Array antenna and communication equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses an array antenna and communication equipment, the array antenna comprises a phase shifter and at least one broadband radiation array, the broadband radiation array comprises a main radiation column, an auxiliary radiation column and a transmission line group, the auxiliary radiation column is arranged on one side of the main radiation column in a second direction and comprises at least one column borrowing unit, the main radiation column comprises a plurality of column units arranged in the first direction, the transmission line group comprises a main feeder connected with the phase shifter, a first branch feeder connected between the main radiation column and the main feeder and a second branch feeder connected between the auxiliary radiation column and the main feeder, and the phase difference between the column units and the column borrowing units is larger than 0 degree and smaller than 360 degrees. According to the array antenna disclosed by the invention, the array antenna can be flexibly set according to requirements, different wave width convergence capabilities under different frequency bands are realized, the wave width of a low-frequency working frequency band is greatly converged, and meanwhile, the convergence quantity requirement of the wave width of a high-frequency working frequency band is reduced, so that the wave width of the array antenna can meet preset requirements; and the overall gain of the array antenna is relatively good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an array antenna and communication equipment. Background Art

[0002] In the design of high and low frequency arrays, affected by factors such as the width of the reflector, the oscillator aperture and the operating frequency, the bandwidth is often too wide and needs to be converged. When the frequency band is wider, the low frequency band bandwidth is sometimes too wide, while the high frequency band bandwidth is within the required range. We only need to converge the low frequency band bandwidth without affecting the high frequency band bandwidth.

[0003] Common methods for converging the bandwidth include using a bridge to converge the bandwidth, using a slope power divider bridge to converge the bandwidth, and L-type cross-feeding to converge the bandwidth. These methods of converging the bandwidth usually converge the overall bandwidth and cause adverse effects such as beam deformation and gain reduction. They cannot meet our requirement of converging the bandwidth of only the low-frequency band (such as 1710-1880MHz) without affecting the bandwidth of the high-frequency band (such as 2500-2690MHz). Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, one purpose of the present invention is to propose an array antenna, which can adjust the line length difference between the first branch feeder and the second branch feeder, and adjust the phase difference between the column unit and the borrowed column unit, and can be flexibly set according to the needs to achieve the different convergence bandwidth capabilities of the broadband radiation array in different frequency bands, and achieve a large convergence of the bandwidth of the low-frequency working frequency band while reducing the convergence amount requirements of the bandwidth of the high-frequency working frequency band, so that the bandwidth of the working frequency band of the array antenna can meet the preset requirements, so that the overall gain of the array antenna is better.

[0005] The present invention also provides a communication device having the array antenna.

