An antenna system

Abstract

This application discloses an antenna system comprising a first radiating source, a second radiating source, a reflecting device, and a first transmitting device. The transmitting ports of the first and second radiating sources are arranged opposite to each other along the same axis, and the reflecting surface of the reflecting device is positioned opposite to the first transmitting device. The first radiating source transmits a first signal to the reflecting surface of the reflecting device; the reflecting device reflects the first signal through the reflecting surface to the annular transmission region of the first transmitting device; the first transmitting device radiates the first signal reflected by the reflecting surface out of the antenna system through the annular transmission region; the second radiating source transmits a second signal, which is radiated out of the antenna system through the area formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission region. This achieves common-aperture radiation of signals from different transmitting ports with independent radiation paths, improving the radiation efficiency of the antenna system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to an antenna system. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, the traffic pressure on the access network side is increasing daily. The wireless transmission channel between the access network and the aggregation network needs further expansion to meet the continuous growth of data services. The large bandwidth advantage of high-frequency bands is becoming increasingly apparent, making high-frequency bands, represented by millimeter waves, the main frequency band for microwave backhaul. However, while millimeter waves have the advantage of large bandwidth, they also face the problem of higher atmospheric attenuation, which may directly affect the communication distance of the backhaul link. Therefore, researchers use dual-transmit port antennas to transmit different signals to improve communication efficiency or capacity, thereby enhancing the communication performance of long-distance wireless backhaul.

[0003] However, in traditional dual-transmitter antennas, the signals emitted from the two transmit ports may couple, resulting in low isolation. This can affect the radiation efficiency of the signals emitted from the transmit ports, and consequently, the radiation efficiency of the antenna system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides an antenna system for achieving common-aperture radiation of signals from different transmission ports with independent radiation paths, thereby improving the radiation efficiency of the antenna system.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides an antenna system comprising a first radiating source, a second radiating source, a reflecting device, and a first transmitting device. The transmitting ports of the first and second radiating sources are arranged opposite each other along the same axis. The reflecting surface of the reflecting device is positioned opposite to the first transmitting device, with the transmitting port of the first radiating source pointing towards the reflecting surface of the reflecting device. The first transmitting device has an annular transmission region. In use, the first radiating source transmits a first signal to the reflecting surface of the reflecting device; the reflecting device reflects the first signal through the reflecting surface to the annular transmission region of the first transmitting device; the first transmitting device radiates the first signal reflected by the reflecting surface out of the antenna system through the annular transmission region; and the second radiating source transmits a second signal, which radiates out of the antenna system through the area formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission region.

[0006] In this application, the transmission ports of the first and second radiation sources are positioned opposite each other along the same axis, and both radiation sources emit signals in mutually opposite directions along the same axis. The first signal emitted by the first radiation source is reflected by a reflector and then transmitted through the annular transmission region of the first transmission device before exiting the antenna system. Simultaneously, the second radiation source emits a second signal in the opposite direction to the transmission port of the first radiation source, and radiates it out of the antenna system through the area formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission region. Therefore, the first and second signals radiated from the antenna system share the same aperture and their radiation paths are independent, which helps to avoid strong coupling between signals emitted from different radiation ports (i.e., the first and second signals), resulting in high isolation and improved radiation efficiency of signals generated by different radiation sources.

[0007] Optionally, the first signal and the second signal have different wavelengths, which can also be understood as the first signal and the second signal belonging to different frequency bands. When the first signal and the second signal have different wavelengths or belong to different frequency bands, the aforementioned antenna system achieves common-aperture radiation of signals from different frequency bands with independent radiation paths. This not only has the advantage of saving antenna aperture but also helps to avoid strong coupling between signals from different radiation sources and different frequency bands, resulting in high isolation and improving the radiation efficiency of signals from different radiation sources and different frequency bands.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first radiation source is a microwave radiation source, and the first signal is microwave; the second radiation source is a wireless light radiation source, and the second signal is wireless light.

