A vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly and array

Abstract

The present invention discloses a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly and array, belonging to the field of antenna technology. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly includes an antenna unit and a feed circuit. The antenna unit is a traditional horn antenna that is discretely distributed in a multi-layer medium through vertical printing technology. This technology is compatible with PCB, LTCC, and integrated circuit processes, facilitating the integration of the antenna and the feed structure. At the same time, the antenna array formed by the antenna unit can be freely arrayed according to the number of units and the arrangement method. In addition, active devices can be integrated to cope with various application scenarios. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly and array provided by the present invention can have the characteristics of high system integration, low profile, ultra-wideband, etc.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to a vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly and array. Background Art

[0002] Horn antennas, with their wide bandwidth, high gain, and simple structure, are widely used in satellite communications, radar systems, electronic countermeasures, and detection. With the continuous development of wireless communication technology, communication systems require antennas that are miniaturized, multifunctional, and easy to integrate. However, traditional horn antennas are bulky and cannot meet these requirements, limiting their application.

[0003] Currently, most horn antennas are typically used only as single antennas, with little research on their application in array antennas. Because of their large size, they cannot meet the required element spacing in array antennas, and are generally unable to achieve beam scanning capabilities across the full operating frequency band. Therefore, it is crucial to design a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly and array that can be used in phased array antennas. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In response to the deficiencies in the above-mentioned technologies, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly and array, which has the characteristics of wide bandwidth, high gain, and simple structure of the horn antenna, while integrating the antenna and the feeding structure into one, and can increase the integration of active devices.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly, comprising an antenna unit, a feed line (a first polarization feed line and a second polarization feed line);

[0006] The antenna unit includes M layers of sequentially stacked substructures, where M is an integer greater than 1, and each layer of the substructure includes a sequentially stacked prepreg, a dielectric substrate, and a metal patch; any two adjacent layers of metal patches are connected via metallized vias;

[0007] In detail, the antenna unit can be considered to include M layers of dielectric substrates, M layers of metal patches, M layers of prepregs, M-1 layers of metalized vias and metal floors, where M is an integer greater than 1; an i+1th layer of dielectric substrate is provided between the i-th layer of metal patches and the i+1th layer of metal patches, an i+1th layer of prepreg is provided between the i-th layer of metal patches and the i+1th layer of dielectric substrate, and the i-th layer of metal patches, the i+1th layer of prepregs, the i+1th layer of dielectric substrate and the i+1th layer of metal patches are stacked in sequence, and the i-th layer of metal patches and the i+1th layer of metal patches are connected by the i-th layer of metal patches. The first and second polarization feeder lines are connected by metalized vias, i is an integer between 1 and M-1; each layer of the M layers of metal patches includes four sub-metal patches, and the four sub-metal patches are arranged in sequence rotated 90 degrees around the geometric center of the dielectric substrate; a metal floor is provided between the first layer of the dielectric substrate and the first polarization feeder and the second polarization feeder; the first layer of metal patches is connected to the first polarization feeder and the second polarization feeder through feeding holes; the first layer of metal patches is connected to the metal floor through grounding holes; the metal floor is provided with a circular anti-pad centered on the feeding hole, and adjacent anti-pads are arranged in an overlapping manner.

[0008] Preferably, the thicknesses of different dielectric substrates in the M-layer dielectric substrate are the same; alternatively, the thicknesses of different dielectric substrates in the M-layer dielectric substrate are not completely the same; alternatively, the thicknesses of different dielectric substrates in the M-layer dielectric substrate are completely different. Thus, the height of the antenna cross-section can be adjusted as needed.

[0009] Preferably, the shapes of the metal patches in different layers of the M layers of metal patches are the same; or the shapes of the metal patches in different layers of the M layers of metal patches are not completely the same; or the shapes of the metal patches in different layers of the M layers of metal patches are completely different.

