A high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading

Abstract

A high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading, belonging to the field of metamaterial antenna technology, solves the problems of low aperture efficiency and low gain of metamaterial antennas when radiating radio signals. A metasurface array is arranged parallel above a dielectric substrate, with the center lines of the metasurface array along the x-axis and y-axis coinciding with the center lines of the dielectric substrate along the x-axis and y-axis, respectively. The metasurface units form an N-column × N-row metasurface array. Each metasurface unit includes a supporting dielectric and a copper-clad ring. The copper-clad ring is symmetrically arranged on the front and back sides of the supporting dielectric, with the center lines of the copper-clad ring along the x-axis and y-axis coinciding with the center lines of the metasurface units along the x-axis and y-axis, respectively. The patch antenna uses differential feeding. By adjusting the size of the copper-clad ring on the metasurface unit, phase compensation is performed on the radio signal radiated by the patch antenna, effectively improving the aperture efficiency and gain of the patch antenna.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of metamaterial antenna technology and relates to a high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading. Background Technology

[0002] Antennas, as core components of mobile communication systems, are widely used in telecommunications systems, satellite communications, the Internet of Things (IoT), radio frequency identification (RFID), remote sensing, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, and various smart terminals. Their performance is crucial to the system's function. With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, the demand for high-performance antennas is increasing, and traditional antenna technologies can no longer meet these requirements. To improve antenna performance, reduce costs, and meet current design needs, introducing novel materials and structures has become a mainstream research and design direction in the field of antenna technology.

[0003] Metamaterials, as a novel type of artificial composite material, have electromagnetic properties determined by their artificially processed structures, making metamaterial antennas a current research hotspot. The application of metasurfaces in antennas mainly manifests in using them as feed antennas to excite the metasurface, improving antenna performance through metasurfaces, and using metasurfaces as the radiating surface of antennas. Applying metasurfaces to antenna design can effectively improve various performance indicators of antennas. Combining array antennas with metasurfaces can reduce coupling while enhancing the isolation between array elements; applying metasurfaces to radar surfaces can effectively reduce the radar cross-section. Therefore, applying metasurfaces to antenna technology is of great significance. For example, invention patent CN114069232A discloses a high-gain reconfigurable antenna based on metasurface loading, which has high-gain wideband characteristics and can achieve frequency and gain adjustment, i.e., frequency reconfiguration and gain adjustment. In reality, when an antenna radiates electromagnetic waves, factors such as multipath effects, signal reflection, and signal diffraction in the environment cause inconsistencies in the electromagnetic wave signals radiated by the antenna, resulting in low antenna aperture efficiency and low gain. Currently, no effective solution has been proposed to address this issue. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention addresses the problems of low aperture efficiency and low gain in metamaterial antennas when radiating radio signals.

[0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading is characterized by comprising: a patch antenna and a metasurface array; the patch antenna comprises: a dielectric substrate, a radiating patch, and a feed point; the dielectric substrate is square, the front side of the dielectric substrate is a ground plane, the ground plane is entirely copper-clad, the radiating patch is disposed at the center of the ground plane of the dielectric substrate, the center lines of the radiating patch along the x-axis and y-axis directions coincide with the center lines of the dielectric substrate along the x-axis and y-axis directions respectively, and the surface of the radiating patch is symmetrically provided with feed points along the y-axis direction, the feed points penetrating the dielectric substrate;

[0007] A metasurface array is disposed parallel to the dielectric substrate above it. The center lines of the metasurface array along the x-axis and y-axis coincide with the center lines of the dielectric substrate along the x-axis and y-axis, respectively. The metasurface array includes N... 2 Each metasurface unit constitutes an N-column × N-row metasurface array;

[0008] The metasurface unit includes: a supporting medium and a copper-clad ring; the copper-clad ring is symmetrically arranged on the front and back sides of the supporting medium, and the center lines of the copper-clad ring along the x-axis and y-axis directions coincide with the center lines of the metasurface unit along the x-axis and y-axis directions, respectively.

