Phased-array antenna assembly, two-dimensional phased-array antenna and communication equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a phased-array antenna assembly, a two-dimensional phased-array antenna and communication equipment, relates to the field of communication, and aims to solve the problem of antenna gain loss deterioration under a large-deflection scanning working condition. The phased-array antenna assembly comprises a first antenna array and a second antenna array; the first end of the first antenna array and the first end of the second antenna array are arranged at an interval, and the second end of the first antenna array is in contact with the second end of the second antenna array, so that the first antenna array and the second antenna array form a preset included angle; a first antenna array, wherein a plurality of first antenna units synthesize a first wave beam in a first target direction in the current space according to respective signals radiated at the current phase; and a second antenna array, wherein a plurality of second antenna units synthesize a second wave beam in a second target direction in the current space according to respective signals radiated at the current phase. According to the invention, the gain loss deterioration of the antenna under a large-angle scanning condition can be reduced, the gain of the antenna array is improved, and the power consumption is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a phased array antenna assembly, a two-dimensional phased array antenna and communications equipment. Background Art

[0002] Two-dimensional phased array antennas can achieve beam scanning in both horizontal and elevation dimensions, avoiding mechanical servo structures and improving system reliability. However, for planar two-dimensional phased array antennas, when scanning at large angles, such as at ±70° in the normal direction, the antenna gain will be 4.7dB lower than the normal direction. Large inclination angles will also lead to deterioration of grating lobe suppression. If grating lobe suppression is required, it needs to be achieved through channel attenuation weighting, which further deteriorates the antenna gain under large inclination angles. For circularly polarized antennas such as satellite communications, large inclination angles will deteriorate the axial ratio, directly deteriorating the G / T (gain / noise temperature ratio) value or EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) value of the antenna core.

[0003] Therefore, how to provide a solution to the above technical problems is a problem that those skilled in the art need to solve at present. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a phased array antenna assembly, a two-dimensional phased array antenna and a communication device, which can reduce the deterioration of antenna gain loss under large-angle scanning conditions, improve the gain of the antenna array and reduce power consumption.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a phased array antenna assembly, comprising: a first antenna array and a second antenna array, wherein a first end of the first antenna array and a first end of the second antenna array are arranged at intervals, and a second end of the first antenna array and a second end of the second antenna array are in contact so that the first antenna array and the second antenna array form a preset angle;

[0006] The first antenna array includes a plurality of first antenna units with adjustable phases, and the signals radiated by the plurality of first antenna units according to their respective current phases synthesize a first beam in a first target direction in a current space;

[0007] The second antenna array includes a plurality of second antenna units with adjustable phases, and the signals radiated by the plurality of second antenna units according to their respective current phases synthesize a second beam in the direction of a second target in the current space;

[0008] The current phase of the first antenna unit and the current phase of the second antenna unit are determined according to a current scanning range and the preset angle.

[0009] Optionally, the first antenna array and the second antenna array are arranged symmetrically with respect to an array normal of the phased array antenna assembly.

[0010] Optionally, the first antenna array and the second antenna array are both arranged on a plane array;

[0011] The first antenna array and the second antenna array are both arranged on an arc array surface;

[0012] or,

[0013] The first antenna array and the second antenna array are both arranged on an umbrella-shaped array surface.

[0014] Optionally, a third beam formed by the first antenna array relative to the array normal of the phased array antenna assembly and a fourth beam formed by the second antenna array relative to the array normal of the phased array antenna assembly are superimposed to generate a spatial synthetic gain of the phased array antenna.

[0015] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application also provides a two-dimensional phased array antenna, including a beam control component and a phased array antenna component as described in any one of the above, wherein:

[0016] The beam control component is used to obtain a current scanning range and a preset angle formed by the first antenna array and the second antenna array in the phased array antenna component, and generate a first beamforming instruction and / or a second beamforming instruction according to the current scanning range and the preset angle; wherein the first beamforming instruction is used to adjust the current phase of each first antenna unit in the first antenna array, and the second beamforming instruction is used to adjust the current phase of each second antenna unit in the second antenna array.

[0017] Optionally, the process of generating a first beamforming instruction and / or a second beamforming instruction according to the current scanning range and the preset angle includes:

[0018] Determine a first beam deflection angle corresponding to the first antenna array according to the preset angle and the current scanning range, and generate a first beam forming instruction according to the first beam deflection angle;

[0019] and / or,

[0020] A second beam deflection angle corresponding to the second antenna array is determined according to the preset angle and the current scanning range, and a second beam forming instruction is generated according to the second beam deflection angle.