[0009] In this embodiment, since wireless optical and microwave have opposite channel characteristics—wireless optical has a stronger advantage against rain attenuation, while microwave has lower levels of fog and snow attenuation—hybrid networking of microwave and wireless optical can achieve the benefits of channel complementarity, improving the communication performance of long-distance wireless backhaul. Furthermore, since the microwave and wireless optical radiation sources share the same aperture and their radiation paths are independent, the communication performance of long-distance wireless backhaul can be further improved while retaining the benefits of channel complementarity.

[0010] In another possible implementation, both the first radiation source and the second radiation source are microwave radiation sources, and both the first signal and the second signal are microwaves.

[0011] In this embodiment, the aforementioned antenna system is used to achieve microwaves transmitted from different transmitting ports with a common aperture and independent radiation paths. When the wavelengths of the first signal and the second signal are different, the capacity of the communication system can be increased. When the wavelengths of the first signal and the second signal are the same, not only can the capacity of the communication system be increased, but also the spectral efficiency can be improved, enabling full-duplex communication.

[0012] Optionally, the wavelength of the first signal emitted by the first radiation source is greater than the wavelength of the second signal emitted by the second radiation source.

[0013] In this embodiment, to meet the specular reflection requirements, the roughness of the reflecting surface is generally required to be 1 / 10 of the wavelength. To reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the reflecting device, the first signal with a longer wavelength is reflected by the reflecting device, instead of the second signal with a shorter wavelength, which helps to reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the reflecting surface of the reflecting device.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the reflecting surface is the surface of a rotating body formed by rotating the first curve around the axis as the center of rotation, and the emission port of the first radiation source is located at the focus of the first curve.

[0015] In this embodiment, the first signal emitted by the first radiation source towards the reflecting surface along the axis diverges outward along the axis and is centrally symmetrical about the axis. The transmission path of the first signal after reflection by the reflecting surface is also centrally symmetrical about the axis. Therefore, it is advantageous for the reflected first signal to interact with the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device, and thus the reflected first signal can smoothly radiate out of the antenna system through the annular transmission area.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the first curve is a portion of an elliptic curve.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the emission port of the first radiation source is located at the first focus of the elliptic curve, and the first signal emitted by the first radiation source passes through the second focus of the elliptic curve after being reflected by the reflecting surface.

[0018] In this embodiment, since the sum of the distances from any point on the elliptic curve to the two foci of the elliptic curve is a fixed value, the optical path lengths of the beams emitted from one of the foci in various directions are the same after reflection on the elliptic curve and passing through the other foci. Therefore, it is advantageous to control the wavefronts of the radiating antenna system to be identical.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the first transmission device is used to project the first signal reflected by the reflective surface as a collimated signal, and the focal point of the first transmission device coincides with the second focal point of the elliptic curve.

[0020] In this embodiment, the first signal passing through the second focal point is similar to a point source and undergoes secondary radiation, thereby collimating and radiating out of the antenna system, which in turn helps to increase the propagation distance of the first signal after it leaves the antenna system.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the antenna system further includes a second transmission device located within the area formed by the inner diameter of the first transmission device, with the transmission port of the second radiation source located at the focal point of the second transmission device. The second transmission device is used to project the second signal emitted by the second radiation source as a collimated signal.

[0022] In this embodiment, the second signal can be collimated and radiated out of the antenna system, which helps to increase the propagation distance of the second signal after it is radiated out of the antenna system.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the antenna system further includes a first support device for supporting a reflector and a first transmission device via two oppositely arranged end faces, wherein the reflector is located on the first end face of the two oppositely arranged end faces, and the first transmission device is located on the second end face of the two oppositely arranged end faces; the outer periphery of the first transmission device is connected to the outer periphery of the second end face.

[0024] In this embodiment, fixing the reflector and the first transmission device with the first support device helps to maintain the structural stability of the antenna system and avoid changes in the radiation path that could affect the radiation efficiency of the first and second signals.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the antenna system further includes a second support device for supporting the first radiation source and the second radiation source coaxially.

[0026] In this embodiment, the first radiation source and the second radiation source are kept coaxial by the second support device, which prevents the reflected first signal from overflowing the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device, and also prevents the second signal emitted by the second radiation source from overflowing the area formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission area. This helps to improve the isolation between the first signal and the second signal, thereby improving the radiation efficiency of the antenna system.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the first support device is a cylindrical shell, a bowl-shaped shell, or a disc-shaped shell.

