An ultra-wideband tightly coupled antenna array

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of ultra-wideband tight coupling antenna array, belong to antenna technical field.It mainly includes: antenna column unit, upper metal plate, support bend corner spare and lower metal plate.Antenna column unit is by virtual element, radiating antenna unit and feed network is constituted, wherein radiating antenna unit is by feed network and is fed with equal amplitude and in phase;Upper metal plate is slit according to certain interval, and antenna column unit is worn out through gap;Support bend corner spare connects and reinforces antenna column unit with upper metal plate and lower metal plate.The application realizes the ultra-wideband characteristics of array by adopting tight coupling antenna system, adopts multilayer printed board process, greatly reduces the weight of antenna array, while ensuring the consistency of array unit, by integrating strip line feed network in column unit, realizes the low-loss synthesis of column unit, guarantees the efficiency of antenna array.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of antennas, and particularly relates to a super wideband tightly coupled antenna array. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of modern electronic technology and information technology, electronic countermeasures, radio communication and electronic devices in the field of modern radar are constantly updated and iterated, the amount of information processed is getting larger and larger, and the required signal bandwidth is also increasing. This development puts forward higher requirements for antennas as the front-end equipment of radio, which not only require high gain, low profile and other characteristics, but also should be able to work in multiple frequency bands or super wideband.

[0003] Traditional antennas usually work at most in 4 octaves, and the bandwidth is not wide enough. At the same time, due to the scanning angle constraint, the array element spacing cannot be too large, and is usually about half a wavelength of the highest frequency. For a multi-octave array, this size is equivalent to 1 / 10 wavelength of the lowest frequency or even smaller, and the antenna usually requires that the antenna size is comparable to the wavelength to play its performance, which determines that the traditional array element form is no longer applicable to the super wideband array. Therefore, it is urgent to solve the problem of super wideband design of array antenna. SUMMARY

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the application is to avoid the shortcomings in the background art and provide a super wideband tightly coupled antenna array, which adopts a multi-layer printed board processing technology to realize lightweight and high consistency design of the antenna; the number of channels is reduced by combining the antenna units in columns, thereby saving costs; and high stability of the array is realized by connecting the upper and lower metal plates and the support corner piece.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the application is as follows:

[0006] A super wideband tightly coupled antenna array comprises antenna column units, an upper metal plate, a support corner piece and a lower metal plate, the support corner piece is located between the upper metal plate and the lower metal plate and supports the upper metal plate and the lower metal plate; the upper metal plate is provided with a plurality of slits that are equally spaced and parallel to each other; the antenna column units are attached to one side of the support corner piece, the top end of the antenna column units passes through the slits of the upper metal plate, and the bottom end of the antenna column units is fixed on the lower metal plate.

[0007] Further, the antenna column units comprise radiation antenna units and a feed network.

[0008] A plurality of groups of radiation antenna units are horizontally arrayed along the extension direction of the slits, the radiation antenna units at both ends of the array are virtual elements; the radiation antenna units located between the virtual elements are connected with the feed network.

[0009] Further, the radiating antenna unit comprises a matching layer, a radiating layer, a coupling layer and a feeding layer;

[0010] The radiating antenna unit and the feeding network are both formed by pressing a double-sided panel, comprising a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate;

[0011] The matching layer is located between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate, and is arranged in a rectangular array by a plurality of rectangular metal sheets without contact between adjacent rectangular metal sheets.

[0012] The radiating layer comprises two metal strips located on the same straight line and having a gap therebetween.

[0013] The coupling layer comprises coupling structures respectively arranged on the outer side of the first dielectric substrate and the outer side of the second dielectric substrate, and the two coupling structures are mirror-symmetric; each coupling structure comprises two coupling sheets, four branch stubs and a square feeding floor; the four branch stubs are parallel to each other, and the bottom ends of the four branch stubs are connected to the square feeding floor; the branch stubs on both sides are connected to the corresponding coupling sheets, and the top ends of the two branch stubs at the middle position extend upwards to the adjacent ends of the corresponding metal strips.

[0014] The two mirror-symmetric coupling sheet groups are connected by a first metal through hole located on the outer side of the metal strip without contact with the metal strip; the extended ends of the two middle branch stub groups are connected by a second metal through hole connected to the adjacent end of the corresponding metal strip.

