An antenna array, apparatus, and wireless communication device

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides an antenna array, a device and a wireless communication equipment, and relates to the technical field of antennas. The antenna array comprises: a plurality of sub-arrays, each of which is provided with a feeding position and at least one radiation unit, the plurality of sub-arrays are arranged along a first direction and a second direction, the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, along the first direction, the feeding positions of the plurality of sub-arrays are located on the same straight line, along the second direction, the feeding positions of the plurality of sub-arrays are located on the same straight line; along the first direction, the sub-arrays to which the feeding positions located on the same straight line belong are in the same row, along the second direction, the sub-arrays to which the feeding positions located on the same straight line belong are in the same column; each sub-array has a phase center, the phase centers of the sub-arrays in at least one row of sub-arrays in the antenna array are not located on the same straight line, and / or the phase centers of the sub-arrays in at least one column of sub-arrays in the antenna array are not located on the same straight line.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of antennas, in particular to an antenna array, a device and a wireless communication device. BACKGROUND

[0002] A plurality of radiation units are arranged in an array to form an antenna array, also known as an antenna array. Each radiation unit can also be referred to as an array element.

[0003] Generally, a phase shifter is used to control the phase of a radiation unit. When the number of radiation units in an antenna array is large, multiple phase shifters are required. In order to reduce the number of phase shifters and simplify the control circuit, several radiation units will share one phase shifter, and the multiple radiation units sharing one phase shifter form a subarray.

[0004] Figure 1 The antenna array shown is composed of 24 (along the X axis) x 32 (along the Y axis) radiation units, and each black dot represents a radiation unit. The antenna array has 8 subarrays in each column in the Y axis direction, including 1-drive-2 subarrays, 1-drive-4 subarrays, 1-drive-6 subarrays and 1-drive-8 subarrays. Among them, 1-drive-2 subarrays means that one phase shifter controls two radiation units, 1-drive-4 subarrays means that one phase shifter controls four radiation units, 1-drive-6 subarrays means that one phase shifter controls six radiation units, and 1-drive-8 subarrays means that one phase shifter controls eight radiation units.

[0005] Figure 2 The antenna array shown is Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the connection between the subarray of the antenna array and the radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) chip. Exemplarily, Figure 2 The first RFIC chip 01, the second RFIC chip 02, the third RFIC chip 03 and the fourth RFIC chip 04 are shown, and each of the above RFIC chips is connected with the corresponding subarray. Each subarray has a feed position M connected with the RFIC chip. It should be noted that, Figure 1 The antenna array shown can also be connected with more radio frequency integrated circuit chips, Figure 2 The number and position of chips in the above are only examples.

[0006] Taking the first RFIC chip as an example, Figure 3 In the first RFIC chip 01, there are eight radio frequency transceiver channels, and the eight radio frequency transceiver channels are connected with the eight subarrays one by one through the feed lines. For example, as Figure 3As shown, one radio frequency transceiver channel in the first RFIC chip is connected with the feeding position M of one subarray in the antenna array through the feeding line 05. The connection relationship between the second RFIC chip 02, the third RFIC chip 03 and the fourth RFIC chip 04 and the feeding positions of the corresponding subarrays is similar to that shown in the figure. Figure 3

[0007] As shown, Figure 3 As can be seen, the lengths of the feeding lines connected with the RFIC chips and the feeding positions of the multiple subarrays are inconsistent, some of the feeding lines are long and some of the feeding lines are short. Due to the inconsistent lengths of the feeding lines connected with the same RFIC chip, the time delays of the signal transmission are also different, which causes the phases of the signals of the multiple subarrays to be different, and the effect of the beam synthesis of the antenna array cannot be achieved, and the wideband performance of the antenna array is deteriorated. The existing phase calibration compensation can only ensure the narrowband calibration effect, and the beam synthesis effect is poor in the wideband case. In addition, as shown, Figure 2 As shown, the arrangement positions of the respective RFIC chips are irregular, which causes the lengths of the power division lines connected with the power division combiner and the respective RFIC chips to be different, which causes difficulty in the design of the power division lines, and further deteriorates the wideband performance of the antenna array. Further, due to the irregular arrangement of the multiple RFIC chips shown, Figure 2 As shown, the multiple RFIC chips are arranged irregularly, which causes the heat emitted by the RFIC chips in the antenna module provided with the antenna array to be distributed unevenly. In this case, the temperatures at different positions of the antenna module are different, the thermal expansion amounts of the feeding lines at different positions are also different, and the different thermal expansion amounts of the feeding lines also affect the phases of the signals of the subarrays. SUMMARY

[0008] Embodiments of the present application provide an antenna array, a device and a wireless communication equipment, which aims to improve the wideband performance of the antenna array by making the lengths of the feeding lines between the RFIC chips and the feeding positions of the subarrays of the antenna array substantially equal.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0010] In a first aspect, the present application provides an antenna array, comprising:

[0011] a plurality of subarrays, each subarray being provided with a feeding position and at least one radiating unit, the plurality of subarrays being arranged along a first direction and a second direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction, along the first direction, the feeding positions of the plurality of subarrays being located on the same straight line, along the second direction, the feeding positions of the plurality of subarrays being located on the same straight line; along the first direction, the subarrays to which the feeding positions located on the same straight line belong are in the same row, along the second direction, the subarrays to which the feeding positions located on the same straight line belong are in the same column;

[0012] ​Each of the sub-arrays has a phase center, and the phase centers of the sub-arrays in at least one row of the sub-arrays in the antenna array are not on the same straight line, and / or the phase centers of the sub-arrays in at least one column of the sub-arrays in the antenna array are not on the same straight line.

