Array antenna and communication device

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application discloses an array antenna and a communication device. The array antenna comprises a plurality of radiation antenna units, a plurality of dummy antennas and a printed circuit board. The plurality of radiation antenna units are used for radiation or reception of electromagnetic signals. The plurality of dummy antennas are arranged in an array, and the plurality of dummy antennas do not radiate electromagnetic signals or receive electromagnetic signals. Each of the dummy antennas comprises a carbon buried resistor and a feed line, the feed line is connected with the carbon buried resistor, and the carbon buried resistor and the feed line are arranged in an inner layer of the multi-layer printed circuit board. By using the embodiment of the present application, the same or similar unit directional pattern consistency characteristics of a regular array antenna can be realized without affecting the radiation efficiency and scanning performance of the array antenna.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an array antenna and a communication device. Background Technology

[0002] Irregularly arranged array antennas are a technique for reducing array scanning grating lobes, decreasing the number of channels, and increasing gain. In array antennas, the consistency of the radiation pattern of each element is an important indicator for ensuring array gain and pointing accuracy. Therefore, the way the non-radiating and dummy elements of an irregular array are handled is crucial to the array performance.

[0003] In some scenarios, to improve the consistency of elements in a regular array, multiple dummy antennas can be placed around the array. Their loads and chips are also surface-mounted (SMT) onto the bottom layer of the printed circuit board (PCB). However, for irregular arrays with a compact arrangement, a large number of dummy antennas, and located within the array itself, there is insufficient space to place the SMT loads, thus occupying PCB layout space. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of this application provide an array antenna and a communication device. The array antenna and communication device of the embodiments of this application can achieve the same unit pattern consistency characteristics as a regular array without affecting the radiation efficiency and scanning performance of the array antenna, and can also avoid occupying the layout space of the printed circuit board.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an array antenna for use in communication equipment. The array antenna includes multiple radiating antenna elements and multiple dummy antennas, and is fabricated as a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB). The multiple radiating antenna elements are used for radiating or receiving electromagnetic signals. The multiple dummy antennas occupy positions in the array but do not radiate signals. Each dummy antenna includes a carbon oil buried resistor and a feed line. The feed line is connected to the carbon oil buried resistor, and both the carbon oil buried resistor and the feed line are disposed in the inner layer of the multilayer printed circuit board.

[0006] In the embodiments of this application, a carbon oil buried resistor is connected to the feed end of the dummy element antenna to serve as the load matching for the dummy element antenna. This achieves the same element pattern consistency as a regular array antenna without affecting the radiation efficiency and scanning performance of the array antenna, and also maintains the appearance encryption function. In the embodiments of this application, the carbon oil buried resistor is placed in the inner layer of a multilayer printed circuit board, so as not to occupy the layout space of the printed circuit board.

[0007] As an optional implementation, the carbon oil embedded resistor and the feed line are disposed on the same layer of a multilayer printed circuit board, or the carbon oil embedded resistor and the feed line are disposed on different layers of the printed circuit board. This achieves the same element pattern consistency as a regular array antenna while maintaining appearance encryption.

[0008] As an optional implementation, the shape and size of the dummy element antenna are the same as or similar to the shape and size of the radiating antenna element.

[0009] As an optional implementation, the carbon oil buried resistor is made of a carbon oil material with wave absorption characteristics. Based on this design, the dummy element antenna can have good wave absorption characteristics.

[0010] As an optional implementation, the multilayer printed circuit board includes a first metal layer, a first dielectric layer, a second metal layer, a second dielectric layer, a third metal layer, a third dielectric layer, and a fourth dielectric layer stacked sequentially; the carbon oil buried resistor and the feed line in each of the dummy element antennas are disposed between the third dielectric layer and the fourth dielectric layer. By placing the carbon oil buried resistor in the inner layer of the printed circuit board, the layout space of the printed circuit board is not affected.

[0011] As an optional implementation, the carbon oil embedded resistor can be disposed on the same layer as a metal layer on a multilayer circuit board, and the thickness of the carbon oil embedded resistor is not greater than the thickness of the metal layer.

[0012] As an optional implementation, the array antenna further includes a power divider, which includes an input terminal, a first output terminal, and a second output terminal; the input terminal is connected to the radio frequency chip, and the first output terminal is connected to the second output terminal through the carbon oil buried resistor.