[0015] The top ends of the two branch stubs at the middle position are drawn together to form two inverted L-shaped structures, and the short sections of the two inverted L-shaped structures are not in contact.

[0016] The feeding layer comprises a feeding line located between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate; the feeding line extends along the projection path of the long section, the short section of one inverted L-shaped structure, the short section, the long section of the other inverted L-shaped structure in sequence, and the end of the feeding line extends from the middle position between the two square feeding floors.

[0017] The other mirror-symmetric inverted L-shaped structure is provided with a plurality of windows.

[0018] Further, the adjacent ends of the two metal strips are in arc-shaped structure; the two coupling sheets, the four branch stubs and the square feeding floor of the same coupling structure are in one-piece structure.

[0019] Further, the feeding network comprises a one-to-many stripline feeding network; the branch ends of the stripline feeding network are respectively connected to the ends of the feeding lines of the radiating antenna units between the virtual elements, and the combining end is interconnected with the inner core of the radio frequency connector.

[0020] Further, the lower metal plate is provided with a circular hole, and the inner core of the radio frequency connector is connected with the combining end of the strip line feed network through the hole, and the outer skin of the radio frequency connector is connected with the lower metal plate.

[0021] Further, the end of the strip line feed network is converted into a microstrip line through a blind slot in the first dielectric substrate.

[0022] Further, the support elbow part is provided with a threaded hole, and the baffle is connected with the support elbow part through a screw; the antenna column unit is located between the baffle and the support elbow part; and the circular hole is located directly below the antenna column unit.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] 1. The present application realizes the ultra-wideband characteristics of the antenna array by adopting a tight coupling array design.

[0025] 2. The present application realizes the lightweight and high consistency characteristics of the antenna by adopting a multi-layer printed board processing technology.

[0026] 3. The present application reduces the number of channels by combining the antenna units in columns, saves the cost, reduces the loss by adopting a strip line feed network, and ensures the high-efficiency radiation characteristics of the antenna array.

[0027] 4. The present application realizes the high stability characteristics of the array by connecting the upper and lower metal plates and the support elbow part, and has the characteristics of high reliability and high environmental adaptability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the array antenna in the embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the antenna array in the embodiment.

[0030] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a schematic diagram of the virtual element and the radiating antenna unit in the embodiment.

[0031] Figure 4 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the upper metal plate structure in the embodiment.

[0032] Figure 5 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the support elbow part structure in the embodiment.

[0033] Figure 6 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the lower metal plate structure in the embodiment.

[0034] In the figure: 1, antenna array, 2, upper metal plate, 3, support corner piece, 4, lower metal plate, 5, radio frequency connector, 6, dummy element, 7, radiation antenna unit group, 8, feed network, 9, matching layer, 10, radiation layer, 11, coupling layer, 12, feed layer, 13, slot, 14, screw hole, 15, round hole, 16, baffle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings and examples. However, the embodiments described herein are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0036] An ultra-wideband tightly coupled antenna array includes an antenna column unit, an upper metal plate, a support corner piece, and a lower metal plate. The support corner piece is located between the upper metal plate and the lower metal plate and supports the upper metal plate and the lower metal plate. The upper metal plate is provided with a plurality of slots that are equally spaced and parallel to each other. The antenna column unit is attached to one side of the support corner piece, with the top end penetrating through the slots of the upper metal plate and the bottom end fixed to the lower metal plate.

[0037] Further, the antenna column unit includes a radiation antenna unit and a feed network.

[0038] A plurality of groups of radiation antenna units are horizontally arrayed along the extension direction of the slots, with the radiation antenna units at both ends of the array being dummy elements. The radiation antenna units between the dummy elements are connected to the feed network.

[0039] Further, the radiation antenna unit includes a matching layer, a radiation layer, a coupling layer, and a feed layer.

[0040] The radiation antenna unit and the feed network are both formed by pressing a double-sided panel, including a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate.

[0041] The matching layer is located between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate, and is arranged in a rectangular array by a plurality of rectangular metal pieces, with no contact between adjacent rectangular metal pieces.

[0042] The radiation layer includes two metal strips located on the same straight line with a gap between them.

