Multi-beam phased array antenna

Abstract

This invention relates to a multi-beam phased array antenna, comprising an antenna layer, a beam layer, a control network layer, a power network layer, and an RF chip layer. The beam layer includes multiple beamforming network layers. The RF chip layer is connected to the beam layer and the antenna layer via an electromagnetic interconnect structure. The multi-beam phased array antenna outputs multiple independent beams, the number of which is less than or equal to the number of beamforming network layers. The activation, deactivation, and pointing of any of the independent beams are controlled according to communication rate requirements, signal strength, and usage scenarios. The multi-beam phased array antenna enhances signal strength and communication rate by controlling multiple independent beams to point towards the same satellite. This invention can improve the performance of satellite communication terminals through flexible beam switching and features high engineering practicality, mature technology, and controllable cost.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of phased array antennas, in particular to a multi-beam phased array antenna. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid rise of current 5G communication and broadband low-orbit satellite communication, millimeter wave active phased array antennas have begun to develop unprecedentedly. China has included satellite Internet construction into the "new infrastructure", and the cost, size and generalization of millimeter wave phased arrays directly affect user experience and operating costs, which are the main technical bottlenecks restricting the large-scale popularization and application of satellite communication, and technical breakthroughs and self-controllability must be achieved as soon as possible.

[0003] A series of communication operations such as terminal satellite communication, satellite tracking and satellite switching need to be implemented by using a phased array antenna terminal. According to the architecture of the system, the terminal needs an antenna, a low-noise amplifier or a final power amplifier, amplitude modulation, phase modulation, frequency mixing and other functions, and the core design and cost of the terminal are the antenna + radio frequency link part because of the large number of them.

[0004] A phased array antenna refers to an antenna that changes the shape of the radiation pattern by controlling the phase of the feed of the radiating elements in the array antenna. In recent years, phased array antenna technology has been widely used in radar systems, communication, remote sensing and electronic countermeasures and other technical fields.

[0005] At present, although the number and shape of beams can be flexibly controlled in the related technology of phased array antennas, the structure is relatively complex, the cost is high, and the manufacturing process is complex.

[0006] A millimeter wave networking communication multi-beam phased array antenna device is disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN117200843A, which includes a planar antenna array, a beam control module, a frequency conversion assembly, an AD / DA acquisition processing unit, a beam forming processing unit, and a communication terminal for modulating and demodulating signal processing. This antenna adopts a subarray multi-beam form and a wide / narrow beam switching mode to respectively realize the multi-beam wide coverage requirement in the networking communication network building stage and the high-gain narrow beam requirement in the data transmission stage, and can realize flexible multi-beam, wide / narrow beam switching, beam scanning and control, and beam automatic tracking functions. However, the multi-beam phased array antenna has the following problems: the thickness of the phased array is high, the size and weight are large, which leads to the application of scenes with strict size and weight requirements such as satellite communication terminals, satellite payload antennas, 5G antennas and the like, and the application and popularization thereof are greatly limited. Moreover, in the aspect of satellite-ground communication application, there are technical problems of large attenuation and long transmission delay. SUMMARY

[0007] To solve the above technical problems existing in the prior art, the present application aims to provide a multi-beam phased array antenna, which is high in engineering practicability, mature in process, controllable in cost, and capable of improving the performance of a satellite communication terminal by flexibly switching independent beams.

[0008] To achieve the above application purposes, the present application provides a multi-beam phased array antenna, which comprises an antenna layer, a beam layer, a control network layer, a power network layer, and a radio frequency chip layer.

[0009] The beam layer comprises a plurality of beam synthesis network layers.

[0010] The radio frequency chip layer is connected with the beam layer and the antenna layer through an electromagnetic interconnection structure.

[0011] The multi-beam phased array antenna outputs a plurality of independent beams, the number of the independent beams is less than or equal to the number of the beam synthesis network layers, and the opening or closing and pointing of any independent beam are controlled according to the demand of a communication rate, a signal strength, and a use scenario.

[0012] The multi-beam phased array antenna enhances the signal strength and the communication rate by controlling a plurality of independent beams to point to the same satellite.

[0013] According to one technical solution of the present application, the multi-beam phased array antenna outputs at least three independent beams.

[0014] According to one technical solution of the present application, the antenna layer, the beam layer, the control network layer, the power network layer, and the radio frequency chip layer are manufactured through a multi-layer PCB or LTCC process.

[0015] According to one technical solution of the present application, the electromagnetic interconnection structure is a coaxial structure, which comprises an inner core and an outer core, the inner core is composed of a metal via hole for transmitting a signal, and the outer core is composed of a plurality of metal via holes surrounding the inner core for shielding other signal interference.

