Luneburg lens antenna and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a Luneburg lens antenna and a manufacturing method thereof. The Luneburg lens antenna includes a spherical Luneburg lens, which includes: M hollow spherical structures with successively increasing radii, nested in layers; and N supporting structures, each supporting structure being disposed in an air layer between two adjacent hollow spherical structures for securing and supporting the hollow spherical structures; wherein M=N+1, and M and N are both positive integers. By designing the hollow spherical structures with successively increasing radii, the present invention ensures a gradual distribution of the dielectric constant of the Luneburg lens antenna. It also ensures a simple structure, low design difficulty, and simple manufacturing of the Luneburg lens, thereby lowering the manufacturing threshold for the Luneburg lens. By providing a supporting structure for securing and supporting the entire hollow spherical structure, the physical firmness between the hollow spherical structures is enhanced, thereby improving the structural stability of the entire Luneburg lens.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a Luneburg lens antenna and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] A Luneburg lens antenna is a spherical dielectric lens antenna with a dielectric constant that varies continuously from 2 to 1 from the center of the sphere to the outermost layer. Any point on the surface of the Luneburg lens antenna can serve as a focal point, converting the electromagnetic wave signal emitted by the feed source at the focal point into a plane wave and radiating it out. Conversely, the spherical lens antenna can also receive incident electromagnetic waves at the surface focal point. Its excellent beam focusing capability and multi-beam characteristics make Luneburg lens antennas promising applications in mobile communications, radar monitoring, aerospace, remote sensing, and other fields. However, materials with continuously varying dielectric constants do not exist in nature, which increases the difficulty of preparing Luneburg lenses and hinders their widespread adoption.

[0003] At present, in the process of designing Luneburg lenses, electromagnetic materials with a dielectric constant gradient distribution are usually used to achieve the effect of approximately changing the propagation path of electromagnetic waves. The methods for achieving a dielectric constant gradient distribution mainly include the foaming method and the drilling method: (1) The foaming method is achieved by splicing foam materials with different dielectric constants. A high dielectric constant material is added to the plastic resin foam material and foamed, matured and shaped. However, the foaming process has some difficult-to-overcome problems such as uneven internal material density, difficulty in controlling the dielectric constant, and the presence of air gaps between the foamed materials, which affect the performance of the lens antenna. With the development of metamaterial technology and 3D printing technology, the drilling method has been widely used. (2) The drilling method is to drill through holes of different sizes or densities on the entire dielectric material, and change the equivalent dielectric constant at different locations by adjusting the pore size, density and filling material in the pores, thereby achieving a dielectric constant gradient distribution.

[0004] Both the foaming and drilling methods have been studied for the fabrication of Luneburg lens antennas, but they present challenges such as pore positioning and processing difficulties. While 3D printing technology has made Luneburg lens antennas easier to manufacture, issues such as high design difficulty, structural deformation, insufficient mechanical strength, and low physical stability between subcomponents still exist.

[0005] Therefore, how to ensure the gradient distribution of the dielectric constant of the Luneburg lens antenna while ensuring its structural stability, simple structure, low design difficulty and simple manufacturing is a problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides a Luneburg lens antenna and a manufacturing method thereof, which are used to solve the defects in the prior art that, while ensuring the gradient distribution of the dielectric constant of the Luneburg lens antenna, there are still high design difficulty, easy structural deformation, and great processing difficulty. The present invention achieves that, while ensuring the gradient distribution of the dielectric constant of the Luneburg lens antenna, its structure is stable, simple, easy to design, and simple to manufacture.

[0007] The present invention provides a Luneburg lens antenna, wherein the Luneburg lens antenna includes a spherical Luneburg lens, and the spherical Luneburg lens includes:

[0008] M hierarchical nested hollow sphere structures with increasing radii;

[0009] N layers of support structures, each layer of support structure is arranged in an air layer between two adjacent hollow spherical structures, for fixing and supporting the hollow spherical structures;

[0010] Wherein, M=N+1, and both M and N are positive integers.

[0011] According to a Luneburg lens antenna provided by the present invention, each layer of the support structure includes a plurality of support members, and the axes of the support members of two adjacent layers of the support structure do not overlap.

