinders; the feed cavity is formed by removing partial material from the outermost and second-outermost nested bodies. Preferably, the feed cavity is formed by removing material from the lower half of the hollow cylinders of the outermost and second-outermost nested bodies.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0018] In the compact lens antenna provided by this invention, partial removal of material from the lens medium creates a feed cavity for at least partially housing the feed. This reduces the overall antenna size, fully utilizes the space within the lens medium, and decreases the combined size of the lens medium and feed. Consequently, the compact lens antenna is smaller, lighter, and has reduced wind resistance, thus improving its reliability and ease of installation on towers. Furthermore, by altering the shape of the lens medium, adding a compensation medium, or increasing the dielectric constant, the phase of the electromagnetic wave is compensated, optimizing antenna performance.

[0019] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and will become apparent from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a compact lens antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2a for Figure 1 The side view of the compact lens antenna shown.

[0023] Figure 2b for Figure 1 The exploded 3D view of the compact lens antenna shown does not display all disassembled components for clarity.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of a compact lens antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of a compact lens antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of a compact lens antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 6 for Figure 5 The exploded three-dimensional view of the compact lens antenna is shown.

[0028] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of a compact lens antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 8 for Figure 7 The front view of the compact lens antenna shown.

[0030] Figure 9 for Figure 7 The side view of the compact lens antenna shown. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0032] Those skilled in the art will understand that, unless specifically stated otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” “the,” and “the” used herein may also include the plural forms. It should be further understood that the term “comprising” as used in this specification means the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, nor does it exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. It should be understood that when we say an element is “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. Furthermore, “connected” or “coupled” as used herein can include wireless connection or wireless coupling. The term “and / or” as used herein includes all or any unit and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0033] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have the same meaning as in the context of the prior art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless specifically defined as herein.

[0034] In summary, this invention provides a compact lens antenna, comprising a lens dielectric body with a feed cavity formed thereon and a feed source at least partially disposed within the feed cavity. The lens dielectric body can adopt various structural forms, such as a sphere, a cylinder, and various composite structures, and is composed of multiple nested bodies. These nested bodies can be made of materials with the same or different dielectric constants, and electromagnetic wave phase compensation is achieved by adjusting the size, thickness, and dielectric material of these nested bodies, thereby optimizing antenna performance.

[0035] Specifically, in this invention, a portion of the lens medium material is removed to create a feed cavity at an appropriate location within the lens medium. This allows the feed to be placed, at least partially, inside the feed cavity, effectively reducing the space occupied by the feed alone. In other words, this invention fully utilizes the space of the lens medium itself, reducing the overall size of the combined lens medium and feed. This results in a smaller, lighter compact lens antenna with reduced wind resistance, ultimately improving the reliability and ease of installation on towers. Furthermore, by altering the shape of the lens medium, adding a compensation medium, or increasing the dielectric constant, the phase of the electromagnetic wave is compensated, optimizing antenna performance.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in combination Figure 1 and Figures 2a-2b A compact lens antenna 100 includes: a lens medium body 10 having a feed cavity 15 thereon and a feed source at least partially disposed within the feed cavity 15; wherein, the lens medium body 10 is a spherical lens medium body, which includes a plurality of nested bodies 12, 14, 16, 18, 11, 13 arranged sequentially from the inside to the outside, the innermost nested body 12 including a solid cylinder, and the remaining nested bodies 14, 16, 18, 11, 13 including a hollow cylinder and an annular spherical surface formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinder.

[0037] For example, in this embodiment, the nested body 14 includes a hollow cylinder 142 and annular spherical surfaces 144 formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinder 142. The remaining nested bodies 16, 18, 11, and 13, except for the innermost nested body 12, have similar structures to the nested body 14, differing only in size. Therefore, their detailed structures will not be described further here. All these nested bodies 12, 14, 16, 18, 11, and 13 are nested sequentially from the inside out.

[0038] In this embodiment, although six nested layers (12, 14, 16, 18, 11, 13) are shown, the number of nested layers or layers can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs to achieve optimized antenna performance. The dielectric constant of the nested layers decreases from the innermost to the outermost layer within the range of 2 to 1. The more nested layers there are, the better the antenna performance can theoretically be achieved, but the overall structure of the nested layers also becomes more complex and difficult to implement. Therefore, this embodiment selects a six-layer nested structure.

[0039] Furthermore, the feed cavity 15 can be formed at the bottom of the lens medium 10, for example, and the shape of the feed cavity 15 can be flexibly set according to the size and shape of the feed 20. For example, in this embodiment, the feed cavity 15 is a hemispherical feed cavity 15 or a rectangular feed cavity 15.

[0040] The electromagnetic waves radiated by the feed 20 can form a plane wave on the other side of the lens medium 10 after passing through the lens medium 10, thereby achieving beam focusing and improving antenna gain. Unlike conventional Luneburg lens antennas, the lens medium 10 of this invention has a partially hollowed-out side near the feed 20 to form a feed cavity 15, so that the feed 20 can be partially or completely contained within it, thereby reducing the overall size of the lens medium and feed combination.