[0021] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application also provides a communication device, including a device body and at least one two-dimensional phased array antenna as described in any one of the above.

[0022] The present application provides a phased array antenna assembly, including two antenna arrays, the two antenna arrays form a preset angle, the phased array antenna assembly is a three-dimensional structure with an angle, under large scanning angle conditions, the angle between the two antenna arrays and the current scanning range are used to control the phase of the antenna unit on the antenna array, and the large deflection angle is converted into a small deflection angle on each single array surface, so that the antenna array can spatially synthesize a beam in the target direction, and realize beam scanning within the current scanning range. After converting the large deflection angle into a small deflection angle on each single array surface during the scanning process, the antenna gain loss deterioration under large angle scanning conditions can be reduced, the gain of the antenna array is improved, and the power consumption is reduced. The present application also provides a two-dimensional phased array antenna and communication equipment, which have the same beneficial effects as the above-mentioned phased array antenna assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0024] Figure 1a A schematic diagram of the structure of a phased array antenna assembly provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 1b A schematic structural diagram of another phased array antenna assembly provided by the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2a is the normal direction and ±70° scanning pattern of a planar antenna array;

[0027] Figure 2b is a schematic diagram of a ±70° deflection angle of a planar antenna array;

[0028] Figure 2c The normal and ±70° scanning patterns of a phased array antenna assembly provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a structural view of a two-dimensional phased array antenna provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The core of the present invention is to provide a phased array antenna assembly, a two-dimensional phased array antenna and a communication device, which can reduce the deterioration of antenna gain loss under large-angle scanning conditions, improve the gain of the antenna array and reduce power consumption.

[0031] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] First, please refer to Figure 1a , Figure 1a A schematic diagram of the structure of a phased array antenna assembly provided in this application, the phased array antenna assembly comprising:

[0033] A first antenna array 11 and a second antenna array 12, wherein a first end of the first antenna array 11 and a first end of the second antenna array 12 are arranged in a spaced relationship, and a second end of the first antenna array 11 and a second end of the second antenna array 12 are in contact with each other so that the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 form a preset angle; Figure 1a The preset angle is represented by α;

[0034] The first antenna array 11 includes a plurality of first antenna units with adjustable phases, and the signals radiated by the plurality of first antenna units according to their respective current phases are used to synthesize a first beam in a first target direction in a current space;

[0035] The second antenna array 12 includes a plurality of second antenna units with adjustable phases, and the signals radiated by the plurality of second antenna units according to their respective current phases synthesize a second beam in a second target direction in the current space;

[0036] The current phase of the first antenna unit and the current phase of the second antenna unit are determined according to the current scanning range and the preset angle.

[0037] It can be understood that a phased array antenna is an antenna system that uses phased array technology. By controlling the phase and / or amplitude of each antenna element in the antenna array, the direction, shape and strength of the beam can be controlled. The phased array antenna includes an antenna array. Considering that the planar antenna array is under a large scanning angle condition (±70° deflection scanning condition), the antenna gain will decrease due to the mutual coupling of the antenna elements of the planar antenna array, the beamforming capability and the physical structure limitation. Figure 2a and Figure 2b As shown, Figure 2a is the normal direction and ±70° scanning pattern of a planar antenna array in this embodiment, Figure 2bThe diagram is a schematic diagram of a ±70° deflection angle of a planar antenna array. The deflection angle refers to the deviation angle of the beam in the planar antenna array relative to the array normal (perpendicular to the antenna array surface). The current scanning range is the angle range in which the beam formed by the antenna array can be electronically scanned in the horizontal and vertical directions in the current application scenario. This range determines the spatial area in which the antenna array can transmit and receive signals. It can be understood that the current scanning range defines the maximum angle at which the beam can be deflected.

[0038] The phased array antenna assembly in this embodiment mainly includes two antenna arrays, namely a first antenna array 11 and a second antenna array 12. The first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 form a three-dimensional structure with an angle. Specifically, the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 each include a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the first antenna array 11 and the first end of the second antenna array 12 are arranged at an interval, and the second end of the first antenna array 11 and the second end of the second antenna array 12 are arranged close to each other so that the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 form a preset angle. The preset angle is set according to actual engineering needs. In this embodiment, Figure 1b The preset angle is 70°. The first antenna array 11 includes a plurality of first antenna units, and the phases of the plurality of first antenna units are adjustable. The current phase of each first antenna unit is adjusted according to the current scanning range, so that the signals radiated by the plurality of first antenna units at their respective current phases are synthesized in the current space into a first beam pointing to the first target direction, thereby realizing the beam scanning of the first antenna array 11 in a certain direction within the current scanning range. The second antenna array 12 includes a plurality of second antenna units, and the phases of the plurality of second antenna units are adjustable. The current phase of each second antenna unit is adjusted according to the current scanning range, so that the signals radiated by the plurality of second antenna units at their respective current phases are synthesized in the current space into a second beam pointing to the second target direction, thereby realizing the beam scanning of the second antenna array 12 in a certain direction within the current scanning range.