[0013] The antenna array provided by the embodiments of the present application has the feeding positions of any row of sub-arrays on the same straight line and the feeding positions of any column of sub-arrays on the same straight line. In this way, the feeding positions of the antenna array are regularly arranged, and when the radio frequency integrated circuit chip having at least two radio frequency transceiving channels is connected to the feeding positions of the at least two sub-arrays through the at least two feeding lines in a one-to-one manner, the lengths of the two feeding lines are substantially equal, thereby avoiding the lengths of the feeding lines connected to the same radio frequency integrated circuit chip being different, so as to avoid the phenomenon that the phases of the plurality of sub-arrays are different.

[0014] In addition, the phase centers of at least one row of sub-arrays are not on the same straight line, and / or the phase centers of at least one column of sub-arrays are not on the same straight line. That is, the phase centers of the antenna array are irregularly arranged, and the irregular arrangement of the phase centers can cause the energy of the grating lobe of the antenna array to be dispersed to multiple angles, so as to effectively improve the suppression of the grating lobe and improve the gain of the antenna array.

[0015] Therefore, the antenna array provided by the embodiments of the present application can realize the equal-length interconnection between the radio frequency integrated circuit chip and the sub-arrays on the premise of effectively improving the suppression of the grating lobe and improving the gain of the antenna array.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the antenna array includes N sub-arrays, each of the N sub-arrays is provided with an equal number of radiation units, and the feeding position of at least one of the N sub-arrays is different from the feeding positions of the other sub-arrays, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. By making the feeding positions of the sub-arrays with an equal number different, the regular arrangement of the feeding positions can be realized.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the antenna array includes at least two types of sub-arrays, and the sub-arrays of one type of sub-arrays are provided with an equal number of radiation units. That is, the antenna array can include sub-arrays with two radiation units, or can include sub-arrays with three radiation units, or can include sub-arrays with more radiation units.

[0018] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the antenna array comprises at least one first subarray, the at least two radiating elements are arranged in a straight line on the first subarray, and a feeding position of the first subarray is located between two adjacent radiating elements, or the feeding position of the first subarray is located on a side of a radiating element at an end of the first subarray and away from the other radiating elements. That is, when the number of radiating elements of the subarray is at least two, the feeding position also has multiple cases, and in actual implementation, the feeding position can be selected according to the layout of the feeding positions of the entire antenna array.

[0019] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the antenna array comprises at least one second subarray, one radiating element is arranged on the second subarray, and a feeding position of the second subarray is located on a side of the radiating element.

[0020] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the interval between the feeding positions of each two adjacent subarrays is equal in a first direction, and / or the interval between the feeding positions of each two adjacent subarrays is equal in a second direction. In this way, the layout of the feeding elements can be facilitated.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the antenna array comprises a dummy element, and the dummy element is a radiating element without feeding. In order to regularly arrange the feeding positions of the antenna array, in some cases, a grid without radiating elements needs to be formed between two adjacent subarrays, and by arranging a dummy element in the grid, the radiation patterns of the subarrays can be kept consistent, and the communication capacity of the wireless communication device can be improved.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the radiating element is a microstrip patch antenna, a symmetrical dipole, an open waveguide antenna, or a spiral antenna.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the radiating element can be dual-polarized or single-polarized.

[0024] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the polarization mode can be ±45° polarization, vertical or horizontal polarization, right-handed or left-handed circular polarization.

[0025] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the feeding line of the subarray is a T-shaped power divider, a Wilkinson power divider, or a series-fed power divider.

[0026] In a second aspect, the present application provides a device, which comprises:

[0027] The antenna array in the first aspect or any implementation manner of the first aspect;

[0028] The feeding line;

[0029] The circuit carrier board, the feeding line is used for feeding the subarrays in the antenna array, and the antenna array and the feeding line are arranged on the circuit carrier board.

[0030] The device provided by the embodiments of the present application comprises the antenna array in any implementation manner of the first aspect. Since the feeding positions of the antenna array are regularly arranged, when the multi-channel radio frequency integrated circuit chip is connected to the feeding positions of the multiple sub-arrays through the multiple feeding lines in a one-to-one manner, the lengths of every two feeding lines are substantially equal, thereby avoiding the phenomenon that the lengths of the multiple feeding lines connected to the same radio frequency integrated circuit chip are not equal, so that the phases of the multiple sub-arrays are not equal.

[0031] In addition, since the phase centers of the sub-arrays of the antenna array are irregularly arranged, the irregular arrangement of the phase centers causes the energy of the grating lobe of the antenna array to be dispersed to multiple angles, which can effectively improve the suppression of the grating lobe, reduce the interference to external systems, and also improve the antenna gain to a certain extent.

[0032] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the device further comprises at least one radio frequency integrated circuit chip, the radio frequency integrated circuit chip is arranged on the circuit carrier board, the radio frequency integrated circuit chip comprises at least two radio frequency transceiver channels, the at least two radio frequency transceiver channels are used to feed at least two sub-arrays in the antenna array through the feeding lines in a one-to-one manner, and the radio frequency transceiver channels are connected to the sub-arrays in a one-to-one manner.

[0033] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the antenna module comprises a power divider and at least two radio frequency integrated circuit chips, the power divider is connected to the at least two radio frequency integrated circuit chips through at least two power division lines, the lengths of the at least two power division lines are equal, and the power division lines are connected to the radio frequency integrated circuit chips in a one-to-one manner. The equal-length design of the power division lines between the power divider and the RFIC chips can further reduce the time delay difference from the power divider to different sub-arrays, thereby further improving the wideband performance.

