A curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna

Abstract

The present invention relates to a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna, belonging to the field of antenna technology. Its structure includes a dielectric matching layer, a metal support frame, a radiating array, and a metal floor. The dielectric matching layer includes a curved dielectric plate made of polytetrafluoroethylene material and through holes required for fixation. The metal support frame includes a curved metal frame and through holes required for fixation. The radiating array is composed of a plurality of periodically distributed units, including an upper coupling patch unit, a radiating dipole and a lower coupling patch unit, a printed microstrip feed line balun, and a short-circuit probe. The metal floor adopts a metal material with a curved structure, which serves as the curved surface reference of the entire radiating array, and contains through holes for fixing the printed microstrip feed line balun and the short-circuit probe. It is of great significance to realize multi-functional co-aperture operation, reduce the number of antenna devices, improve anti-interference capability, increase information transmission rate, reduce antenna volume and weight, and improve system and space utilization.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna, belonging to the technical field of phased array antennas. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, modern radar systems and wireless communication equipment are placing increasing demands on the functionality of phased array antennas, with increasing requirements for multifunctional integration, conformality, and high profile. This requires phased array antennas to possess multiple characteristics, including ultra-wideband, low profile, and curved design. Ultra-wideband phased array antennas can cover a wider frequency range, achieve multifunctional co-aperture operation, reduce the number of antenna devices, enhance anti-interference capabilities, increase information transmission rates, and improve system utilization. Curved, low-profile structures are crucial for reducing antenna size and weight, achieving conformal integration between the antenna and the carrier, and improving space utilization.

[0003] Traditional phased array antennas are often planar and often cannot simultaneously meet the requirements of ultra-wideband performance and low profile. Therefore, the design of a new curved, low-profile, ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna is an urgent need in current engineering and application. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to address the current situation where conventional phased array antennas find it difficult to achieve ultra-wideband performance while realizing a curved low-profile structure. The present invention proposes a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna. The phased array antenna adopts the form of a tightly coupled array and uses a multi-layer coupling structure on the basis of the traditional tightly coupled array structure, thereby ensuring that the tightly coupled phased array antenna achieves ultra-wideband impedance characteristics under curved low-profile conditions.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] The curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna, whose operating frequency band covers S, C, X, and Ku bands, includes a dielectric matching layer 1, a metal support frame 2, a radiation array 3, and a metal floor 4;

[0007] The dielectric matching layer 1 comprises a curved dielectric plate made of polytetrafluoroethylene and through holes required for fixing, and is fixed to the metal floor 4 together with the metal support frame 2 by screws;

[0008] The metal support frame 2 includes a curved metal frame and through holes required for fixation. The inner edge of the metal frame fits the truncated edge of the radiation array 3, supporting and protecting the radiation array 3 and suppressing the truncation effect of the array.

[0009] The radiation array 3 includes K periodically distributed units;

[0010] Each periodic distribution unit includes an upper coupling patch 5, a radiating dipole and a lower coupling patch 6, a printed microstrip feed line balun 7, and a short-circuit probe 8;

[0011] Wherein, K is an even number and its value range is 20 to 1024;

[0012] The upper coupling patch 5 is a single-sided printed circuit board, including an orthogonal rectangular metal pattern etched on the upper surface, metallized vias at the intersection of the metal patterns, and a rectangular groove cut by laser for facilitating welding of the radiating dipole and the printed microstrip feed line balun 7; the radiating dipole and the lower coupling patch 6 are double-sided printed circuit boards, including orthogonally placed planar dipole patches etched on the upper surface, orthogonal rectangular metal patterns etched on the lower surface, metallized vias at the intersection of the metal patterns, and a rectangular groove cut by laser for facilitating connection with the printed microstrip feed line balun 7; the printed microstrip feed line balun 7 is two orthogonally placed double-sided printed circuit boards, including two rectangular metal strips etched on the upper and lower surfaces, metallized vias connecting the metal strips on the upper and lower surfaces, and a rectangular groove cut by laser for connecting and fixing the radiating dipole to the lower coupling patch unit 6 and the metal floor 4; the short-circuit probe 8 is a metal column used for short-circuiting and grounding the upper coupling patch unit 5 and the lower coupling patch;

[0013] The metal floor 4 is made of a metal material with a curved surface structure, serving as a curved surface reference for the entire radiation array 3. It includes through holes for fixing the printed microstrip feed line balun 7 and the short-circuit probe 8, threaded holes for fixing the metal support frame 2 and the dielectric matching layer 1, and threaded holes for fixing the RF coaxial connector.

