Phased antenna array with perforated and augmented antenna elements

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to phased antenna arrays with perforated and augmented antenna elements. Systems, apparatuses, and methods related to phased antenna arrays with perforated and augmented antenna elements are provided. An exemplary patch antenna structure includes a first conductive patch on a first layer of the structure, wherein the first conductive patch includes one or more perforations at a periphery of a first side of the first conductive patch, and one or more extended conductive portions at a second side of the first conductive patch, the second side opposite the first side; a ground plane on a ground layer of the structure, the ground layer spaced apart from the first layer; and a first signal feed for coupling a signal to the first conductive patch. In one example, a single extended conductive portion of the one or more extended conductive portions can compensate for a radiation pattern associated with a corresponding perforation of the one or more perforations.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 297355, filed January 7, 2022, entitled “Perforated and Amplified Antenna Element for Wide Scan Range Phased Array with Multichannel Beamformer Feed,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as described below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more specifically to antennas for use in radio frequency (RF) systems. Background Technology

[0004] RF systems are systems that transmit and receive signals in the form of electromagnetic waves, with frequencies ranging from approximately 3 kHz to 300 GHz. RF systems are commonly used in wireless communication, with cellular / wireless mobile technology being a prominent example.

[0005] In the context of RF systems, an antenna is a device that acts as an interface between radio waves propagating through space and an electric current moving in a metallic conductor used by the transmitter or receiver. During transmission, the radio transmitter supplies an electric current to the antenna's terminal, and the antenna radiates the energy in the current as radio waves. During reception, the antenna intercepts a portion of the radio wave's power, generating an electric current at its terminal, which is then applied to the receiver for amplification. Antennas are a fundamental component of all wireless equipment used in radio broadcasting, television broadcasting, two-way radio, communication receivers, radar, mobile phones, satellite communications, and other devices.

[0006] An antenna with a single antenna element can broadcast a radiation pattern that radiates uniformly in all directions across a spherical wavefront. A phased array antenna generally refers to a collection of antenna elements used to focus electromagnetic energy in a specific spatial direction to generate a main beam. Compared to single-antenna systems, phased array antennas offer many advantages, such as high gain, the ability to perform directional steering, and simultaneous communication. Therefore, phased array antennas are more frequently used in a variety of applications, such as military applications, mobile technology, airborne radar technology, automotive radar, cellular phones and data, and Wi-Fi technology. Attached Figure Description

[0007] To provide a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features and advantages, reference is made to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like parts, wherein:

[0008] Figure 1A A top view of an exemplary antenna array system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0009] Figure 1B A cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna array system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0010] Figure 2 A top view of an exemplary patch antenna having perforations and extended conductive portions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0011] Figure 3A A perspective view of an exemplary patch antenna structure having perforations and extended conductive portions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0012] Figure 3B A cross-sectional side view of an exemplary patch antenna structure having perforations and extended conductive portions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0013] Figure 4 A perspective view of an exemplary patch antenna structure with plated holes and cut-out areas according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0014] Figure 5 A top view of an exemplary patch antenna structure having perforations and extended conductive portions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 6 A top view of an exemplary stacked patch antenna structure with perforations and extended conductive portions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0016] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating an antenna array device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The systems, methods, and apparatuses disclosed herein each have several innovative embodiments, none of which alone is responsible for all the desired properties disclosed herein. Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the following description and accompanying drawings.

[0018] As mentioned above, antennas can be used in RF systems to wirelessly transmit and / or receive radio waves over space. With the continued growth in demand for wireless communication, there is interest in developing wireless communication in the millimeter-wave band due to the large bandwidth available at these high frequencies. For example, fifth-generation (5G) systems and networks can utilize the 28 GHz and 39 GHz millimeter-wave bands to provide services with higher data rates and / or lower latency than services provided in lower frequency bands. Furthermore, the large frequency bandwidth allows wireless communication devices (e.g., base stations or user equipment (UE)) to scan many frequency channels for communication. For this purpose, phased array antennas are commonly used for frequency scanning. In some examples, phased array antennas may comprise an array of antenna elements mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). PCBs are used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive paths, tracks, or signal traces etched from a sheet of metal (e.g., copper) laminated onto a non-conductive substrate (e.g., an insulating material).

[0019] In one example, a phased array antenna array can be excited by a beamformer chip. For example, the phased antenna array and the beamformer chip can be mounted on a multilayer PCB. Beamforming is a technique by which an antenna array can be manipulated to transmit or receive radio signals in a specific spatial direction. Beamforming can include adjusting the phase of signals transmitted or received by antenna elements such that the transmitted or received signals provide constructive interference in the desired spatial direction. Excitation can be handled by through-coaxial vias (which may be referred to as feed vias) from the beamformer chip to the antenna elements. Because such a beamformer can have multiple channels to feed multiple antenna elements in the array, the feed or excitation vias must be isolated from each other to avoid mutual coupling between these antenna elements. One way to provide this isolation is to surround the excitation vias with shielding vias. In some examples, the shielding vias may be ground vias. Shielding vias surrounding or adjacent to a particular excitation via can reduce noise interference from signals at adjacent excitation vias and can generally improve signal integrity at that particular excitation via.

[0020] In some example configurations, shielding vias can be struck at random locations on the antenna element. That is, the antenna element may have portions, for example, near the edge of the antenna element, which are randomly removed or punctured to accommodate the shielding vias. Because the current distribution may be at its maximum around the edge of the antenna element (e.g., in an edge region where the antenna element width is approximately one-tenth of the pilot wavelength), removing portions near the edge can significantly degrade the performance of the antenna element, for example, in terms of radiation pattern and signal strength.

[0021] There are generally two options for providing shielded vias with back-drilled holes. Back-drilling can refer to the process of creating vias by removing stubs (e.g., unnecessary or unused portions of vias) in a multi-layer PCB to allow signals to flow from one layer to another. In the first option, holes (e.g., openings, slots, or perforations) are formed in the antenna element (e.g., by removing or piercing a portion of the antenna element) in the via pad, and the perforations are empty (i.e., air-filled and unplated). In the second option, the holes or openings in the antenna element can be filled with epoxy and plated, thereby giving the antenna element a larger area. In either case, antenna elements with perforations alone or with plating can alter and / or degrade the performance of the antenna element, for example, in terms of radiation pattern and signal strength.

[0022] Therefore, this disclosure provides techniques for improving the performance of antenna elements with random perforations or enhancements due to the accommodation of shielding vias. In one aspect of this disclosure, a first example patch antenna structure may include a first conductive patch on a first layer of the structure. The first conductive patch may include a conductive material. The first conductive patch may include one or more perforations located on the periphery (e.g., a region near the edge or outer periphery) of a first side of the first conductive patch. The perforations may be regions or portions removed to accommodate shielding vias using the first option as described above. Because perforations at the periphery of the first conductive patch degrade the performance of the first conductive patch (e.g., radiation, signal strength), the first conductive patch may include one or more extended conductive portions (or added portions) on an opposing second side. The extended conductive portions may compensate for or balance undesirable radiation patterns caused by the perforations. In one example, the first conductive patch may have a generally square shape, with one or more perforations (e.g., cut-out regions, cut-out portions, cut-outs) on the first side, and extended portions (e.g., added portions or protrusions) on an opposing second side. The first patch antenna structure may further include a ground plane on a ground layer of the structure, wherein the ground layer may be spaced apart from the first layer (e.g., by alternating conductive and insulating or dielectric layers). The first patch antenna structure may also include a first signal feed to couple a signal (e.g., from a beamformer) to the first conductive patch. In one example, one or more perforations for shielding vias may be close to (or around) the first signal feed to prevent the first signal feed from coupling to other signal feeds (e.g., from other beamformer channels).

[0023] In some aspects, extended conductive portions can be added to balance each perforation. That is, each of one or more perforations can have a corresponding one of one or more extended conductive portions. Furthermore, each extended conductive portion can be added symmetrically to the second side. For example, the position of the first perforation in one or more perforations can be approximately symmetrical to the position of its corresponding one of the one or more extended conductive portions at the central axis of the first conductive patch. The central axis can extend from a third side of the first conductive patch to an opposite fourth side of the first conductive patch, wherein the third side can be adjacent to the first and second sides. In some aspects, the area of ​​the first extended conductive portion is based on the area of ​​the corresponding perforation in the one or more perforations. For example, the conductive area of ​​the first extended conductive portion can be approximately the same as the area of ​​the first perforation, such that the first extended conductive portion can compensate for radiation loss caused by the first perforation.