[0012] According to a Luneburg lens antenna provided by the present invention, the angles between two adjacent support members in each layer of the support structure are the same.

[0013] According to a Luneburg lens antenna provided by the present invention, the angle between the axes of the support members in two adjacent layers of support structures is half the angle between the two adjacent support members in each layer of support structure.

[0014] According to a Luneburg lens antenna provided by the present invention, the angle between two adjacent support members in each layer of the support structure is 90°, and the angle between the axes of the support members in two adjacent layers of the support structure is 45°.

[0015] According to the Luneburg lens antenna provided by the present invention, the hollow spherical structure and the supporting structure are made of polylactic acid.

[0016] According to a Luneburg lens antenna provided by the present invention, the Luneburg lens antenna further includes a feeding device, which is arranged on one side of the spherical Luneburg lens and is used to radiate electromagnetic waves to the spherical Luneburg lens.

[0017] According to a Luneburg lens antenna provided by the present invention, the feeding device includes two cross-placed dipole units and a metal reflector.

[0018] The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a Luneburg lens antenna, the method being used to manufacture the Luneburg lens antenna as described above, the method comprising:

[0019] Filling a polylactic acid material into a microwave waveguide, and measuring the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within a communication frequency band;

[0020] Determining the number of layers of the spherical Luneburg lens and calculating the inner and outer radii of the hollow spheres in each layer based on the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within the communication frequency band;

[0021] Generating a three-dimensional model of the spherical Luneburg lens according to the inner and outer radii of the hollow spheres in each layer;

[0022] Importing the three-dimensional model into a 3D printer to obtain a target spherical Luneburg lens;

[0023] A feeding device is added to the target spherical Luneburg lens to form a Luneburg lens antenna.

[0024] According to a method for manufacturing a Luneburg lens antenna provided by the present invention, the inner and outer radii of each layer of hollow spheres are calculated based on the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within the communication frequency band, comprising:

[0025] Determine the dielectric constant of each layer based on the radius of the Luneburg lens antenna and the distance from the position point on each layer to the center of the sphere;

[0026] Based on the dielectric constant value of each layer, the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within the communication frequency band, and the dielectric constant of air, the volume ratio of the air layer to the polylactic acid dielectric layer of each layer is calculated, and the radius of the air layer and the polylactic acid dielectric layer of each layer is calculated;

[0027] Based on the radius of the air layer and the polylactic acid medium layer of each layer, the inner and outer radii of the hollow spheres in each layer are determined.

[0028] The Luneburg lens antenna and the manufacturing method thereof provided by the present invention can ensure the gradient distribution of the dielectric constant of the Luneburg lens antenna by designing a layered and nested hollow sphere structure with successively increasing radius. At the same time, it can also ensure that the Luneburg lens has a simple structure, low design difficulty and simple manufacturing, lowering the manufacturing threshold of the Luneburg lens and facilitating large-scale promotion and application; by arranging a support structure between two adjacent hollow sphere structures so that the support structure fixes and supports the entire hollow sphere structure, the physical firmness between the hollow sphere structures can be improved, and the structural stability of the entire Luneburg lens can be improved, thereby ensuring the gradient distribution of the dielectric constant of the Luneburg lens antenna while ensuring its structural stability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, a brief introduction is given below to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0030] Figure 1 This is one of the structural diagrams of the spherical Luneburg lens provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 This is the second structural diagram of the spherical Luneburg lens provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a spherical Luneburg lens provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a Luneburg lens antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 1 is a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a Luneburg lens antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 6 is the S parameter of the Luneburg lens antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention when operating in each communication frequency band;

[0036] Figure 7 This is the directional pattern of the Luneburg lens antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention operating at 2.6 GHz. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that, in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the elements. The orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0039] The terms "first," "second," and the like in the present invention are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a particular order or precedence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate, such that embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the objects distinguished by "first," "second," and the like generally refer to a class of objects, and do not limit the number of objects. For example, the first object may be one or more.

[0040] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections, electrical connections; and direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediary. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0041] In the description of this specification, the reference terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the embodiment of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and features of different embodiments or examples without contradiction.