[0006] According to an array antenna of an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the array antenna includes: a phase shifter; at least one wide-band radiation array, each of the wide-band radiation arrays includes a main radiation column, a sub-radiation column and a transmission line group, the main radiation column includes a plurality of main column units arranged along a first direction, the sub-radiation column is arranged on one side of the main radiation column in a second direction and includes at least one borrowed column unit, the transmission line group includes a main feeder, a first branch feeder and a second branch feeder, the two ends of the main feeder are respectively an input end and an output end, the input end is connected to the phase shifter, the first branch feeder is connected between the main radiation column and the output end, and the second branch feeder is connected between the sub-radiation column and the output end; wherein the phase difference between the main column unit and the borrowed column unit is greater than 0° and less than 360°, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0007] According to the array antenna of the present invention, by setting a transmission line group to connect the main radiating column and the auxiliary radiating column arranged in parallel, the bandwidth of the broadband radiating array can be converged when the broadband radiating array works in a low-frequency working frequency band. By making the phase difference between the current column unit and the borrowed column unit greater than 0° and less than 360°, the phase difference between the current column unit and the borrowed column unit can be adjusted by adjusting the line length difference between the first branch feeder line and the second branch feeder line. It can be flexibly set according to needs to achieve different bandwidth convergence capabilities of the broadband radiating array in different frequency bands, and achieve a large-scale convergence of the bandwidth of the low-frequency working frequency band while reducing the convergence requirement of the bandwidth of the high-frequency working frequency band, so that the bandwidth of the working frequency band of the array antenna can meet the preset requirements, so that the overall gain of the broadband radiating array is better, and the overall performance of the array antenna is improved.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the entire working frequency band of the wide-band radiation array can be divided into multiple sub-frequency bands, the multiple sub-frequency bands include a first working frequency band and a second working frequency band, the first working frequency band is higher than the second working frequency band, and the phase difference between the current column unit and the borrowed column unit in the second working frequency band is greater than 0° and less than 360°; when the wide-band radiation array operates in the first working frequency band, the phase difference between the current column unit and the borrowed column unit in the first working frequency band is greater than or equal to 160° and less than or equal to 180°.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a phase difference between the current column unit and the borrowed column unit in the first working frequency band is 180°.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the borrowing column units and the current column units are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence in the second direction.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the spacing between two adjacent units of the column in the first direction is a first spacing, the first spacing is greater than the length of the projection of the units of the column on the projection plane in the first direction, the normal of the projection plane is perpendicular to the first direction, and the normal of the projection plane is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0012] According to some optional embodiments of the present invention, the array antenna also includes: a power divider, the power divider having an input port, a first output port and a second output port, the main feed line is connected between the input port and the phase shifter, the first branch feed line is connected to the first output port, the second branch feed line is connected to the second output port, and the power divider is used to distribute power to the main radiating column and the secondary radiating column.

[0013] According to some optional embodiments of the present invention, there are multiple broadband radiation arrays, and the multiple broadband radiation arrays are arranged along the second direction. Two adjacent ones of the broadband radiation arrays are respectively a first radiation array and a second radiation array, and the main radiation column of the first radiation array is arranged in the same column as the secondary radiation column of the second radiation array, and the secondary radiation column of the first radiation array is arranged in the same column as the main radiation column of the second radiation array.

[0014] In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the units in the current column of the first radiation array and the units in the current column of the second radiation array are staggered in the second direction.

[0015] In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the spacing between two adjacent columns of units in the first direction is a first spacing, the spacing between the main radiation column of the first radiation array and the secondary radiation column of the second radiation array in the first direction is a second spacing, and the second spacing is greater than or equal to the first spacing.

[0016] A communication device according to an embodiment of a second aspect of the present invention includes: an array antenna according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

[0017] According to the communication device of the present invention, through the above-mentioned array antenna, the bandwidth of the array antenna in the working frequency band can meet the preset requirements, so that the overall gain of the array antenna is better, and the overall performance of the communication device is improved.

[0018] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0020] Figure 1 is a front view of an array antenna according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The feeding network topology diagram of the array antenna in FIG.

[0022] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of unit radiation surface current of the current column unit and the borrowed column unit in the array antenna, wherein the phase difference between the current column unit and the borrowed column unit is 180°;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a comparison graph of horizontal beamwidth of three radiation arrays;

[0024] Figure 5 It is a gain comparison graph of three radiating arrays;

[0025] Figure 6 It is the horizontal pattern waveform of the radiation array with only the main radiation column;

[0026] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 The horizontal radiation pattern waveform of the broadband radiating array in.

[0027] Reference numerals:

[0028] 100. Array antenna;

[0029] 1. Phase shifter; 11. Output interface;

[0030] 2. Broadband radiation array; 21. Main radiation column; 211. Main column unit; 22. Sub-radiation column; 221. Borrowed column unit; 23. Transmission line group; 231. Main feed line; 232. First branch feed line; 233. Second branch feed line;

[0031] 3. Power divider; 31. Input port; 32. First output port; 33. Second output port. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0033] In the design of high and low frequency arrays, affected by factors such as the width of the reflector, the oscillator aperture and the operating frequency, the problem of wide bandwidth that needs to be converged often occurs. When the frequency band is wider, sometimes the bandwidth at the low frequency end is too wide, while the bandwidth at the high frequency end is within the required range. We only need to converge the bandwidth at the low frequency end without affecting the bandwidth at the high frequency end.