[0016] According to one technical solution of the present application, any two adjacent beam synthesis network layers are separated by a floor.

[0017] According to one technical solution of the present application, the control network layer comprises a clock network, a data network, and a control network.

[0018] According to one technical solution of the present application, the radio frequency chip layer comprises a plurality of radio frequency chips for receiving N independent beams, N beam ports are arranged on the radio frequency chip, and a plurality of channels are arranged in the radio frequency chip, one low noise amplifier, N phase shifters for adjusting the phase of the independent beam and N attenuators are arranged in any channel, the low noise amplifier in any channel is connected with the N phase shifters, one attenuator is connected behind any phase shifter, and the attenuators processing the same independent beam are connected with the corresponding beam port.

[0019] The N beam ports on the radio frequency chip are connected with the N beam synthesis network layer through electromagnetic interconnection structure one by one.

[0020] According to one technical solution of the present application, the antenna layer comprises a receiving antenna array, and the receiving antenna array comprises a plurality of antenna units.

[0021] According to one technical solution of the present application, the phase difference between any two adjacent antenna units is Δφ.

[0022] The main lobe direction of the independent beam of the multi-beam phased array antenna is adjusted by the following formula:

[0023]

[0024] Wherein, λ is the wavelength of the independent beam, θ0 is the main lobe direction, and d is the distance between any two adjacent antenna units.

[0025] According to one technical solution of the present application, the radio frequency chip layer is connected with a frequency conversion module and a baseband signal processor.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] The present application can flexibly switch the number of beams required to be used according to the use scene. In the high-rate scene, such as watching high-definition video or downloading a large amount of data, 4 beams work at the same time, which can communicate at a very high rate, and is suitable for the scene with high rate and strong performance requirement. In the medium-rate scene, such as watching standard definition video, video conference and the like, 2 beams or 3 beams can be selected to work at the same time, when the communication environment condition is good and the signal strength is high, 2 beams can be directly turned off to reduce the terminal power consumption and increase the endurance.

[0028] In the present application, N independent beams in the beam layer can work at the same time, adjacent beams are isolated by a layer of floor, low-loss propagation of radio frequency signals can be realized in the beam layer, and the radio frequency signals between different channels have high isolation.

[0029] The electromagnetic interconnection structure can vertically transmit radio frequency signals between different layers with low loss, and has good isolation between different electromagnetic interconnection structures.

[0030] The circuit part of the application is realized by a PCB process, and the antenna system as a whole is designed in a complete electromagnetic compatibility, high-speed digital circuit, radio frequency circuit and chip, and antenna, and the system as a whole is designed completely and has high reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of these drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a switchable four-beam active phased array antenna multilayer circuit lamination provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the switchable four-beam active phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure;

[0034] Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the coaxial vertical interconnection electromagnetic structure provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure;

[0035] Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the switchable four-beam active phased array antenna beam pointing when four satellites are in communication is shown in the figure;

[0036] Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the switchable four-beam active phased array antenna beam scanning pointing to the angle where the satellite is located when the satellite moves to a certain angle is shown in the figure;

[0037] Figure 6 The schematic diagram of a conventional terminal using a beam active phased array antenna at the present stage is shown in the figure;

[0038] Figure 7 The schematic diagram of the switchable four-beam active phased array antenna radio frequency front end working when receiving is provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure;

[0039] Figure 8 The schematic diagram of the switchable four-beam synthesis network layer vertical lamination provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure;

[0040] Figure 9 Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a beam synthesis network according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 10 Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a four-beam terminal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 11 Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a four-beam terminal according to an embodiment of the present application, in which four beams are simultaneously active and provide four useful signals directed to four satellites;

[0043] Figure 12 Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a two-beam terminal according to an embodiment of the present application, in which two beams are simultaneously active and provide two useful signals directed to two satellites;

[0044] Figure 13 Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a four-beam terminal according to an embodiment of the present application, in which four beams are simultaneously active and provide two useful signals directed to two satellites;

[0045] Figure 14 Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a one-beam terminal according to an embodiment of the present application, in which one beam is simultaneously active and three beams are closed, and one useful signal is provided directed to one satellite;

[0046] Figure 15 Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a two-beam terminal according to an embodiment of the present application, in which two beams are simultaneously active and two beams are closed, and one useful signal is provided directed to one satellite;

[0047] Figure 16 Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a three-beam terminal according to an embodiment of the present application, in which three beams are simultaneously active and one beam is closed, and one useful signal is provided directed to one satellite;

[0048] Figure 17 Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a four-beam terminal according to an embodiment of the present application, in which four beams are simultaneously active, and one useful signal is provided directed to one satellite.