[0042] Figure 1 This is one of the structural diagrams of the spherical Luneburg lens provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 , the Luneburg lens antenna includes a spherical Luneburg lens 10, and the spherical Luneburg lens 10 includes:

[0043] M hierarchically nested hollow spherical structures 101 with successively increasing radii;

[0044] N layers of support structures 102, each layer of support structure is arranged in an air layer 103 between two adjacent hollow spherical structures, for fixing and supporting the hollow spherical structures;

[0045] Wherein, M=N+1, and both M and N are positive integers.

[0046] Specifically, the spherical Luneburg lens can be layered in the form of "medium-air-medium", and the hollow sphere structures can be nested in layers from the inside to the outside in the order of the hollow sphere radius from small to large.

[0047] The radius of each hollow spherical structure increases successively, and an air layer may exist between each two adjacent hollow spherical structures. A support structure may be added between each two adjacent hollow spherical structures to fix and support the entire hollow spherical structure.

[0048] Theoretically, the more lens layers there are, the closer the dielectric constant of the Luneburg lens antenna approaches a continuously gradient distribution, and the stronger the antenna's beam focusing ability. However, as the number of layers increases, the design and production of the Luneburg antenna becomes more complex, and the cost-effectiveness decreases.

[0049] Figure 2 This is the second structural diagram of the spherical Luneburg lens provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 In an embodiment of the present invention, five hollow sphere structures with successively increasing radii and four layers of support structures can be provided to form a Luneburg lens antenna. The spherical Luneburg lens can include a hollow sphere 211, a hollow sphere 212, a hollow sphere 213, a hollow sphere 214, a hollow sphere 215, and a support structure 221 disposed between hollow spheres 211 and 212, a support structure 222 disposed between hollow spheres 212 and 213, a support structure 223 disposed between hollow spheres 213 and 214, and a support structure 223 disposed between hollow spheres 214 and 215. Hollow sphere 214 nests within hollow sphere 215, hollow sphere 213 nests within hollow sphere 214, hollow sphere 212 nests within hollow sphere 213, and hollow sphere 211 nests within hollow sphere 212.

[0050] The embodiment of the present invention forms a Luneburg lens antenna by providing five hollow spherical structures with successively increasing radii and a four-layer support structure. This can make the dielectric constant of the Luneburg lens antenna close to a continuous gradient distribution while ensuring its simple structure, low design difficulty and simple manufacturing, thereby reducing the design and manufacturing complexity of the Luneburg lens antenna and facilitating large-scale promotion and application.

[0051] It should be noted that, in practical applications, seven hollow spherical structures with successively increasing radii and six layers of support structures can be provided to form a Luneburg lens antenna. The present invention does not limit the number of layers of the Luneburg lens antenna.

[0052] It should also be noted that the support structure added in the embodiment of the present invention is used to fix and support the entire hollow spherical structure, which has basically no effect on the performance of the Luneburg lens antenna.

[0053] The embodiment of the present invention can ensure the gradient distribution of the dielectric constant of the Luneburg lens antenna by designing a layered and nested hollow sphere structure with successively increasing radius. At the same time, it can also ensure that the Luneburg lens has a simple structure, low design difficulty and simple manufacturing, lowering the manufacturing threshold of the Luneburg lens, which is conducive to large-scale promotion and application; by arranging a supporting structure between two adjacent hollow sphere structures, so that the supporting structure fixes and supports the entire hollow sphere structure, the physical firmness between the hollow sphere structures can be improved, and the structural stability of the entire Luneburg lens can be improved, so that the gradient distribution of the dielectric constant of the Luneburg lens antenna can be ensured while its structural stability can be ensured.

[0054] In an optional embodiment, each layer of the support structure includes a plurality of support members, and the axes of the support members of two adjacent layers of the support structure do not overlap.

[0055] The support member may refer to a component or structure that has the function of supporting, connecting or fixing the hollow spherical structure, thereby ensuring the stability, safety and reliability of the supported hollow spherical structure.