[0034] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the circuit carrier board is a packaging substrate; the antenna module further comprises a printed circuit board, the packaging substrate is arranged on the printed circuit board and connected to the printed circuit board, and the power divider is arranged on the printed circuit board. Generally, the printed circuit board further comprises a digital-to-analog conversion module and a digital signal processing module, the digital signal processing module is connected to the digital-to-analog conversion module, the digital-to-analog conversion module is connected to the power divider, the antenna array is arranged on the packaging substrate, the radio frequency integrated circuit chip is also arranged on the packaging substrate, they are packaged as a whole, and are connected to the printed circuit board to form an antenna-in-package (AIP).

[0035] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the circuit carrier board is a printed circuit board; and the power divider is arranged on the printed circuit board. Generally, a digital-to-analog conversion module and a digital signal processing module are further arranged on the printed circuit board, the digital signal processing module is connected to the digital-to-analog conversion module, and the digital-to-analog conversion module is connected to the power divider. The antenna array, the radio frequency integrated circuit chip, the digital-to-analog conversion module, and the digital signal processing module are all arranged on the printed circuit board to form an antenna-on-board (AOB).

[0036] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the apparatus further includes a heat sink capable of dissipating heat from the radio frequency integrated circuit chip. The radio frequency integrated circuit chip is cooled by the heat sink to improve the performance of the radio frequency integrated circuit chip.

[0037] In a third aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which includes:

[0038] The antenna array of the first aspect described above;

[0039] The feeding line;

[0040] The at least one radio frequency integrated circuit chip, the antenna array, and the feeding line are arranged on a packaging layer of the radio frequency integrated circuit chip, the radio frequency integrated circuit chip includes at least two radio frequency transceiver channels, the at least two radio frequency transceiver channels are used to feed at least two sub-arrays in the antenna array through the feeding line respectively, and the radio frequency transceiver channel is connected to the sub-array in one-to-one manner.

[0041] The apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application is that the feeding line and the antenna array are arranged on the radio frequency integrated circuit chip, and the antenna array is the antenna array in any implementation manner of the first aspect, so that the antenna module provided by the embodiments of the present application can solve the same technical problems and achieve the same expected effects as the antenna array of the above technical solution.

[0042] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the apparatus includes the power divider and at least two radio frequency integrated circuit chips, the power divider is connected to the at least two radio frequency integrated circuit chips through at least two power dividing lines respectively, the lengths of the at least two power dividing lines are equal, and the power dividing line is connected to the radio frequency integrated circuit chip in one-to-one manner. The equal length design of the power dividing line between the power divider and the radio frequency integrated circuit chip can further reduce the time delay difference from the power divider to different sub-arrays, and further improve the wideband performance.

[0043] In a third possible implementation, the device also includes a printed circuit board (PCB), on which the RF integrated circuit chip and power divider / combiner are mounted. Typically, the PCB also houses a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) module and a digital signal processing module. The DAC module is connected to the DAC module, and the DAC module is connected to the power divider / combiner. In other words, the antenna array is directly mounted on the RF integrated circuit chip and connected to the PCB to form an antenna-on-chip (AOC).

[0044] Fourthly, this application also provides a wireless communication device, including an antenna array as described in any implementation of the first aspect, or a device as described in any implementation of the second or third aspect.

[0045] The wireless communication device provided in this application includes the antenna array provided in the above embodiments. Therefore, the wireless communication device provided in this application and the antenna array of the above technical solutions can solve the same technical problems and achieve the same expected results. Attached Figure Description

[0046] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an antenna array in the prior art;

[0047] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the connection between the subarray of the antenna array and the RFIC chip;

[0048] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the first RFIC chip and the power supply location;

[0049] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna module in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna module in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna module in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna array structure according to an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 8 for Figure 7 The layout of the antenna array's feed points;

[0054] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the partial feed positions of the antenna array and the RFIC chip;

[0055] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between an RFIC chip and its power supply location.

[0056] Figure 11 A schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between multiple RFIC chips and a power divider / combiner;

[0057] Figure 12 for Figure 7 The arrangement diagram of the phase centers of the antenna array;

[0058] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna array structure according to an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 14 for Figure 13 The layout of the antenna array's feed points;

[0060] Figure 15 for Figure 14 A schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the partial feed positions of the antenna array and the RFIC chip;

[0061] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between an RFIC chip and its power supply location.

[0062] Figure 17 A schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between multiple RFIC chips and a power divider / combiner;

[0063] Figure 18 for Figure 13 The arrangement diagram of the phase centers of the antenna array;

[0064] Figure 19 This is a comparison chart of the grating lobe suppression curves of the antenna array of the present application embodiment and existing antenna arrays;

[0065] Figure 20 This is a comparison chart of the vertical scan envelope gain curves of the antenna array of the present application embodiment and existing antenna arrays;

[0066] Figure 21 This is a schematic diagram showing the layout of some subarrays of the antenna array in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 22 This is a schematic diagram showing the layout of the feed positions of a subarray, including a radiating element, in an antenna array according to an embodiment of this application.

[0068] Figure 23a This is a schematic diagram showing the layout of the feed positions of a subarray comprising two radiating elements in an antenna array according to an embodiment of this application.

[0069] Figure 23b This is a schematic diagram showing the layout of the feed positions of a subarray comprising two radiating elements in an antenna array according to an embodiment of this application.

[0070] Figure 23c A schematic diagram of the layout of the feeding positions of a subarray comprising two radiating elements in the antenna array of an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Figure 24a A schematic diagram of the layout of the feeding positions of a subarray comprising three radiating elements in the antenna array of an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 24b A schematic diagram of the layout of the feeding positions of a subarray comprising three radiating elements in the antenna array of an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Figure 24c A schematic diagram of the layout of the feeding positions of a subarray comprising three radiating elements in the antenna array of an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 24d A schematic diagram of the layout of the feeding positions of a subarray comprising three radiating elements in the antenna array of an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Figure 25 A schematic diagram of the structure of the antenna array of an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Figure 26 A schematic diagram of the structure of the antenna array of an embodiment of the present application.