[0034] Existing relevant implementation solutions:

[0035] 1. Use a bridge to borrow columns to converge the beamwidth: There are two types of existing bridges. One type is a fixed power ratio bridge. For example, if the power ratio of the current column to the borrowed column is 2:1, the two columns of the array each borrow one oscillator from the opposite column through the bridge. The borrowed column phase is usually 90°. The power ratio of the current column to the borrowed column is adjusted to achieve the effect of converging the beamwidth. However, using a fixed power ratio bridge to borrow columns to converge the beamwidth will converge the overall beamwidth and the horizontal radiation pattern will undergo beam deformation.

[0036] The second type is the slope power divider bridge (such as: Jia Feifei, Liu Peitao, Xue Quan. A design method for a miniaturized dual-low-frequency 4T4R base station antenna array [J]. Journal of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (Natural Science Edition), 2019, 11(1): 30-34). This type of bridge is an unequal power divider bridge whose power distribution ratio changes with frequency. The bridge has different power responses at different frequency points, so that the convergence effect of the bandwidth at different frequency bands is different, thereby achieving the convergence of the bandwidth within the entire working frequency band; using a slope power divider bridge to collect the bandwidth will also converge the overall bandwidth, but the degree of convergence in different frequency bands is different, and it is impossible to achieve that the bandwidth of a certain frequency band is completely unaffected, and there will also be the adverse effect of beam deformation in the horizontal radiation pattern.

[0037] 2. L-type cross-feeding converges the bandwidth: The last oscillator in each column is connected to the phase shifter in the opposite column to form L-type cross-feeding, which can converge the overall bandwidth. However, L-type cross-feeding converges the bandwidth and also converges the overall bandwidth, but the degree of convergence is different in different frequency bands, so the bandwidth of a certain frequency band cannot be completely unaffected, and there are adverse effects such as gain reduction.

[0038] The above three methods cannot meet our requirement of converging the bandwidth of the low frequency band (such as 1710-1880MHz) without affecting the bandwidth of the high frequency band (such as 2500-2690).

[0039] In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides an array antenna 100.

[0040] Reference Figure 1-Figure 7 , the array antenna 100 according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises: a phase shifter 1 and at least one broadband radiation array 2. For example, the broadband radiation array 2 may be one, two, three, four or more. For example, a phase shifter 1 is connected to a broadband radiation array 2, and the phase shifter 1 may have a plurality of output interfaces 11, each of which is connected to a radiation unit of a broadband radiation array 2 or two radiation units of a broadband radiation array 2.

[0041] It should be explained that, in the present application, the broadband radiation array 2 means that the operating frequency band of the radiation array can be divided into multiple sub-frequency bands.

[0042] Each broadband radiation array 2 includes a main radiation column 21, a secondary radiation column 22 and a transmission line group 23. The main radiation column 21 includes a plurality of local column units 211. The plurality of local column units 211 are arranged along a first direction (refer to the e1 direction in the figure); for example, the local column units 211 may be four, five, six, eight, ten, twelve or more. For example, when the array antenna 100 is actually used, the first direction may be a vertical direction.

[0043] It should be explained that, in the present application, a plurality refers to two or more than two.

[0044] The secondary radiating column 22 is arranged on one side of the second direction (refer to the e2 direction in the figure) of the main radiating column 21, and the secondary radiating column 22 includes at least one column-borrowing unit 221. For example, the column-borrowing unit 221 may have the same structure as the column unit 211. For example, the column-borrowing unit 221 may be one, two, three or more, and when there are multiple column-borrowing units 221, the multiple column-borrowing units 221 may be arranged at intervals along the first direction. For example, when the array antenna 100 is actually used, the second direction may be a horizontal direction.