[0014] The radiating dipole and the lower layer coupling patch unit 6 and the printed microstrip feed line balun 7 have a lower cross-sectional height, so that the cross-sectional height of the antenna array is 0.4 times the lowest frequency wavelength;

[0015] The upper coupling patch unit 5 and the radiating dipole and the lower coupling patch unit 6 enhance the coupling capacitance between the tightly coupled units, thus achieving ultra-wideband coverage of the antenna array;

[0016] The dielectric matching layer 1, the upper coupling patch 5, the radiating dipole and the lower coupling patch unit 6, and the printed microstrip feed line balun 7 are all made of low-loss materials to ensure the radiation efficiency of the antenna array;

[0017] The installation process of the low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna is as follows:

[0018] An RF coaxial connector is installed on the metal floor 4, one end of the printed microstrip feed line balun 7 is connected to the probe of the RF coaxial connector, and the other end is connected to the metal floor 4, the upper coupling patch 5 and the radiating dipole are fitted with the lower coupling patch unit 6, then the short-circuit probe 8 is welded to the upper and lower coupling patches, the radiating dipole is welded to the printed microstrip feed line balun 7, the short-circuit probe 8 is welded to the metal floor 4, and finally the dielectric matching layer 1, the metal support frame 2 and the metal floor 4 are fixed together with screws to complete the assembly of the entire curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna.

[0019] Beneficial effects

[0020] The present invention provides a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna, which has the following advantages compared to existing ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antennas:

[0021] 1. Achieve ultra-wideband frequency coverage at an extremely low profile height;

[0022] 2. The array is a curved structure, making conformal design easy to implement;

[0023] 3. The antenna and radome are integrated into one design, and the overall structure is stable;

[0024] 4. Within the ultra-wideband frequency range, wide-angle beam coverage can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a radiating array unit of an embodiment of a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna according to the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a comparison curve diagram of simulation test results of typical unit standing wave ratios in an embodiment of a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 is a normalized radiation pattern of an embodiment of a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna at 10 GHz;

[0029] Figure 5 is a normalized radiation pattern of an embodiment of a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna of the present invention at 18 GHz;

[0030] Figure 6The figure is a normalized radiation pattern of a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna embodiment of the present invention at 2 GHz. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to better illustrate the purpose and advantages of the present invention, a curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna of the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0032] Example 1

[0033] The overall structure of this embodiment is as follows Figure 1 This example includes a dielectric matching layer 1, a metal support frame 2, a radiation array 3, and a metal floor 4;

[0034] The dielectric matching layer 1 comprises a curved dielectric plate made of polytetrafluoroethylene and through holes required for fixing, and is fixed to the metal floor 4 together with the metal support frame 2 by screws;

[0035] The metal support frame 2 includes a curved metal frame and through holes required for fixation. The inner edge of the metal frame fits the truncated edge of the radiation array 3, supporting and protecting the radiation array 3 and suppressing the truncation effect of the array.

[0036] The radiation array 3 is composed of a plurality of periodically distributed units, including an upper coupling patch unit 5, a radiation dipole and lower coupling patch unit 6, a printed microstrip feed line balun 7, and a short-circuit probe 8. The upper coupling patch 5 is a single-sided printed circuit board, including an orthogonal rectangular metal pattern etched on the upper surface, metallized vias at the intersection of the metal pattern, and a rectangular slot cut by laser to facilitate welding of the radiation dipole and the printed microstrip feed line balun 7; the radiation dipole and lower coupling patch unit 6 is a double-sided printed circuit board, including orthogonally placed planar dipole patches etched on the upper surface, an orthogonal rectangular metal pattern etched on the lower surface, metallized vias at the intersection of the metal pattern, and a rectangular slot cut by laser to facilitate connection with the printed microstrip feed line balun 7. The laser-cut rectangular slot; the printed microstrip feed line balun 7 is two orthogonally placed double-sided printed circuit boards, including two rectangular metal strips etched on the upper and lower surfaces, metallized vias connecting the upper and lower surface metal strips, the metallized vias have a diameter of 0.3mm, and a laser-cut rectangular slot for connecting and fixing the radiating dipole to the lower coupling patch unit 6 and the metal floor 4; the short-circuit probe 8 is a metal column with a diameter of 0.5mm, used for short-circuiting and grounding the upper coupling patch 5 and the lower coupling patch;

[0037] The metal floor 4 is made of a metal material with a curved surface structure and serves as the curved surface reference of the entire radiation array 3. The bending radius is 190 mm. It contains through holes for fixing the printed microstrip feed line balun 7 and the short-circuit probe 8, threaded holes for fixing the metal support frame 2 and the dielectric matching layer 1, and threaded holes for fixing the RF coaxial connector.