[0010] Preferably, the sub-metal patches of the M-layer metal patch are triangular in shape; or, the sub-metal patches of the M-layer metal patch are trapezoidal in shape; or, the sub-metal patches of the M-layer metal patch are rectangular in shape; or, the sub-metal patches of the M-layer metal patch are circular in shape; or, the sub-metal patches of the M-layer metal patch are polygonal in shape (with more than four sides). This allows antenna units to be designed based on specific performance requirements.

[0011] Preferably, the number of metallized vias in different layers of the M-1 layer is the same; or, the number of metallized vias in different layers of the M-1 layer is not exactly the same; or, the number of metallized vias in different layers of the M-1 layer is completely different.

[0012] Preferably, the first polarization feeder and the second polarization feeder are of the same form; or, the first polarization feeder and the second polarization feeder are of different forms.

[0013] Preferably, the first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line are located on the same dielectric substrate; or, the first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line are located on different dielectric substrates.

[0014] Preferably, the first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line are in the form of a microstrip line; or, the first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line are in the form of a stripline; or, the first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line are in the form of a coplanar waveguide; or, the first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line are in the form of a substrate integrated waveguide. Thus, the design can be made according to specific feeding requirements.

[0015] Preferably, the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly is an integrally formed multi-layer printed circuit board; or, the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly is formed by laminating multiple single-layer printed circuit boards; or, the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly is formed by laminating multiple single-layer printed circuit boards and multiple multi-layer printed circuit boards.

[0016] Preferably, the manufacturing process of the vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly is a PCB (printed circuit board) process; or, the manufacturing process of the vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly is an LTCC (low-temperature co-fired ceramic) process; or, the manufacturing process of the vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly is an integrated circuit process.

[0017] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna array, comprising the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly of the above first aspect and any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0018] Preferably, the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna array includes at least two vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna components, a power splitter network and an SMA transfer layer.

[0019] Preferably, the plurality of vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna assemblies are periodically arranged in a linear array, a rectangular array, a triangular array, or a circular array. Thus, the arrangement can be determined based on specific array performance requirements.

[0020] Preferably, the power splitting network is in the form of a T-shaped power splitter; or, the power splitting network is in the form of a Wilkinson power splitter. Thus, the form of the power splitter can be further determined according to the form of the feeder.

[0021] Preferably, the SMA transition layer is in the form of a microstrip line; or, the SMA transition layer is in the form of a coplanar waveguide; or, the SMA transition layer is in the form of an SMA connector. Thus, the form of the external SMA interface can be determined based on the feeder form, facilitating connections between system components.

[0022] Through the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] (1) The antenna is a dual-polarized antenna, which can effectively increase the system data capacity and improve the system frequency utilization efficiency; at the same time, the horn antenna formed by the stacked structure of antenna units has the characteristics of high gain and wide bandwidth.

[0024] (2) The traditional horn antenna is discretized using vertical printing technology, which reduces the processing difficulty and reduces the physical size and antenna profile;

[0025] (3) The integrated design of antenna and feeding structure improves the system integration and increases the system stability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a vertically printed antenna array stacking structure provided by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 10 provided by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20 provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an exploded structure of a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20 provided by the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 A standing wave ratio (VSWR) curve of a vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20 provided by the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn array antenna 30 provided by the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of a feeding network 300 of a vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn array antenna 30 provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the following.

[0034] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] like Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of a vertically printed antenna array stacking structure provided by the present invention. The array antenna 1 is composed of a plurality of vertically printed antenna unit assemblies 2 freely combined. The antenna unit assembly 2 further includes an antenna unit 3 composed of a multi-layer dielectric and a feed network 4. The feed network has a modular function and can also integrate a variety of active devices including TR components. The structure is designed to retain the ultra-wideband and high-gain characteristics of the horn antenna while being integrated with the feed network, which not only reduces the overall profile of the antenna system, but also increases the system stability. In addition, the integration of active devices can be optionally increased, enabling the array antenna to realize a series of application scenarios such as phased array scanning. Figure 1 The antenna array shown is only an example and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0036] Specifically, see Figure 2 , Figure 2 A vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 10 provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes an antenna unit 100, a feeding circuit (a first polarization feed line 112 and a second polarization feed line 113);