[0028] In this embodiment, the first support device is configured as a shell-shaped structure such as a cylindrical shell, a bowl-shaped shell, or a dish-shaped shell, which is beneficial for protecting the first and second radiation sources in the antenna system and preventing external factors such as wind and rain from interfering with the radiation sources.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the first transmission device includes any one of a dielectric lens, a plane lens, and a metamaterial lens.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the second transmission device includes any one of a plano-convex lens, a Cassegrain lens, and a Gregorian lens. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of an embodiment of the antenna system provided in this application;

[0032] Figure 1B A schematic diagram of another embodiment of the antenna system provided in this application;

[0033] Figure 2A An example diagram of the reflective device provided in this application;

[0034] Figure 2B Another example diagram of the reflective device provided in this application;

[0035] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another embodiment of the antenna system provided in this application;

[0036] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of the support device provided in this application;

[0037] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another embodiment of the antenna system provided in this application;

[0038] Figure 6A An example diagram showing the simulation results of the antenna system provided in this application;

[0039] Figure 6B Another example diagram showing the simulation results of the antenna system provided in this application;

[0040] Figure 7A An example diagram of the communication module provided in this application;

[0041] Figure 7B Another example diagram of the communication module provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0042] 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.

[0043] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. (if present) in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms are interchangeable where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0044] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0045] This application provides an antenna system for achieving common-aperture radiation of signals from different transmission ports with independent radiation paths, thereby improving the radiation efficiency of the antenna system.

[0046] like Figure 1A The diagram shown is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the antenna system 00 provided in this application.

[0047] like Figure 1A The cross-sectional view of the antenna system 00 on the left shows that the antenna system 00 mainly includes a first radiation source 01, a second radiation source 02, a reflector 03, and a first transmission device 04.

[0048] The first radiation source 01 and the second radiation source 02 are used to transmit communication signals. The direction of the transmission port of the first radiation source 01 and the direction of the transmission port of the second radiation source 02 are set opposite to each other along the same axis, that is, the directions of the transmission ports of the first radiation source 01 and the second radiation source 02 are placed in opposite directions along the same axis and the transmitted signals are far apart from each other. For example, Figure 1A The emission port of the first radiation source 01 is placed to the left along the axis. Figure 1A The transmitting port of the second radiation source 02 is placed to the right along the axis. When the first radiation source 01 and the second radiation source 02 are working, the signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 (hereinafter referred to as the first signal) radiates to the left, that is, it is emitted along the axis in a direction away from the second radiation source 02; the signal emitted by the second radiation source (hereinafter referred to as the second signal) radiates to the right, that is, it is emitted along the axis in a direction away from the first radiation source 01.

[0049] Furthermore, the reflecting surface of the reflecting device 03 is disposed opposite to the first transmitting device 04, wherein the reflecting device 03 is located on the transmitting port side of the first radiation source 01, and the first transmitting device 04 is located on the transmitting port side of the second radiation source 02. The transmitting port of the first radiation source 01 points towards the reflecting surface of the reflecting device 03, so that the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 can be radiated in the direction of the first transmitting device 04 after being reflected by the reflecting device 03. Optionally, the reflecting device 03, the first radiation source 01, the second radiation source 02, and the first transmitting device 04 are coaxial.

[0050] In addition, such as Figure 1A The side view of the first transmission device 04 on the right shows that the first transmission device 04 has an annular transmission region (i.e., a region extending from the inner diameter to the outer diameter). This annular transmission region is made of a transparent medium. The annular transmission region allows a first signal, i.e., the first signal reflected by the reflecting surface of the reflecting device 03, to reach the annular transmission region and radiate outwards through the annular transmission region to the antenna. Furthermore, the region formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission region allows a second signal to pass through, and the first signal does not pass through the region formed by the inner diameter of the first transmission structure 04. This region formed by the inner diameter can be made of a transparent medium or it can be perforated. For example, if the region formed by the inner diameter is perforated, the first transmission device 04 is an annular lens; if the region formed by the inner diameter is made of a transparent medium, the first transmission device 04 is a multi-structure lens. For example, the first transmission device 04 can be implemented using any of the following methods: a dielectric lens, a plane lens, or a metamaterial lens.