[0041] The number of feed sources 20 can be adjusted according to the number of beams. For ease of description, the feed sources 20 in this embodiment of the invention are dual-polarized antennas.

[0042] To compensate for the phase change caused by the hollowed-out portion (feed cavity) of the lens medium, a phase compensation dielectric layer (unlabeled) can be placed above the feed. This dielectric layer can be conformal to the hollowed-out portion or smaller than the space between the feed and the lens medium; its shape is not limited. The dielectric constant of the phase compensation dielectric layer is greater than that of the dielectric at the lens hollowed-out portion. When the hollowed-out size is large or the compensation dielectric size is small, its dielectric constant can be greater than 2.

[0043] In another embodiment of the invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, a compact lens antenna 200 includes: a lens medium body 10' having a feed cavity 202 thereon and a feed 20 at least partially disposed within the feed cavity 202; wherein, the lens medium body 10' is a cylindrical lens medium body, which includes a plurality of nested bodies 22, 24, 26, 28, 21, 23 arranged sequentially from the inside to the outside, the innermost nested body 22 is a solid cylinder, and the remaining nested bodies 24, 26, 28, 21, 23 are hollow cylinders.

[0044] In this embodiment, although six nested layers are shown, the number of nested layers or layers can be flexibly adjusted to achieve optimized antenna performance. The dielectric constant of the nested layers varies from large to small within the range of 2 to 1.

[0045] Furthermore, the feed cavity 204 can be formed at the bottom of the lens medium 10', and the shape of the feed cavity 204 can be flexibly set according to the size and shape of the feed 204. For example, in this embodiment, the feed cavity 204 is a hemispherical feed cavity, a rectangular feed cavity, or any other shape.

[0046] Figure 4 Another embodiment of the compact lens antenna of the present invention is shown. For example... Figure 4As shown, a compact lens antenna 300 includes: a lens medium body 10” with a feed cavity 204 thereon and a feed 20 at least partially disposed within the feed cavity 204; wherein, the lens medium body 10” is a biconical lens medium body, which includes a plurality of nested bodies 32, 34, 36, 38, 31, 33 arranged sequentially from the inside to the outside, the innermost nested body 32 includes a solid cylinder and conical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the solid cylinder, while the remaining nested bodies 34, 36, 38, 31, 33 include hollow cylinders and conical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinder. When these nested bodies are nested together, a lens medium body 10 with a cylindrical toroidal surface 332 in the middle and conical surfaces at both ends is formed.

[0047] Preferably, in the above-described compact lens antenna 300, the two cones can be axially symmetrical about the cylindrical torus 332, or they can be asymmetrical.

[0048] In addition, two cones can be set, or only a single cone can be set.

[0049] In this embodiment, although six nested layers (32, 34, 36, 38, 31, 33) are shown, the number of nested layers can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs, prioritizing optimized antenna performance. The dielectric constant of the nested layers can vary from large to small within the range of 2 to 1. The more nested layers there are, the better the antenna performance can theoretically be achieved, but the overall structure of the nested layers also becomes more complex and difficult to implement. Therefore, a six-layer nested structure is preferred in this embodiment.

[0050] In the above embodiments, the size of the cylindrical torus can be adjusted according to the antenna performance. In extreme cases, the lens medium contains only two cones and no cylindrical torus. The dielectric constant of the nested bodies from the innermost to the outermost layer varies from large to small. The dielectric constant can be adjusted according to the antenna performance. Unlike the dielectric constant of conventional Luneburg lenses, which varies between 1 and 2, the maximum dielectric constant of the lens medium of the present invention can be greater than 2.

[0051] In this embodiment, all nested bodies can use a single dielectric material; the number of dielectric material (nested bodies) can also be multiple. The more layers there are, the better the antenna performance can be theoretically achieved, but the more complex the dielectric material becomes, and the more difficult it is to implement. Therefore, the number of layers is usually chosen to be less than 6.

[0052] refer to Figure 5-6According to another embodiment of the present invention, a compact lens antenna 400 includes: a lens medium 10”' having a feed cavity 206 thereon and a feed 20 at least partially disposed within the feed cavity 206; wherein, the lens medium 10”' is a biconical lens medium, which includes two nested bodies 42 and 43 arranged sequentially from the inside to the outside, the innermost nested body 42 includes a solid cylinder 422 and a conical surface 424 formed on the two end faces of the solid cylinder 422, and the outermost nested body 43 includes a hollow cylinder 432 and a conical surface 434 formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinder 432. When these nested bodies are nested together, a lens medium 10”' with a cylindrical toroidal surface 436 in the middle (i.e., the circumferential surface of the hollow cylinder 432) and cones at both ends is formed; the axes of the two cones form a certain angle with the axis of the cylindrical toroidal surface 436.