[0024] As described above, the first conductive patch may initially have a substantially square shape before perforation and extension. The initially designed or desired resonant frequency and / or operating bandwidth may be changed after perforation and extension. To adjust or tune the resonant frequency and / or operating bandwidth of the perforated, extended first conductive patch, the first patch antenna structure may include a second conductive patch located on a second layer of the structure, wherein the second layer may be located between the first layer and a ground layer and spaced apart from the first layer by a dielectric material. The second conductive patch may also include a conductive material. In some examples, the first conductive patch may be referred to as the upper patch and the second conductive patch as the lower patch. In some aspects, a first signal feed may be electrically coupled to the first conductive patch and capacitively (or parasiticly) coupled to the second conductive patch. In this configuration, the first conductive patch or the upper patch may be a radiating patch, while the second conductive patch or the lower patch may be a non-radiating patch. In other aspects, the first signal feed may be electrically coupled to the second conductive patch and capacitively (or parasiticly) coupled to the first conductive patch. In this configuration, the first patch antenna structure can be called a stacked patch antenna, where the first and second conductive patches can operate as radiating elements.

[0025] In some aspects, the first patch antenna structure can support dual polarization. To this end, the first patch antenna structure may further include a second signal feed for coupling another signal to the first conductive patch. The first signal feed may be associated with a first polarization, and the second signal feed may be associated with a second polarization that is different from (e.g., orthogonal to) the first polarization. For example, the first polarization may be one of horizontal polarization (H-pol) or vertical polarization (V-pol), while the second polarization may be the other of H-pol or V-pol.

[0026] In another aspect of this disclosure, a second example patch antenna structure may include a first conductive patch on a first layer of the structure, wherein the first conductive patch includes one or more plated vias at the periphery of a first side of the first conductive patch. The one or more plated vias may be areas or portions that are removed, filled with epoxy resin material, and plated (e.g., covered by a plate) to accommodate shielding vias as described above using the second option. Because an increased (or enlarged) area of ​​the first conductive patch can alter or degrade the performance of the first conductive patch (e.g., radiation, signal strength), the first conductive patch may include one or more cut-out regions on an opposite second side of the first conductive patch. The cut-out regions may compensate for or balance undesirable radiation patterns caused by enhancement. In one example, the first conductive patch may have a generally square shape, with one or more plated vias (e.g., enlarged portions and extensions) on the first side and said one or more cut-out regions (e.g., removed portions, slots, openings) on the second side. The second patch antenna structure may further include a ground plane on a ground layer of the structure, wherein the ground layer may be spaced apart from the first layer (e.g., by alternating conductive and insulating or dielectric layers). The second patch antenna structure may also include a first signal feed to couple a signal (e.g., from a beamformer) to the first conductive patch. In one example, one or more plated vias for shielding the via may be close to (or around) the first signal feed to shield the first signal feed from coupling with other signal feeds (e.g., from other beamformer channels).

[0027] Similar to the first patch antenna structure, each of one or more plated apertures may correspond to one of one or more cut-out regions. Furthermore, each cut-out region may be removed symmetrically. For example, the location of the first cut-out region among one or more cut-out regions may be symmetrical to the location of a corresponding one of one or more plated apertures at the central axis of the first conductive patch. The central axis may extend from a third side of the first conductive patch to an opposite fourth side, wherein the third side is adjacent to the first and second sides. Furthermore, the second patch antenna structure may also include a second conductive patch located on a second layer of the structure to adjust the resonant frequency and / or operating bandwidth of the second patch structure, wherein the second layer may be located between the first layer and a ground layer and separated from the first layer by a dielectric material. Furthermore, a first signal feed may be electrically coupled to one of the first or second conductive patches, and capacitively (parasiticly) coupled to the other of the first or second conductive patches. Furthermore, the second patch antenna structure may also support dual polarization. To this end, the first patch antenna structure may further include a second signal feed for coupling another signal to the first conductive patch. The first signal feed may be associated with a first polarization (e.g., one of H-polarization or V-polarization), and the second signal feed may be associated with a second polarization different from the first polarization (e.g., another polarization in H-polarization or V-polarization).

[0028] In another aspect of this disclosure, the antenna array device may include a plurality of antenna elements and beamforming circuitry coupled to one or more of the plurality of antenna elements. The one or more antenna elements may have a structure as described above for a first patch antenna structure or a second patch antenna structure. The beamforming circuitry may include a plurality of beamforming channels that may be coupled to (e.g., feeding signals to) at least some of the antenna elements.

[0029] The systems, methods, and mechanisms described herein advantageously improve patch antennas with random perforations and / or plated vias due to the inclusion of shielding vias in antenna array devices or systems. For example, adding extended conductive portions to the edges of a patch antenna with perforations at opposite edges can compensate for or counteract radiation losses due to the perforations. Alternatively, removing or creating cutouts at the edges of the patch antenna (with plated vias at opposite edges) can compensate for or counteract radiation variations due to plated vias (or enhancements). This disclosure allows shielding vias to be placed at any suitable location to improve signal integrity at the excitation via without degrading the performance of the antenna element, even if the antenna element can be randomly perforated to accommodate the shielding vias.

[0030] Figure 1A A top view of an exemplary antenna array system 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The top view can be viewed from... Figure 1A The antenna array system 100 is located in the yx plane of the xyz coordinate system shown. It can be used in RF systems for wireless transmission and / or reception. In some cases, the antenna array system 100 can be... Figure 7 This is part of the antenna device 700. As shown in FIG1, the antenna array system 100 may include an antenna array 101, a beamforming integrated circuit (BFIC) 120, and a BFIC 122. The antenna array 101 may include a plurality of antenna elements 110 (shown as 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, 110f, 110g, and 110h, respectively). For simplicity, Figure 1A Eight antenna elements 110 and two BFICs 120 and 122 are shown. However, antenna array 101 may include any suitable number of antenna elements 110 (e.g., 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 16, 32, 64 or more), and system 100 may include any suitable number of BFICs 120 and 122 (e.g., 1, 3, 4 or more).

[0031] In various examples, system 100 may be a multilayer PCB system, and BFICs 120 and 122 may reside on a different layer of the PCB system than antenna array 101. BFICs 120 and 122 may also reside on different layers. Furthermore, in some examples, antenna array 101 may include antenna elements 110 on different layers of the multilayer PCB system. A more detailed view of the multilayer system is shown below. Figure 1B In, and will be referenced below. Figure 1B To have a more thorough discussion.

[0032] like Figure 1A As further shown in the diagram, each of BFICs 120 and 122 may include multiple beamformer channels 121 (shown by thick black lines, and in...) Figure 1A Only one of them is labeled with the figure reference numerals to avoid cluttering the figures. A beamformer channel may include a phase shifter, amplifier, transmit / receive switch, and / or input / output ports (e.g., similar to...). Figure 7 (Beamformer 722 shown). Each beamformer channel 121 can perform beamforming operations independently of each other. Each beamformer channel 121 can generate one of the phase shift and / or gain adjustment signals in the group. For transmission, multiple beamformer channels 121 can be coupled to at least one subset of antenna elements 110 to feed a set of phase shift and / or gain adjustment signals to the subset of antenna elements 110. More specifically, each beamformer channel 121 can feed different signals from the phase shift and / or gain adjustment signals to different antenna elements 110 in the subset. That is, each antenna element 110 in the subset can transmit the same signal but with different phase and / or gain. The signal radiated or transmitted by the antenna array 101 can have a radiation pattern with a main beam (e.g., pointing in a specific direction) generated based on the constructive interference of the RF signals transmitted by the subset of antenna elements 110. In the example shown in Figure 1, BFIC 120 may have beamformer channels 121 coupled to antenna elements 110b and 110c, while BFIC 122 may have beamformer channels 121 coupled to antenna elements 110f and 110g. In some examples, BFIC 120 may be operable to beamform signals in one frequency band, while BFIC 122 may be operable to beamform signals in another frequency band.

[0033] like Figure 1A As further shown, the beamformer channel 121 of the BFIC 120 can be coupled to the excitation via 112, allowing signals from the beamformer channel 121 to be fed to the antenna element 110b. Furthermore, shielding vias 114 and 116 can be added to isolate signals fed through the excitation via 112, thereby creating random perforations in the antenna element 110b. Typically, Figure 1A Each empty filled circle in the diagram can represent a via. Vias can typically be electrical connections between different layers of a PCB. In some examples, excitation lines 113 can be fed from different layers of a multilayer PCB system to the excitation via 115 of antenna element 110d.

[0034] Although Figure 1A Although not shown, antenna elements 110f and 110g may also include excitation vias (for coupling to beamformer channel 121 of BFIC 122) and shielding vias similar to excitation via 112 and shielding vias 114 and 116, respectively.