[0077] Reference signs:

[0078] 01 - first RFIC chip; 02 - second RFIC chip; 03 - third RFIC chip; 04 - fourth RFIC chip; 05 - feeding line; 1 - antenna array; 1A, 1B - subarray; 11 - radiating element; 111 - first radiating element; 112 - second radiating element; 113 - third radiating element; M - feeding position; N - phase center; 2 - dummy element; 3 - RFIC chip; 31 - first RFIC chip; 32 - second RFIC chip; 33 - third RFIC chip; 34 - fourth RFIC chip; 35 - fifth RFIC chip; 36 - sixth RFIC chip; 37 - seventh RFIC chip; 38 - eighth RFIC chip; 4 - circuit carrier board; 5 - power divider; 6 - printed circuit board; 7 - channel; 8 - heat sink; 9 - power dividing line; 10 - connecting structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] In a wireless communication device, such as a wireless base station, with higher data communication rates, the millimeter wave frequency band has been listed in the 5th Generation Mobile Networks (5G). In this way, on the basis of meeting the protocol requirements of the coexistence of 5G high-frequency base stations and satellites, higher requirements are put forward for the performance of the antenna array, such as the need to further improve the grating lobe suppression of the antenna array, and the need for a more optimal scanning directional pattern gain envelope of the antenna array.

[0080] In the above wireless communication device, the antenna array has a plurality of different bearing modes. Figure 4 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6 are three different bearing modes.

[0081] In combination with Figure 4 , the antenna array 1 is arranged on the circuit bearing plate 4, and the feed line 05 is also arranged on the circuit bearing plate 4. The feed line 05 can be a metal trace arranged on the circuit bearing plate. The circuit bearing plate 4 in this structure is a packaging substrate, such as a redistribution layer (RDL) or a coreless substrate (Coreless substrate) without a core layer.

[0082] The RFIC chip 3 is connected to the packaging substrate provided with the antenna array 1 and the feed line 05 through the connection structure 10. The packaging substrate provided with the RFIC chip 3 is connected to the printed circuit board (PCB) 6 through the connection structure 10. The structure formed in this way can be referred to as an antenna-in-package (AIP).

[0083] In combination with Figure 5 , the antenna array 1 and the feed line 05 are both arranged on the RFIC chip 3. The RFIC chip 3 provided with the antenna array 1 and the feed line 05 is arranged on the PCB 6 through the connection structure and is connected to the PCB 6. The structure formed in this way can be referred to as an antenna-on-chip (AOC).

[0084] In combination with Figure 6 , the antenna array 1 is arranged on the circuit bearing plate, and the feed line 05 is also arranged on the circuit bearing plate. The circuit bearing plate in this structure is the PCB 6. The RFIC chip 3 is connected to the PCB 6 through the connection structure. The structure formed in this way can be referred to as an antenna-on-board (AOB).

[0085] The connection structure 10 described above can be a ball grid array (BGA), and of course, other connection structures can also be selected.

[0086] In the AIP, the AOC, or the AOB described above, a heat sink 8 is further included. In the AIP, the heat sink 8 is arranged close to the PCB 6 and the RFIC chip 3 to dissipate heat emitted by the PCB 6 and the RFIC chip 3. In the AOC, the heat sink 8 is arranged close to the PCB 6, and the PCB 6 is provided with the channel 7, so that the RFIC chip 3 can also be cooled. In the AOB, the heat sink 8 is arranged close to the RFIC chip 3. The structure and arrangement of the heat sink are not particularly limited in the present application.

[0087] In the AIP, the AOC, or the AOB described above, a digital-to-analog conversion module, a digital signal processing module, and a power divider are arranged on the PCB 6. The digital signal processing module is connected to the digital-to-analog conversion module, the digital-to-analog conversion module is connected to the power divider, and the power divider is connected to the RFIC chip through a power dividing line. The power dividing line can also be a metal trace. In an alternative embodiment, the metal trace on the PCB 6 can be used to connect the digital signal processing module to the digital-to-analog conversion module and to connect the digital-to-analog conversion module to the power divider.

[0088] The antenna array described above can be applied to an analog active phased array or a digital active phased array.

[0089] The above only gives three devices for carrying the antenna array, and in addition, the antenna array can also be arranged in other devices. The device is not particularly limited in the present application.

[0090] The antenna array involved in the present application includes a plurality of subarrays. Each subarray includes at least one radiating element, and the plurality of subarrays are arranged along a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. That is, the plurality of subarrays are arranged along the horizontal and vertical directions to form the antenna array.

[0091] In the three structures described above, one power divider is connected to at least two RFIC chips 3 through at least two power dividing lines. Since one RFIC chip 3 includes at least two radio frequency transceiver channels, that is, one RFIC chip 3 has at least two radio frequency transceiver ports, the RFIC chip 3 with at least two radio frequency transceiver channels is fed to at least two subarrays one by one through at least two feeding lines, so that the subarrays receive and transmit signals.

[0092] This can also be understood as follows: the transmission path from the power divider to the subarray includes not only the power dividing path but also the power feeding path. If the transmission paths from one power divider to multiple subarrays are different, the time delay will be different, which will lead to different phases of multiple subarrays. This will degrade the broadband performance of the antenna array.

[0093] To further reduce the time delay difference between different subarrays and further improve broadband performance, this application provides an antenna array that can be applied in the aforementioned AIP, AOC, or AOB, and of course, it can also be applied in other devices that include antenna arrays.

[0094] The antenna array 1 will be explained in detail below.