[0049] Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a beam synthesis network according to an embodiment of the present application, in which the beam synthesis network is a two-layer network; Figures 1 to 9 The correspondence between the reference signs and the component names in the accompanying drawings is as follows:

[0050] 1 - antenna layer; 2 - beam layer; 3 - control network layer; 4 - power supply network layer; 5 - radio frequency chip layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The description of the embodiments of the specification should be combined with the corresponding drawings, which should be part of the complete specification. In the drawings, the shape or thickness of the embodiment can be enlarged and simplified or convenient. Moreover, the parts of the structure in the drawings will be described separately, and it is worth noting that the elements not shown or not described in the drawings are in the form known to those skilled in the art.

[0052] The description of the embodiments herein, any reference to direction and orientation, is only for the convenience of description, and cannot be understood as any limitation on the scope of protection of the application. The following description of the preferred embodiment will refer to a combination of features, which can exist independently or in combination, and the application is not particularly limited to the preferred embodiment. The scope of the application is defined by the claims.

[0053] Embodiments

[0054] A multi-beam phased array antenna includes an antenna layer 1, a beam layer 2, a control network layer 3, a power supply network layer 4, and a radio frequency chip layer 5.

[0055] The beam layer 2 includes a plurality of beam synthesis network layers.

[0056] The radio frequency chip layer 5 is connected to the beam layer 2 and the antenna layer 1 through an electromagnetic interconnection structure.

[0057] The multi-beam phased array antenna outputs a plurality of independent beams, the number of independent beams is less than or equal to the number of beam synthesis network layers, and the opening or closing and pointing of any independent beam is controlled according to the demand of communication rate, signal strength and use scene.

[0058] The multi-beam phased array antenna enhances the signal strength and communication rate by controlling the pointing of a plurality of independent beams to the same satellite.

[0059] The multi-beam phased array antenna outputs at least 3 independent beams.

[0060] The antenna layer 1, the beam layer 2, the control network layer 3, the power supply network layer 4, and the radio frequency chip layer 5 are manufactured by a multi-layer PCB process.

[0061] The control network layer 3 includes a clock network, a data network, and a control network.

[0062] The embodiment of the application is a four-beam active phased array antenna designed and produced according to the scheme of the application.

[0063] As Figure 1As shown, the antenna overall system contains various laminations, including antenna layer 1, beam layer 2, control network layer 3, power network layer 4, radio frequency chip layer 5, etc. Different functional layers are composed of different media, and the lamination structure is realized by PCB process. Antenna layer 1 contains a receiving antenna array, and the receiving antenna array has various arraying modes, which can be square arraying, triangular arraying or other forms, without constraints. Beam layer 2 includes 4 layers of beam synthesis network layer, control network layer 3 includes clock network, data network, control network, etc. The clock network provides clock for multi-beam chip component interface communication, the data network provides data reading and writing for chip interface communication, and the control network provides control signals for the chip. The control network layer has many control signal lines, including clock lines, data lines and control signal lines, etc., which can provide corresponding signals for all chips. The control signals are issued by the control chip, and the control chip automatically switches different states through customized scene algorithms. Power network layer 4 mainly provides power for receiving chips, FPGA chips, etc. The power voltage types and power are designed according to the actual chip indicators. Antenna layer 1 is connected with radio frequency chip layer 5 through electromagnetic interconnection structure. When transmitting, the radio frequency signal is transmitted from the chip to the antenna through the coaxial structure, and when receiving, the radio frequency signal is transmitted from the antenna to the chip through the coaxial structure. This embodiment is a receiving embodiment. Beam layer 2 is connected with radio frequency chip layer 5 through electromagnetic interconnection structure, and when working, as shown, Figure 2 The signal transmitted by the satellite is processed through the whole system and finally outputs four-way beam signals. The whole system is designed through complete electromagnetic compatibility design, high-speed digital circuit design, radio frequency circuit and chip design, antenna design, etc. The overall system design is complete and has high reliability.

[0064] The present application increases the single beam of the conventional antenna to four beams, and flexibly switches the number of beams needed according to the use scene through innovative design. In the high-speed scene, N beams work at the same time, which is equivalent to a phased array that can point to N satellites, greatly improving the communication rate. That is, the scene is switched to maximize the use of low-orbit satellite communication resources.