[0035] Figure 1B Some embodiments according to this disclosure are shown. Figure 1A A cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna array system 100. The cross-sectional side view can be viewed along... Figure 1A The line BB is cut off. The cross-sectional side view can be viewed in... Figure 1A-1B In the zx plane of the xyz coordinate system. For example... Figure 1B As shown, system 100 can be a multilayer PCB system comprising conductive layers that alternate with insulating or dielectric layers perpendicularly along the z-axis. In the example shown, system 100 may include a conductive layer 140, followed by an insulating layer 142 (e.g., comprising a dielectric material) on top of the conductive layer 140, then another conductive layer 144 on top of the insulating layer 142, and so on. Layer 140 may be a patch antenna layer 150. Figure 1A The antenna element 110 can be disposed on the patch antenna layer. The system 100 may include another layer 146 spaced apart from layer 140 (on which the antenna element 110 is disposed). Layer 146 may be an antenna ground layer 152, serving as the antenna ground plane of the system 100. The system 100 may further include a conductive layer 148 located on top of layer 146. Layer 148 may be an excitation layer 154, and excitation lines (e.g. from BFIC 120 and / or 122) may be disposed on excitation layer 154.

[0036] like Figure 1B As further shown, an excitation via 112 (e.g., a vertical electrical conductor) may extend between patch antenna layer 150 and excitation layer 154. For example, excitation via 112 may have one end electrically coupled to patch antenna layer 150 and the opposite end electrically coupled to excitation layer 154. In some cases, such as when antenna element 110 in patch antenna layer 150 is capacitively (or parasiticly) coupled, excitation via 112 may extend between layers 148 and 144.

[0037] like Figure 1BAs further shown, the shielded via 114 is before back-drilling (e.g., extending from layer 140 to top layer 149), while the shielded via 116 is after back-drilling (e.g., removing stubs from near layer 140 to layer 146).

[0038] Because shielding vias (e.g., shielding vias 114 and 116) are added to surround the excitation via, allowing the excitation via to be isolated from other excitation signals, antenna elements (e.g., antenna element 110) can have perforations at random locations. Perforations degrade the performance of the antenna element (e.g., radiation performance). Figure 2 , Figures 3A-3B and Figure 4-6 Various antenna configurations are shown that can improve performance or recover from performance loss by accommodating shielding vias.

[0039] Figure 2 A top view of an exemplary patch antenna 200 having perforations and extended conductive portions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The top view can be viewed from... Figure 2 In the yx plane of the xyz coordinate system shown. In some aspects, the patch antenna 200 can be used as an antenna array (e.g., antenna array 101 of Figure 1 or...). Figure 7 The antenna element is located in the antenna array 710. The patch antenna 200 can be a conductive patch (e.g., a radiating element). In some examples, the patch antenna 200 can be disposed on a layer of a multilayer PCB system, as referenced above. Figure 1B As stated above.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, the patch antenna 200 may have a substantially square shape 210, wherein through-holes 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, and 218 are located in the periphery 220 of the patch antenna 200 (e.g., in a region near the edge or outer periphery). More specifically, through-holes 211 and 212 may be located on a first side of the patch antenna 200 (shown in region 1), through-holes 213 and 214 may be located on a second side of the patch antenna 200 opposite to the first side (shown in region 2), through-holes 215 and 216 may be located on a third side of the patch antenna 200 between the first and second sides (shown in region 3), and through-holes 217 and 218 may be located on a fourth side of the patch antenna 200 opposite to the third side (shown in region 4). In one example, through-holes 211-218 may be created to accommodate shielding vias as described above (e.g., shielding vias 114 and 116). Perforations 211-218 can also be commonly referred to as openings, slots, or removal sections.

[0041] like Figure 2 As further shown, the patch antenna 200 may have approximately the pilot wavelength (e.g., λ). gThe current distribution on the patch antenna 200 can be maximized at the edges of the patch antenna 200, for example, within a width 204 of approximately one-tenth of the pilot wavelength. Thus, any perforations in these edge regions (as shown by the pattern with diagonal lines) will significantly degrade the performance of the patch antenna 200 (e.g., radiation pattern and / or signal strength).

[0042] To compensate for the perforations 211-218, the patch antenna 200 may include extended conductive portions 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, 242, and 244. Each extended conductive portion 230-244 may compensate for one of the perforations 211-218. That is, each of the perforations 211-218 may have a corresponding extended conductive portion 230-244. More specifically, each extended conductive portion 230-244 may be added symmetrically to the patch antenna 200. For example, a conductive portion 234 extending along a second side may be added to compensate for perforation 211 in region 1, a conductive portion 236 extending along a second side may be added to compensate for perforation 212 in region 1, a conductive portion 230 extending along a first side may be added to compensate for perforation 213 in region 2, and an extended conductive portion 232 along the first side may be added to compensate for perforation 214 in region 2. That is, the position of a single perforation (e.g., perforation 211) can be approximately symmetrical to the position of a corresponding one of the extended conductive portions (e.g., extended conductive portions 234) at the central axis 201 of the patch antenna. The central axis 201 can extend from a third side of the patch antenna 200 to an opposite fourth side.

[0043] Similarly, conductive portions 242 extending along the fourth side can be added to compensate for perforations 215 in region 3, conductive portions 244 extending along the fourth side can be added to compensate for perforations 216 in region 3, conductive portions 238 extending along the third side can be added to compensate for perforations 217 in region 4, and conductive portions 240 extending along the third side can be added to compensate for perforations 218 in region 4. That is, the position of a single perforation (e.g., perforation 211) can be approximately symmetrical to the position of a corresponding one of the extended conductive portions (e.g., extended conductive portions 234) at the central axis 203 of the patch antenna. The central axis 203 can extend from the first side of the patch antenna 200 to the opposite second side. That is, the central axis 203 can be approximately perpendicular to the central axis 201. The extended conductive portions 230-244 can also be generally referred to as additional conductive portions, reinforcement portions, and / or extension portions, and can include the same conductive material as the rest of the patch antenna 200 (e.g., the original square portion).

[0044] In some respects, it may be desirable for the extended conductive portion to have approximately the same area as the perforation that the extended conductive portion is to compensate for. That is, the extended conductive portion 234 may have approximately the same area as the perforation 211, the extended conductive portion 236 may have approximately the same area as the hole 212, and so on.

[0045] Although Figure 2 Perforations 211-218 with a generally circular shape and extended conductive portions 230-244 with a generally rectangular shape are shown, but perforations 211-218 and extended conductive portions 230-244 can have any suitable combination of shapes (e.g., square, circular, rectangular, irregular geometry, etc.). Furthermore, each of the perforations 211-218 and its corresponding extended conductive portion 230-244 can have the same shape or different shapes.

[0046] In some examples, the extended conductive portions 230-244 of the patch antenna 200 can be offset from the desired resonant frequency and / or operating bandwidth (e.g., provided by the original square patch), and / or modified on the operating bandwidth of the patch antenna 200. In various aspects, the resonant frequency and / or operating bandwidth can be restored to the desired frequency and / or operating bandwidth (as designed for a square patch antenna) by adding another conductive patch vertically below the patch antenna 200, which will be referenced below. Figures 3A-3B 4 and 6 should be discussed more fully.

[0047] Figure 3A A perspective view of an exemplary patch antenna structure 300 having perforations and extended conductive portions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The perspective view can be viewed as follows: Figure 3A In the xyz coordinate system shown. In some aspects, the patch antenna structure 300 can be used as an antenna array (e.g., antenna array 101 of Figure 1 or...). Figure 7 Antenna elements in antenna array 710). Figure 3A As shown, the patch antenna structure 300 may include an upper conductive patch 310 (e.g., a first conductive patch), a lower conductive patch 320 (e.g., a second conductive patch), and a ground plane 330. The patch antenna structure 300 may be a multilayer PCB system (e.g., similar to...). Figure 1B The system 100 shown herein includes an upper conductive patch 310, a lower conductive patch 320, and a ground plane, which can be arranged on different layers of the structure 300. A more detailed view of the multilayer system is available in... Figure 3B As shown in the figure, and referenced below. Figure 3B To have a more thorough discussion.