[0013] As an optional implementation, the first output terminal and the second output terminal are each connected to one of the radiating antenna units.

[0014] As an optional implementation, the power divider includes a main feed line, a first quarter-wavelength conversion line, a second quarter-wavelength conversion line, a first branch feed line, and a second branch feed line. The first end of the main feed line is connected to the input port. The second end of the main feed line is connected to the first ends of the first and second quarter-wavelength conversion lines. The second end of the first quarter-wavelength conversion line is connected to the first end of the first branch feed line. The second end of the second quarter-wavelength conversion line is connected to the first end of the second branch feed line. The second end of the first branch feed line is connected to the first output port. The second end of the second branch feed line is connected to the second output port. A carbon oil embedded resistor is connected between the first ends of the first and second branch feed lines. This ensures that the radiation pattern of the array elements is not distorted due to mutual coupling by utilizing the good port matching and isolation characteristics of the power divider.

[0015] As an optional implementation, at least a portion of the main feed line and the carbon oil buried resistor of the power divider are located in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board. At least a portion of the first branch feed line and the carbon oil buried resistor of the power divider are located in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board. At least a portion of the second branch feed line and the carbon oil buried resistor of the power divider are located in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board; at least a portion of the first quarter-wavelength conversion line and the carbon oil buried resistor of the power divider are located in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board; at least a portion of the second quarter-wavelength conversion line and the carbon oil buried resistor of the power divider are located in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board.

[0016] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a communication device, the communication device including the array antenna as described above.

[0017] By employing the embodiments of this application, the same element pattern consistency as a regular array antenna can be achieved without affecting the radiation efficiency and scanning performance of the array antenna, while also maintaining the appearance encryption function. In this embodiment, the carbon oil embedded resistor is placed in the inner layer of a multilayer printed circuit board, thus avoiding occupying layout space on the printed circuit board. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of a regular array antenna provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 1b and 1c This is a schematic diagram of an irregular array antenna provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a dummy element antenna provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the S11 parameters corresponding to the array antenna in an embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multilayer printed circuit board provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 6 This is an application scenario diagram of the carbon oil embedded resistor according to an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 7 This is another application scenario diagram of the carbon oil embedded resistor according to an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the carbon oil buried resistor and feeder in a multilayer printed circuit board according to an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figures 9a-9b This is a diagram illustrating the effect of pattern consistency in units where carbon oil embedded resistance is not used as a load.

[0028] Figures 9c-9d This is a diagram illustrating the effect of unit orientation pattern consistency in an embodiment of this application.

[0029] Figure 10a This is a schematic diagram of a T-type power divider.

[0030] Figure 10b This is a schematic diagram of a Wilkinson power divider.

[0031] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a power divider provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0032] Figure 12 This is another structural schematic diagram of a power divider provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0033] Figures 13a-13c The images show the radiation patterns of the theoretical prediction, the Wilkinson power divider, and the T-type power divider, respectively.

[0034] Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an application scenario of the array antenna according to an embodiment of this application.

[0035] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0037] In the embodiments of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying order. For example, "first application" and "second application" are used to distinguish different applications, not to describe a specific order of applications. Features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that they are examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being better or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0038] Antennas are among the most important passive front-end components in communication equipment, playing a crucial role in the performance of communication products. With the rapid development of mobile communication and the large-scale application of 5G technology, the application of base station antennas is becoming increasingly widespread. Among them, large-scale array antennas represent the current development trend of base station antennas.

[0039] It is understood that array antennas can include regularly arranged array antennas and irregularly arranged array antennas. For example, in one scenario, such as... Figure 1a The image shows a regularly arranged array antenna, where the element spacing can be a fixed value. In another scenario, such as... Figure 1b The image shows an irregularly arranged array antenna. The element spacing in this irregularly arranged array antenna is not a fixed value and can exhibit a sparse-density arrangement. In another scenario, such as... Figure 1c The image shows an irregularly arranged array antenna. This irregularly arranged array antenna can select some elements from a regular array to operate, while the remaining elements can be non-radiating dummy elements.