[0056] The shape of the support member can be customized according to actual needs. For example, the shape of the support member can be cylindrical, cubic, or irregular, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0057] The dimensions of the support members can be customized based on actual needs. Specifically, the support height of the support members can be determined based on the difference in inner and outer radii of the air layer within each support structure, and the support width of the support members can be customized. For example, the support width of the support members can be 6 mm, 5 mm, etc., which is not limited in the present invention.

[0058] In one embodiment, the support may be a 6 mm cylinder.

[0059] Each layer of support structure may include multiple support members, and the number of support members included in each layer of support structure may be the same or different. The axes of support members of two adjacent layers of support structures may not overlap, and the axes of support members of two non-adjacent layers of support structures may overlap or not overlap. For example, assuming that the A-layer support structure includes three support members, the B-layer support structure adjacent to the A-layer includes four support members, and the C-layer support structure adjacent to the A-layer includes three support members, the angle between the axis of any support member of the A-layer and the axis of any support member of the B-layer or C-layer is greater than 0°, and the angle between the axis of any support member of the B-layer and the axis of any support member of the C-layer may be 0° or greater than 0°.

[0060] The embodiment of the present invention realizes multi-directional setting of the support member positions by arranging the support member axes of two adjacent layers of support structures not to overlap, thereby improving the physical firmness between the hollow spherical structures, thereby improving the stability of the entire support structure supporting the entire hollow spherical structure, and further improving the structural stability of the entire Luneburg lens.

[0061] In another optional embodiment, the axes of the support members of two adjacent layers of support structures may coincide. For example, the angle between the axis of any support member of a layer and the axis of any support member of an adjacent layer may be 0°.

[0062] In an optional embodiment, the angles between two adjacent support members in each layer of the support structure are the same.

[0063] Specifically, all support members within each support structure layer can be evenly arranged on the hollow spherical structure, and the angle between two adjacent support members within each support structure layer can be determined based on the number of support members provided in each support structure layer. For example, if a support structure layer has four support members, the angle between every two adjacent support members within that support structure layer can be determined to be 90°; for another example, if a support structure layer has three support members, the angle between every two adjacent support members within that support structure layer can be determined to be 120°.

[0064] The embodiment of the present invention evenly arranges all the support members in a layer of support structure on the hollow spherical structure so that the angles between two adjacent support members in each layer of support structure are the same, thereby achieving a balanced setting of the support positions of the support members in each layer, improving the physical firmness between the hollow spherical structures, thereby improving the stability of the entire support structure supporting the entire hollow spherical structure, and further improving the structural stability of the entire Luneburg lens.

[0065] In another optional embodiment, the angles between adjacent support members in each support structure layer may be different. For example, if a support structure layer has three support members, it can be determined that within that support structure layer, the angle between support member 1 and support member 2 may be 110°, the angle between support member 2 and support member 3 may be 130°, and the angle between support member 3 and support member 1 may be 120°.

[0066] In an optional embodiment, the included angle between the axes of the support members in two adjacent layers of the support structure is half of the included angle between the two adjacent support members in each layer of the support structure.

[0067] For example, each layer of the support structure may be provided with three support members, the angle between two adjacent support members in the layer of the support structure may be 120°, and the angle between the axes of the support members in two adjacent layers of the support structure may be 60°.

[0068] It should be noted that, in practical applications, the angle between the axes of the support members in two adjacent layers of support structures may also be one-third, one-quarter, etc. of the angle between the two adjacent support members in each layer of support structure, and the present invention does not impose any limitation thereto.

[0069] The embodiment of the present invention sets the angle between the axes of the support members in two adjacent layers of support structures to half of the angle between the two adjacent support members in each layer of support structure. This can achieve a balanced setting of the support positions of the support members between different support layers, improve the physical firmness between the hollow spherical structures, thereby improving the stability of the entire support structure supporting the entire hollow spherical structure, and further improve the structural stability of the entire Luneburg lens.

[0070] In an optional embodiment, the angle between two adjacent support members in each layer of the support structure is 90°, and the angle between the axes of the support members in two adjacent layers of the support structure is 45°.