[0048] like Figure 3AAs further shown, the upper conductive patch 310 may include a through-hole 302 near the edge of the upper conductive patch 310 (shown individually as 302a, 302b, and 302c in the areas indicated by the dashed ellipses) and extended conductive portions 304 near other edges of the upper conductive patch 310 (shown in the areas indicated by dashed ellipses 303 and 305). The through-hole 302 may allow space to accommodate shielded vias (e.g., shielded vias 114 and 116). The extended conductive portions 304 (shown individually as 304a, 304b, and 304c in the areas indicated by the dashed ellipses) may compensate for the through-hole 302. The through-hole 302 and the extended conductive portions 304 may be substantially similar to those described in the reference above. Figure 2 The discussion focuses on the perforations 211-218 and the extended conductive portions 230-244 at the patch antenna 200. Typically, each perforation 302 may have a corresponding extended conductive portion 304 to compensate for the radiation pattern variation caused by the perforation 302. For example, the extended conductive portion 304a may compensate for perforation 302a, the extended conductive portion 304b may compensate for perforation 302b, and the extended conductive portion 304c may compensate for perforation 302c.

[0049] The lower conductive patch 320 may be spaced apart from the upper conductive patch 310 (e.g., by a dielectric material). The lower conductive patch 320 can be used to tune or adjust the dielectric constant seen in the upper conductive patch 310. In some examples, the lower conductive patch 320 may be a non-radiative patch or component. The lower conductive patch 320 may have any suitable shape and typically has a notch or cutout aligned with the through-hole 302 to accommodate the shielding via.

[0050] In all aspects, the patch antenna structure 300 can support dual polarization. For example... Figure 3A As shown, the patch antenna structure 300 may include a first signal feed 340 (e.g., an excitation via or a vertical conductor) and a second signal feed 342. The first signal feed 340 may be used for a first polarization, while the second signal feed 342 may be used for a second polarization different from the first polarization. For example, the first polarization may be H-polarization, and the second polarization may be V-polarization. Alternatively, the first polarization may be V-pol, and the second polarization may be H-pol. Furthermore, in structure 300, the first signal feed 340 and the second signal feed 342 may be capacitively (parasiticly) coupled to the lower conductive patch 320. That is, the first signal feed 340 and the second signal feed 342 may not be in direct contact with the lower conductive patch 320.

[0051] Figure 3B Some embodiments according to this disclosure are shown. Figure 3A A cross-sectional side view of an exemplary patch antenna structure 300. The cross-sectional side view can be viewed along... Figure 3A The line BB is cut off. The cross-sectional side view can be viewed in... Figures 3A-3B In the zx plane of the xyz coordinate system. For example... Figure 3B As shown, with Figure 1B Similar to the system 100 shown, the structure 300 can be a multilayer PCB system, which includes... Figure 1B The system 100 shown is similar to a conductive layer that alternates with insulating or dielectric layers perpendicularly along the z-axis. For simplicity, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same... Figure 1B The same PCB layer. In Figure 3B In the example shown, layer 140 can be the upper patch antenna layer 350. Figure 3A The upper conductive patch 310 can be disposed on the upper patch antenna 350, and layer 144 can be the lower patch antenna layer 351. Figure 3A The lower conductive patch 320 can be disposed on the lower patch antenna layer 351, and layer 146 can be the antenna ground layer 352. Figure 3A The ground plane 330 shown can be disposed thereon. Layer 148 can be an excitation layer 354, on which excitation lines (from BFIC, such as BFIC 120 and / or 122) can be disposed. A first signal feed 340 (e.g., an excitation via) can extend between the upper patch antenna layer 350 and the excitation layer 354. For example, the first signal feed 340 can have one end electrically coupled to the upper patch antenna layer 350 (e.g., a first end) and the opposite end electrically coupled to the excitation layer 354 (e.g., a second end).

[0052] Figure 3B A shielded via 314 is further shown prior to a reverse-drilled hole (e.g., extending from layer 140 to top layer 149). In one example, the shielded via may correspond to a through-hole 302a. The shielded via 314 may be adjacent to the first signal feed 340. Typically, structure 300 may include any suitable number of shielded vias arranged in any suitable location to isolate the first signal feed 340 and / or the second signal feed 342 from each other and / or isolate signals from other signal feeds from adjacent antenna elements in the same antenna array.

[0053] Figure 4 A perspective view of an exemplary patch antenna structure 400 having plated holes and cut-out areas according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The perspective view can be viewed as follows: Figure 4 In the xyz coordinate system shown. In some aspects, the patch antenna structure 400 can be used as an antenna array (e.g., antenna array 101 of Figure 1 or...). Figure 7 Antenna elements in antenna array 710). Figure 4As shown, the patch antenna structure 400 may include an upper conductive patch 410 (e.g., a first conductive patch), a lower conductive patch 420 (e.g., a second conductive patch), and a ground plane 430. The patch antenna structure 400 may be a multilayer PCB system (e.g., similar to...). Figure 1B The system 100 shown and Figure 3B The structure 300 shown can be arranged on different layers of the structure 400, wherein the upper conductive patch 410, the lower conductive patch 420 and the ground plane can be arranged on different layers of the structure 400.

[0054] exist Figure 4 In this configuration, the upper conductive patch 410 may include plated vias 402 near one edge of the upper conductive patch 410 (in the region shown by the dashed ellipse) and cut-out regions 404 near the other edges of the upper conductive patch 410 (in the region shown by the dashed ellipse). The plated vias 402 may be perforations similar to those of through-holes 302, but with epoxy resin filling and plating (e.g., a conductive material) to cover the epoxy resin-filled perforations. The plated vias 402 may be used to accommodate shielded vias (e.g., shielded vias 114 and 116) similar to those of the through-holes 302 in structure 300. Due to the plating, the area around the plating may increase. That is, the upper conductive patch 410 may have increased conductive area at the respective edges. The cut-out regions 404 may compensate for the increase caused by the plated vias 402.

[0055] Typically, each plated via 402 may have a corresponding cut-off region 404 to compensate for the radiation pattern variation caused by the plated via 402. In one example, each cut-off region 404 may be approximately symmetrical to the corresponding plated via 402, similar to the reference above. Figure 2 The correspondence between the perforations 211-218 and the extended conductive portions 230-244 is discussed. Generally, the position of the first cut-out region on the first side of the upper conductive patch 410 can be approximately symmetrical to the position of the corresponding plated hole on the opposite second side of the upper conductive patch 410 at the central axis of the upper conductive patch 410. The central axis can extend from the third side of the upper conductive patch 410 to the opposite fourth side, where the third side can be adjacent to the first and second sides. In some examples, the area of ​​the cut-out region 404 can be approximately the same as the area of ​​the corresponding plated hole 402. The cut-out region 404 may generally be referred to as an opening, groove, or removal portion.

[0056] Similar to structure 300, the lower conductive patch 420 in structure 400 may be spaced apart from the upper conductive patch 410 (e.g., by a dielectric material). The lower conductive patch 420 can be used to tune or adjust the dielectric constant observed by the upper conductive patch 410. In some examples, the lower conductive patch 420 may be a non-radiative element. The lower conductive patch 420 may have any suitable shape and typically has reinforcements aligned with plated vias of the upper conductive patch 410 to accommodate shielding vias.

[0057] Furthermore, similar to structure 300, patch antenna structure 400 can support dual polarization. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the patch antenna structure 400 may include a first signal feed 440 (e.g., an excitation via or a vertical conductor) and a second signal feed 442. The first signal feed 440 may be used for a first polarization, while the second signal feed 442 may be used for a second polarization different from the first polarization. For example, the first polarization may be H-polarization, and the second polarization may be V-polarization. Alternatively, the first polarization may be V-pol, and the second polarization may be H-pol. Furthermore, in structure 400, the first signal feed 440 and the second signal feed 442 may be capacitively (parasiticly) coupled to the lower conductive patch 420. That is, the first signal feed 440 and the second signal feed 442 may not be in direct contact with the lower conductive patch 420.

[0058] Figure 5 A top view of an exemplary patch antenna structure 500 having perforations and extended conductive portions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Structure 500 may be as follows: Figure 1B and Figure 3B The multilayer PCB system shown. A top view is available. Figure 5 In the yx plane of the xyz coordinate system shown. In some aspects, the patch antenna structure 500 can be used as an antenna array (e.g., antenna array 101 of Figure 1 or...). Figure 7 Antenna elements in antenna array 710. Patch antenna structure 500 may include upper conductive patch 510 (e.g., similar to upper conductive patch 310 of FIG3 or...). Figure 2 The conductive patch 510 may initially have a generally square shape. The conductive patch 510 may include through-holes 502 (shown individually as 502a, 502b, 502c) to accommodate shielded vias (e.g., shielded vias 114 and 116). To compensate for performance loss caused by the through-holes 502, the conductive patch 510 may include extended conductive portions 504 (shown individually as 504a, 504b, 504c) for each through-hole 502. More specifically, extended conductive portions 504a may be added to compensate for through-hole 502a, extended conductive portions 504b may be added to compensate for through-hole 502b, and so on. Typically, portions removed from one side (or edge) of the conductive patch 510 may be added back to the opposite side (or edge) of the conductive patch 510. In some examples, the area of ​​the extended conductive portion 504 may be approximately the same as the area of ​​the corresponding through-hole 502.