[0045] The transmission line group 23 includes a main feed line 231, a first branch feed line 232 and a second branch feed line 233. The two ends of the main feed line 231 are an input end and an output end respectively. The input end is connected to the phase shifter 1. The first branch feed line 232 is connected between the main radiation column 21 and the output end; for example, the first branch feed line 232 can be a coaxial line, a microstrip line, or a strip line. The second branch feed line 233 is connected between the auxiliary radiation column 22 and the output end; for example, the second branch feed line 233 can be a coaxial line, a microstrip line, or a strip line. Among them, the phase difference between the column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 is greater than 0° and less than 360°, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. For example, the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 can be 1°, 10°, 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70°, 80°, 90°, 100°, 110°, 120°, 130°, 140°, 150°, 160°, 170°, 180°, 190°, 200°, 210°, 220°, 230°, 240°, 250°, 260°, 270°, 280°, 290°, 300°, 310°, 320°, 330°, 340°, 350°, 359°.

[0046] It should be understood that the phase of the current column unit 211 and the phase of the borrowed column unit 221 both change in a sinusoidal curve, and the phase of the current column unit 211 and the phase of the borrowed column unit 221 change in a period of 360°. Therefore, when the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 is greater than 360°, the phase difference can be equivalent to the phase difference between 0°-360° after the corresponding period is subtracted from the phase difference. For example, when the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 is 500°, the phase difference of 500° can be equivalent to 140°; when the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 is 800°, the phase difference of 800° can be equivalent to 80°.

[0047] By setting a transmission line group 23 to connect the main radiation column 21 and the auxiliary radiation column 22 set in parallel, and setting the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 to be greater than 0° and less than 360°, the main radiation column 21 and the auxiliary radiation column 22 interact with each other to converge the wavelength of the broadband radiation array 2.

[0048] By setting the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 to be greater than 0° and less than 360°, when the broadband radiation array 2 is working, the electromagnetic radiation emitted outward by the borrowed column unit 221 and the electromagnetic radiation emitted outward by the current column unit 211 can produce a certain amount of mutual cancellation in the horizontal direction, thereby reducing the influence of the secondary radiation column 22 on the main radiation column 21 in this frequency band, so that the bandwidth of the broadband radiation array 2 in this frequency band converges less or even does not change, thereby realizing the different bandwidth convergence capabilities of the broadband radiation array 2 in different frequency bands.

[0049] Since when the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 is 180°, the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 finally generate opposite currents, the electromagnetic radiation emitted outward by the borrowed column unit 221 can all participate in the offsetting of the electromagnetic radiation emitted outward by the current column unit 211, so that the influence of the borrowed column unit 221 on the current column unit 211 is relatively small. Therefore, when it is necessary to converge the bandwidth of the wide-band radiation array 2 in a certain frequency band to a greater extent, the phase difference of the current column unit 211 in this frequency band can be set by the borrowed column unit 221 to be closer to 0°, that is, closer to 360°; when it is necessary to converge the bandwidth of the wide-band radiation array 2 in a certain frequency band to a smaller extent (even to avoid the convergence of the bandwidth of the wide-band radiation array 2 in a certain frequency band), the phase difference of the current column unit 211 in this frequency band can be set by the borrowed column unit 221 to be closer to 180°.

[0050] By setting the first branch feed line 232 and the second branch feed line 233 to be connected between the main radiation column 21 and the auxiliary radiation column 22 respectively, the phase difference between the column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 can be set by setting the first branch feed line 232 and the second branch feed line 233 of different lengths, wherein the phase corresponding to the line length difference between the first branch feed line 232 and the second branch feed line 233 is the phase difference between the column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221, and the implementation method is simple and the conception is ingenious.

[0051] When it is necessary to optimize the horizontal bandwidth of the broadband radiation array 2 in a specific frequency band, the first branch feed line 232 and the second branch feed line 233 of different lengths can be selected according to the phase of the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 in the specific frequency band, and the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 can be adjusted to a range that can converge the bandwidth, thereby narrowing the bandwidth in the specific frequency band and reducing or eliminating the impact on the bandwidth in the normal frequency band. The selection is flexible and the optimization is convenient, which can improve the optimization efficiency and reduce the optimization cost.