[0071] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a spherical Luneburg lens provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein Figure 3 (a) is the yoz plane section of the spherical Luneburg lens. Figure 3 (b) is the xoz plane section of the spherical Luneburg lens. Figure 3 (c) is the xoy plane section of the spherical Luneburg lens. Figure 3 The spherical Luneburg lens can be composed of five layers of hollow sphere structures and four layers of support structures. Each layer of support structure can be provided with four support members. The angle between two adjacent support members in the layer of support structure can be 90°, and the angle between the axes of the support members in two adjacent layers of support structures can be 45°.

[0072] It should be noted that, in actual applications, the angle between two adjacent support members in each layer of support structure and the angle between the axes of the support members in two adjacent layers of support structure can also be set to other angles, which are not limited in the present invention.

[0073] In an optional embodiment, the hollow spherical structure and the supporting structure are made of polylactic acid material.

[0074] Polylactic acid (PLA) is derived from corn starch and sugarcane, rather than fossil fuels. It is a novel bio-based and biodegradable material with excellent biodegradability. It can be biodegraded into active compost, meaning it can be completely degraded by natural microorganisms under specific conditions after use, ultimately producing carbon dioxide and water. This is highly beneficial for environmental protection and makes it an environmentally friendly material.

[0075] In an embodiment of the present invention, the hollow sphere structure and the support structure for supporting the hollow sphere structure can be made of polylactic acid material. By using polylactic acid material as the material of the Luneburg lens, a green and environmentally friendly Luneburg lens antenna can be obtained, which is beneficial to environmental protection.

[0076] In the embodiment of the present invention, a density of 1.3 g / cm 3 The polylactic acid material makes the Luneburg lens lower in weight, easier to degrade, and less harmful to the environment under the same volume. The Luneburg ball lens has the characteristics of lightweight, low cost, green and environmental protection, which is convenient for the implementation and installation of subsequent projects.

[0077] It should be noted that, in practical applications, other materials may also be used as the material of the Luneburg lens, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0078] In an optional embodiment, the Luneburg lens antenna further includes a feeding device, which is arranged on one side of the spherical Luneburg lens and is used to radiate electromagnetic waves to the spherical Luneburg lens.

[0079] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the Luneburg lens antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 The Luneburg lens antenna may be composed of a spherical Luneburg lens 41 and a feeding device 42 arranged on one circumferential side of the spherical Luneburg lens. The feeding device may radiate electromagnetic waves toward the spherical Luneburg lens.

[0080] In an embodiment of the present invention, the feeding device can transmit the signal generated by the transmitting device to the antenna, or transmit the signal received from the antenna to the receiving device. The feeding device can provide a signal transmission channel to ensure that the signal can efficiently reach the antenna from the transmitting device, or reach the receiving device from the antenna.

[0081] Components such as standing wave lenses in the feed device play a key role. By guiding and focusing microwave signals, the gain and directivity of the antenna can be increased, thereby improving the signal transmission performance.

[0082] In an optional embodiment, the feeding device includes two cross-placed vibrator units and a metal reflector plate.

[0083] The size of the metal reflector can be set according to actual needs and is not limited in the present invention. For example, the size of the metal reflector can be 115 mm × 115 mm, and the feeding device can include two cross-placed vibrator units and a 115 mm × 115 mm metal reflector.

[0084] In an embodiment of the present invention, a spherical Luneburg sphere lens antenna can be composed of a support structure and five hollow sphere structures with successively increasing radii, which are nested in layers. Combined with a cross-placed dipole feeding structure, a high-gain and high-isolation Luneburg lens antenna can be realized.

[0085] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the process of manufacturing the Luneburg lens antenna according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a Luneburg lens antenna. The method is used to manufacture the Luneburg lens antenna as described above. The method may include:

[0086] Step 501: Fill a microwave waveguide with a polylactic acid material, and measure the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within a communication frequency band.

[0087] Specifically, PLA material can be filled into a microwave waveguide using a vector network analyzer, and the S parameters (Scattering Parameters) between the two ports can be measured. The S parameters can include reflection coefficient and transmission coefficient, which can be used to calculate the dielectric constant of PLA material within the communication frequency band.