[0038] The overall size of this embodiment is 60.8 mm × 60.8 mm × 14 mm. The cross-sectional height excluding the metal floor 4 is 7.5 mm, which is 0.4λ L ;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a comparison curve chart of the simulation test results of the standing wave ratio of typical units in the array of this embodiment. In the frequency range of 3.5GHz-18GHz, the standing wave ratio is less than 2.5, and in the range of 2GHz-3.5GHz, the standing wave ratio is less than 4.7.

[0040] The antenna array fabricated in this embodiment was tested for its directional pattern in a microwave darkroom. The measured results are shown in the figure below. Figure 4 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown in the figure, it can be seen that at 10 GHz and 18 GHz, the antenna array can achieve a ±60° beam scanning effect; at 2 GHz, due to the smaller array surface of the embodiment, only a ±45° beam scanning effect can be achieved.

[0041] The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made within the scope of the claims of the present invention should fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A curved, low-profile, ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna, characterized by: The operating frequency band covers S, C, X, and Ku bands, and includes a dielectric matching layer (1), a metal supporting frame (2), a radiation array (3), and a metal floor (4); The dielectric matching layer (1) comprises a curved dielectric plate made of polytetrafluoroethylene material and through holes required for fixation, and is fixed to the metal floor (4) together with the metal support frame (2) by screws; The metal support frame (2) includes a curved metal frame and through holes required for fixation, and the inner edge of the metal frame fits the cut-off edge of the radiation array (3), thereby supporting and protecting the radiation array (3) and suppressing the cut-off effect of the array. The radiation array (3) comprises K periodically distributed units; Each periodic distribution unit includes an upper coupling patch (5), a radiating dipole and a lower coupling patch (6), a printed microstrip feed line balun (7), and a short-circuit probe (8); Wherein, K is an even number and its value range is 20 to 1024; The upper coupling patch (5) is a single-sided printed circuit board, including an orthogonal rectangular metal pattern etched on the upper surface, a metallized via at the intersection of the metal pattern, and a rectangular slot cut by laser for facilitating welding of the radiating dipole and the printed microstrip feed line balun (7); the radiating dipole and the lower coupling patch unit (6) are double-sided printed circuit boards, including orthogonally placed planar dipole patches etched on the upper surface, an orthogonal rectangular metal pattern etched on the lower surface, a metallized via at the intersection of the metal pattern, and a rectangular slot cut by laser for facilitating welding of the radiating dipole and the printed microstrip feed line balun (7). The feed line balun (7) is connected to the laser-cut rectangular slot; the printed microstrip feed line balun (7) is two orthogonally placed double-sided printed circuit boards, including two rectangular metal strips etched on the upper and lower surfaces, metallized vias connecting the upper and lower surface metal strips, and the laser-cut rectangular slot is used to connect and fix the radiation dipole with the lower layer coupling patch unit (6) and the metal floor (4); the short-circuit probe (8) is a metal column, used for short-circuiting and grounding the upper layer coupling patch unit (5) and the lower layer coupling patch; The metal floor (4) is made of a metal material with a curved surface structure and serves as a curved surface reference for the entire radiation array (3). It includes through holes for fixing a printed microstrip feed line balun (7) and a short-circuit probe (8), threaded holes for fixing a metal support frame (2) and a dielectric matching layer (1), and threaded holes for fixing a radio frequency coaxial connector.

2. The curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radiating dipole and the lower layer coupling patch unit (6) and the printed microstrip feed line balun (7) have a lower cross-sectional height, so that the cross-sectional height of the antenna array is 0.4 times the lowest frequency wavelength.

3. The curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper layer coupling patch unit (5) and the radiating dipole and the lower layer coupling patch unit (6) enhance the coupling capacitance between the tightly coupled units, thereby achieving ultra-wideband coverage of the antenna array.

4. The curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dielectric matching layer (1), the upper coupling patch (5), the radiation dipole and the lower coupling patch unit (6), and the printed microstrip feed line balun (7) are all made of low-loss materials, thereby ensuring the radiation efficiency of the antenna array.

5. The curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The installation process is as follows: installing a radio frequency coaxial connector on the metal floor (4), connecting one end of the printed microstrip feed line balun (7) to the probe of the radio frequency coaxial connector, and connecting the other end to the metal floor (4), laminating the upper coupling patch (5) and the radiating dipole to the lower coupling patch unit (6), then welding the short-circuit probe (8) to the upper and lower coupling patches, welding the radiating dipole to the printed microstrip feed line balun (7), welding the short-circuit probe (8) to the metal floor (4), and finally fixing the dielectric matching layer (1), the metal support frame (2) and the metal floor (4) together with screws, thereby completing the assembly of the entire curved low-profile ultra-wideband tightly coupled phased array antenna.

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