[0053] In this embodiment, the nested structure has two layers, resulting in a simpler overall structure. Furthermore, since the axes of the two cones form a certain angle with the axis of the cylindrical torus—in other words, the two cones and the cylindrical torus are eccentrically positioned—the amount of medium above the lens medium is greater than the amount below. Phase compensation can be achieved by adjusting this size and the dielectric constant of the different nested layers.

[0054] For example, in this embodiment, the dielectric constant of the first (innermost) nested medium can be 2.2, while the dielectric constant of the second (outermost) medium is 1.8. Therefore, overall, this is larger than the dielectric constant of existing lens antennas. It should be noted that the dielectric constant of this embodiment can be adjusted according to different sizes and shapes of the medium (nested), as well as different sizes of the hollowed-out nested.

[0055] Preferably, the feed cavity 206 is located at the bottom of the outermost nested body 43.

[0056] In another embodiment of the invention, such as Figure 7-9 As shown, a compact lens antenna 500 includes: a lens medium 10”” with a feed cavity 208 thereon, and a feed 20 at least partially disposed within the feed cavity 208; wherein, the lens medium 10”” is a spherical lens medium, which includes a plurality of nested bodies 52, 54, 56, 58, 51, 53 arranged sequentially from the inside to the outside, the innermost nested body 52 comprising a solid cylinder, while the remaining nested bodies 54, 56, 58, 51, 53 comprising hollow cylinders and annular spherical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinders. All these nested bodies 52, 54, 56, 58, 51, 53 are nested sequentially from the inside to the outside.

[0057] In this embodiment, the feed cavity 208 is formed by removing partial material from the two nested bodies 53 and 51 at the outermost and second outermost ends. For example, it is formed by removing the material from the lower half of the hollow cylinders of each of the two nested bodies 53 and 51 at the outermost and second outermost ends. This allows the position of the feed 20 to be moved directly upward toward the hollowed-out portion, thereby reducing the overall size of the compact lens antenna. By adjusting the dimensions and dielectric constants of each dielectric layer, the performance of the antenna can be optimized. In other words, the feed cavity 208 is a fan-shaped notch formed at the bottom of the lens dielectric body 10".

[0058] Those skilled in the art will understand that the steps, measures, and solutions in the various operations, methods, and processes discussed in this application can be alternated, modified, combined, or deleted. Furthermore, other steps, measures, and solutions in the various operations, methods, and processes discussed in this application can also be alternated, modified, rearranged, decomposed, combined, or deleted. Furthermore, steps, measures, and solutions in the prior art that are similar to those disclosed in this application can also be alternated, modified, rearranged, decomposed, combined, or deleted.

[0059] The above description is only a partial embodiment of this application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this application, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A compact lens antenna, characterized in that... include: A lens medium having a feed cavity formed thereon and a feed source at least partially disposed within the feed cavity; The lens medium includes multiple nested bodies; the lens medium is configured to achieve electromagnetic wave phase compensation and optimize antenna performance by adjusting the size, thickness and dielectric material of the multiple nested bodies; a phase compensation dielectric layer is disposed in the feed cavity above the feed, and the dielectric constant of the phase compensation dielectric layer is greater than the dielectric constant of the feed cavity itself.

2. The compact lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lens medium is a spherical lens medium, and the innermost nested body among the plurality of nested bodies includes a solid sphere, while the remaining nested bodies include hollow spheres.

3. The compact lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dielectric constant of the nested structures changes from large to small as they move from the innermost to the outermost end.

4. The compact lens antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that: The dielectric constant of the nested structures, from the innermost to the outermost, decreases sequentially within the range of 2 to 1.

5. The compact lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feed cavity is located at the bottom of the lens medium, and the shape of the feed cavity is hemispherical or rectangular.

6. The compact lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lens medium is a cylindrical lens medium, and the innermost nested body of the plurality of nested bodies includes a solid cylinder, while the remaining nested bodies include hollow cylinders.

7. The compact lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lens medium is a biconical lens medium. The innermost nested body of the multiple nested bodies includes a solid cylinder and conical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the solid cylinder. The remaining nested bodies include a hollow cylinder and conical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinder. The multiple nested bodies are nested together to form a lens medium with a cylindrical toroidal surface in the middle and conical surfaces at both ends.

8. The compact lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lens medium is a biconical lens medium, and the number of nested bodies is two. The innermost nested body includes a solid cylinder and conical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the solid cylinder, and the outermost nested body includes a hollow cylinder and conical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinder. The nested bodies are nested together to form a lens medium with a cylindrical toroidal surface in the middle and conical surfaces at both ends. The axis of the biconical lens medium forms an angle with the axis of the cylindrical toroidal surface.

9. The compact lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lens medium is a spherical lens medium. The innermost nested body of the plurality of nested bodies includes a solid cylinder, and the remaining nested bodies include hollow cylinders and annular spherical surfaces formed on the two end faces of the hollow cylinders. The feed cavity is formed by removing some material from the outermost and second outermost nested bodies.

10. The compact lens antenna according to claim 9, characterized in that: The feed cavity is formed by removing the material from the lower half of the hollow cylinders of the two nested bodies at the outermost and second outermost ends.

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