[0040] In an array antenna, the consistency of the radiation pattern of each element is an important indicator to ensure the array gain and pointing accuracy. Therefore, the way the non-radiating part and dummy element part of an irregular array are handled is crucial to the performance of the array.

[0041] In one possible scenario, to improve the consistency of cells around a regular array, dummy cells are designed around the array, with their load and chip mounted using surface mount technology.

[0042] SMT (Surface Mount Technology) is a surface-mount technology used to mount components onto the bottom layer of a printed circuit board (PCB). In this scenario, for irregular arrays with a compact layout and a large number of dummy elements, there is not enough space to set up SMT loads, which will occupy PCB layout space.

[0043] In another possible scenario, dummy elements can be either open-circuited or short-circuited at the terminal. However, in this scenario, the electromagnetic environment of each radiating antenna element is different, resulting in significant differences in their radiation patterns, which leads to poor consistency in the element patterns.

[0044] In another possible scenario, dummy elements can be handled by terminating the load on the inner layer of the feed line, which can ensure good consistency in the element's radiation pattern. However, in this scenario, the buried resistor is implemented using resistive copper foil, meaning that the metal in this layer is changed from copper to a lossy conductor with sheet resistance. This leads to increased feed line losses for the radiating antenna in the same layer, and the antenna efficiency will decrease significantly.

[0045] The embodiments of this application provide an array antenna and a communication device. The embodiments of this application can achieve the same element pattern consistency as a regular array antenna without affecting the radiation efficiency and scanning performance of the array antenna, and can also maintain the appearance encryption function.

[0046] Please see Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an array antenna 100 provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0047] The array antenna 100 may include multiple dummy antennas 10 and multiple radiating antenna elements 20. It is understood that the multiple dummy antennas 10 and the multiple radiating antenna elements 20 can be arranged in an array. In this embodiment, the array antenna 100 can be an irregular array. That is, the multiple dummy antennas 10 and the multiple radiating antenna elements 20 can be arranged irregularly in the array antenna. It is understood that in other possible implementations, the array antenna 100 can be a regular array antenna. It should be noted that, compared to a regular array, an irregular array can have the practical effect of suppressing grating lobes.

[0048] It is understood that in this embodiment, the array antenna 100 has a dummy element antenna 10 at the array edge position.

[0049] In this embodiment, the radiating antenna element 20 can be a patch. In specific implementation, each radiating antenna element 20 can be connected to an RF chip (not shown in the figure) or an RF component (not shown in the figure) via a microstrip line or stripline. In some embodiments, the radiating antenna element 20 can be a multilayer radiating antenna.

[0050] It is understood that in this embodiment, the plurality of radiating antenna elements 20 can be used for radiating or receiving electromagnetic signals. For example, every two radiating antenna elements 20 can be connected to a radio frequency (RF) chip. The RF chip can radiate or receive electromagnetic signals through the radiating antenna elements 20.

[0051] In this embodiment, the plurality of dummy antennas 10 may occupy positions in the array, but the plurality of dummy antennas 10 do not radiate signals.

[0052] As an optional implementation, the dummy antenna 10 is not connected to any radio frequency devices.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the shape and size of the dummy antenna 10 can be the same as or similar to that of the radiating antenna element 20.

[0054] Please see Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a dummy antenna 10 provided in one embodiment of this application. It is understood that in the array antenna 100, each dummy antenna 10 includes a feed line 12 and a carbon oil buried resistor 14. The feed line 12 can be a stripline feed line. In this embodiment, the carbon oil buried resistor 14 can be disposed in the inner layer of a printed circuit board (PCB). It is understood that the feed line 12 of the dummy antenna 10 may not be connected to an RF chip or RF component. The feed line 12 of the dummy antenna 10 can be connected to the carbon oil buried resistor 14 in the inner layer of the printed circuit board. The carbon oil buried resistor 14 can be used to match the load of the dummy antenna 10, that is, the carbon oil buried resistor 14 can serve as a feed line termination match for the dummy antenna 10.

[0055] In this embodiment, the feed line 12 of the dummy element antenna 10 and the feed line of the radiating antenna element 20 are arranged in the form of strip lines on the inner layer of a multilayer printed circuit board. This does not affect the array radiation characteristics, provides visual encryption, and does not affect the spatial layout of the printed circuit board. It can be understood that, in one possible implementation, in one of the dummy element antennas 10, the carbon oil buried resistor 14 can be on the same layer as the feed line 12.