[0037] The antenna unit includes M layers of sequentially stacked substructures, where M is an integer greater than 1. Each layer of the substructure includes a prepreg, a dielectric substrate, and a metal patch stacked sequentially from bottom to top. Any two adjacent layers of metal patches are connected via metallized vias. When each layer of the substructure is unfolded, it can be considered that:

[0038] The antenna unit includes M layers of dielectric substrates, M layers of metal patches, M layers of prepregs, M-1 layers of metalized vias and a metal floor, where M is an integer greater than 1; an i-th layer of dielectric substrate is arranged between the i-th layer of metal patch and the i+1-th layer of metal patch, an i+1-th layer of prepreg is arranged between the i-th layer of metal patch and the i+1-th layer of dielectric substrate, and the i-th layer of metal patch, the i+1-th layer of prepreg, the i+1-th layer of dielectric substrate and the i+1-th layer of metal patch are stacked in sequence (that is, each layer is composed of prepregs, dielectric substrates and metal patches stacked in sequence from bottom to top, and the i-th layer of metal patch is stacked with the i+1-th layer of prepreg), the i-th layer of metal patch and the i+1-th layer of metal patch are connected through the i-th layer of metalized vias, and i is an integer between 1 and M-1; Figure 2The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 10 shown only shows the first dielectric substrate 101, the first metal patch 107, the first prepreg 104, the i-th dielectric substrate 102, the i-th metal patch 108, the i-th prepreg 105, the M-th dielectric substrate 103, the M-th metal patch 109, the M-th prepreg 106, and the dielectric substrates, metal patches and prepregs of the middle 2nd to i-1st layers and the i+1st to M-1st layers are omitted in the figure, where i is an integer between 1 and M-1; each layer of the M layers of metal patches includes 4 sub-metal patches, the four sub-metal patches are arranged in sequence rotated 90° around the geometric center of the dielectric substrate; a metal floor 115 is provided between the first layer of dielectric substrate 101 and the first polarization feed line 112 and the second polarization feed line 113; the first layer of metal patches 107 are connected to the first polarization feed line 112 and the second polarization feed line 113 through a feeding hole 114; the first layer of metal patches 107 is connected to the metal floor 115 through a grounding hole 116; the metal floor 115 is provided with a circular anti-pad 117 centered on the feeding hole 114, and adjacent anti-pads are arranged in an overlapping form.

[0039] in, Figure 2 The thickness of the dielectric substrate shown is an example and is not limited in the present invention; Figure 2 The shape and size of the metal patch shown are examples and are not limited in the present invention; Figure 2 The forms and positions of the first polarization feeder and the second polarization feeder shown are also examples, and the present invention does not limit them.

[0040] As can be seen, the present invention utilizes vertical printing technology to discretize the traditional horn antenna, reducing the processing difficulty, physical size, and antenna profile. In addition, the integrated design of the antenna and feed structure improves system integration and enhances system stability.

[0041] For ease of description, a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20 is used as an example. Figures 3 and 4 , Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20. Figure 4The exploded structural diagram of a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20 is shown. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20 includes an antenna unit 200, a first polarization feed line 201, and a second polarization feed line 202. The antenna unit 200 is the antenna unit 100 when M is equal to 5. The antenna unit 200 further includes a first dielectric substrate 2001, a second dielectric substrate 2002, a third dielectric substrate 2003, a fourth dielectric substrate 2004, a fifth dielectric substrate 2005, a first metal patch 2006, a second metal patch 2007, and a second metal patch 2008. 7. The third layer of metal patches 2008, the fourth layer of metal patches 2009, the fifth layer of metal patches 2010, the first layer of prepreg 2011, the second layer of prepreg 2012, the third layer of prepreg 2013, the fourth layer of prepreg 2014, the fifth layer of prepreg 2015, the first layer of metalized vias 2016, the second layer of metalized vias 2017, the third layer of metalized vias 2018, the fourth layer of metalized vias 2019, the fifth layer of metalized vias 2020 and the metal backplane 2021.