[0009] Furthermore, the working principle of the antenna is as follows: the feed signal is input from the feed point and radiates electromagnetic waves to the surrounding area through the patch antenna. When the electromagnetic waves propagate to the metasurface array, each metasurface element of the metasurface array performs phase compensation on the electromagnetic waves with path differences, so that the compensated electromagnetic waves are in phase and improve the gain of the patch antenna.

[0010] Furthermore, the dielectric substrate has a side length of 20 mm and a thickness of 0.813 mm, and is made of Rogers R04003C material with a relative permittivity of 3.55.

[0011] Furthermore, the feed point is a cylinder with a radius of 0.1 mm, and the distance from the feed point to the center line of the dielectric substrate along the y-axis is 0.55 mm.

[0012] Furthermore, the radiating patch is square, with a side length of 4.5 mm and a thickness of 3.87 mm.

[0013] Furthermore, the distance between the ground plane of the dielectric substrate and the back surface of the metasurface array is 17 mm.

[0014] Furthermore, the gap between each row and each column of the metasurface array is 4 mm.

[0015] Furthermore, the cross-section of the supporting medium is square, with a side length of 3.5 mm, a height of 2.5 mm, and a relative permittivity of 4.4.

[0016] Furthermore, the copper-clad ring has a double-ring structure, with both the inner and outer rings being square. The inner and outer rings are arranged in parallel with a gap of 0.1 mm, and the outer ring has a side length of 2 mm, 2.5 mm, or 3 mm.

[0017] The advantages of this invention are: the patch antenna uses differential feeding, which makes the spatial phase distribution symmetrical and effectively suppresses the signal interference of environmental factors on the patch antenna; by setting a 6-row × 6-column metasurface array and adjusting the size of the copper ring on the metasurface unit, the phase compensation of the radio wave signal radiated by the patch antenna is performed, so that the phase of the compensated radio wave signal is consistent, which effectively improves the aperture efficiency and gain of the patch antenna. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a front view of the metasurface-loaded high-gain differential patch antenna of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the back of the metasurface-loaded high-gain differential patch antenna of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a side view of the high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading according to the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a comparison of the reflection coefficient curves of the metasurface-loaded high-gain differential patch antenna of the present invention at 18 GHz;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a comparison of the reflection coefficient curves of the metasurface-loaded high-gain differential patch antenna of the present invention at 18 GHz on the xoz surface;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a comparison of the reflection coefficient curves of the metasurface-loaded high-gain differential patch antenna of the present invention at 18 GHz on the yoz surface. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0027] Example 1

[0028] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, a high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading includes: a patch antenna and a metasurface array; the patch antenna includes: a dielectric substrate 10, a radiating patch 11, and a feed point 12; as shown... Figure 1 As shown, the dielectric substrate 10 is square. The front side of the dielectric substrate 10, i.e., the plane corresponding to the positive z-axis, is the ground plane, which is entirely copper-clad. The dielectric substrate 10 has a side length of 20mm and a thickness of 0.813mm. It is made of Rogers R04003C material with a relative permittivity of 3.55. The radiating patch 11 is located at the center of the ground plane of the dielectric substrate 10. The center lines of the radiating patch 11 along the x-axis and y-axis coincide with the center lines of the dielectric substrate 10 along the x-axis and y-axis, respectively. The radiating patch 11 is square, with a side length of 4.5mm and a thickness of 3.87mm. Feed points 12 are symmetrically arranged on the surface of the radiating patch 11 along the y-axis. The feed points 12 are cylinders with a radius of 0.1mm. The distance between the feed points 12 and the center line of the dielectric substrate 10 along the y-axis is 0.55mm. The two ends of the feed points 12 penetrate the front and back sides of the dielectric substrate 10.