[0043] The coupling layer comprises coupling structures respectively arranged on the outer side of the first dielectric substrate and the outer side of the second dielectric substrate, and the two coupling structures are mirror-symmetrical; each coupling structure comprises two coupling patches, four branch stubs and a square feeding floor; the four branch stubs are parallel to each other, and the bottom ends of the four branch stubs are connected to the square feeding floor; the branch stubs on the two sides are connected to the corresponding coupling patches, and the top ends of the two branch stubs in the middle position extend upwards to the adjacent ends of the corresponding metal strips;

[0044] The two groups of mirror-symmetrical coupling patches are connected through first metal through holes, and the first metal through holes are located on the outer side of the metal strips and are not in contact with the metal strips; the extended ends of the two groups of mirror-symmetrical middle branch stubs are connected through second metal through holes, and the second metal through holes are connected to the adjacent ends of the corresponding metal strips;

[0045] The top ends of the two branch stubs in the middle position are drawn together to form two inverted L-shaped structures, and the short sections of the two inverted L-shaped structures are not in contact;

[0046] The feeding layer comprises a feeding line, and the feeding line is located between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate; the feeding line extends along the projection paths of the long section and the short section of one inverted L-shaped structure, the short section and the long section of the other inverted L-shaped structure in sequence, and the end of the feeding line extends from the middle position between the two square feeding floors;

[0047] The other inverted L-shaped structure is provided with a plurality of windows.

[0048] Further, the adjacent ends of the two metal strips are in an arc-shaped structure; the two coupling patches, the four branch stubs and the square feeding floor of the same coupling structure are in an integrated structure.

[0049] Further, the feeding network comprises a one-to-many stripline feeding network; the ends of the feeding lines of the radiating antenna units between the virtual elements are connected to the branch ends of the stripline feeding network, and the inner cores of the radio frequency connectors are interconnected with the combining ends of the stripline feeding network.

[0050] Further, the inner core of the radio frequency connector is connected to the combining end of the stripline feeding network through a circular hole in the lower metal plate, and the outer skin of the radio frequency connector is connected to the lower metal plate.

[0051] Further, the ends of the stripline feeding network are converted into microstrip lines by opening blind slots in the first dielectric substrate.

[0052] Further, a baffle is further included, the support elbow piece is provided with a threaded hole, the baffle is connected to the support elbow piece through a screw, the antenna column unit is located between the baffle and the support elbow piece, and the circular hole is located directly below the antenna column unit.

[0053] The embodiment is further described below:

[0054] The embodiment includes an antenna column unit, an upper metal plate, a support corner piece and a lower metal plate, the upper metal plate, the support corner piece and the lower metal plate are sequentially arranged from top to bottom, the antenna column unit passes through the slit on the upper metal plate, the bottom end is connected with the lower metal plate, and the side surface is connected with the support corner piece;

[0055] The antenna column unit includes dummy elements, radiation antenna units and a feed network, wherein the dummy elements and the radiation antenna units are in the same form and include matching layers, radiation layers, coupling layers and feed layers according to functions, the dummy elements and the radiation antenna units are pressed together by two double-sided plates, and according to the relationship between the printed plate layers, the dummy elements and the radiation antenna units include a top metal layer, a first dielectric substrate, a middle metal layer, a second dielectric substrate and a bottom metal layer;

[0056] The matching layer is located in the middle metal layer and is located at the uppermost end of the antenna body and is composed of a plurality of rectangular metal patches with a certain gap between the metal patches;

[0057] The radiation layer is also located in the middle metal layer and is located below the matching layer on the antenna body and is composed of a pair of metal strips with a gap between the metal strips;

[0058] The coupling layer is located between the top metal layer and the bottom metal layer, and the coupling layer is substantially level with the radiation layer on the antenna body, and the radiation layer is sandwiched between the coupling layers, and the coupling patches located in the top metal layer and the bottom metal layer are connected through metal vias;

[0059] The feed layer is located in the middle metal layer and is a quasi-strip line feed line, and for the dummy element, the feed line is suspended, and for the radiation antenna unit, the feed line is connected with the branch end of the feed network;

[0060] The feed network is also pressed together by two double-sided plates and includes a top metal layer, a first dielectric substrate, a middle metal layer, a second dielectric substrate and a bottom metal layer. The feed network is a 1-to-multiple strip line feed network, the branch end is connected with the feed layer of the radiation antenna unit, the combining end is interconnected with the radio frequency connector, and at the last end, the top metal layer and the first dielectric substrate are opened to form a blind slot to change into a microstrip line;

[0061] The upper metal plate is slotted at equal intervals, the slits correspond one-to-one to the antenna column units, the slit width is the same as or slightly larger than the thickness of the antenna column unit, the slit length is the same as or slightly larger than the length of the antenna column unit, and the antenna column unit passes through the slit by a certain height.