[0051] For example, when the antenna system 00 is working, the first radiation source 01 emits a first signal to the reflecting surface of the reflecting device 03; the reflecting device 03 reflects the first signal to the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04 through the reflecting surface; the first transmission device 04 radiates the first signal reflected by the reflecting surface out of the antenna system 00 through the annular transmission area; at the same time, the second radiation source 02 emits a second signal, which radiates out of the antenna system 00 through the area formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission area.

[0052] In this embodiment, the direction of the transmission port of the first radiation source 01 and the direction of the transmission port of the second radiation source 02 are arranged opposite to each other along the same axis, and the two radiation sources emit in opposite directions along the same axis. The first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 is reflected by the reflecting device 03 and then transmitted through the annular transmission region of the first transmission device 04 before exiting the antenna system 00. Simultaneously, the second radiation source 02 emits a second signal in the opposite direction to the transmission port of the first radiation source 01, and radiates out of the antenna system 00 through the region formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission region. Therefore, the first and second signals radiated from the antenna system 00 share the same aperture and their radiation paths are independent, which helps to avoid strong coupling between signals emitted from different radiation ports (i.e., the first and second signals), resulting in high isolation and improving the radiation efficiency of signals generated by different radiation sources (i.e., the first and second signals).

[0053] Optionally, the first signal and the second signal have different wavelengths, which can also be understood as the first signal and the second signal belonging to different frequency bands. When the first signal and the second signal have different wavelengths or belong to different frequency bands, the aforementioned antenna system 00 achieves common-aperture radiation of signals from different frequency bands with independent radiation paths. This not only has the advantage of saving antenna aperture but also helps to avoid strong coupling between signals from different radiation sources and different frequency bands, resulting in high isolation and improving the radiation efficiency of signals from different radiation sources and different frequency bands.

[0054] It should be noted that after the first signal and the second signal are radiated out of the antenna system 00, the radiation direction of the second signal may be the same as or different from that of the first signal, and this application does not limit this.

[0055] Optional, such as Figure 1B As shown, the antenna system 00 further includes a second transmission device 05, which is located within the region formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04, i.e., the diameter of the second transmission device 05 is less than or equal to the inner diameter of the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04. Optionally, the first transmission device 04 and the second transmission device 05 are coaxial. Optionally, the first transmission device 04 and the second transmission device 05 are coplanar. Optionally, the transmission port of the second radiation source 04 is located at the focal point of the second transmission device 05, and the second transmission device 05 is used to project the second signal emitted by the second radiation source 02 into a collimated signal. Optionally, the second transmission device 05 is also used to perform beam expansion processing on the second signal emitted by the second radiation source 02. Exemplarily, the second transmission device 05 can be implemented using any of the following methods: a plano-convex lens, a Cassegrain lens, a Gregorian lens, etc.

[0056] It should be noted that the first transmission device 04 and the second transmission device 05 can be implemented as a single unit, that is, the functions of the first transmission device 04 and the transmission functions of the second transmission device 05 are integrated into a single multi-structure lens. For example, the area formed by the inner diameter of the first transmission device 04 is not hollow; the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04 is made of a transparent medium, and the area formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission area is also made of a transparent medium. Furthermore, the focal length of the annular transmission area is different from the focal length of the area formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission area. For example, the focal length of the annular transmission area is configured to collimate the first signal reflected by the reflective surface and radiate it out of the antenna system 00, and the focal length of the area formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission area is configured to collimate the second signal emitted by the second radiation source 02 and radiate it out of the antenna system 00.

[0057] Furthermore, the specific structure of the reflecting device 03 will be described below:

[0058] In this application, the reflecting surface is the surface of a rotating body formed by rotating the first curve around its axis. The emission port of the first radiation source 01 is located at the focal point of the first curve. The first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 towards the reflecting surface along the axis is diffused outward along the axis and is centrally symmetrical about the axis. The transmission path of the first signal after being reflected by the reflecting surface is also centrally symmetrical about the axis.