[0088] In practical applications, the dielectric constant of polylactic acid material in the communication frequency band of 2.49GHz-2.72GHz can be measured to be 2.7. By making a spherical Luneburg lens antenna suitable for the 2.49GHz-2.72GHz frequency band, the azimuth angle and downtilt angle can be adjusted to ensure the performance of the Luneburg lens antenna in 5G mobile communication scenarios.

[0089] Step 502 : determining the number of layers of the spherical Luneburg lens, and calculating the inner and outer radii of the hollow spheres of each layer based on the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within the communication frequency band.

[0090] Specifically, the number of layers of the spherical Luneburg lens can be determined, and the inner and outer radii of each layer of the hollow sphere can be calculated based on the measured dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within the communication frequency band.

[0091] Step 503: Generate a three-dimensional model of the spherical Luneburg lens according to the inner and outer radii of the hollow spheres in each layer.

[0092] In an embodiment of the present invention, after calculating the inner and outer radii of each layer of the hollow spheres of the spherical Luenburg lens, the structure of the entire spherical Luenburg lens can be determined and a three-dimensional model corresponding to the spherical Luenburg lens can be generated.

[0093] Specifically, a model of a Luneburg lens antenna can be designed and simulated, and parameters such as the return loss, voltage standing wave ratio, and far-field radiation pattern of the Luneburg lens antenna can be determined in electromagnetic simulation software to ensure the performance indicators of the Luneburg lens antenna at 2.6 GHz.

[0094] Step 504: import the three-dimensional model into a 3D printer to obtain a target spherical Luneburg lens.

[0095] Specifically, after generating a three-dimensional model of the spherical Luneburg lens structure, the three-dimensional model of the Luneburg lens structure suitable for 3D printing can be imported into a 3D printer for 3D printing, thereby obtaining the spherical Luneburg lens structure.

[0096] Step 505: Add a feeding device to the target spherical Luneburg lens to form a Luneburg lens antenna.

[0097] After the spherical Luneburg lens is printed by a 3D printer, a feeding device can be added to one side of the Luneburg lens to form a Luneburg lens antenna.

[0098] It should be noted that the support structure added in the embodiment of the present invention is used to fix and support the entire hollow spherical structure, which has little effect on the performance of the Luneburg lens antenna.

[0099] Figure 6 is the S parameter of the Luneburg lens antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention when operating in each communication frequency band, referring to Figure 6 When the Luneburg lens antenna with or without a supporting structure provided by the embodiment of the present invention operates at 2.6 GHz, its cross-polarization isolation is around -50 dB. Figure 7 The directional pattern of the Luneburg lens antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention working at 2.6 GHz is shown in FIG. Figure 7 The Luneburg lens antenna with or without a supporting structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention can have a gain of 15.4dBi when operating at 2.6GHz, and the horizontal and vertical beamwidths can be 23° and 22° respectively.

[0100] The embodiment of the present invention lowers the manufacturing threshold of Luneburg lenses by 3D printing a Luneburg lens with a simple structure, low design difficulty and simple manufacturing process, which is conducive to large-scale promotion and application; the manufactured Luneburg lens is suitable for antennas in the 2.49GHz-2.72GHz frequency band and has high gain and high isolation characteristics, which can ensure its performance in 5G mobile communication scenarios.

[0101] In an optional embodiment, step 502 may include the following sub-steps S11-S13:

[0102] Sub-step S11, determining the dielectric constant of each layer based on the radius of the Luneburg lens antenna and the distance from the position point on each layer to the center of the sphere;

[0103] Sub-step S12, calculating the volume ratio of the air layer to the polylactic acid dielectric layer in each layer, and calculating the radius of the air layer and the polylactic acid dielectric layer in each layer based on the dielectric constant value of each layer, the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within the communication frequency band, and the dielectric constant of air;

[0104] Sub-step S13, determining the inner and outer radii of each layer of hollow spheres based on the radii of the air layer and the polylactic acid medium layer of each layer.

[0105] Specifically, according to ε r =2-(r / R) 2 , determine the value of the equivalent dielectric constant of each layer of hollow spheres. r is the dielectric constant of a point on the sphere, r is the distance from the point to the center of the sphere, and R is the radius of the Luneburg lens antenna.