[0065] Specifically, as shown in Figure 4 The four beams of the four-beam active phased array antenna of the embodiment can point to four satellites for simultaneous communication. When communicating with the satellite, in order to better transmit and receive signals, the main lobe of each beam of the antenna will be aligned in the direction of the satellite. Because the present application is a four-beam active phased array antenna, it has the ability to simultaneously point to one satellite, two satellites, three satellites, and four satellites, and correspondingly perform one-way communication, two-way communication, three-way communication, and four-way communication. The specific communication mode is flexible and can be intelligently switched according to business and scene requirements. In the high-speed scene, such as watching high-definition video or downloading a large amount of data, at this time, as shown in Figure 11, 4 beams are opened simultaneously, 4 beams work simultaneously, data from four satellites is received, and high-rate communication can be achieved, which is suitable for high-speed and high-performance scenarios. In the medium-rate scenario, such as watching standard definition video, video conferencing and the like, 2 beams or 3 beams can be selected to work simultaneously, and the switching mode of 2 beams is also divided into two modes. Figure 12 When the communication environment condition is good and the signal strength is high, 2 beams can be directly closed to reduce the power consumption of the terminal and increase the endurance, at this time, only 2 beams are directed to two satellites, and 2 useful signals are received. When the communication environment condition is poor and the signal strength is weak, 4 beams are opened, such as Figure 13 Two same beams are directed to the same satellite, the useful signals are superimposed, the signal strength is enhanced, and the signal quality is improved, and overall, the prototype is still directed to two satellites, and 2 useful signals are received, that is, the user demand is met, and the signal quality is improved. In the low-rate scenario, such as browsing the web, audio call and the like, 1 beam can be selected to work, and the switching mode of 1 beam also has multiple modes. For example Figure 14 When the communication environment condition is good and the signal strength is high, 3 beams can be directly closed to reduce the power consumption of the terminal and increase the endurance, at this time, only 1 beam is directed to one satellite, and 1 useful signal is received. When the communication environment condition is poor and the signal strength is weak, 2 beams can be opened according to the demand to enhance the signal strength, such as Figure 15 It is the state when 2 beams are opened, if the signal strength is still not enough, 3 beams can be opened to further enhance the signal strength, such as Figure 16 It is the state when 3 beams are opened, if the signal strength is still not enough, 4 beams can be opened to further enhance the signal strength, such as Figure 17 It is the state when 4 beams are opened, multiple same beams are directed to the same satellite, the useful signals are superimposed, the signal strength is enhanced, and the signal quality is improved, and overall, the antenna is still directed to one satellite, the resources of one satellite are used, and the satellite resources are not wasted, and 1 useful signal is received, that is, the user demand is met, and the signal quality is improved. In this way, the scene is switched, and the demand is switched, the user demand can be met, and the satellite resources can be maximally utilized, and the waste of satellite resources is avoided.

[0066] The phased array radio frequency front end of the application has a size similar to that of a single-beam phased array, and the beam capacity is N times that of a single-beam phased array (when the number of independent beams is 4, the beam capacity is 4 times that of a single-beam phased array), has the advantages of miniaturization, low cost and high performance, and is a mainstream technical route of future high-end low-orbit satellite communication terminals. Meanwhile, the application makes full use of existing mature multi-layer PCB technology and mature chip CMOS technology, has the advantages of low cost and easy mass production, greatly saves the cost of satellite communication, and is a mainstream technical route of large-scale commercialization of future millimeter wave satellite communication terminals.

[0067] The multi-beam phased array antenna of the application can also be manufactured by using an LTCC process or the like.

[0068] Current phased array antennas are all single-beam large arrays, have a large number of array elements, are expensive, and are not flexible, and cannot flexibly adjust the beams according to the use scenarios. The 4-beam active phased array antenna has the ability to simultaneously connect 4 satellites, can achieve faster communication rates, and more stably connected, so the 4-beam active phased array antenna can construct a higher-end satellite communication terminal. At the same time, the 4-beam phased array antenna can flexibly adjust the communication beams according to the use scenarios and the needs of consumers, can maximize the matching of user needs and valuable satellite resources, and has high market potential.

[0069] The electromagnetic interconnection structure is a coaxial structure, including an inner core and an outer core, the inner core is composed of a metal via for transmitting signals, and the outer core is composed of a plurality of metal vias surrounding the inner core for shielding other signal interference.

[0070] The electromagnetic interconnection structure connecting the antenna and the radio frequency chip is shown in Figure 3 The electromagnetic structure is a coaxial structure, the inner core is a signal hole composed of a metal via, used for transmitting signals, one end is connected to the feed line of the antenna, and the other end is connected to the feed line of the radio frequency chip, used for transmitting radio frequency signals in the vertical direction. The outer core is a isolation ground hole composed of a ring of metal vias, used for shielding other signal interference. The electromagnetic interconnection structure can vertically transmit radio frequency signals between different layers with low loss, and different electromagnetic interconnection structures have good isolation;

[0071] The radio frequency chip layer 5 includes a plurality of radio frequency chips for receiving four independent beams, the radio frequency chip is provided with four beam ports, and the radio frequency chip is provided with a plurality of channels, one low noise amplifier, four phase shifters for adjusting the phase of the independent beam and four attenuators are arranged in any channel, the low noise amplifier in any channel is connected with the four phase shifters, one attenuator is connected after any phase shifter, and the attenuators for processing the same independent beam are connected with the corresponding beam port.