[0039] Under the large-angle scanning condition, due to the preset angle between the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12, the large-angle beam scanning of the planar antenna array can be converted into a small-angle beam scanning of each single-sided antenna array. Since the deviation angle of the generated beam in the target direction relative to the normal direction of the array surface where the single antenna array is located is reduced, the gain loss deterioration of the antenna array is reduced. Figure 1aIn the figure, the first array normal represents the array normal of the phased array antenna assembly, the second array normal represents the array normal of the first antenna array, the third array normal represents the array normal of the second antenna array, β1 represents the deviation angle of the beam in the first target direction relative to the normal direction of the array surface where the first antenna array is located, β2 represents the deviation angle of the beam in the second target direction relative to the normal direction of the array surface where the second antenna array is located, γ1 represents the deviation angle of the beam in the first target direction relative to the normal direction of the array surface where the planar antenna array is located, and γ2 represents the deviation angle of the beam in the second target direction relative to the normal direction of the array surface where the planar antenna array is located.

[0040] like Figure 1b As shown, under the scanning condition of large deflection angle (±70°), the deflection angle of the antenna beam generated in the planar antenna array relative to its normal direction is ±70°, and when the phased array antenna assembly of the present application is used, since there is a preset angle (70°) between the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12, it is assumed that the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 are symmetrically arranged relative to the normal of the planar antenna array. In this structure, for the first antenna array 11, a beam with the same pointing direction is generated, and the deflection angle of the beam relative to the normal of the array surface where the first antenna array 11 is located is 35°. For the second antenna array 12, similarly, the gain loss deterioration of the antenna array is reduced by reducing the deflection angle. Furthermore, due to the reduction in the deflection angle, the antenna units in the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 can be arranged more sparsely, thereby reducing the number of channels of the antenna units. At a 35° deflection angle, the antenna gain loss deteriorates by 0.9 dB, while the previous planar antenna array deteriorates by 4.7 dB at a 70° deflection angle. For the same G / T or EIRP index, the number of channels corresponding to the antenna array can be greatly reduced, and the total antenna cost and design and processing difficulty are reduced.

[0041] Reference Figure 2c As shown, Figure 2c The normal and ±70° scanning patterns of the phased array antenna assembly provided in this embodiment and the performance comparison are shown in Table 1.

[0042] Table 1 Antenna performance comparison

[0043]

[0044] It can be seen that in this embodiment, the phased array antenna assembly includes two antenna arrays, and the two antenna arrays form a preset angle. The phased array antenna assembly is a three-dimensional structure with an angle. Under large scanning angle conditions, the angle between the two antenna arrays and the current scanning range are used to control the phase of the antenna unit on the antenna array, and the large deflection angle is converted into a small deflection angle on each single array surface, so that the antenna array can spatially synthesize the beam in the target direction and realize beam scanning within the current scanning range. After converting the large deflection angle into a small deflection angle on each single array surface during the scanning process, the antenna gain loss deterioration under large-angle scanning conditions can be reduced, the gain of the antenna array is improved, and the power consumption is reduced. The present application also provides a two-dimensional phased array antenna and communication equipment, which have the same beneficial effects as the above-mentioned phased array antenna assembly.

[0045] Based on the above embodiments:

[0046] In an exemplary implementation, the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 are symmetrically arranged with respect to an array normal line of the phased array antenna assembly.

[0047] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 1b As shown, the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 can be symmetrically arranged relative to the array normal of the phased array antenna assembly. After the symmetrical arrangement, the first angle between the first antenna array 11 and the array normal is the same as the second angle between the second antenna array 12 and the array normal, which makes it easier to control the pointing direction of the beams generated by the two antenna arrays and improve the efficiency of the beam scanning within the current scanning range.