[0106] At the same time, the equivalent dielectric constant of each layer of hollow spheres can be determined by multiplying the measured dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material by the volume ratio of the polylactic acid dielectric layer, and the dielectric constant of air by the volume ratio of the air layer. In practical applications, the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within the communication frequency band can be measured to be 2.7, while the dielectric constant of air can be 1. Once the equivalent dielectric constant of each layer of hollow spheres is determined, the volume ratio of the air layer to the polylactic acid dielectric layer can be calculated, and the radii of the air layer and the polylactic acid dielectric layer can be calculated accordingly based on the volume ratio of the air layer to the polylactic acid dielectric layer.

[0107] After calculating the radii of the air layer and the polylactic acid medium layer, the inner and outer radii of each layer of the hollow sphere of the spherical Luneburg lens can be determined, and finally the structure of the overall Luneburg spherical lens can be obtained.

[0108] Table 1 shows the dimensions of five hollow spheres that meet the gradient dielectric constant distribution of the Luneburg lens antenna. Referring to Table 1, it can be known that the inner and outer radii of the five-layer hollow sphere structure of the spherical Luneburg lens and the radius of the entire spherical Luneburg lens are 123.156 mm.

[0109] hollow sphere one two three Four five Inner radius (mm) 119.826 90.081 61.119 32.949 5.5575 Outer radius (mm) 123.156 98.901 73.863 48.042 21.4425

[0110] Table 1

[0111] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A Luneburg lens antenna, characterized in that: The Luneburg lens antenna includes a spherical Luneburg lens, and the spherical Luneburg lens includes: M hierarchical nested hollow sphere structures with increasing radii; N layers of support structures, each layer of support structure is arranged in an air layer between two adjacent hollow spherical structures, for fixing and supporting the hollow spherical structures; Wherein, M=N+1, M and N are both positive integers; Each layer of the support structure includes a plurality of support members, and the axes of the support members of two adjacent layers of the support structure do not overlap; The Luneburg lens antenna further includes a feeding device, which is arranged on one side of the spherical Luneburg lens and is used to radiate electromagnetic waves to the spherical Luneburg lens; the feeding device includes two cross-placed vibrator units and a metal reflector plate.

2. The Luneburg lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The included angles between two adjacent support members in each layer of the support structure are the same.

3. The Luneburg lens antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The included angle between the axes of the support members in the two adjacent layers of the support structure is half of the included angle between the two adjacent support members in each layer of the support structure.

4. The Luneburg lens antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that: The angle between two adjacent support members in each layer of the support structure is 90°, and the angle between the axes of the support members in two adjacent layers of the support structure is 45°.

5. The Luneburg lens antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The hollow sphere structure and the supporting structure are made of polylactic acid.

6. A method for manufacturing a Luneburg lens antenna, characterized in that: The method is used to manufacture the Luneburg lens antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the method comprises: Filling a polylactic acid material into a microwave waveguide, and measuring the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within a communication frequency band; Determining the number of layers of the spherical Luneburg lens and calculating the inner and outer radii of the hollow spheres in each layer based on the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within the communication frequency band; Generating a three-dimensional model of the spherical Luneburg lens according to the inner and outer radii of the hollow spheres in each layer; Importing the three-dimensional model into a 3D printer to obtain a target spherical Luneburg lens; A feeding device is added to the target spherical Luneburg lens to form a Luneburg lens antenna.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The calculating of the inner and outer radii of each layer of hollow spheres based on the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within the communication frequency band includes: Determine the dielectric constant of each layer based on the radius of the Luneburg lens antenna and the distance from the position point on each layer to the center of the sphere; Based on the dielectric constant value of each layer, the dielectric constant of the polylactic acid material within the communication frequency band, and the dielectric constant of air, the volume ratio of the air layer to the polylactic acid dielectric layer of each layer is calculated, and the radius of the air layer and the polylactic acid dielectric layer of each layer is calculated; Based on the radius of the air layer and the polylactic acid medium layer of each layer, the inner and outer radii of the hollow spheres in each layer are determined.

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