[0059] In various embodiments, patch antenna structure 500 can support dual polarization similar to antenna structures 300 and 400. For example, structure 500 may further include a first signal feed 540 (e.g., an excitation via or a vertical electrical conductor) and a second signal feed 542. The first signal feed 540 can be used for a first polarization, while the second signal feed 542 can be used for a second polarization different from the first polarization. As an example, the first polarization can be H-polarization, and the second polarization can be V-polarization, wherein the short path of V-polarization can be shown by line 501, and the short path of H-polarization can be shown by line 503.

[0060] Figure 6 A top view of an exemplary stacked patch antenna structure 600 having perforations and extended conductive portions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Perspective views can be viewed as follows: Figure 6 In the xyz coordinate system shown. In some aspects, the patch antenna structure 600 can be used as an antenna array (e.g., antenna array 101 of Figure 1 or...). Figure 7 Antenna elements in antenna array 710). Figure 6 As shown, the patch antenna structure 600 may include an upper conductive patch 610 (e.g., a first conductive patch), a lower conductive patch 620 (e.g., a second conductive patch), and a ground plane 630. The patch antenna structure 600 may be a multilayer PCB system (e.g., similar to...). Figure 1B The system 100 shown and Figure 3B The structure 600 shown can have an upper conductive patch 610, a lower conductive patch 620, and a ground plane arranged on different layers of the structure 600. Furthermore, the upper conductive patch 610 and the lower conductive patch 620 can be substantially similar to the upper conductive patch 310 and the lower conductive patch 320 of FIG. 3, respectively. The upper conductive patch 610 may include a through-hole 602 (in the region shown by the dashed ellipse) similar to through-hole 302, and the upper conductive patch 610 and the lower conductive patch 620 may include an extended conductive portion 604 (in the region shown by the dotted ellipse) similar to an extended conductive portion 304 to compensate for radiation loss due to through-hole 602. However, in the structure 600, the first signal feed 640 and the second signal feed 642 are electrically coupled (connected) to the lower conductive patch 620 and capacitively (parasiticly) coupled to the upper conductive patch 610, and both the upper conductive patch 620 and the lower conductive patch 610 are radiating patches or elements. Therefore, structure 600 can be referred to as a stacked antenna structure. Furthermore, structure 600 can support dual polarization, wherein a first signal feed 640 can be used for a first polarization, and a second signal feed 642 can be used for a second polarization different from (orthogonal to) the first polarization. For example, the first polarization can be one of H-polarization or V-polarization, while the second polarization can be the other of H-polarization or V-polarization.

[0061] like Figure 6 As further shown, structure 600 may include an excitation layer 650 located between ground plane 630 and another ground plane 632. Excitation layer 650 may include elements coupled to a beamformer (e.g., BFIC 120 and 122 of FIG. 1 or...). Figure 7 The excitation stripline of the beamformer array 720.

[0062] Typically, antenna structures that allow shielding vias can include any suitable combination of perforations (e.g., drilled holes that can be left as vents), extended conductive portions, plated vias (e.g., where drilled holes can be filled with epoxy material (conductive or non-conductive epoxy material) and plated), and / or cut-out areas. That is, antenna structures can utilize the above references. Figure 2 , 3A -3B and 4-6 are any suitable configuration combinations discussed.

[0063] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating an antenna array device 700 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein antenna elements with perforations and enhancements, as discussed herein, can be used for transmission / reception. Figure 7 As shown, the antenna device 700 may include an antenna array 710, a beamformer array 720, a UDC circuit 740, and a controller 770.

[0064] Typically, antenna array 710 may include multiple antenna elements 712 (in Figure 7 (Only one of them is designated by reference numerals in the accompanying drawings to avoid confusion with the figures). These antenna elements are housed in (e.g., in or above) a substrate 714, which may be, for example, a PCB or any other support structure. In various embodiments, antenna element 712 may be a radiating element or a passive element. For example, antenna element 712 may include a dipole, an open waveguide, a slotted waveguide, a microstrip antenna, etc. In some embodiments, antenna element 712 may include any suitable element configured to wirelessly transmit and / or receive RF signals. Antenna array 710 may be a phased array antenna and will therefore be referred to as a phased array antenna hereinafter. In some embodiments, phased array antenna 710 may be a printed phased array antenna. In some embodiments, antenna array 710 may be similar to antenna array 101 of FIG. 1.

[0065] At least some of the antenna elements 712 may be implemented using a first conductive patch or patch antenna (e.g., patch antenna 200 or upper conductive patches 310, 410, 510, 610). In some examples, the first conductive patch may include a through-hole and a corresponding extended conductive portion, similar to patch antenna 200, upper conductive patches 310, 510, or 610 as described above. In other examples, the first conductive patch may include plated holes and corresponding cut-out areas similar to the upper conductive patch 410 discussed above. In some embodiments, at least some of the antenna elements 712 may include a second conductive patch (e.g., lower conductive patches 320, 420, 620) for tuning and / or adjusting the resonant frequency and / or operating bandwidth, as discussed herein.

[0066] Figure 7 Further details shown, such as the specific arrangement of the beamformer array 720, the UDC circuit 740, and the relationship between the beamformer array 720 and the UDC circuit 720, may differ in different embodiments. Figure 7 The description provides only some examples of how these components can be used with a phased array antenna 710, which includes antenna elements 712 configured, for example, using antenna structures 300, 400, 500, and / or 600. Furthermore, although some embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings illustrate a certain number of components (e.g., a certain number of antenna elements 712, beamformers, and / or UDC circuitry), it should be understood that these embodiments can be implemented with any number of these components based on the description provided herein. Additionally, although this disclosure may refer to certain types of components of an antenna device to discuss certain embodiments (e.g., the substrate housing the antenna elements is referred to as a PCB, although it can generally be any suitable support structure), it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented with different types of components.

[0067] Beamformer array 720 may include multiple beamformers 722 (in Figure 7In the figures, only one is indicated by reference numerals. Beamformer 722 can be considered as a transceiver (e.g., a device capable of transmitting and / or receiving signals, in this case, RF signals) fed to antenna element 712. In some embodiments, a single beamformer 722 may be associated with one of antenna elements 712 (e.g., in a one-to-one correspondence) (i.e., exchanging signals with, for example, the antenna element feeding the signal). In other embodiments, multiple beamformers 722 may be associated with a single antenna element 712. However, in other embodiments, a single beamformer 722 may be associated with multiple antenna elements 712. In some embodiments, beamformer 722 may correspond to beamformer channels 121 in BFIC 120 and / or 122 discussed above. In some embodiments, each beamformer channel 121 may be coupled to or fed to antenna element 712. When antenna element 712 includes two conductive patches as discussed herein, beamformer channel 121 can be fed using an excitation via that is electrically coupled to one of the two conductive patches and capacitively coupled to the other of the two conductive patches.

[0068] In some embodiments, each beamformer 722 may include a switch 724 to switch the path from the corresponding antenna element 712 to a receiver or transmitter path. Although in Figure 7 Not specifically shown, but in some embodiments, each beamformer 722 may also include another switch to switch the path from a signal processor (also not shown) to a receiver or transmitter path. Figure 7As shown, in some embodiments, the transmit path (TX path) of each beamformer 722 may include a phase shifter 726 and a variable (e.g., programmable) gain amplifier 728, while the receive path (RX path) may include a phase shifter 730 and a variable (e.g., programmable) gain amplifier 732. The phase shifter 726 may be configured to adjust the phase of the RF signal (TX signal) to be transmitted by the antenna element 712, and the variable gain amplifier 728 may be configured to adjust the amplitude of the TX signal to be transmitted by the antenna element 712. Similarly, the phase shifter 730 and the variable gain amplifier 732 may be configured to adjust the RF signal (RX signal) received by the antenna element 712 before providing the RX signal to other circuitry (e.g., UDC circuitry 740) and a signal processor (not shown). The beamformer 722 can be considered as part of the “RF path” of the antenna device 700 because the signal passing through the beamformer 722 is an RF signal (i.e., the TX signal that can pass through the beamformer 722 is an RF signal that has been up-converted from a low-frequency signal by the UDC circuit 740, such as from an intermediate frequency (IF) signal or from a baseband signal, while the RX signal that can pass through the beamformer 722 is an RF signal that has not yet been down-converted to a lower frequency signal by the UDC circuit 740, such as down-converted to an IF signal or a baseband signal).