[0095] Figure 7 The diagram shown is a structural diagram of an antenna array 1, in which radiating elements 11 form multiple subarrays (such as...). Figure 7 In the diagram, 1A represents a subarray, and multiple subarrays form an antenna array.

[0096] like Figure 7 Subarray 1A comprises two radiating elements. Subarrays containing an equal number of radiating elements can be of the same type. In fact, the number of radiating elements in a subarray can be other than, for example... Figure 13 The subarray 1B shown includes three radiating elements. Subarrays including any number of radiating elements are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0097] Each subarray has a feed position M. For example, if the antenna array includes at least three subarrays, then the feed positions M also include at least three. Figure 8 As shown,

[0098] It should be noted that this application does not limit the polarization mode of the radiating element, such as... Figure 7 The image shows a dual-polarized antenna with ±45° polarization. It can also be a single-polarized antenna, with horizontal or vertical polarization, and left-hand or right-hand circular polarization.

[0099] The arrangement of the feed positions M in the antenna array provided in this application embodiment satisfies the following conditions:

[0100] Along the first direction X, the feed positions M of the multiple subarrays are located on at least one straight line, and along the second direction Y, the feed positions M of the multiple subarrays are also located on at least one straight line.

[0101] Along the first direction X, multiple subarrays belonging to multiple feed positions M located on the same straight line are in the same row; along the second direction Y, multiple subarrays belonging to multiple feed positions M located on the same straight line are in the same column.

[0102] In this way, combinedFigure 8 The multiple feed positions of each row of subarrays are arranged along a straight line, and the multiple feed positions of each column of subarrays are also arranged along a straight line. This makes the feed positions of the antenna array regularly arranged.

[0103] Furthermore, to facilitate the layout of the power supply positions, the spacing between any two adjacent power supply positions in each row is equal. Figure 8 It can be seen that the spacing between any two adjacent feed positions in the first row of the subarray is d, and the spacing between any two adjacent feed positions in the third row of the subarray is also d. Alternatively, the spacing between any two adjacent feed positions in each column is equal. Alternatively, the spacing between any two adjacent feed positions in any column is equal, and the spacing between any two adjacent feed positions in any row is equal.

[0104] When the feed positions of the antenna array are arranged in a regular pattern, the RFIC chip with at least two radio frequency transceiver channels is connected one-to-one with at least two feed positions through at least two feed lines. This makes the multiple feed lines connected to the same RFIC chip basically of equal length, that is, the feed paths are the same. As a result, the time delay difference of multiple subarrays connected to the same RFIC chip will be reduced, so that the phases of multiple subarrays are basically consistent.

[0105] For example, such as Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the first RFIC chip 31 is an RFIC chip with eight radio frequency transceiver channels. The first RFIC chip 31 is interconnected with subarrays 1A1, 1A2, 1A3, 1A4, 1A5, 1A6, 1A7 and 1A8. Specifically, the first RF transceiver channel of the first RFIC chip 31 is interconnected with subarray 1A1 via feed line 051; the second RF transceiver channel of the first RFIC chip 31 is interconnected with subarray 1A2 via feed line 052; the third RF transceiver channel of the first RFIC chip 31 is interconnected with subarray 1A3 via feed line 053; the fourth RF transceiver channel of the first RFIC chip 31 is interconnected with subarray 1A4 via feed line 054; the fifth RF transceiver channel of the first RFIC chip 31 is interconnected with subarray 1A5 via feed line 055; the sixth RF transceiver channel of the first RFIC chip 31 is interconnected with subarray 1A6 via feed line 056; the seventh RF transceiver channel of the first RFIC chip 31 is interconnected with subarray 1A7 via feed line 057; and the eighth RF transceiver channel of the first RFIC chip 31 is interconnected with subarray 1A8 via feed line 058.

[0106] It should be noted that this application uses only an RFIC chip with eight radio frequency transceiver channels as one embodiment. RFIC chips with other numbers of radio frequency transceiver channels are also possible.

[0107] From Figure 10 As can be seen, the lengths of the feed lines 051, 052, 053, 054, 055, 056, 057 and 058 are substantially equal. When the lengths of the feed lines are equal, the phases of the sub-arrays 1A1, 1A2, 1A3, 1A4, 1A5, 1A6, 1A7 and 1A8 can be made consistent, so as to improve the broadband performance of the antenna array.

[0108] When the feed positions of the antenna array are regularly arranged, the arrangement of the plurality of RFIC chips in the device is also regular, and the lengths of the at least two power division lines between one power divider and at least two RFIC chips are also substantially equal, which simplifies the design difficulty of the power division lines. In particular, the power division paths from one power divider to at least two RFIC chips are also substantially equal, so as to further reduce the time delay difference between the sub-arrays and further improve the broadband performance.

[0109] For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the first RFIC chip 31, the second RFIC chip 32, the third RFIC chip 33 and the fourth RFIC chip 34 are all RFIC chips with eight radio frequency transceiver channels. The power divider 5 is connected with the first RFIC chip 31, the second RFIC chip 32, the third RFIC chip 33 and the fourth RFIC chip 34 through the power division lines 9. Figure 11

[0110] As can be seen, the first RFIC chip 31, the second RFIC chip 32, the third RFIC chip 33 and the fourth RFIC chip 34 are regularly arranged, and the power division lines 9 are substantially equal in length. Figure 11

[0111] When the feed positions of the antenna array are regularly arranged, the first RFIC chip 31, the second RFIC chip 32, the third RFIC chip 33 and the fourth RFIC chip 34 are regularly arranged, and the heat dissipation of these RFIC chips is also evenly distributed, so as to avoid the phenomenon of high local temperature and low local temperature and avoid affecting the performance of the entire wireless communication device. Figure 9

[0112] It should be noted that the above only analyzes the technical effects through part of the RFIC chips and part of the sub-arrays, and the technical effects generated by the remaining RFIC chips and the remaining sub-arrays are the same.