[0052] For example, when it is necessary to significantly converge the bandwidth of the low-frequency working band and reduce the convergence amount of the bandwidth of the high-frequency working band, the first branch feed line 232 and the second branch feed line 233 of different lengths can be selected to make the broadband radiation array 2 have a stronger ability to converge the bandwidth in the low-frequency working band and a weaker ability to converge the bandwidth in the high-frequency working band, thereby achieving the requirements of significantly converging the bandwidth of the low-frequency working band and reducing the convergence amount of the bandwidth of the high-frequency working band, so that the bandwidth of the broadband radiation array 2 in the entire working frequency band meets the preset requirements, the overall gain of the broadband radiation array 2 is better, and the overall performance of the array antenna 100 is improved.

[0053] Compared with the L-type cross-feed convergence bandwidth solution, the present invention sets up an independent borrowing unit 221, which will not lose the gain of the broadband radiation array 2, so that the overall gain of the broadband radiation array 2 is better.

[0054] According to the array antenna 100 of the present invention, a transmission line group 23 is set to connect the main radiating column 21 and the auxiliary radiating column 22 arranged in parallel, and the phase difference between the column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 is set to be greater than 0° and less than 360°. The phase difference between the column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 can be adjusted by adjusting the line length difference between the first branch feeder 232 and the second branch feeder 233. It can be flexibly set according to needs to achieve different convergence bandwidth capabilities of the wideband radiating array 2 in different frequency bands, and achieve a large convergence of the bandwidth of the low-frequency working frequency band and reduce the convergence amount requirement of the bandwidth of the high-frequency working frequency band, so that the bandwidth of the wideband radiating array 2 in the entire working frequency band meets the preset requirements, so that the overall gain of the wideband radiating array 2 is better, thereby improving the overall performance of the array antenna 100.

[0055] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the entire working frequency band of the broadband radiation array 2 can be divided into multiple sub-frequency bands, and the multiple sub-frequency bands include a first working frequency band and a second working frequency band. The first working frequency band is higher than the second working frequency band, that is, the first working frequency band is a high-frequency working frequency band, and the second working frequency band is a low-frequency working frequency band. The phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 in the second working frequency band is greater than 0° and less than 360°; when the broadband radiation array 2 works in the first working frequency band, the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 in the first working frequency band is greater than or equal to 160° and less than or equal to 180°. For example, the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 in the first working frequency band can be 160°, 161°, 162°, 163°, 164°, 165°, 166°, 167°, 168°, 169°, 170°, 171°, 172°, 173°, 174°, 175°, 176°, 177°, 178°, 179°, 180°.

[0056] It needs to be explained that the second working frequency band refers to the lowest frequency band among multiple sub-frequency bands, that is, the second working frequency band is always a low-frequency working frequency band, and the first working frequency band refers to the highest frequency band among multiple sub-frequency bands, that is, the first working frequency band is always a high-frequency working frequency band.

[0057] By setting the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 in the high-frequency working frequency band to be greater than or equal to 160° and less than or equal to 180°, that is, setting the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 in the high-frequency working frequency band close to 180°, the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 can generate approximately opposite currents, and the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the borrowed column unit 221 can participate in the greater amount of offsetting the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the current column unit 211, thereby more effectively reducing the influence of the secondary radiation column 22 on the main radiation column 21, so that the bandwidth of the broadband radiation array 2 in the high-frequency working frequency band converges less or even does not change, so that the bandwidth of the broadband radiation array 2 in the high-frequency working frequency band can more reliably meet the preset requirements.