[0069] Despite Figure 7 The diagram shows a switch (i.e., switch 724) for switching from the transmitter path to the receiver path, but in other embodiments of the beamformer 722, other components, such as a duplexer, may be used. Furthermore, although... Figure 7 An embodiment of beamformer 722 is shown, including phase shifters 726, 730 (also referred to as “phase adjusters”) and variable gain amplifiers 728, 732. However, in other embodiments, any of beamformers 722 may include additional components to adjust the amplitude and / or phase of the TX and / or RX signals. In some embodiments, one or more beamformers 722 may not include phase shifters 726 and / or 730, as alternatively, a phase shifting module in the local oscillator (LO) path can be used to perform the desired phase adjustment. In other embodiments, phase adjustment performed in the LO path may be combined with phase adjustment performed in the RF path using the phase shifters of beamformer 722.

[0070] Turning to the details of the UDC, typically, the UDC circuit 740 may include up-converter and / or down-converter circuitry; that is, in various embodiments, the UDC circuit 740 may include 7) up-converter circuitry but not down-converter circuitry, 2) down-converter circuitry but not up-converter circuitry, or 3) both up-converter and down-converter circuitry. Figure 7As shown, in some embodiments, the downconverter circuit of UDC circuit 740 may include amplifier 742 and mixer 744, while the upconverter circuit of UDC circuit 730 may include amplifier 746 and mixer 748. In some embodiments, UDC circuit 740 may further include phase shift module 750.

[0071] In various embodiments, the term "UDC circuit" may be used to include frequency conversion circuitry (e.g., a mixer configured to perform up-conversion to an RF signal for wireless transmission, a mixer configured to perform down-conversion to a received RF signal, or both), as well as any other components that may be included in the broader meaning of the term, such as filters, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), digital-to-analog converters (DACs), transformers, and other circuit elements typically used in conjunction with mixers. In all these variations, the term "UDC circuit" encompasses implementations where UDC circuit 740 includes only circuit elements associated with the TX path (e.g., only an up-conversion mixer and no down-conversion mixer; in such implementations, the UDC circuit can be used / used in an RF transmitter to generate RF signals for transmission), implementations where UDC circuit 740 includes only circuit elements associated with the RX path (e.g., only a down-conversion mixer and no up-conversion mixer; in such implementations, the UDC circuit 740 can be used or in an RF receiver to receive down-converted RF signals; for example, the UDC circuit 740 can make the antenna elements of the phased array antenna 710 act as or be used as a receiver), and implementations where UDC circuit 740 includes both, circuit elements of the TX path and circuit units of the RX path (e.g., an up-conversion mixer and a down-conversion mixer; in such implementations, the UDC circuit 740 can be used as an RF transceiver; for example, the UDC circuit 740 can make the antenna units of the phased array antenna 710 act as or be used as a transceiver).

[0072] Despite Figure 7 A single UDC circuit 740 is shown, but the antenna device 700 may include multiple UDC circuits 730 to provide up-converted RF signals to any of the beamformers 722 and / or receive down-converted RF signals from any of the beamformers. Each UDC circuit 740 may be associated with, for example, the multiple beamformers 722 of the beamformer array 720 using a splitter / combiner. This is in Figure 7 The dashed lines and dashed lines within the splitter / combiner connecting the various elements of the beamformer array 720 and the UDC circuit 740 are schematically shown. That is, Figure 7The dashed lines illustrate the connection of the downconverter circuit (i.e., amplifier 742) of the UDC circuit 740 to the RX paths of two different beamformers 722, and the dashed lines also connect the upconverter circuit (i.e., amplifier 746) of the UDC circuit 740 to the TX paths of the two different beamformers 722. For example, the beamformer array 720 may contain 96 beamformers 722, associated with 96 antenna elements 712 of the phased array antenna 710.

[0073] In some embodiments, mixer 744 in the downconverter path (i.e., the RX path) of UDC circuit 740 may have at least two inputs and one output. One input of mixer 744 may include an input from amplifier 742, which may be, for example, a low-noise amplifier (LNA). A second input of mixer 744 may include an input indicating LO signal 760. In some embodiments, phase shifting may be implemented in the LO path (as a supplement or alternative to phase shifting in the RF path), in which case the LO signal 760 may first be provided to phase shift module 750, and then the phase-shifted LO signal 760 may be provided to mixer 744 as a second input. In embodiments where phase shifting is not implemented in the LO path, phase shift module 750 may be absent, and the second input of mixer 744 may be configured to receive LO signal 760. One output of mixer 744 is an output for providing downconverted signal 756, which may be, for example, IF signal 756. Mixer 744 can be configured to receive an RF RX signal from the RX path of one of the beamformers 722 at its first input, amplify it by amplifier 742, receive a signal from phase shift module 750 at its first input or receive the LO signal 760 itself at its second input, and mix these two signals to downconvert the RF RX signal to a lower frequency, producing a downconverted RX signal 756, such as the RX signal at the IF. Therefore, mixer 744 in the downconverter path of UDC circuit 740 can be referred to as a "downconverter mixer".

[0074] In some embodiments, mixer 748 in the upconverter path (i.e., TX path) of UDC circuit 740 may have [at least] two inputs and one output. A first input to mixer 748 may be an input for receiving a lower frequency TX signal 758, such as the TX signal at the IF position. A second input to mixer 748 may include an input indicating the LO signal 760. In embodiments where phase shifting is implemented in the LO path (additionally or alternatively, phase shifting in the RF path), the LO signal 760 may first be provided to phase shift module 750, and then the phase-shifted LO signal 760 may be provided as the second input to mixer 748. In embodiments where phase shifting is not implemented in the LO path, phase shift module 750 may be absent, and the second input to mixer 748 may be configured to receive the LO signal 760. One output of mixer 748 is the output of amplifier 746, which may be, for example, a power amplifier (PA). Mixer 748 can be configured to receive an IF TX signal 758 (i.e., a lower frequency (e.g., IF) signal to be transmitted) at its first input and a signal from phase shift module 750 or the LO signal 760 itself at its second input, and mix these two signals to upconvert the IF TX signal to the desired RF frequency, producing an upconverted RF TX signal, which, after being amplified by amplifier 746, is provided to the TX path of one of the beamformers 722. Therefore, mixer 748 in the upconverter path of UDC circuit 740 can be referred to as an "upconverter mixer".

[0075] In some embodiments, amplifier 728 may be a PA and / or amplifier 732 may be an LNA.

[0076] As is known in communications and electronic engineering, IF is the frequency to which the carrier wave is shifted as an intermediate step in transmission or reception. An IF signal can be generated by mixing the carrier signal with the LO signal in a process called heterodyne, resulting in a difference frequency or beat frequency signal. There are several reasons for converting to IF. One reason is that when using multi-stage filters, they can all be set to a fixed frequency, making them easier to build and tune. Another reason is that lower-frequency transistors typically have higher gain, thus requiring fewer stages. Yet another reason is to improve frequency selectivity, as highly selective filters can be more easily fabricated at lower fixed frequencies. It should also be noted that while some descriptions provided herein refer to signals 756 and 758 as IF signals, these descriptions also apply to embodiments where signals 756 and 758 are baseband signals. In such embodiments, the frequency mixing of mixers 744 and 748 can be zero-IF mixing (also known as "zero-IF conversion"), where the LO signal 760 used to perform the mixing can have a center frequency in the RF RX / TX frequency band.

[0077] Despite Figure 7 Not specifically shown, but in other embodiments, the UDC circuit 740 may further include a balancer, for example, in each of the TX and RX paths, configured to mitigate imbalances in the in-phase and quadrature (IQ) signals due to mismatch. Furthermore, although in Figure 7 Not specifically shown herein, but in other embodiments, antenna device 700 may include other examples of combinations of phased array antenna 710, beamformer array 720 and UDC circuit 740 as described herein.

[0078] The controller 770 may include any suitable device configured to control the operation of various portions of the antenna device 700. For example, in some embodiments, the controller 770 may control the amount and timing of phase shifts implemented in the antenna device 700. In another example, in some embodiments, the controller 770 may control the amount and timing of phase shifts implemented in the antenna device 700. In yet another example, in some embodiments, the controller 770 may control various signals provided to antenna elements 712 implemented using patch antenna 200, antenna structures 300, 400, 500, and / or 600 in antenna array 710, and the timing of these signals, to provide dual-band operation and / or wide scan range.