[0113] ​​​Based on the above, at least two power division lines between one power divider 5 and at least two RFIC chips 3 are substantially equal in length, and the feeding lines between one RFIC chip 3 and at least two sub-arrays are substantially equal in length, so that the transmission paths from one power divider 5 to at least two sub-arrays are substantially equal in length, and then the time delay difference between different sub-arrays is significantly reduced compared with the prior art, so as to make the phases of different sub-arrays substantially consistent, and finally improve the wideband performance of the antenna array.

[0114] As shown in Figure 12 each sub-array has a phase center N, for example, when the antenna array includes at least three sub-arrays, then the phase center N also includes at least three.

[0115] It should be noted that the equal phase surface of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the sub-array will approximate a spherical surface after a certain distance away from the sub-array, and the spherical center of the spherical surface is the phase center of the sub-array, or a region around the spherical center of the spherical surface is considered as the phase center of the sub-array. In practice, for a planar sub-array, its phase center can be generally considered to coincide with its geometric center, and the geometric center is the geometric center of the nearly spherical phase surface of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the sub-array.

[0116] The arrangement of the phase centers M in the antenna array provided by the embodiment of the present application satisfies the following conditions:

[0117] The first kind: the multiple phase centers of at least one row are not located on the same straight line.

[0118] As shown in Figure 12 the antenna array, the multiple phase centers of the first row are arranged in a straight line, but the multiple phase centers of the second row are arranged in a bent line, that is, the phase centers of the second row have a staggered phenomenon.

[0119] The second kind: the multiple phase centers of at least one column are not located on the same straight line.

[0120] The third kind: the multiple phase centers of at least one row are not located on the same straight line, and the multiple phase centers of at least one column are not located on the same straight line.

[0121] When the phase centers of the antenna array satisfy any of the above, the phase centers of the antenna array are considered to be irregularly arranged.

[0122] Irregular arrangement of the phase centers can cause the energy of the grating lobes of the antenna array to no longer be superimposed on a small number of angles, but to be dispersed to multiple angles, so that the grating lobe suppression capability of the antenna array can be greatly improved.

[0123] Figure 13Another structure diagram of an antenna array is given, which includes a subarray 1A with two radiating elements 11, and a subarray 1B with three radiating elements 11.

[0124] In combination Figure 14 , the feed positions M in the antenna array also satisfy: the feed positions of the multiple subarrays of each row of subarrays are arranged in a straight line, and the feed positions of the multiple subarrays of each column of subarrays are also arranged in a straight line. Thus, the feed positions of the antenna array are regularly arranged. For example, the feed positions of the multiple subarrays of the first row, and the feed positions of the multiple subarrays of the second row adjacent to the first row are arranged in a straight line. The feed positions of the multiple subarrays of the first column, and the feed positions of the multiple subarrays of the second column adjacent to the first column are also arranged in a straight line.

[0125] Figure 15 and Figure 16 As shown in FIG. 5, the fifth RFIC chip 35 is an RFIC chip with six radio frequency transceiver channels. The fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B1, the subarray 1B2, the subarray 1B3, the subarray 1B4, the subarray 1B5, and the subarray 1B6. That is, the first radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B1 through the feed line 059, the second radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B2 through the feed line 0510, the third radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B3 through the feed line 0511, the fourth radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B4 through the feed line 0512, the fifth radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B5 through the feed line 0513, and the sixth radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B6 through the feed line 0514.

[0126] As shown in FIG. 5, the fifth RFIC chip 35 is an RFIC chip with six radio frequency transceiver channels. The fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B1, the subarray 1B2, the subarray 1B3, the subarray 1B4, the subarray 1B5, and the subarray 1B6. That is, the first radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B1 through the feed line 059, the second radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B2 through the feed line 0510, the third radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B3 through the feed line 0511, the fourth radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B4 through the feed line 0512, the fifth radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B5 through the feed line 0513, and the sixth radio frequency transceiver channel of the fifth RFIC chip 35 is connected with the subarray 1B6 through the feed line 0514. Figure 16 As can be seen, the lengths of the feed lines 059 to 0514 are substantially equal. When the lengths of the feed lines are equal, the phases of the subarray 1B1, the subarray 1B2, the subarray 1B3, the subarray 1B4, the subarray 1B5, and the subarray 1B6 can be substantially consistent, so as to improve the broadband performance of the antenna array.

[0127] Figure 17 The connection relationship between the four RFIC chips and the power divider 5 is shown in FIG. 6, and the four RFIC chips are respectively the fifth RFIC chip 35, the sixth RFIC chip 36, the seventh RFIC chip 37, and the eighth RFIC chip 38.

[0128] As shown in FIG. 6, the fifth RFIC chip 35, the sixth RFIC chip 36, the seventh RFIC chip 37, and the eighth RFIC chip 38 are regularly arranged, and the lengths of the power division lines from the power divider to the four RFIC chips are substantially equal. Figure 17 As can be seen, the lengths of the feed lines 059 to 0514 are substantially equal. When the lengths of the feed lines are equal, the phases of the subarray 1B1, the subarray 1B2, the subarray 1B3, the subarray 1B4, the subarray 1B5, and the subarray 1B6 can be substantially consistent, so as to improve the broadband performance of the antenna array.

[0129] As shown in Figure 18 , the phase centers N in the antenna array are irregularly arranged, for example, the phase centers of the multiple sub-arrays in the first row form a bending line, and the phase centers of the multiple sub-arrays in the second row also form a bending line. In this way, the irregularity of the phase centers can cause the energy of the grating lobes of the antenna array when scanning to no longer be superimposed on a small number of angles, but to be dispersed to multiple angles, and thus the grating lobe suppression capability of the antenna array can be greatly improved.