[0059] In one possible implementation, such as Figure 2A or Figure 2B As shown, the first curve is a portion of an elliptic curve. The transmitting port of the first radiation source 01 is located at the first focus (f1) of the elliptic curve, and the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 passes through the second focus (f2) of the elliptic curve after reflection by the reflecting surface. Since the sum of the distances from any point on the elliptic curve to the two focuses of the elliptic curve is a fixed value, the optical path lengths of the beams emitted from one focus of the elliptic curve in various directions are the same after reflection on the elliptic curve and passing through the other focus. Therefore, it is advantageous to control the wavefront of the radiating antenna system to be identical.

[0060] Since the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 is a cone-shaped beam signal, and the reflecting surface is the surface of a body of revolution formed by rotating the first curve around the axis, and the first signal passes through the second focus (i.e., f2) of the elliptic curve after being reflected by the reflecting surface, the first signal reflected by the reflecting surface forms a circle in the first plane perpendicular to the axis (i.e., the plane perpendicular to the axis passing through the second focus). After passing through the first plane, the first signal reflected by the reflecting surface continues to radiate in the direction of the first transmission device 04. Furthermore, as... Figure 2A or Figure 2BAs shown, the focal point of the first transmission device 04 coincides with the second focal point of the elliptic curve. Therefore, the first signal arriving at the first transmission device 04 will be collimated and radiated out of the antenna system 00. Alternatively, the reflecting device 03 can be understood as the reflecting device transforming the point-radiated spherical wave from the first radiation source 01 into countless point sources through reflection. These countless point sources are arranged in a ring, and then, equivalent to countless point sources on a ring, undergo secondary radiation through the ring-shaped transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04, thereby radiating out from the aperture of the antenna system 00.

[0061] In one example, by adjusting the parameters of the elliptic curve (e.g., major and minor axes), the angle between the major axis of the elliptic curve and the axis (i.e., the axis of the antenna system 00), and the distance between the geometric center of the first transmission device 04 and the transmission port of the first radiation source 01, the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 can be made to reach the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04 entirely after being reflected by the reflecting surface. For example, as... Figure 2A As shown, the first curve is curve segment ab, and the endpoint b of the first curve intersects the axis. The reflecting surface is a regular curved surface with a central convexity and surrounding concavity. The first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 is a cone-shaped beam signal. The beam of the first signal with the smallest angle to the axis points to endpoint b (i.e., the beam of the first signal propagating along the axis). After reaching endpoint b, the beam is reflected and, after passing through focal point f2, reaches the edge of the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04 near the outer diameter. The beam of the first signal with the largest angle to the axis points to endpoint a. The beam of the first signal pointing to endpoint a is reflected parallel to the axis after reaching endpoint a and, after passing through focal point f2, reaches the edge of the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04 near the inner diameter. In this example, the entire reflecting surface formed by curve segment ab can receive and reflect the beam of the first signal.

[0062] In this example, by configuring appropriate parameters of the elliptic curve (e.g., major and minor axes), the angle between the major axis of the elliptic curve and the axis (i.e., the axis of the antenna system 00), and the distance between the geometric center of the first transmission device 04 and the transmission port of the first radiation source 01, the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01, after being reflected by the reflecting surface, reaches the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04 without overflowing beyond the outer diameter or the inner diameter of the annular transmission area. This is beneficial for improving the radiation efficiency of the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01.