[0079] Antenna device 700 can guide the electromagnetic radiation pattern of phased array antenna 710 in a specific direction, thereby enabling phased array antenna 710 to generate a main beam in that direction and sidelobes in other directions. The main beam of the radiation pattern is generated based on a constructive inference of the transmitted RF signal based on the phase of the transmitted signal. The sidelobe level can be determined by the amplitude of the RF signal transmitted by the antenna element. Antenna device 700 can generate the desired antenna pattern by, for example, providing phase shifter settings for antenna element 712 using beamformer 722 and / or phase shifter module 750.

[0080] The following paragraphs provide various examples of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0081] Example 1 includes a patch antenna structure comprising: a first conductive patch on a first layer of the structure, wherein the first conductive patch includes: one or more perforations at the periphery of a first side of the first conductive patch, and one or more extended conductive portions at a second side of the first conductive patch, the second side being opposite to the first side; a ground plane on a ground layer of the structure, the ground layer being spaced apart from the first layer; and a first signal feed for coupling a signal to the first conductive patch.

[0082] In Example 2, the patch antenna structure of Example 1 may optionally include: each of the one or more perforations having a corresponding one of the one or more extended conductive portions.

[0083] In Example 3, the patch antenna structure of any Example 1-2 may optionally include: the position of the first perforation of the one or more perforations is symmetrical at the central axis of the first conductive patch to the position of a corresponding one of the one or more extended conductive portions, the central axis extending from a third side to a fourth side of the first conductive patch, the third side being opposite to the fourth side and adjacent to the first side and the second side.

[0084] In Example 4, the patch antenna structure of any of Examples 1-3 may optionally include: wherein the area of ​​the first extended conductive portion in the extended conductive portion is based on the area of ​​the corresponding perforation in the one or more perforations.

[0085] In Example 5, any patch antenna structure of Examples 1-4 may optionally include: wherein a first extended conductive portion of the extended conductive portion compensates for the radiation pattern associated with a corresponding perforation in the one or more perforations.

[0086] In Example 6, any patch antenna structure of Examples 1-5 may optionally include: a second conductive patch on a second layer of the structure, the second layer being located between the first layer and the ground layer and spaced apart from the first layer by a dielectric material.

[0087] In Example 7, the patch antenna structure of Example 6 may optionally include: the first signal feed source electrically coupled to the first conductive patch and capacitively coupled to the second conductive patch.

[0088] In Example 8, the patch antenna structure of any of Examples 6-7 may optionally include: wherein the first signal feed is electrically coupled to the second conductive patch and capacitively coupled to the first conductive patch.

[0089] In Example 9, the patch antenna structure of Example 8 may optionally include: wherein the first conductive patch and the second conductive patch are radiating elements.

[0090] In Example 10, any patch antenna structure of Examples 1-9 may optionally include: a second signal feed for coupling another signal to the first conductive patch, wherein the first signal feed is associated with a first polarization and the second signal feed is associated with a second polarization different from the first polarization.

[0091] In Example 11, any patch antenna structure of Examples 1-10 may optionally include: wherein a first perforation in one or more perforations is used to shield the through-hole and is located close to the first signal feed.

[0092] Example 12 includes a patch antenna structure comprising: a first conductive patch on a first layer of the structure, wherein the first conductive patch includes one or more plated vias at a periphery of a first side of the first conductive patch, and one or more cut-out regions on a second side of the first conductive patch, the second side being opposite to the first side; a ground plane on a ground layer of the structure, the ground layer being spaced apart from the first layer; and a first signal feed for coupling a signal to the first conductive patch. The one or more plated vias may be filled with epoxy resin material and electroplated.

[0093] In Example 13, the patch antenna structure of Example 12 may optionally include: each of the one or more plated holes having a corresponding one of the one or more cut-out regions.

[0094] In Example 14, any patch antenna structure of Examples 12-13 may optionally include: the location of a first cut-out region in the one or more cut-out regions is symmetrical to the location of a corresponding one of one or more plated holes at the central axis of the first conductive patch, the central axis extending from a third side to a fourth side of the first conductive patch, the third side being opposite to the fourth side and adjacent to the first side and the second side.

[0095] In Example 15, any patch antenna structure of Examples 12-14 may optionally include: the area of ​​a first cut-out region of one or more cut-out regions is based on the area of ​​a corresponding one of one or more plated holes.

[0096] In Example 16, any patch antenna structure of Examples 12-15 may optionally include: a first cut-out region compensation for one or more cut-out regions and a radiation pattern associated with a corresponding one of one or more plated holes.

[0097] In Example 17, any patch antenna structure of Examples 12-16 may optionally include: a second conductive patch on a second layer of the structure, the second layer being located between the first layer and the ground layer and spaced apart from the first layer by a dielectric material, wherein the first signal feed is electrically coupled to one of the first conductive patch or the second conductive patch, and capacitively coupled to the other of the first conductive patch or the second conductive patch.

[0098] In Example 18, any patch antenna structure of Examples 12-17 may optionally include: a second signal feed for coupling another signal to the first conductive patch, wherein the first signal feed is associated with a first polarization and the second signal feed is associated with a second polarization different from the first polarization.

[0099] In Example 19, any patch antenna structure of Examples 12-18 may optionally include: wherein a first plated hole in one or more plated holes is used to shield the through hole and is located close to the first signal feed.

[0100] Example 20 includes an antenna array device comprising a plurality of antenna elements, wherein a first antenna element among the plurality of antenna elements comprises: a first conductive patch including one or more perforations at the periphery of a first side of the first conductive patch, and one or more extended conductive portions at a second side of the first conductive patch, the second side being opposite to the first side; a ground plane, vertically located below and spaced apart from the first conductive patch; and a first signal feed coupled to the first conductive patch; and a beamforming circuit coupled to one or more of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the beamforming circuit includes a plurality of beamforming channels, wherein a first beamforming channel among the plurality of beamforming channels is coupled to the first signal feed.

[0101] In Example 21, the antenna array device of Example 20 may optionally include a first antenna element further comprising: a second conductive patch located between the first conductive patch and the ground plane, spaced apart from the first conductive patch by a dielectric material, electrically coupled to one of the first conductive patch or the second conductive patch and capacitively coupled to the other of the first conductive patch or the second conductive patch, and electrically coupled to the first signal feed source.

[0102] In Example 22, the antenna array device of any one of Examples 20-21 may optionally include: wherein the first antenna element further includes: a second signal feed coupled to the first conductive patch, wherein the first signal feed is associated with a first polarization and the second signal feed is associated with a second polarization different from the first polarization.

[0103] Changes and Implementation

[0104] Despite the above references Figure 1A-1B , Figure 2 , Figures 3A-3B and Figure 4-7 The exemplary embodiments shown describe embodiments of this disclosure, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the various teachings above can be applied to a large number of other embodiments.

[0105] In some cases, the features discussed herein may be applicable to automotive systems, safety-critical industrial applications, medical systems, scientific instruments, wireless and wired communications, radio, radar, industrial process control, audio and video equipment, current sensing, instruments (which may be highly accurate), and other digitally processed systems.

[0106] In the discussion of the above embodiments, system components, such as filters, frequency-selective coupling elements, phase shifters, vias, and / or other components, can be readily replaced, substituted, or otherwise modified to suit specific circuit requirements. Furthermore, it should be noted that using complementary electronics, hardware, software, etc., provides equally feasible options for implementing the teachings of this disclosure in various communication systems related to dual broadband antennas.

[0107] In one example embodiment, any number of circuits of this figure can be implemented on a board of the relevant electronic device. This board can be a general-purpose circuit board that holds various components of the internal electronic system of the electronic device and further provides connectors for other peripheral devices. More specifically, the board can provide electrical connections through which other components of the system can communicate electrically. Any suitable processor (including DSPs, microprocessors, supporting chipsets, etc.), computer-readable non-transitory memory elements, etc., can be appropriately coupled to the board based on specific configuration requirements, processing requirements, computer design, etc. Other components, such as external memory, additional sensors, controllers for audio / video displays, and peripheral devices, can be plug-in cards, connected to the board via cables, or integrated into the board itself. In various embodiments, the functions described herein can be implemented in emulation form as software or firmware running within one or more configurable (e.g., programmable) elements arranged in a structure supporting these functions. The emulated software or firmware can be provided on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that allow the processor to perform these functions.

[0108] In another example embodiment, the circuitry of this figure may be implemented as a standalone module (e.g., a device with associated components and circuitry configured to perform a particular application or function) or as a plug-in module in dedicated hardware of an electronic device. Note that specific embodiments of this disclosure may be readily included, in whole or in part, in a System-on-Chip (SOC) package. SOC stands for IC, which integrates components of a computer or other electronic system onto a single chip. It may include digital, analog, mixed-signal, and typical RF functions: all of which can be provided on a single chip substrate. Other embodiments may include a multi-chip module (MCM), in which multiple individual ICs reside within a single electronic package and are configured to interact closely with each other via the electronic package.