[0062] The support corner piece is generally in the shape of a "U", the upper bottom surface is connected with the upper metal plate, the lower bottom surface is connected with the lower metal plate, and the side surface is connected with the antenna column unit, so that the antenna array becomes a firm whole;

[0063] The lower metal plate is in contact with the bottom end of the antenna column unit and has a hole, and the inner core of the radio frequency connector passes through the hole of the lower metal plate to interconnect with the antenna column unit.

[0064] The connection between the support corner piece and the antenna column unit is achieved by clamping the antenna column unit with a rectangular metal plate and the support corner piece through screws.

[0065] The side of the hole of the lower metal plate is provided with a baffle plate, which is parallel to the antenna column unit. The antenna column unit and the metal baffle plate can be connected and fixed through screws, thereby reducing the influence of vibration on the connection between the inner core of the connector and the antenna column unit.

[0066] The thickness of the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate is 0.254 mm.

[0067] Referring to Figure 1 , the ultra-wideband tightly coupled antenna array in the embodiment includes an antenna column unit (1 in the figure), an upper metal plate (2 in the figure), a support corner piece (3 in the figure), a lower metal plate (4 in the figure), and a radio frequency connector (5 in the figure). The upper metal plate, the support corner piece, the lower metal plate, and the radio frequency connector are sequentially arranged from top to bottom. The antenna column unit passes through the gap on the upper metal plate and is connected to the lower metal plate at the bottom end and connected to the support corner piece at the side.

[0068] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the antenna column unit includes a virtual element (6 in the figure), a radiating antenna unit (7 in the figure), and a feed network (8 in the figure). The virtual element and the radiating antenna unit are in the same form and include a matching layer (9 in the figure), a radiating layer (10 in the figure), a coupling layer (11 in the figure), and a feed layer (12 in the figure) according to functions. The virtual element and the radiating antenna unit are pressed together by two double-sided plates, which include a top metal layer, a first dielectric substrate, a middle metal layer, a second dielectric substrate, and a bottom metal layer according to the relationship between the printed board layers. In the embodiment, the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate are both made of Taconic TLY, with a dielectric constant of 2.2, a thickness of 0.254 mm, and a size of 180 mm×73 mm.

[0069] Referring to Figure 2 , the feed network in the embodiment is a 1 / 8 strip line feed network. The branch end is connected to the feed layer of the radiating antenna unit, the combining end is interconnected with the radio frequency connector, and the last end is converted into a microstrip line by opening a blind slot in the top metal layer and the first dielectric substrate. The size of the blind slot is 5 mm×5 mm.

[0070] Referring to Figure 3In the embodiment, the matching layer is composed of seven rectangular metal patches, the gap width between the metal patches is 0.6 mm; the radiation layer is composed of a pair of metal strips, the strip width is 4 mm, one end is semicircular, and the gap width between the semicircular shapes is 0.6 mm; the coupling layer is located between the top metal layer and the bottom metal layer, the coupling layer is basically the same height as the radiation layer on the antenna body, the radiation layer is sandwiched between the coupling layers, the coupling patches located between the top metal layer and the bottom metal layer are connected through metal vias, and the coupling layer metal patch size is 4 mm*4 mm;

[0071] With reference to Figure 4 In the embodiment, the upper metal plate is slit at equal intervals (13 in the figure), the interval is 20 mm, the slit corresponds to the antenna column unit one by one, the slit width is 1 mm, the slit length is 182 mm, and the antenna column unit passes through the slit with a height of 29 mm.