[0063] In another example, besides adjusting the parameters of the elliptic curve (e.g., major and minor axes), the angle between the major axis of the elliptic curve and the axis (i.e., the axis of the antenna system 00), and the distance between the geometric center of the first transmission device 04 and the transmission port of the first radiation source 01, the shape of the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 can also be adjusted. Specifically, the first signal can be configured as a hollow, cone-shaped, diverging beam, so that the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01, after being reflected by the reflecting surface, entirely reaches the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04. For example, as... Figure 2B As shown, the first curve is curve segment cde, and the endpoint e of the first curve intersects the axis. The reflecting surface is a regular curved surface with a central convexity and surrounding concavity. The first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 along the axis is a hollow, cone-shaped diverging beam. The region of this beam on the cross-section perpendicular to the axis is a ring. There is no beam propagating along the axis in this first signal. The beam with the smallest angle to the axis in the first signal points to endpoint d. After reaching endpoint d, the beam passes through focal point f2 and reaches the edge of the annular transmission region of the first transmission device 04 near the outer diameter. The beam with the largest angle to the axis in the first signal points to endpoint c. The reflection path of the beam pointing to endpoint c is parallel to the axis after reaching endpoint c, and after passing through focal point f2, it reaches the edge of the annular transmission region of the first transmission device 04 near the inner diameter. In this example, in curve segment cde, only the ring-like region corresponding to curve segment cd (i.e., region 1 of the reflecting surface) can receive and reflect the beam of the first signal.

[0064] In this example, by adjusting the beam shape of the first signal, the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 is reflected by the reflective surface and reaches the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device 04 without overflowing beyond the outer diameter or the inner diameter of the annular transmission area. This facilitates flexible adaptation between the first radiation source 01 and the antenna system 00, thereby improving the radiation efficiency of the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01.

[0065] Furthermore, the following is combined with Figure 3 The following is a description of the support devices involved in antenna system 00:

[0066] like Figure 3As shown, the antenna system 00 also includes a first support device 06, which supports the reflector 03 and the first transmission device 04 via two opposing end faces. The reflector 03 is located on the first end face (closer to the first radiation source 01), and the first transmission device 04 is located on the second end face (closer to the second radiation source 02). Optionally, the diameter of the reflecting surface of the reflector 03 is less than or equal to the diameter of the first end face; the outer diameter of the first transmission device is less than or equal to the diameter of the second end face. For example, the outer periphery of the first transmission device 04 is connected to the outer periphery of the second end face.

[0067] Optionally, the first support device 06 can be a cylindrical shell, a bowl-shaped shell, or a dish-shaped shell, or it can be a support structure of other shapes, which is not limited here. For example, the cylindrical shell can be a cylinder or a polygonal cylinder (e.g., a 12-sided cylinder, a 16-sided cylinder, etc.).

[0068] like Figure 4 As shown, taking the first support device 06 as a cylinder as an example, the cylinder has two opposing first end faces and a second end face, both of which are perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder. The first end face of the cylinder (i.e., the end face near the first radiation source 01) is used to mount the reflector 03, and the second end face of the cylinder (i.e., the end face near the second radiation source 02) is used to mount the first transmission device 04. The circle defined by the outer diameter of the first transmission device 04 coincides with the circle defined by the diameter of the second end face.

[0069] In this embodiment, fixing the reflecting device and the first transmitting device with the first supporting device helps maintain the structural stability of the antenna system and avoids changes in the radiation path that could affect the radiation efficiency of the first and second signals. Furthermore, configuring the first supporting device as a shell-like structure such as a cylindrical shell, a bowl-shaped shell, or a dish-shaped shell helps protect the first and second radiation sources in the antenna system, preventing interference from external factors such as wind and rain.

[0070] Optional, such as Figure 3 As shown, the antenna system 00 also includes a second support device 07, which supports the first radiation source 01 and the second radiation source 02 coaxially. Optionally, the end face of the second support device 07 near the second radiation source 02 is used to support the second transmission device 05. Optionally, the second support device 07 can be a cylindrical shell or a support structure of other shapes, which is not limited here. For example, the cylindrical shell can be a cylinder or a polygonal cylinder (e.g., a 12-sided cylinder, a 16-sided cylinder, etc.). Figure 3As shown, taking the second support device 07 as an example, the cylinder is coaxial with the axis. The cylinder is used to accommodate the first radiation source 01 and the second radiation source 02. The end face near the second radiation source 02 is used to support the second transmission device 05. The generatrix length of the cylinder is greater than the focal length of the second transmission device 05.