[0056] It is understood that the feed line 12 can be made of a metallic material. The carbon oil buried resistor 14 can be disposed on the same layer of a multilayer printed circuit board as a metal layer (e.g., the feed line 12), and the thickness of the carbon oil buried resistor 14 is not greater than the thickness of the metal layer.

[0057] It is understood that the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 may not be on the same layer as the feed line 12. The carbon oil embedded resistor 14 may also be connected to the feed line 12 through a through-hole (not shown in the figure).

[0058] The carbon oil buried resistor 14 can be located inside the dummy element antenna 10, or it can be located in other areas of the entire array antenna 100.

[0059] As an optional implementation method, such as Figure 3 As shown, the dummy antenna 10 may include two carbon oil buried resistors 14, which may be respectively connected to the feed line 12.

[0060] It is understood that in some embodiments, the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 may be grounded. In other embodiments, the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 may not be grounded.

[0061] based on Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the dummy antenna 10 only absorbs the energy of the radiating antenna element 20. Therefore, the dummy antenna 10 in this embodiment does not perform secondary reflection, which avoids the problem of distortion of the feed antenna pattern caused by the secondary radiation of the dummy antenna.

[0062] Using the above Figure 2 and Figure 3 The illustrated embodiment can achieve the same or similar element pattern consistency as a regular array antenna without increasing the complexity of the PCB stack-up.

[0063] like Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 Simulation diagram of the absorption characteristics of the dummy element antenna 10 using the carbon oil buried resistor. From Figure 4 As can be seen, the return loss of the dummy element antenna 10 is less than -20dB within the operating frequency band. This demonstrates that the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 in the dummy element antenna 10 can achieve good wave absorption. It is understandable that in actual measurements, the dummy element antenna 10 can exhibit similar wave absorption characteristics to the simulation results.

[0064] It is understood that in some possible implementations, the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can be made of carbon oil material. The carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can possess absorbance characteristics. In the embodiments of this application, the sheet resistivity of the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can be between 1 and 5000 Ω / square.

[0065] It is understandable that, in some possible scenarios, carbon ink can be processed from carbon powder (e.g., graphite) and epoxy resin. Therefore, if the carbon ink acts as a conductor, the carbon powder in the carbon ink can conduct electricity, and the conductivity of the carbon powder can be related to the particle size and content of the carbon powder. For example, the larger or more numerous the carbon powder particles, the higher the conductivity and the lower the resistance. For instance, at room temperature, the ink from carbon ink can be in a gel-like state, and after stirring, it can become a gel-like substance; that is, the ink from carbon ink can be a thermosetting ink.

[0066] The sheet resistance mentioned above can be a resistive characteristic parameter of the carbon ink. For example, when a square ink pattern is printed at a certain thickness, the measured resistance value after the square ink pattern has cured is the sheet resistance of the carbon ink. In the embodiments of this application, the sheet resistance of the embedded carbon ink resistor can be any value from 1 to 5000 Ω / Square. It is understood that in other implementations, the sheet resistance of the embedded carbon ink resistor 14 can also be any other arbitrary value; however, this application does not specifically limit this.

[0067] The resistance value of the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can be related to the shape and sheet resistance of the carbon oil embedded resistor.

[0068] It is understood that the thickness of the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can be adjusted according to actual needs. In one possible implementation, the thickness of the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can be less than or equal to the thickness of the metal layer in which the carbon oil embedded resistor is located.

[0069] In some possible scenarios, resistors can be placed on the surface layer of a printed circuit board. For example, ... Figure 5 As shown, the first resistor 31 can be disposed on the top layer of the printed circuit board 30, and the second resistor 32 can be disposed on the bottom layer of the printed circuit board 30.

[0070] Understandable, compared to Figure 5 As shown in the scenario, in the embodiments of this application, carbon ink screen printing process can be used in the inner layer of the printed circuit board, that is, in the embodiments of this application, a thin layer of carbon ink with sheet resistance characteristics (i.e. carbon ink embedded resistor) can be printed in the inner layer of the printed circuit board.