[0048] In an exemplary implementation, the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 are both arranged on a plane array;

[0049] In this embodiment, the two antenna arrays can be arranged on two planar array surfaces respectively. The planar array surface has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture and install, and is convenient for arranging and fixing each antenna unit. The arrangement and phase adjustment of the antenna units are more intuitive and standardized, making beam forming and control simpler. The antenna units on the planar array surface can be designed to have good radiation characteristics, such as smaller sidelobe levels and higher gains, which help to improve the directivity of the signal and reduce interference. At the same time, the planar array surface can be easily integrated with other electronic equipment (such as a feed network, a signal processor, etc.) to form a compact system. In addition, on the planar array surface, the antenna units can be evenly distributed to provide good directivity, so that the energy can be concentrated in a specific direction, thereby improving the distance and efficiency of communication or detection.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 are both arranged on an arc-shaped array plane.

[0051] In this embodiment, two antenna arrays can also be arranged on an arc-shaped array. The arc-shaped array can be used to form a non-planar beam, which helps to generate a fan-shaped or conical beam, thereby achieving coverage of a specific area. The arc-shaped array can also provide a larger horizontal coverage range, reduce clutter interference caused by ground reflection, and help improve the beam width in the vertical direction, thereby improving resolution. In addition, the arc-shaped structure usually has good mechanical strength and stability, and can better resist the influence of the external environment, such as wind load, temperature changes, etc. At the same time, the arc-shaped array can optimize the weight and volume of the system, reduce the mutual coupling effect between antenna units, thereby reducing mutual interference between antenna units, and further reducing the deterioration of antenna gain loss.

[0052] In an exemplary embodiment, the first antenna array 11 and the second antenna array 12 are both arranged on an umbrella-shaped array.

[0053] In this embodiment, two antenna arrays can also be arranged on an umbrella-shaped array. The umbrella-shaped array can provide approximately omnidirectional coverage, which can reduce the obstruction between the antenna array and the ground or other objects, thereby reducing signal obstruction and reflection and improving signal transmission quality. Since the umbrella-shaped array can provide a larger vertical coverage, the signal quality in the vertical direction can be improved.

[0054] In an exemplary implementation, a third beam formed by the first antenna array 11 relative to the array normal of the phased array antenna assembly and a fourth beam formed by the second antenna array 12 relative to the array normal of the phased array antenna assembly are superimposed to generate a spatial synthetic gain of the phased array antenna.

[0055] Still Figure 1b For example, for the normal beam corresponding to the array normal, each antenna array can generate a 35° beam. The superposition of two beams can generate an additional 3dB spatial synthesis gain, which improves the performance of the phased array antenna.

[0056] Second, refer to Figure 3 The present application also provides a two-dimensional phased array antenna, comprising a beam control component 21 and a phased array antenna component 22 as described above, wherein:

[0057] The beam control component 21 is used to obtain the current scanning range and the preset angle formed by the first antenna array 221 and the second linear array 222 in the phased array antenna component 22, and generate a first beam forming instruction and / or a second beam forming instruction according to the current scanning range and the preset angle; wherein the first beam forming instruction is used to adjust the current phase of each first antenna unit in the first antenna array 221, and the second beam forming instruction is used to adjust the current phase of each second antenna unit in the second linear array 222.

[0058] In this embodiment, the two-dimensional phased array antenna includes the phased array antenna assembly 22 described in any of the above embodiments, including a first antenna array 221 and a second linear array 222, wherein the first end of the first antenna array 221 and the first end of the second linear array 222 are arranged at intervals, the second end of the first antenna array 221 and the second end of the second linear array 222 are in contact so that the first antenna array 221 and the second linear array 222 form a preset angle, the first antenna array 221 includes a plurality of first antenna units, and the second linear array 222 includes a plurality of second antenna units. The beam control assembly 21 is used to adjust the current phase of the first antenna unit and the current phase of the second antenna unit, thereby changing the beam pointing direction of the first antenna array 221 and the beam pointing direction of the second linear array 222. Taking into account that at different preset angles and / or different scanning ranges, the deflection angles of the beam pointing directions of the two antenna arrays relative to their respective array normals may be different. Therefore, in order to achieve precise control, the beam control component 21 generates a first beamforming instruction for controlling the first antenna array 221 and a second beamforming instruction for controlling the second line array 222 based on the preset angle formed between the first antenna array 221 and the second line array 222 and the current scanning range. The first beamforming instruction includes a sub-instruction for controlling each first antenna unit in the first antenna array 221, and the second beamforming instruction includes a sub-instruction for controlling each second antenna unit in the second line array 222. After receiving the first beamforming instruction, the first antenna array 221 responds to the instruction to adjust the phase of each antenna unit one by one to the current phase corresponding to each sub-instruction, so as to point the first beam to a specific direction. The same applies to the second line array 222.