[0130] Figure 19 is a comparison diagram of the grating lobe suppression curves of the antenna array provided by the present application and an existing antenna array, wherein curve ⑴ is the grating lobe suppression curve of the antenna array provided by the present application when scanning along the Y-axis direction (vertical dimension), and curve ⑵ is the grating lobe suppression curve of the antenna array in the prior art when scanning along the Y-axis direction (vertical dimension). It can be seen from curve ⑴ and curve ⑵ that the grating lobe suppression of the present application is obviously higher than that of the existing grating lobe suppression in the vertical scanning angle interval of -20° to 20°.

[0131] Figure 20 is a comparison diagram of the vertical scanning envelope gain curves of the antenna array provided by the present application and an existing antenna array, in which curve ⑾ is the envelope gain curve of the antenna array provided by the present application along the Y-axis direction (vertical dimension) beam scanning pattern, and curve ⑿ is the envelope gain curve of the antenna array in the prior art along the Y-axis direction (vertical dimension) beam scanning pattern. It can be seen that the gain of the antenna array of the present application is superior to that of the existing antenna array in the interval of -30° to -10° and the interval of 10° to 30°, and the gain is basically the same in the interval of -10° to 10°. In addition, the beam scanning capability is defined by 10 dB grating lobe suppression, and it can be seen from Figure 21 that the scanning capability of the existing antenna array is in the interval of -10° to 10°, and the scanning capability of the present application is greater than ±20°, and the actual capability can reach about ±30°. Figure 20 is an example of Y-direction beam scanning, and similar technical effects exist in the X-direction.

[0132] In an alternative embodiment, each radiating element is not limited to being distributed in each grid at equal intervals, that is, as shown in Figure 21 , the radiating element 11a, the radiating element 11b and the radiating element 11c are arranged in sequence along the same column, the interval between the adjacent radiating element 11a and the radiating element 11b is d1, the interval between the adjacent radiating element 11b and the radiating element 11c is d2, d1 and d2 can be equal, or the absolute value of the difference between d1 and d2 is less than or equal to 1 / 4 of the wavelength corresponding to the frequency band of the antenna array.

[0133] In alternative embodiments, the feeding positions of the plurality of sub-arrays along the first direction can allow a certain degree of misalignment, not limited to being on the same straight line, and similarly, the feeding positions of the plurality of sub-arrays along the second direction can allow a certain degree of misalignment, not limited to being on the same straight line. As shown in FIG. 7, the feeding position M1, the feeding position M2 and the feeding position M3 arranged along the first direction are misaligned, and the misalignment distance d3 is less than or equal to 1 / 4 of the wavelength corresponding to the frequency band of the antenna array. In the case where misalignment occurs between two adjacent feeding positions, and the misalignment distance is less than or equal to 1 / 4 of the wavelength corresponding to the frequency band of the antenna array, the equal length design of the feeding line and the equal division line has little effect, and the broadband performance of the antenna array can still be improved. Figure 21

[0134] The above describes that in the antenna array, the feeding positions are arranged irregularly, that is, in the same type of sub-array, there are multiple cases of feeding positions. The following embodiments illustrate the specific setting mode of the feeding positions in order to realize irregular arrangement.

[0135] Figure 22 The sub-array is given only including one radiation unit 11, and in the sub-array, the feeding position M is located at the side of the radiation unit 11.

[0136] Figure 23a 、 Figure 23b and Figure 23c The arrangement mode of the feeding position in the sub-array including two radiation units is given, and the two radiation units are respectively a first radiation unit 111 and a second radiation unit 112.

[0137] The first arrangement mode: refer to FIG. 8, the feeding position M is located between the first radiation unit 111 and the second radiation unit 112. Figure 23a

[0138] The second arrangement mode: refer to FIG. 9, the feeding position M is on the side of the first radiation unit 111 away from the second radiation unit 112. Figure 23b

[0139] The third arrangement mode: refer to FIG. 10, the feeding position M is on the side of the second radiation unit 112 away from the first radiation unit 111. Figure 23c

[0140] In addition, the feeding position M can also be below the first radiation unit 111 or below the second radiation unit 112.

[0141] Of course, when the antenna array includes a sub-array with two radiation units, the feeding position includes the above arrangement positions, but is not limited to these arrangement positions.

[0142] Figure 24a ​​​​、 Figure 24b 、 Figure 24c and Figure 24d The feeding position in the sub-array including three radiation elements is given, which are the first radiation element 111 and the second radiation element 112, and the third radiation element.

[0143] The first arrangement position: refer to Figure 24a The feeding position M is on the side of the first radiation element 111 away from the second radiation element 112.

[0144] The second arrangement position: refer to Figure 24b The feeding position M is between the first radiation element 111 and the second radiation element 112.

[0145] The third arrangement position: refer to Figure 24c The feeding position M is between the second radiation element 112 and the third radiation element 113.

[0146] The fourth arrangement position: refer to Figure 24d The feeding position M is on the side of the third radiation element 113 away from the second radiation element 112.

[0147] In addition, the feeding position M can also be below the first radiation element 111, below the second radiation element 112, or below the third radiation element 113.

[0148] Similarly, when the antenna array includes a sub-array with three radiation elements, the feeding position includes the above arrangement positions, but is not limited to these arrangement positions.

[0149] When the antenna array includes a sub-array with more radiation elements, the specific arrangement of the feeding position M is similar to the above arrangement examples.

[0150] It can also be understood that when the antenna array includes a sub-array with at least two radiation elements, the feeding position is located between the adjacent two radiation elements, or the feeding position is located on the side of the radiation element at the end away from the remaining radiation elements, or the feeding position is located below all the radiation elements in the sub-array.