[0071] like Figure 6 As shown, the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can have a certain pattern and thickness. For example, the carbon oil embedded resistor can be trapezoidal, rectangular, circular, or other irregular shapes. This application does not limit this.

[0072] Both sides of the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can be connected to a metal pattern. For example, one side of the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can be connected to a feed line, and the other side of the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can be connected to a grounding wire.

[0073] like Figure 7 As shown, the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 is disposed in the inner layer of the printed circuit board. One side of the carbon oil embedded resistor can be connected to the feed line 12, and the other side of the carbon oil embedded resistor can be connected to the grounding pad 16.

[0074] Compared to traditional solutions, this embodiment uses the carbon oil buried resistor 14 as the load of the dummy element antenna, which can achieve the same or similar element pattern consistency characteristics as a regular array antenna without affecting the radiation efficiency and scanning performance of the array antenna.

[0075] Please see Figure 8 This is another structural schematic diagram of an array antenna 100 provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0076] The array antenna 100 may include a first metal layer 210, a first dielectric layer 220, a second metal layer 230, a second dielectric layer 240, a third metal layer 250, and a third dielectric layer 260 stacked sequentially.

[0077] It is understood that the array antenna 100 may further include a fourth dielectric layer 270. The fourth dielectric layer 270 is disposed below the third dielectric layer 260.

[0078] In this embodiment, a thin layer of carbon oil can be printed on the surface of the fourth dielectric layer 270 using a carbon oil screen printing process, meaning that the carbon oil buried resistor 14 of the dummy element antenna 10 can be disposed on the fourth dielectric layer 270. It can be understood that in this embodiment, the feed line 12 of the dummy element antenna 10 can be disposed on the fourth dielectric layer 270, and the feed line 12 is connected to the carbon oil buried resistor 14. The feed line 12 can be disposed in the inner layer of the printed circuit board 40 in the form of a stripline.

[0079] The carbon oil buried resistor 14 and feed line 12 of the dummy element antenna 10 can be disposed between the third dielectric layer 160 and the fourth dielectric layer 270.

[0080] The first metal layer 210, the first dielectric layer 220, the second metal layer 230, the second dielectric layer 240, the third metal layer 250, the third dielectric layer 260 and the fourth dielectric layer 270 stacked in sequence can form a multilayer printed circuit board 40.

[0081] It is understood that the above description only uses the arrangement of carbon oil buried resistor 14 and feed line 12 of a dummy element antenna 10 as an example. The carbon oil buried resistor 14 of each dummy element antenna 10 can be arranged in the inner layer of the multilayer printed circuit board 40.

[0082] Based on the above embodiments of this application, the dummy element antenna 10 places the carbon oil buried resistor 14 in the inner layer of the multilayer printed circuit board 40, rather than on the surface layer of the printed circuit board. Therefore, the array antenna 100 of this application embodiment can achieve similar element pattern consistency characteristics as a regular array while ensuring the radiation efficiency and scanning performance of the array antenna, and without occupying PCB space.

[0083] The array antenna of this application can achieve radio frequency load function by applying carbon oil buried resistor technology in the inner layer of a multilayer printed circuit board.

[0084] Please refer to the following: Figures 9a-9d , Figure 9a This is a schematic diagram illustrating the amplitude of the traditional scheme, which does not use carbon oil embedded resistance as a dummy element load. Figure 9b This is a phase diagram for a traditional scheme that does not use carbon oil buried resistors as dummy loads. Figure 9c This is a schematic diagram showing the amplitude of the carbon oil embedded resistor used as a dummy load in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9d This is a phase diagram illustrating the use of carbon oil buried resistors as dummy loads in an embodiment of this application.

[0085] As can be seen, compared with the traditional solution, the use of carbon oil buried resistor 14 as a dummy element load in this embodiment of the application significantly improves the array pattern consistency.

[0086] In one possible application scenario, for example, when the antenna feed line is located on the surface of a printed circuit board, both T-type power dividers and Wilkinson power dividers can be used in array antennas, such as... Figure 10a and Figure 10b As shown, the T-type power divider 110 may include an input port P1, an output port P2, and an output port P3. The Wilkinson power divider 120 may include an input port P4, an output port P5, and an output port P6. The input port P4 can be connected to an RF device, and the output ports P5 and P6 are connected via a resistor R1.