[0071] In this embodiment, the first radiation source and the second radiation source are kept coaxial by the second support device, which prevents the reflected first signal from overflowing the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device, and also prevents the second signal emitted by the second radiation source from overflowing the area formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission area. This helps to improve the isolation between the first signal and the second signal, thereby improving the radiation efficiency of the antenna system.

[0072] Furthermore, the first radiation source 01 and the second radiation source 02 can be implemented in various ways, which will be described below:

[0073] In one possible implementation, the first radiation source 01 is a microwave radiation source, and the second radiation source 02 is a free-space optical (FSO) radiation source. The first signal is microwave, and the second signal is free-space optical. For example, the aforementioned microwave can be a millimeter wave, centimeter wave, terahertz (THz) wave, etc., and is not limited here. For example, the free-space optical can be infrared laser or visible light, etc.

[0074] In this embodiment, since wireless optical and microwave have opposite channel characteristics—wireless optical has a stronger advantage against rain attenuation, while microwave has lower levels of fog and snow attenuation—hybrid networking of microwave and wireless optical can achieve the benefits of channel complementarity, improving the communication performance of long-distance wireless backhaul. Furthermore, since the microwave and wireless optical radiation sources share the same aperture and their radiation paths are independent, the communication performance of long-distance wireless backhaul can be further improved while retaining the benefits of channel complementarity.

[0075] In another possible implementation, both the first radiation source 01 and the second radiation source 02 are microwave radiation sources. Both the first signal and the second signal are microwaves.

[0076] In this embodiment, the aforementioned antenna system 00 is used to achieve microwaves transmitted from different transmitting ports with a common aperture and independent radiation paths. When the wavelengths of the first signal and the second signal are different, the capacity of the communication system can be increased. When the wavelengths of the first signal and the second signal are the same, not only can the capacity of the communication system be increased, but also the spectral efficiency can be improved, enabling full-duplex communication.

[0077] Optionally, the wavelength of the first signal emitted by the first radiation source 01 is greater than the wavelength of the second signal emitted by the second radiation source 02.

[0078] In this embodiment, to meet the specular reflection requirements, the roughness of the reflecting surface is generally required to be 1 / 10 of the wavelength. To reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the reflecting device 03, the first signal with a longer wavelength is reflected by the reflecting device 03 instead of the second signal with a shorter wavelength, which helps to reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the reflecting surface of the reflecting device 03.

[0079] For ease of understanding, such as Figure 5 As shown, this example uses the first radiation source 01 as a millimeter-wave feed and the second radiation source 02 as a wireless optical radiation source. Figure 5 In the example shown, the millimeter-wave feed emits millimeter waves towards a millimeter-wave reflector structure deployed at the rear end (i.e., an example of the reflective surface of the reflector device 03 described earlier). After being reflected by the millimeter-wave reflector structure, the millimeter waves reach a ring-shaped millimeter-wave lens deployed at the front end (i.e., an example of the first transmission device 04 described earlier), and are radiated out of the antenna system through the ring-shaped millimeter-wave lens. At the same time, a wireless light radiator emits wireless light towards a fiber optic beam expander (i.e., an example of the second transmission device 05 described earlier), which is hollowed out at the center of the millimeter-wave lens. This wireless light is collimated and expanded by the fiber optic beam expander before being radiated out of the antenna system.

[0080] like Figure 6A and Figure 6B As shown, Figure 5 The diagram shows the simulation results of the antenna system. The simulation results show that, since the millimeter-wave feed and the wireless optical radiator share the same aperture and their radiation paths are independent, the energy radiated by the millimeter-wave feed and the wireless light emitted by the wireless optical radiator are not blocked or lost. Therefore, the millimeter waves and wireless light emitted by the antenna system can all radiate out of the antenna system, resulting in high aperture efficiency, large antenna gain, and good directional performance.

[0081] It should be noted that this is under the condition of meeting certain structural dimensional constraints, i.e., without obstructing the millimeter-wave radiation path. Figure 5 The millimeter-wave feed and wireless optical radiation source in the example shown can be integrated into a communication module, which is convenient for installation and removal from the central cutout of the millimeter-wave lens antenna.