[0151] In order to realize the irregular arrangement of the phase centers and the regular arrangement of the feeding positions, in some rows and some columns, there will be a vacant grid between the adjacent two sub-arrays, as shown in Figure 14 A dummy element 2 is arranged in the vacant grid, which means a radiation element without feeding.

[0152] The arrangement of the dummy element can make the peripheral environment of each sub-array of the antenna array consistent, so that the directional pattern of each sub-array remains basically consistent, and finally the communication capacity of the antenna array will be improved.

[0153] For the two-dimensional shape formed by the antenna array provided in the present application, it can be Figure 7 and Figure 13 The rectangular array provided can also be Figure 25 the shape close to a circle as shown in Figure 26 the hexagon as shown.

[0154] In the description of the present specification, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0155] In the description of the present specification, the "multiple" refers to two or more, for example, the "multiple sub-arrays" can include three or more sub-arrays, the "multiple radio frequency transceiver channels" can include two or more radio frequency transceiver channels, the "multiple RFIC chips" can include two or more RFIC chips, and the like.

[0156] The above description is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed in the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An antenna array, characterized in that, include: Multiple subarrays, each subarray having a feed position and at least one radiating element, the multiple subarrays being arranged along a first direction and a second direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction, the feed positions of the multiple subarrays being located on the same straight line along the first direction, and the feed positions of the multiple subarrays being located on the same straight line along the second direction. Along the first direction, the subarrays belonging to the feed positions located on the same straight line are in the same row; along the second direction, the subarrays belonging to the feed positions located on the same straight line are in the same column. Each of the subarrays has a phase center, and the phase centers of the subarrays in at least one row of the antenna array are not on the same straight line, and / or the phase centers of the subarrays in at least one column of the antenna array are not on the same straight line. Multiple subarrays include various types of subarrays of the same kind, and different types of subarrays include at least one of the following: The number of the radiating units is different; The number of radiating elements is the same, but the positions of the power supply locations are different.

2. The antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The antenna array includes N subarrays, each of which has an equal number of radiating elements. The feed position of at least one of the N subarrays is different from the feed positions of the other subarrays, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

3. The antenna array according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The antenna array includes at least two types of similar subarrays, and each type of subarray has an equal number of radiating elements.

4. The antenna array according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The antenna array includes at least one first subarray, on which at least two radiating elements are disposed, and the at least two radiating elements are arranged in a straight line. The feed position of the first subarray is located between two radiating elements; or, The feed position of the first subarray is located on the side of the radiating element at the end of the first subarray that is away from the other radiating elements.

5. The antenna array according to claim 3, characterized in that, The antenna array includes at least one first subarray, on which at least two radiating elements are disposed, and the at least two radiating elements are arranged in a straight line. The feed position of the first subarray is located between two radiating elements; or, The feed position of the first subarray is located on the side of the radiating element at the end of the first subarray that is away from the other radiating elements.

6. The antenna array according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The antenna array includes at least one second subarray, on which a radiating element is disposed, and the feed position of the second subarray is located beside the radiating element.

7. The antenna array according to claim 3, characterized in that, The antenna array includes at least one second subarray, on which a radiating element is disposed, and the feed position of the second subarray is located beside the radiating element.

8. The antenna array according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Along the first direction, the spacing between the feed positions of every two adjacent subarrays is equal, and / or, along the second direction, the spacing between the feed positions of every two adjacent subarrays is equal.

9. The antenna array according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The antenna array includes dummy elements, which are unfed radiating elements.

10. An apparatus, characterized in that, include: Antenna array as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, feeder cable, and A circuit carrier board, wherein the feed line is used to feed the subarrays in the antenna array, and the antenna array and the feed line are disposed on the circuit carrier board.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that, Also includes: At least one radio frequency integrated circuit chip is disposed on the circuit carrier board. The radio frequency integrated circuit chip includes at least two radio frequency transceiver channels. The at least two radio frequency transceiver channels are used to feed at least two subarrays in the antenna array through the feed line, and the radio frequency transceiver channels are connected one-to-one with the subarrays.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, The device includes a power divider and combiner and at least two radio frequency integrated circuit chips; the power divider and combiner is connected to the at least two radio frequency integrated circuit chips respectively through at least two power dividing lines, and the at least two power dividing lines are of equal length, and the power dividing lines are connected to the radio frequency integrated circuit chips one-to-one.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that, The circuit carrier board is a packaging substrate; The device further includes: A printed circuit board, wherein the packaging substrate is disposed on the printed circuit board and connected to the printed circuit board, and the power divider / combiner is disposed on the printed circuit board.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that, The circuit carrier board is a printed circuit board; The power splitter / combiner is mounted on the printed circuit board.

15. An apparatus, characterized in that, include: Antenna array as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; Feeder cable; and At least one radio frequency integrated circuit chip, the antenna array and the feed line are disposed on the package layer of the radio frequency integrated circuit chip, the radio frequency integrated circuit chip includes at least two radio frequency transceiver channels, the at least two radio frequency transceiver channels are used to feed at least two subarrays in the antenna array through the feed line respectively, and the radio frequency transceiver channels are connected one-to-one with the subarrays.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that, The device includes a power divider and combiner and at least two radio frequency integrated circuit chips; The power divider and combiner is connected to the at least two radio frequency integrated circuit chips via at least two power divider lines, and the at least two power divider lines are of equal length, with each power divider line connected to a radio frequency integrated circuit chip in a one-to-one manner.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that, The device further includes: The printed circuit board, on which the radio frequency integrated circuit chip and the power divider / combiner are both mounted.

18. A wireless communication device, characterized in that, include The antenna array as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, or the apparatus as described in any one of claims 10 to 17.

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