[0087] In another possible application scenario, for example, when the antenna feed is located on an inner layer of a printed circuit board, Figure 10b The Wilkinson power divider 120 in the design will be limited by the large size of the resistors and will not be suitable for use in array antennas.

[0088] Please see Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a power divider 130 provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0089] In this embodiment, the power divider 130 may include an input port P7, an output port P8, and an output port P9.

[0090] The power divider 130 may further include a main feed line 131, a quarter-wavelength conversion line 132, a quarter-wavelength conversion line 133, a branch feed line 134, and a branch feed line 135. The first end of the main feed line 131 is connected to the input port P7. The second end of the main feed line 131 is connected to the first ends of the quarter-wavelength conversion line 132 and the first ends of the quarter-wavelength conversion line 133. The second end of the quarter-wavelength conversion line 132 is connected to the first end of the branch feed line 134. The second end of the branch feed line 134 is connected to the output port P8. The second end of the quarter-wavelength conversion line 133 is connected to the first end of the branch feed line 135. The second end of the branch feed line 135 is connected to the output port P9.

[0091] It is understood that the input port P7 of the power divider 130 can be connected to the RF chip 140. In one scenario, the RF chip 140 can output a signal to the input port P7 of the power divider 130. The output port P8 can be connected to the output port P9 via a carbon oil buried resistor 15. Specifically, the carbon oil buried resistor 15 is connected between the first end of the branch feed line 134 and the first end of the branch feed line 135. The carbon oil buried resistor 15 of the power divider 130 can be disposed in the inner layer of the multilayer printed circuit board 40. The function of the carbon oil buried resistor 15 between the output port P8 and the output port P9 is as an isolation resistor.

[0092] In one alternative implementation, in the power divider 130, at least a portion of the main feed line 131 may be in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board 40 as the carbon oil buried resistor 15, at least a portion of the branch feed line 134 may be in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board 40 as the carbon oil buried resistor 15, at least a portion of the branch feed line 135 may be in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board 40 as the carbon oil buried resistor 15, at least a portion of the quarter-wavelength conversion line 132 may be in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board 40 as the carbon oil buried resistor 15, and at least a portion of the quarter-wavelength conversion line 133 may be in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board 40 as the carbon oil buried resistor 15.

[0093] It is understood that the shape of the carbon oil embedded resistor can be trapezoidal, rectangular, circular or other irregular shape, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0094] Based on the above embodiments of this application, the carbon oil buried resistor 15 is connected between the output port P8 and the output port P9, which enables the input and output ports of the Wilkinson power divider 130 to have good matching and isolation characteristics, ensuring that the element radiation pattern of the array antenna will not be distorted due to mutual coupling.

[0095] Compared to traditional solutions, the power divider 130 in the embodiments of this application is not limited by a large buried impedance load and can be used in array antennas.

[0096] In this embodiment, as Figure 11 As shown, the output port P8 of the power divider 130 can be connected to one of the radiating antenna elements 20, and the output port P9 of the power divider 130 can also be connected to one of the radiating antenna elements 20. In one scenario, the RF chip 140 can radiate signals through the two radiating antenna elements 20 connected to the power divider 130. The power divider 130 can be a Wilkinson power divider.

[0097] It is understood that in some possible implementations, the array antenna 100 may include multiple power dividers. For example... Figure 12 As shown, the explanation uses two power dividers as an example. Figure 12 Only power dividers 130 and 150 are shown, but this should not be construed as limiting. One of the power dividers 130 can implement a 1-drive-multiple architecture, such as 1-drive-2, 1-drive-3, or 1-drive-4. For example, the input port P7 of the power divider 130 can be connected to the RF chip 140, the output port P9 of the power divider 130 can be connected to a radiating antenna element 20, the output port P8 of the power divider 130 can be connected to the input port P10 of the power divider 150, the input port P10 of the power divider 150 is connected to the first end of the main feed line 131, the second end of the main feed line 131 is connected to the first ends of the quarter-wavelength conversion line 132 and the first ends of the quarter-wavelength conversion line 133, the second end of the quarter-wavelength conversion line 132 is connected to the first end of the branch feed line 134, the second end of the branch feed line 134 is connected to the output port P11, the second end of the quarter-wavelength conversion line 133 is connected to the first end of the branch feed line 135, and the second end of the branch feed line 135 is connected to the output port P12. A carbon oil buried resistor 15 is connected between the first end of the branch feed line 134 and the second end of the branch feed line 135.