[0042] The first dielectric substrate 2001 to the fifth dielectric substrate 2005 have the same thickness. Optionally, the first dielectric substrate 2001 to the fifth dielectric substrate 2005 may not have the same thickness, or the first dielectric substrate 2001 to the fifth dielectric substrate 2005 may have completely different thicknesses. This is merely an example and is not a limitation of the present invention.

[0043] The shapes of the first to fifth metal patches 2006, 2010 remain the same, and their sizes increase in sequence. Optionally, the shapes and sizes of the first to fifth metal patches 2006, 2010 may not be exactly the same, or the shapes and sizes of the first to fifth metal patches 2006, 2010 may be completely different. This is merely an example, and the present invention does not limit this. Additionally, the sub-metal patches of the first to fifth metal patches 2006, 2010 are trapezoidal in shape, with circular pads superimposed on the four corners, equivalent to rounded edges. Optionally, the sub-metal patches of the first to fifth metal patches 2006, 2010 may be any other polygonal in shape. This is merely an example, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0044] The number of metalized vias 2016 in the first layer to the fifth layer 2020 is different, increases in sequence, and is evenly distributed. Optionally, the number of metalized vias 2016 in the first layer to the fifth layer 2020 can be the same, or the number of metalized vias 2016 in the first layer to the fifth layer 2020 can be different. Only four layers of metal vias are required to connect the five layers of metal patches. The metal vias in the fifth layer of this embodiment are reserved and can be used if more layers are to be stacked. This is merely an example and is not a limitation of the present invention.

[0045] Optionally, a cross-hollowed metal backplate 2021 can be loaded at the end of the 5th layer metal patch 2010 through a metallized via. The metal backplate 2021 is located on a dielectric substrate 204 added between the dual-polarized horn antenna unit 200 and the metal floor 203, which can effectively improve the low-frequency radiation characteristics of the horn antenna and broaden the low-frequency working bandwidth. This is only an example and the present invention does not limit this.

[0046] The first polarization feed line 201 and the second polarization feed line 202 are identical in form, both being striplines, but are located on different dielectric substrates. Furthermore, metallized vias are added to suppress the transmission of higher-order modes, further ensuring the TEM single-mode transmission bandwidth while improving the isolation between the two polarizations. Optionally, the first polarization feed line 201 and the second polarization feed line 202 can be in the form of a microstrip line, a coplanar waveguide, a substrate-integrated waveguide, or the like, and can be in different forms. Furthermore, the first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line can be located on the same dielectric substrate. This is merely an example and is not a limitation of the present invention.

[0047] The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20 is an integrally formed multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB). Optionally, the vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20 can be formed by laminating multiple single-layer printed circuit boards, or by laminating multiple single-layer printed circuit boards and multiple multi-layer printed circuit boards. Furthermore, the manufacturing process for the vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20 is compatible with both LTCC (high-temperature co-fired ceramic) and integrated circuit processes. This is merely an example and is not intended to be limiting in the present invention.

[0048] Figure 5 This simulated VSWR curve for a vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly 20, provided in an embodiment of the present invention, shows that, with a VSWR less than 2, the antenna assembly 20 can cover an operating frequency range of 10 GHz to 40 GHz, with an impedance bandwidth of 1:4, and operates from the X-band to the Ka-band. This simulation is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the present invention.

[0049] See also Figure 6 , which is a vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna array 30 composed of antenna units 200 provided in an embodiment of the present invention through a periodic arrangement. The arrangement is a triangular arrangement, which can further reduce the unit spacing and improve the antenna radiation performance. It is a 2*2 array antenna, that is, the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna array 30 is an array antenna with 2 rows and 2 columns. Optionally, the antenna units 200 that constitute the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna array 30 can be any possible situation as described in the antenna unit 10, and the present invention does not limit this. Optionally, the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna array 30 can be a free combination of the number of antenna units 10, including but not limited to the number of 2, 4, 8, 16... to 2048, etc., and its arrangement can be a linear array, a rectangular array, or a circular array. This is only an example, and the present invention does not limit the number and arrangement of antenna units in the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna array 30.