[0109] It must also be noted that all specifications, dimensions, and relationships outlined in this document (e.g., Figure 1A-1B , Figure 2 , Figures 3A-3B and Figure 4-7 The number of components shown in the antenna structure and / or antenna device is for illustrative and teaching purposes only. This information may be significantly altered without departing from the spirit of this disclosure or the scope of the appended claims. It should be understood that the system can be incorporated in any suitable manner. Along similar design alternatives, any of the circuits, components, modules, and elements shown in this figure can be combined in a variety of possible configurations, all of which are clearly within the broad scope of this specification. In the foregoing description, exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to specific processor and / or component arrangements. Various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the description and drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0110] Note that the interactions in the numerous examples provided herein can be described using two, three, four, or more electrical components. However, this is done merely for clarity and illustration. It should be understood that the system can be incorporated in any suitable manner. Along similar design alternatives, any components, modules, and elements shown in the figures can be combined in a wide variety of possible configurations, all of which are clearly within the broad scope of this specification. In some cases, it is easier to describe one or more functions of a given set of flows by referring to only a limited number of electrical components. It should be understood that the figures and the circuits they teach are readily expandable and can accommodate a large number of components as well as more complex / complex arrangements and configurations. Therefore, the examples provided should not limit the scope of the circuits or inhibit the broad teaching of the circuits, as the circuits can be applied to countless other architectures.

[0111] Note that in this specification, references to various features (e.g., elements, structures, modules, components, steps, operations, characteristics, etc.) included in “embodiments,” “example embodiments,” “one embodiment,” “another embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “various embodiments,” and “other embodiments” are intended to mean that any such feature is included in one or more embodiments of this disclosure, but may or may not be combined in the same embodiments. Furthermore, as used herein, “or” in the claims, and in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with phrases such as “at least one” or “one or more”), indicates a list of inclusions; for example, a list of [at least one of A, B, or C] means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A, B, and C).

[0112] Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments are described using terminology commonly used by those skilled in the art to convey the essence of their work to others skilled in the art. For example, the term "connection" refers to a direct electrical connection between connected things without any intermediate devices / components, while the term "coupling" refers to a direct electrical connection between connected things, or an indirect connection via one or more passive or active intermediate devices / components. In another example, the term "circuit" refers to one or more passive and / or active components arranged to cooperate with each other to provide a desired function. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms "substantially," "approximately," "about," etc., may be used to generally refer to within + / -20% of the target value, for example, within + / -10% of the target value based on the context of a particular value described herein or known in the art.

[0113] Those skilled in the art can identify many other changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications, and this disclosure includes all such changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications that fall within the scope of the examples and the appended claims. Note that all optional features of the above-described apparatus can also be implemented with respect to the methods or processes described herein, and the details in the examples can be used anywhere in one or more embodiments.

Claims

1. A patch antenna structure, comprising: A first conductive patch on the first layer of the patch antenna structure, wherein the first conductive patch comprises: One or more perforations at the periphery of the first side of the first conductive patch, and One or more extended conductive portions on a second side of the first conductive patch, the second side being opposite to the first side; The ground plane on the ground layer of the patch antenna structure is spaced apart from the first layer; A first signal feed source is used to couple a signal to the first conductive patch; and A second signal feed source is used to couple another signal to the first conductive patch, wherein the first signal feed source is associated with a first polarization, and wherein the second signal feed source is associated with a second polarization different from the first polarization.

2. The patch antenna structure according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more perforations has a corresponding one of the one or more extended conductive portions.

3. The patch antenna structure according to claim 1, wherein the position of the first perforation in the one or more perforations is symmetrical to the position of the corresponding one of the one or more extended conductive portions at the central axis of the first conductive patch, the central axis extending from a third side to a fourth side of the first conductive patch, the third side being opposite to the fourth side and adjacent to the first side and the second side.

4. The patch antenna structure according to claim 1, wherein the area of ​​the first extended conductive portion of the one or more extended conductive portions is based on the area of ​​a corresponding perforation of the one or more perforations.

5. The patch antenna structure of claim 1, wherein a first extended conductive portion of the one or more extended conductive portions compensates for the radiation pattern associated with a corresponding perforation of the one or more perforations.

6. The patch antenna structure according to claim 1, further comprising: A second conductive patch is placed on the second layer of the patch antenna structure, the second layer being located between the first layer and the ground layer, and spaced apart from the first layer by a dielectric material.

7. The patch antenna structure according to claim 6, wherein the first signal feed is electrically coupled to the first conductive patch and capacitively coupled to the second conductive patch.

8. The patch antenna structure according to claim 6, wherein the first signal feed is electrically coupled to the second conductive patch and capacitively coupled to the first conductive patch.

9. The patch antenna structure according to claim 8, wherein the first conductive patch and the second conductive patch are radiating elements, and wherein the patch antenna structure is configured to wirelessly transmit radio frequency signals.

10. The patch antenna structure according to claim 1 further includes a plurality of shielding through holes, wherein: The first signal feed source includes an excitation via; The plurality of shielding vias surround the excitation via to provide isolation; as well as The first perforation of the one or more perforations accommodates the first shielding through-hole of the plurality of shielding through-holes.

11. The patch antenna structure of claim 1, wherein the first perforation of the one or more perforations accommodates a shielding via and is located close to the first signal feed.

12. A patch antenna structure, comprising: A first conductive patch on the first layer of the patch antenna structure, wherein the first conductive patch comprises: One or more plated holes at the periphery of the first side of the first conductive patch, and One or more cut-out areas at a second side of the first conductive patch, the second side being opposite to the first side; The ground plane on the ground layer of the patch antenna structure is spaced apart from the first layer; A first signal feed source is used to couple a signal to the first conductive patch; as well as A second signal feed source is used to couple another signal to the first conductive patch, wherein the first signal feed source is associated with a first polarization, and wherein the second signal feed source is associated with a second polarization different from the first polarization.

13. The patch antenna structure of claim 12, wherein each of the one or more plated holes has a corresponding one in the one or more cut-out regions.

14. The patch antenna structure according to claim 12, wherein the position of the first cut-out region in the one or more cut-out regions is symmetrical to the position of a corresponding one of the one or more plated holes at the central axis of the first conductive patch, the central axis extending from a third side to a fourth side of the first conductive patch, the third side being opposite to the fourth side and adjacent to the first side and the second side.

15. The patch antenna structure according to claim 12, further comprising: A second conductive patch is placed on the second layer of the patch antenna structure, the second layer being located between the first layer and the ground layer, and spaced apart from the first layer by a dielectric material. The first signal feed is electrically coupled to one of the first conductive patch or the second conductive patch, and capacitively coupled to the other of the first conductive patch or the second conductive patch.

16. The patch antenna structure according to claim 12 further includes a plurality of shielding through holes, wherein: The first signal feed source includes an excitation via; The plurality of shielding vias surround the excitation via to provide isolation; as well as The first plated hole in one or more plated holes accommodates the first shielding through hole in the plurality of shielding through holes.

17. The patch antenna structure of claim 12, wherein the first plated hole in one or more plated holes accommodates a shielding through-hole and is located near the first signal feed.

18. An antenna array device, comprising: Multiple antenna elements, wherein the first antenna element among the multiple antenna elements includes: The first conductive patch includes: One or more perforations at the periphery of the first side of the first conductive patch, and One or more extended conductive portions on a second side of the first conductive patch, the second side being opposite to the first side; It is grounded, vertically positioned below the first conductive patch and spaced apart from the first conductive patch; A first signal feed coupled to the first conductive patch; and A second signal feed source for coupling another signal to the first conductive patch, wherein the first signal feed source is associated with a first polarization, and wherein the second signal feed source is associated with a second polarization different from the first polarization; and A beamforming circuit coupled to one or more of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the beamforming circuit includes a plurality of beamforming channels, wherein a first beamforming channel of the plurality of beamforming channels is coupled to the first signal feed.

19. The antenna array device according to claim 18, wherein: The first antenna element further includes: The second conductive patch is located between the first conductive patch and the ground plane, and is spaced apart from the first conductive patch by a dielectric material. The first signal feed is electrically coupled to one of the first conductive patch or the second conductive patch, and capacitively coupled to the other of the first conductive patch or the second conductive patch.

20. The antenna array apparatus of claim 18, wherein the plurality of beamformer channels includes a second beamformer channel, and wherein a plurality of shielding vias provide isolation between the first signal feed and another signal feed associated with the second beamformer channel.

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