[0098] In one scenario, output port P11 can be connected to a radiating antenna element 20, and output port P12 can be connected to a radiating antenna element 20. Alternatively, in other scenarios, output port P11 can be connected to the input port of another power divider, and output port P12 can be connected to a radiating antenna element 20. Or, in still other scenarios, output port P11 and output port P12 can each be connected to the input port of a power divider. And so on, the embodiments of this application can implement a one-drive-multiple-architecture.

[0099] It is understood that the carbon oil burial resistor 15 in this embodiment is similar to the one described above. Figure 3 and Figure 6-8 The carbon oil embedded resistor 14 in the illustrated embodiment is made of the same material, that is, both the carbon oil embedded resistor 15 and the carbon oil embedded resistor 14 can be made of carbon oil material with wave absorption characteristics.

[0100] Based on the above Figure 11 and Figure 12 The illustrated embodiment, through the use of carbon oil buried resistor technology, enables the integration of a single-drive Wilkinson power divider into dummy element antennas or radiating antenna elements on the inner layer of a multilayer printed circuit board, replacing conventional T-type power dividers. This application leverages the excellent port matching and isolation characteristics of the Wilkinson power divider to ensure that the radiation patterns of the array elements are not distorted due to mutual coupling.

[0101] It is understood that the power divider 130 can perform equal-amplitude and in-phase power division, or it can perform unequal-amplitude or unequal-phase power division.

[0102] The following section will introduce the scattering characteristics of the T-type power divider and its input-output characteristics under different conditions.

[0103] When inputting the main port: a = [1 0 0] T When using balanced input at the split port: a = [0 1 1] T When the input is unbalanced: a = [0 1 0] T When the input is unbalanced: a = [0 1 e] j50° ] T Main port matching, individual ports with equal amplitude and unidirectional output: Port matching, total port lossless output: Port mismatch, total port output with losses: Port mismatch, total port lossy output: |b|=[0.91 0.3 0.3] T .

[0104] The following section will introduce the scattering characteristics of the Wilkinson power divider and its input-output characteristics under different conditions.

[0105] When inputting the main port: a = [1 0 0] T When using balanced input at the split port: a = [0 1 1] T When the input is unbalanced: a = [0 1 0] T When the input is unbalanced: a = [0 1 e] j50° ] T Main port matching, individual ports with equal amplitude and unidirectional output: Port matching, total port lossless output: Port mismatch, total port output with losses: Port mismatch, total port lossy output: |b|=[0.91 0 0] T .

[0106] When the T-type power divider is of unequal amplitude and in phase (i.e., unbalanced combiner), mismatch and crosstalk occur at the splitter, and significant reflections will occur. Furthermore, the dummy element will reflect the absorbed electromagnetic waves a second time, thus deteriorating the radiation pattern of the radiating antenna element.

[0107] Wilkinson power dividers can still achieve port matching and isolation even in unbalanced conditions, thus providing good dummy element absorption.

[0108] Figure 13a This is the theoretically expected directional pattern. Figure 13b The radiation pattern of a Wilkinson power divider using an inner layer embedded resistor. Figure 13c The radiation pattern is for a T-type power divider.

[0109] from Figure 13a and Figure 13b It can be seen that, with Figure 13a Compared to the theoretically expected radiation pattern shown, the radiation pattern of the Wilkinson power divider implemented using the carbon oil buried resistor in the embodiments of this application is... Figure 13a The radiation patterns shown are very similar to those predicted by theory; however Figure 13c The radiation pattern of the T-type power divider shown is severely distorted.

[0110] Therefore, carbon oil embedded resistors can not only meet the engineering requirements of the inner layer power divider during routing, but also ensure relatively ideal radiation performance.

[0111] Please see Figure 14 , Figure 14 This is an application scenario diagram of an array antenna provided for one embodiment of this application.