[0050] Please see further Figure 7 , which is the feeding network 300 of the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna array 30, including a power splitter network 3001 and two SMA transfer layers 3002, corresponding to two polarizations respectively.

[0051] Optionally, the power division network 3001 can be a multi-branch T-shaped power divider with one channel divided by one and eight channels, or a multi-branch T-shaped power divider with two channels divided by one and eight channels, which is adjusted according to the number of antenna units. In addition, the power divider can also be in the form of a Wilkinson power divider. This is only an example and the present invention does not limit this.

[0052] Furthermore, the SMA transfer layer 3002 of the vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna array 30 is a coplanar waveguide, connected to the input of a one-to-four multi-branch T-shaped power divider via metallized vias. Alternatively, depending on the feeder type, the SMA transfer layer can be a microstrip line or a direct SMA connector. This is merely an example and is not a limitation of the present invention.

[0053] The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly, characterized by: including an antenna unit and a feeding circuit; The antenna unit includes M layers of sequentially stacked substructures, where M is an integer greater than 1, and each layer of the substructure includes a sequentially stacked prepreg, a dielectric substrate, and a metal patch. The horn antenna assembly formed by the stacked structure has the characteristics of high gain and wide bandwidth. Any two adjacent layers of metal patches are connected by metallized vias. In the M-layer substructure, the metal patch of each layer of the substructure includes four sub-metal patches, and the four sub-metal patches are arranged in sequence rotated 90 degrees around the geometric center of the dielectric substrate; The feeder circuit includes a first polarization feeder and a second polarization feeder; A metal floor is provided between the dielectric substrate of the first layer substructure and the first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line; The metal patch of the first layer substructure is connected to the first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line through the feeding hole; The metal patch of the first layer substructure is connected to the metal floor through the grounding hole; A cross-hollowed metal backplane is loaded at the end of the M-th layer of metal patch through a metallized via. The metal backplane is located on a dielectric substrate added between the antenna unit and the metal floor, where M=5.

2. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line are located on the same dielectric substrate; or, The first polarization feeding line and the second polarization feeding line are located on different layers of dielectric substrates.

3. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal floor is provided with a circular anti-pad with the feed hole as the center, and adjacent anti-pads are provided in an overlapping manner.

4. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line are in the form of a microstrip line, a stripline, a coplanar waveguide or a substrate integrated waveguide.

5. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly is an integrally formed multi-layer printed circuit board; Alternatively, the vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly is formed by laminating a plurality of single-layer printed circuit boards; Alternatively, the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly is formed by laminating a plurality of single-layer printed circuit boards and a plurality of multi-layer printed circuit boards.

6. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The manufacturing process of the vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna assembly is a PCB process, a LTCC process or an integrated circuit process.

7. A vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna array, characterized by: A device comprising a power splitter network, an SMA transfer layer, and at least two vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna assemblies according to any one of claims 1 to 6; The SMA transfer layer is connected to the input end of the power division network through a metallized via, and the output end of the power division network is connected to the first polarization feed line and the second polarization feed line of each antenna assembly.

8. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna array according to claim 7, characterized in that: The plurality of vertically printed dual-polarization ultra-wideband horn antenna assemblies are arranged periodically in a linear array, a rectangular array, a triangular array or a circular array.

9. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna array according to claim 7, characterized in that: The power dividing network adopts a T-shaped power divider or a Wilkinson power divider.

10. The vertically printed dual-polarized ultra-wideband horn antenna array according to claim 7, characterized in that: The SMA transition layer is in the form of a microstrip line, a coplanar waveguide or an SMA connector.

Images