[0082] In one example, Figure 5 The example shown integrates a millimeter-wave feed and a wireless optical radiation source in its communication module. Figure 7AAs shown, the communication module includes a radio frequency feeder (RF feeder, i.e., a millimeter-wave feeder), a transceiver (TRX), an analog-to-analog converter and digital-to-digital converter (DA / AD), a digital intermediate frequency (DIF) module, an intelligent switch module, a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), and an optical fiber port. The intelligent switch module is connected to the baseband module (e.g., a building baseband unit (BBU)) via a common public radio interface (CPRI).

[0083] In another example, Figure 5 The communication module shown is as follows Figure 7B As shown, the communication module includes an RF feeder (i.e., a millimeter-wave feeder), a radio frequency amplifier (PA), a photoelectric detector (PD), an intelligent switch, a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), and an optical fiber port. The intelligent switch connects to the baseband module (e.g., a BBU) via a radio-over-fiber (RoF) interface.

[0084] In this embodiment, the millimeter-wave feed and the wireless optical radiation source are modular, allowing for direct replacement of the millimeter-wave feed and the wireless optical radiation source when upgrading the antenna system, thus facilitating functional upgrades or module updates.

[0085] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

Claims

1. An antenna system, characterized in that, include: The system comprises a first radiation source, a second radiation source, a reflector, and a first transmission device. The direction of the emission port of the first radiation source is opposite to the direction of the emission port of the second radiation source along the same axis. The reflector surface of the reflector is opposite to the first transmission device. The emission port of the first radiation source points to the reflector surface of the reflector. The first transmission device has an annular transmission area. The first radiation source is used to emit a first signal toward the reflective surface of the reflective device; The reflecting device is used to reflect the first signal to the annular transmission area of ​​the first transmission device through the reflecting surface; The first transmission device is used to radiate the first signal reflected by the reflective surface out of the antenna system through the annular transmission region; The second radiation source is used to transmit a second signal, which is radiated out of the antenna system through the area formed by the inner diameter of the annular transmission region.

2. The antenna system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first radiation source is a microwave radiation source, and the first signal is microwave; the second radiation source is a wireless optical radiation source, and the second signal is wireless optical.

3. The antenna system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The reflecting surface is the surface of a rotating body formed by rotating the first curve around the axis as the center of rotation, and the emission port of the first radiation source is located at the focus of the first curve.

4. The antenna system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first curve is a part of an elliptic curve.

5. The antenna system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The emission port of the first radiation source is located at the first focus of the elliptic curve, and the first signal emitted by the first radiation source passes through the second focus of the elliptic curve after being reflected by the reflecting surface.

6. The antenna system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first transmission device is used to project the first signal reflected by the reflective surface into a collimated signal, and the focal point of the first transmission device coincides with the second focal point of the elliptic curve.

7. The antenna system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The antenna system further includes a second transmission device located within the area formed by the inner diameter of the first transmission device, and the transmission port of the second radiation source located at the focal point of the second transmission device. The second transmission device is used to project the second signal emitted by the second radiation source as a collimated signal.

8. The antenna system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The antenna system further includes a first support device, which supports the reflector and the first transmission device respectively through two oppositely arranged end faces. The reflector is located on the first end face of the two oppositely arranged end faces, and the first transmission device is located on the second end face of the two oppositely arranged end faces. The outer periphery of the first transmission device is connected to the outer periphery of the second end face.

9. The antenna system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The antenna system further includes a second support device for supporting the first radiation source and the second radiation source to be coaxial.

10. The antenna system according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The first support device is a cylindrical shell, a bowl-shaped shell, or a disc-shaped shell.

11. The antenna system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The first transmission device includes any one of a dielectric lens, a plane lens, and a metamaterial lens.

12. The antenna system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second transmission device includes any one of a plano-convex lens, a Cassegrain lens, and a Gregorian lens.

13. The antenna system according to any one of claims 1, 3 to 12, characterized in that, Both the first radiation source and the second radiation source are microwave radiation sources, and both the first signal and the second signal are microwaves.

14. The antenna system according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first signal and the second signal have different wavelengths.

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