[0112] like Figure 14 As shown, in one possible scenario, the array antenna 100 can be applied to a base station 200. For example, the array antenna 100 can be applied to a communication base station in the millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave frequency bands. It is understood that multiple base stations 200 can communicate with the satellite receiver 300.

[0113] It is understandable that, under certain constraints, the equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of a geostationary satellite regional beam is less than 60 dBm / 200 M / Beam.

[0114] Traditional array designs will have limited EIRP under the above constraints, and the scanning range under large-pitch arrays will also be limited; however, by adopting an irregular array layout, the array grating sidelobe suppression can be improved, thereby increasing the array's EIRP and scanning range while meeting the above constraints.

[0115] Please see Figure 15 Embodiments of this application also provide a communication device 400, which may include the array antenna 100 as described in the above embodiments. It is understood that the communication device 400 may include, but is not limited to, a base station or a gNB in ​​a new radio (NR) system.

[0116] Those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any appropriate changes and modifications made to the above embodiments within the essential spirit and scope of this application shall fall within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

Claims

1. An array antenna applied in a communication device, characterized in that, The array antenna comprises a plurality of radiation antenna units and a plurality of dummy antenna units; The plurality of radiation antenna units are used for radiation or reception of electromagnetic signals; The plurality of dummy antenna units are arranged in an array, and the plurality of dummy antenna units do not radiate electromagnetic signals or receive electromagnetic signals; Each of the dummy antenna units comprises a carbon oil buried resistor and a feed line, the feed line is connected to the carbon oil buried resistor, and the carbon oil buried resistor and the feed line are arranged in an inner layer of a multilayer printed circuit board.

2. The array antenna according to claim 1, wherein The carbon oil buried resistor and the feed line are arranged in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board, or the carbon oil buried resistor and the feed line are arranged in different layers of the multilayer printed circuit board.

3. The array antenna according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The shape and size of the dummy antenna units are the same as or similar to the shape and size of the radiation antenna units.

4. The array antenna according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein The carbon oil buried resistor is made of a carbon oil material with wave-absorbing properties.

5. The array antenna according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein The multilayer printed circuit board comprises a first metal layer, a first dielectric layer, a second metal layer, a second dielectric layer, a third metal layer, a third dielectric layer, and a fourth dielectric layer which are sequentially stacked; The carbon oil buried resistor and the feed line in each of the dummy antenna units are arranged between the third dielectric layer and the fourth dielectric layer.

6. The array antenna according to claim 1, wherein The array antenna further comprises a power divider; An input end of the power divider is connected to a radio frequency chip, and a first output end of the power divider is connected to a second output end of the power divider through the carbon oil buried resistor.

7. The array antenna according to claim 6, wherein The first output end and the second output end are respectively connected to one of the radiation antenna units.

8. The array antenna according to claim 6, wherein The power divider comprises a main branch feed line, a first quarter wavelength conversion line, a second quarter wavelength conversion line, a first branch feed line, and a second branch feed line, a first end of the main branch feed line is connected to the input port, a second end of the main branch feed line is connected to a first end of the first quarter wavelength conversion line and a first end of the second quarter wavelength conversion line, a second end of the first quarter wavelength conversion line is connected to a first end of the first branch feed line, a second end of the second quarter wavelength conversion line is connected to a first end of the second branch feed line, a second end of the first branch feed line is connected to the first output port, a second end of the second branch feed line is connected to the second output port, and a carbon oil buried resistor is connected between a first end of the first branch feed line and a first end of the second branch feed line.

9. The array antenna according to claim 8, wherein At least a portion of the main branch feed line and the carbon oil buried resistor of the power divider are located in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board. at least a portion of the first branch feed line is located in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board as the carbon oil-embedded resistor of the power divider; at least a portion of the second branch feed line is located in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board as the carbon oil-embedded resistor of the power divider; at least a portion of the first quarter-wave transformation line is located in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board as the carbon oil-embedded resistor of the power divider; at least a portion of the second quarter-wave transformation line is located in the same layer of the multilayer printed circuit board as the carbon oil-embedded resistor of the power divider.

10. A communication device, characterized by The communication device comprises an array antenna as claimed in any one of claims 1-9.

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