[0072] With reference to Figure 6 In the embodiment, the lower metal plate is in contact with the bottom end of the antenna column unit, and a circular hole (15 in the figure) is opened, the circular hole diameter is 4.2 mm, the inner core of the radio frequency connector passes through the circular hole of the lower metal plate to realize interconnection with the antenna column unit, a baffle (16 in the figure) is installed on one side of the circular hole, the baffle is parallel to the antenna column unit, the antenna column unit and the metal baffle can be connected and fixed through screws, and the influence of vibration on the connection between the inner core of the connector and the antenna column unit is reduced.

[0073] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application, and any modification made within the scope of the claims of the present application should be equivalent variation and belong to the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. An ultra-wideband tightly coupled antenna array comprising an antenna column unit, an upper metal plate, a support bent corner piece, and a lower metal plate, characterized in that, The support corner piece is located between the upper metal plate and the lower metal plate and supports the upper metal plate and the lower metal plate; the upper metal plate is provided with a plurality of slits which are equidistant and parallel to each other; the antenna column unit is attached to one side of the support corner piece, the top end of the antenna column unit penetrates through the slit of the upper metal plate, and the bottom end of the antenna column unit is fixed on the lower metal plate; The antenna column unit comprises a radiation antenna unit and a feed network; A plurality of groups of radiation antenna units are horizontally arrayed along the extension direction of the slit, and the radiation antenna units at the two ends of the array are virtual elements; The radiation antenna units between the virtual elements are connected with the feed network; The radiation antenna unit comprises a matching layer, a radiation layer, a coupling layer and a feed layer; The radiation antenna unit and the feed network are both formed by pressing a double-sided panel, and comprise a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate; The thickness of the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate is 0.254 mm; The matching layer is located between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate, and is arranged in a rectangular array by a plurality of rectangular metal pieces, and there is no contact between adjacent rectangular metal pieces; The radiation layer comprises two metal strips which are located on the same straight line and have a spacing therebetween; The coupling layer comprises coupling structures respectively arranged on the outer side of the first dielectric substrate and the outer side of the second dielectric substrate, and the two coupling structures are mirror-symmetrical; each coupling structure comprises two coupling pieces, four branch stubs and a square feed floor; The four branch stubs are parallel to each other, and the bottom ends of the four branch stubs are connected to the square feed floor; the branch stubs on the two sides are connected to the corresponding coupling pieces, and the two branch stubs at the middle position extend upward to the adjacent ends of the corresponding metal strips; The two mirror-symmetrical coupling piece groups are connected by a first metal through hole, and the first metal through hole is located on the outer side of the metal strip and has no contact with the metal strip; the two middle branch stub groups are connected by a second metal through hole, and the second metal through hole is connected to the adjacent end of the corresponding metal strip; The top ends of the two branch stubs at the middle position are drawn together to form two inverted L-shaped structures, and the short sections of the two inverted L-shaped structures have no contact; The feed layer comprises a feed line, and the feed line is located between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate; the feed line extends along the projection path of the long section, the short section, the short section and the long section of the other inverted L-shaped structure in sequence, and the end of the feed line extends from the middle position between the two square feed floors; The other mirror-symmetrical inverted L-shaped structure is provided with a plurality of windows.

2. The ultra-wideband closely coupled antenna array of claim 1, wherein, The adjacent ends of the two metal strips are in an arc structure; the two coupling pieces, the four branch stubs and the square feed floor of the same coupling structure are in an integral structure.

3. The ultra-wideband closely coupled antenna array of claim 1, wherein, The feed network comprises a one-to-many strip line feed network; the branch ends of the strip line feed network are respectively connected to the ends of the feed lines of the radiation antenna units between the virtual elements, and the combining ends are interconnected with the inner core of the radio frequency connector.

4. The ultra-wideband closely coupled antenna array of claim 3, wherein, The lower metal plate is provided with a circular hole, and the inner core of the radio frequency connector is connected to the combining end of the strip line feed network through the hole, and the outer skin of the radio frequency connector is connected to the lower metal plate.

5. The ultra-wideband closely coupled antenna array of claim 3, wherein, The end of the strip line feed network is converted into a microstrip line by opening a blind slot in the first dielectric substrate.

6. The ultra-wideband closely coupled antenna array of claim 4, wherein, Further comprising a baffle, the support elbow piece is provided with a threaded hole, the baffle is connected with the support elbow piece through a screw; the antenna column unit is located between the baffle and the support elbow piece; the round hole is located directly below the antenna column unit.

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