[0058] Reference Figure 3According to some embodiments of the present invention, the phase difference between the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 in the first working frequency band is 180°. In this way, the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 can always generate opposite currents in the high-frequency working frequency band, so that the electromagnetic radiation emitted outward by the borrowed column unit 221 can all participate in the cancellation of the electromagnetic radiation emitted outward by the current column unit 211, thereby more effectively reducing or even eliminating the influence of the secondary radiation column 22 on the main radiation column 21, so that the bandwidth of the broadband radiation array 2 in the high-frequency working frequency band converges less or even does not change the bandwidth of the broadband radiation array 2 in the high-frequency working frequency band, that is, within the same working frequency band, the bandwidth of the low-frequency end converges without affecting the bandwidth of the high-frequency end, so that the bandwidth of the broadband radiation array 2 in the high-frequency working frequency band more reliably meets the preset requirements.

[0059] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 According to some embodiments of the present invention, the spacing between two adjacent units 211 of the same column in the first direction is a first spacing L1, and the first spacing L1 is greater than the length D of the projection of the units 211 of the same column on the projection plane in the first direction. The normal of the projection plane is perpendicular to the first direction, and the normal of the projection plane is perpendicular to the second direction, so that the coupling interference between the two adjacent units 211 of the same column can be reduced, and the radiation performance of the broadband radiation array 2 can be improved.

[0060] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 According to some embodiments of the present invention, the borrowing column unit 221 is arranged relative to the column unit 211 in the second direction. In this way, the horizontal beam width of the broadband radiation array 2 in the low-frequency working frequency band can be effectively converged, so that the horizontal beam width of the broadband radiation array 2 in the low-frequency working frequency band can be reliably converged within a preset range, so that the number of the borrowing column units 221 does not need to be set to be too large, thereby improving the overall performance of the broadband radiation array 2.

[0061] Reference below Figure 1-Figure 7 A broadband radiating array 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0062] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2The entire working frequency band of the wideband radiation array 2 can be divided into multiple sub-bands, the multiple sub-bands include the highest one in the mid-frequency band as the high-frequency working frequency band, the multiple sub-bands include the lowest one in the mid-frequency band as the low-frequency working frequency band, the high-frequency working frequency band is 2500-2690MHz, the low-frequency working frequency band is 1710-1880MHz, and the multiple sub-bands also include an intermediate working frequency band of 1920-2170MHz. There are twelve units 211 in this column and two units 221 in the borrowed column. The two radiation units and the two at the ends of the twelve units 211 in this column in the first direction are respectively arranged opposite to each other in the second direction, and the phase difference between the units 211 in this column and the borrowed column units 221 in the high-frequency working frequency band is 180°.

[0063] Reference Figure 4 , Figure 4 The horizontal bandwidth comparison curve of three types of radiation arrays, among which, the dotted line of case 1 is the horizontal bandwidth of the radiation array with only the main radiation column 21. The bandwidth of this radiation array is wide in the 1710-1880MHz frequency band, and the bandwidth in the 2500-2690MHz frequency band is within the required range; the dotted line of case 2 is the horizontal bandwidth of the broadband radiation array 2 with the same phase between the column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221. The bandwidth of this radiation array is narrowed as a whole, and the bandwidth of the 1710-1880MHz frequency band is narrowed to meet the requirements , but the bandwidth of 2500-2690MHz frequency band converges too much and is obviously narrow; the solid line of case3 is the horizontal bandwidth in the wideband radiation array 2 of the above embodiment of the present invention, wherein the phase difference between the column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 in the high-frequency working band is 180°, and the broadband radiation array 2 of the above embodiment of the present invention meets the requirements in the narrowing of the bandwidth of 1710-1880MHz frequency band, and the bandwidth of 2500-2690MHz frequency band remains basically unchanged, so that the bandwidth in the entire frequency band converges to the required range.