[0029] This embodiment uses a square antenna substrate, with a square radiating patch 11 positioned at the center of the dielectric substrate 10. The diagonal of the radiating patch 11 coincides with the diagonal of the dielectric substrate 10. A pair of feed points 12 are symmetrically arranged along the y-axis. Frequency signals are transmitted to the radiating patch 11 through the feed points 12. This embodiment uses a symmetrical arrangement of the radiating patch 11 and feed points 12 to achieve symmetrical spatial phase distribution, which facilitates phase compensation of the radiated signal. By using differential feeding to arrange the patch antenna, positive and negative signals are transmitted to the patch antenna, effectively suppressing interference from common-mode signals, transmission noise, and external environmental factors.

[0030] like Figures 2 to 4As shown, a metasurface array is disposed parallel above the dielectric substrate 10, and the distance between the ground plane of the dielectric substrate 10 and the back surface of the metasurface array is 17 mm. The center lines of the metasurface array along the x-axis and y-axis coincide with the center lines of the dielectric substrate 10 along the x-axis and y-axis, respectively. In this embodiment, the metasurface array includes 36 metasurface units 20, which form a 6-column × 6-row metasurface array. The gap between each row and each column of the metasurface array is 4 mm. The metasurface unit 20 includes: a supporting dielectric 21 and a copper-clad ring 22. The copper-clad rings 22 are symmetrically arranged on the front and back sides of the support medium 21. The center lines of the copper-clad rings 22 along the x-axis and y-axis directions coincide with the center lines of the metasurface unit 20 along the x-axis and y-axis directions, respectively. The support medium 21 is a rectangular cuboid with a square cross-section, a side length of 3.5 mm, a height of 2.5 mm, and a relative permittivity of 4.4. In this embodiment, by setting a metasurface array parallel to the patch antenna at a certain distance, phase compensation is performed on the electromagnetic wave signals that generate phase deviations when the patch antenna radiates electromagnetic wave signals.

[0031] like Figure 4 As shown, the copper-clad ring 22 has a double-ring structure. Both the inner and outer rings of the copper-clad ring 22 are square, and the inner and outer rings are arranged parallel to each other with a gap of 0.1mm. The side length of the outer ring of the copper-clad ring 22 can be selected from 2mm to 3.5mm. In this embodiment, the metasurface unit 20 located at the center of the metasurface array forms a 4-column × 4-row structure, and the side length of the outer ring of its copper-clad ring 22 is selected to be 2.5mm. The metasurface unit 20 located on the outside of the metasurface array has a side length of 2mm, 2.5mm, or 3mm for the outer ring of its copper-clad ring 22. The copper-clad ring 22 structure with different side lengths of each unit in the metasurface array realizes phase compensation for electromagnetic waves with different path lengths. In this embodiment, by adjusting the size of the copper-clad ring 22 of each metasurface unit 20, the phase of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the patch antenna is compensated, so that the electromagnetic wave signal reaches a consistent phase, effectively improving the aperture efficiency and gain of the patch antenna.

[0032] The working principle of the patch antenna is as follows: The feed signal is input from the feed point 12 and radiates electromagnetic waves to the surrounding area through the patch antenna. When the electromagnetic waves propagate to the metasurface array, each metasurface element 20 of the metasurface array has a double-ring structure of different sizes on the copper-clad ring 22, which performs phase compensation for electromagnetic waves with different path differences, so that the phase of the compensated electromagnetic waves is consistent, effectively improving the aperture efficiency and gain of the patch antenna.

[0033] Figure 5 A comparison of the reflection coefficient curves of a high-gain differential patch antenna loaded with a metasurface at 18 GHz, in which... Figure 5 (a) is a curve of the differential reflection coefficient of the microstrip patch antenna at 18 GHz without metasurface array; Figure 5(b) is a curve of the differential reflection coefficient of the microstrip patch antenna at 18 GHz after setting the metasurface array.

[0034] Figure 6 A comparison of the reflection coefficient curves of a high-gain differential patch antenna loaded on a metasurface at 18 GHz on the xoz surface, where... Figure 6 (a) is a graph showing the reflection coefficient of the microstrip patch antenna at 18 GHz on the xoz surface without a metasurface array; Figure 6 (b) is a graph showing the reflection coefficient of the microstrip patch antenna at 18 GHz on the xoz surface after setting up the metasurface array.