[0059] In an exemplary implementation, the process of generating the first beamforming instruction and / or the second beamforming instruction according to the current scanning range and the preset angle includes:

[0060] Determine a first beam deflection angle corresponding to the first antenna array 221 according to a preset angle and a current scanning range, and generate a first beam forming instruction according to the first beam deflection angle;

[0061] and / or,

[0062] The second beam deflection angle corresponding to the second line array 222 is determined according to the preset angle and the current scanning range, and a second beam forming instruction is generated according to the second beam deflection angle.

[0063] In this embodiment, the first beam deflection angle is the deviation angle of the beam formed by the first antenna array 221 relative to the array normal of the first antenna array 221, and the second beam deflection angle is the deviation angle of the beam formed by the second line array 222 relative to the array normal of the second line array 222. Under different preset angles and / or different scanning ranges, the beam corresponding to the same pointing direction has different beam deflections on the first antenna array 221 or the second line array 222. Therefore, when performing beam scanning in a specified direction through the first antenna array 221 and the second line array 222, it is necessary to determine the first beam deflection angle and the second beam deflection angle according to the current scanning range and the preset angle between the first antenna array 221 and the second line array 222, and then generate a beam forming instruction, thereby improving the accuracy of the beam scanning.

[0064] In summary, this embodiment uses two folded angle projection apertures to superimpose in the normal direction of the array to improve the gain of the entire array surface, and uses the array surface oblique angle to reduce the efficiency reduction caused by the scanning angle at a large scanning angle, thereby improving the gain of the entire antenna array surface and reducing power consumption.

[0065] In a third aspect, the present application also provides a communication device, comprising a device body and at least one two-dimensional phased array antenna as described in any one of the embodiments above.

[0066] For an introduction to a communication device provided in the present application, please refer to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the present application will not go into details here.

[0067] The communication device provided in the present application has the same beneficial effects as the above-mentioned two-dimensional phased array antenna.

[0068] It should also be noted that, in this specification, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used 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 including 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, the elements defined by the statement "comprising a ..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0069] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A phased array antenna assembly, characterized in that: include: a first antenna array and a second antenna array, wherein a first end of the first antenna array and a first end of the second antenna array are spaced apart, and a second end of the first antenna array and a second end of the second antenna array are in contact with each other so that the first antenna array and the second antenna array form a preset angle; The first antenna array includes a plurality of first antenna units with adjustable phases, and the signals radiated by the plurality of first antenna units according to their respective current phases synthesize a first beam in a first target direction in a current space; The second antenna array includes a plurality of second antenna units with adjustable phases, and the signals radiated by the plurality of second antenna units according to their respective current phases synthesize a second beam in the direction of a second target in the current space; The current phase of the first antenna unit and the current phase of the second antenna unit are determined according to a current scanning range and the preset angle.

2. The phased array antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first antenna array and the second antenna array are symmetrically arranged relative to an array normal line of the phased array antenna assembly.

3. The phased array antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first antenna array and the second antenna array are both arranged on a plane array; The first antenna array and the second antenna array are both arranged on an arc array surface; or, The first antenna array and the second antenna array are both arranged on an umbrella-shaped array surface.

4. The phased array antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: A third beam formed by the first antenna array relative to the array normal of the phased array antenna assembly and a fourth beam formed by the second antenna array relative to the array normal of the phased array antenna assembly are superimposed to generate a spatial synthetic gain of the phased array antenna.

5. A two-dimensional phased array antenna, characterized in that: The invention comprises a beam control component and a phased array antenna component as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The beam control component is used to obtain a current scanning range and a preset angle formed by the first antenna array and the second antenna array in the phased array antenna component, and generate a first beamforming instruction and / or a second beamforming instruction according to the current scanning range and the preset angle; wherein the first beamforming instruction is used to adjust the current phase of each first antenna unit in the first antenna array, and the second beamforming instruction is used to adjust the current phase of each second antenna unit in the second antenna array.

6. The two-dimensional phased array antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that: The process of generating the first beamforming instruction and / or the second beamforming instruction according to the current scanning range and the preset angle includes: Determine a first beam deflection angle corresponding to the first antenna array according to the preset angle and the current scanning range, and generate a first beam forming instruction according to the first beam deflection angle; and / or, A second beam deflection angle corresponding to the second antenna array is determined according to the preset angle and the current scanning range, and a second beam forming instruction is generated according to the second beam deflection angle.

7. A communication device, characterized in that: It comprises a device body and at least one two-dimensional phased array antenna as described in any one of claims 5-6.

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