[0064] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 5It is a gain comparison curve diagram of three types of radiation arrays, among which, the dotted line in case 1 is the gain curve of the radiation array with only the main radiation column 21. The bandwidth of this radiation array is relatively wide in the frequency band of 1710-1880MHz, and the corresponding gain is relatively low; the dotted line in case 2 is the gain curve of the broadband radiation array 2 in which the phases of the column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 are the same, the bandwidth of this radiation array is narrowed as a whole, and the corresponding gain is improved as a whole; the solid line in case 3 is the gain curve in the broadband radiation array 2 of the above embodiment of the present invention, among which the phase difference between the column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 in the high-frequency working band is 180°, the broadband radiation array 2 of the above embodiment of the present invention has narrowed bandwidth and improved gain in the frequency band of 1710-1880MHz, and the bandwidth in the frequency band of 2500-2690MHz remains basically unchanged, and the gain is also equivalent to the gain of the radiation array with only the main radiation column 21, indicating that the broadband radiation array 2 bandwidth reduction scheme of the above embodiment of the present invention will not cause gain loss.

[0065] Reference Figure 6 and Figure 7 It can be clearly seen that, compared with the radiation array having only the main radiation array 21, the radiation pattern beam does not undergo obvious deformation after the bandwidth of the broadband radiation array 2 of the above embodiment of the present invention is narrowed.

[0066] Reference Figure 2 According to some optional embodiments of the present invention, the array antenna 100 also includes: a power divider 3, the power divider 3 has an input port 31, a first output port 32 and a second output port 33, the main feed line 231 is connected between the input port 31 and the phase shifter 1, the first branch feed line 232 is connected to the first output port 32, the second branch feed line 233 is connected to the second output port 33, and the power divider 3 is used to distribute power to the main radiation column 21 and the secondary radiation column 22. In this way, the power distribution of the current column unit 211 and the borrowed column unit 221 can be flexibly adjusted through the power divider 3, thereby adjusting the size of the influence of the borrowed column unit 221 on the current column unit 211, so that the array antenna 100 can adjust the bandwidth and gain of the wide-band radiation array 2 in the entire working frequency band in multiple levels through power distribution and the size of the phase difference, so as to achieve a significant convergence of the bandwidth of the low-frequency working frequency band and reduce the convergence requirement of the bandwidth of the high-frequency working frequency band, so that the bandwidth of the wide-band radiation array 2 in the entire working frequency band meets the preset requirements, so that the overall gain of the wide-band radiation array 2 is better, and the overall performance of the array antenna 100 is improved.

[0067] Reference Figure 1According to some optional embodiments of the present invention, there are multiple broadband radiation arrays 2, and the multiple broadband radiation arrays 2 are arranged along the second direction. For example, there may be two, four or six broadband radiation arrays 2. Two adjacent broadband radiation arrays 2 are respectively a first radiation array and a second radiation array. The main radiation column 21 of the first radiation array is arranged in the same column as the auxiliary radiation column 22 of the second radiation array, and the auxiliary radiation column 22 of the first radiation array is arranged in the same column as the main radiation column 21 of the second radiation array.

[0068] The main radiation column 21 and the secondary radiation column 22 of two adjacent wide-band radiation arrays 2 are arranged in the same column. In this way, the space not occupied by the secondary radiation column 22 in each column can be utilized, so that the overall structure of the two adjacent wide-band radiation arrays 2 is more compact, and the overall size of the two adjacent wide-band radiation arrays 2 in the second direction is smaller, so that the size of the array antenna 100 in the second direction is smaller.

[0069] Reference Figure 1 In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the column units 211 of the first radiation array and the column units 211 of the second radiation array are staggered in the second direction. In this way, the coupling interference between two adjacent main radiation columns 21 can be reduced, and the radiation performance of two adjacent wide-band radiation arrays 2 can be effectively guaranteed, and the radiation performance of the array antenna 100 can be guaranteed. At the same time, in this way, the spacing between two adjacent main radiation columns 21 in the second direction can be arranged closer, and the spacing between two adjacent main radiation columns 21 in the second direction can be reduced, so that the size of the array antenna 100 in the second direction is smaller.