[0035] Figure 7 A comparison of the reflection coefficient curves of a high-gain differential patch antenna loaded on a metasurface at 18 GHz on the yoz plane, where... Figure 7 (a) is a graph showing the reflection coefficient of the microstrip patch antenna at 18 GHz on the xoz surface without a metasurface array; Figure 7 (b) is a graph showing the reflection coefficient of the microstrip patch antenna at 18 GHz on the xoz surface after setting up the metasurface array.

[0036] like Figures 5-7 As shown, the metasurface-loaded patch antenna achieved a maximum gain of 11.46 dB at 18 GHz, effectively improving the performance of the patch antenna. The high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading in this embodiment uses a metasurface array to perform phase compensation for electromagnetic waves with different wavelengths radiated by the patch antenna to different degrees, effectively improving the antenna radiation efficiency, reducing the antenna's sensitivity to azimuth, and increasing design flexibility. This improves the performance of the patch antenna and enhances its application value.

[0037] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading, characterized in that, include: Patch antennas and metasurface arrays; The patch antenna includes: a dielectric substrate (10), a radiating patch (11), and a feed point (12); the dielectric substrate (10) is square, the front side of the dielectric substrate (10) is a ground plane, and the ground plane is entirely copper-clad; the radiating patch (11) is located at the center of the ground plane of the dielectric substrate (10); the center lines of the radiating patch (11) along the x-axis and y-axis directions coincide with the center lines of the dielectric substrate (10) along the x-axis and y-axis directions, respectively; the surface of the radiating patch (11) is symmetrically provided with feed points (12) along the y-axis direction; and the feed points (12) penetrate the dielectric substrate (10). A metasurface array is disposed parallel above the dielectric substrate (10). The center lines of the metasurface array along the x-axis and y-axis coincide with the center lines of the dielectric substrate (10) along the x-axis and y-axis, respectively. The metasurface array includes... Each metasurface unit (20) constitutes an N-column × N-row metasurface array; The metasurface unit (20) includes: a supporting medium (21) and a copper-clad ring (22); the copper-clad ring (22) is symmetrically arranged on the front and back sides of the supporting medium (21), and the center lines of the copper-clad ring (22) along the x-axis and y-axis directions coincide with the center lines of the metasurface unit (20) along the x-axis and y-axis directions, respectively; the copper-clad ring (22) has a double-ring structure, and the inner ring and outer ring of the copper-clad ring (22) are arranged in parallel; by adjusting the size of the copper-clad ring (22) of each metasurface unit (20), the phase of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the patch antenna is compensated, so that the electromagnetic wave signal reaches a consistent phase.

2. The high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The working principle of the antenna is as follows: the feed signal is input from the feed point (12) and radiates electromagnetic waves to the surrounding area through the patch antenna. When the electromagnetic waves propagate to the metasurface array, each metasurface unit (20) of the metasurface array will perform phase compensation for the electromagnetic waves with path difference, so that the phase of the compensated electromagnetic waves is consistent and the gain of the patch antenna is improved.

3. The high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The dielectric substrate (10) has a side length of 20 mm and a thickness of 0.813 mm. It is made of Rogers R04003C material with a relative permittivity of 3.

55.

4. The high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The feed point (12) is a cylinder with a radius of 0.1 mm. The feed point (12) is 0.55 mm away from the center line of the dielectric substrate (10) along the y-axis.

5. The high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The radiation patch (11) is square with a side length of 4.5 mm and a thickness of 3.87 mm.

6. The high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the ground plane of the dielectric substrate (10) and the back surface of the metasurface array is 17 mm.

7. The high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The gap between each row and each column of the metasurface array is 4 mm.

8. The high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-section of the supporting medium (21) is square, with a side length of 3.5 mm, a height of 2.5 mm, and a relative permittivity of 4.

4.

9. The high-gain differential patch antenna with metasurface loading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner and outer rings of the copper-clad ring (22) are both square, with a gap of 0.1 mm. The outer ring of the copper-clad ring (22) has a side length of 2 mm, 2.5 mm, or 3 mm.

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