[0070] Reference Figure 1 In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the spacing between two adjacent column units 211 in the first direction is a first spacing L1, and the spacing between the main radiation column 21 of the first radiation array and the secondary radiation column 22 of the second radiation array in the first direction is a second spacing L2, and the second spacing L2 is greater than or equal to the first spacing L1. In this way, the coupling interference between the main radiation column 21 of the first radiation array and the secondary radiation column 22 of the second radiation array can be reduced, so that the main radiation column 21 of the first radiation array can work reliably and effectively guarantee the radiation performance of the first radiation array, and the secondary radiation column 22 of the second radiation array can work reliably and effectively guarantee the radiation performance of the second radiation array, thereby improving the reliability of the array antenna 100 and ensuring the radiation performance of the array antenna 100.

[0071] The communication device according to the second embodiment of the present invention comprises: the array antenna 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. For example, the communication device may be a base station.

[0072] According to the communication device of the present invention, through the above-mentioned array antenna 100, the bandwidth of the array antenna 100 in the entire working frequency band can meet the preset requirements, so that the overall gain of the array antenna 100 is better, and the overall performance of the communication device is improved.

[0073] In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises", "comprising" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the statement "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the element.

[0074] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0075] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0076] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An array antenna, characterized in that: include: Phase shifter; At least one broadband radiation array, each of which comprises a main radiation column, a sub-radiation column and a transmission line group, wherein the main radiation column comprises a plurality of main-column units arranged along a first direction, the sub-radiation column is arranged on one side of the main radiation column in a second direction and comprises at least one sub-column unit, the transmission line group comprises a main feeder, a first branch feeder and a second branch feeder, wherein the two ends of the main feeder are an input end and an output end respectively, the input end is connected to the phase shifter, the first branch feeder is connected between the main radiation column and the output end, and the second branch feeder is connected between the sub-radiation column and the output end; The phase difference between the current column unit and the borrowed column unit is greater than 0° and less than 360°, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

2. The array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The entire working frequency band of the broadband radiation array can be divided into multiple sub-frequency bands, and the multiple sub-frequency bands include a first working frequency band and a second working frequency band. The first working frequency band is higher than the second working frequency band. When the broadband radiation array works in the second working frequency band, the phase difference between the current column unit and the borrowed column unit in the second working frequency band is greater than 0° and less than 360°; when the broadband radiation array works in the first working frequency band, the phase difference between the current column unit and the borrowed column unit in the first working frequency band is greater than or equal to 160° and less than or equal to 180°.

3. The array antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the broadband radiation array operates in the first operating frequency band, the phase difference between the current column unit and the borrowed column unit in the first operating frequency band is 180°.

4. The array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The borrowing column units and the current column units are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence in the second direction.

5. The array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spacing between two adjacent units in the column in the first direction is a first spacing, the first spacing is greater than the length of the projection of the units in the column on the projection plane in the first direction, the normal of the projection plane is perpendicular to the first direction, and the normal of the projection plane is perpendicular to the second direction.

6. The array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A power divider, the power divider having an input port, a first output port and a second output port, the main feeder is connected between the input port and the phase shifter, the first branch feeder is connected to the first output port, the second branch feeder is connected to the second output port, and the power divider is used to distribute power to the main radiating column and the auxiliary radiating column.

7. The array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: There are multiple broadband radiation arrays, and the multiple broadband radiation arrays are arranged along the second direction. Two adjacent ones of the broadband radiation arrays are respectively the first radiation array and the second radiation array. The main radiation column of the first radiation array is arranged in the same column as the secondary radiation column of the second radiation array, and the secondary radiation column of the first radiation array is arranged in the same column as the main radiation column of the second radiation array.

8. The array antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that: The units in the current column of the first radiation array and the units in the current column of the second radiation array are alternately arranged in the second direction.

9. The array antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that: The spacing between two adjacent units in the column in the first direction is a first spacing, the spacing between the main radiation column of the first radiation array and the secondary radiation column of the second radiation array in the first direction is a second spacing, and the second spacing is greater than or equal to the first spacing.

10. A communication device, characterized in that: include: An array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images