[0072] The four beam ports on the radio frequency chip are connected with the four beam synthesis network layers through the electromagnetic interconnection structure one by one.

[0073] The principle of a conventional single-beam radio frequency chip is shown in Figure 6 The blue dashed box is the chip, which includes four channels inside, each channel has one LNA (low noise amplifier) to amplify the signal, one phase shifter to control the phase to realize the pointing angle to the satellite, and one attenuator to adjust the amplitude, that is, to control the signal size.

[0074] The principle of the radio frequency chip of the application is shown inFigure 7 As shown, its inside can contain N channels, and the embodiment is 8 channels, Figure 7 Only two channels are drawn in detail, and the remaining 6 channels are consistent with the drawn channels. Each channel has 1 LNA to amplify the signal, 4 phase shifters to control the phase to realize the angle of the satellite, and 4 attenuators to adjust the amplitude, that is, to control the signal size. Each phase shifter attenuator represents a beam. The same beams of many channels are combined to synthesize a beam. The beam is transmitted from the beam port to the beam synthesis network. The connection of the radio frequency chip and the beam synthesis network is as shown in Figure 8 As shown, a radio frequency chip has 4 beam ports, and a total of four beam signals are output. The radio frequency network layer has multiple radio frequency chips. The same beam ports of each chip pass through the multi-layer PCB board through the electromagnetic interconnection structure and are connected to the beam synthesis network. The beam synthesis network in the same layer contains the beam signals of the same beam of all radio frequency chips. These signals are connected to the power synthesis network. All the same beam signals are synthesized into a signal through the power synthesis network, and then output through the radio frequency port. The present application has 4 beams, so there are four beam synthesis network layers of this type. Each layer of beam synthesis network is isolated by the floor, so that the adjacent beam synthesis network layers have high isolation, ensuring that each beam works independently and does not interfere with each other.

[0075] Figure 9 It is a local schematic diagram of beam 1 of the four-beam synthesis network according to the present application. It is assumed that there are 8 radio frequency chips. The radio frequency signals of beam 1 of each radio frequency chip are connected to the beam network layer through the coaxial electromagnetic interconnection structure. Through the beam synthesis network as shown in Figure 8 The radio frequency signals of beam 1 are synthesized, and the radio frequency signal output is performed at the radio frequency port. The present application has 4 layers of beam synthesis network, and can output the radio frequency signals of 4 beams.

[0076] Figure 5 It is a working schematic diagram when one of the four beams of the active phased array antenna is scanned to a certain angle when the satellite moves to a certain angle. When the satellite is at a certain angle, the phase of the antenna will change the phase of each antenna through the phase shifter module inside the chip to form a set of active phased array antennas. By controlling the phase of each antenna, the radiation pattern of the overall array can freely control the direction of the pattern and point to the direction of the satellite.

[0077] The antenna layer 1 includes a receiving antenna array, and the receiving antenna array includes a plurality of antenna elements.

[0078] The phase difference between any adjacent antenna elements is Δφ;

[0079] The main lobe direction of the independent beam of the multi-beam phased array antenna is adjusted by the following formula:

[0080]

[0081] Where λ is the wavelength of the independent beam, θ0 is the direction of the main lobe, and d is the spacing between any two adjacent antenna elements.

[0082] Based on the calculation formula for no grating lobes appearing within the scanning range, the main lobe direction of the phased array is θ0.

[0083] Because satellites are constantly moving during satellite communication, it is crucial that the four-beam active phased array antenna be accurately pointed at the satellite's position; this is key to signal quality. For example... Figure 5 As shown, when the satellite moves to a certain angle, the antenna of this invention will change the phase of each antenna through the phase shifter module inside the chip to change the phase of one of the beams, so that the beam scans towards the angle corresponding to the satellite.

[0084] The specific method for changing the main lobe pointing of the antenna beam is as follows: First, determine the phase difference of each array element. Taking the rightmost antenna element as the reference, the antenna elements on the left lag behind the elements on the right by an angle Δφ, and so on. This is equivalent to the main lobe array being deflected, and at the same time, the main lobe of the radiation pattern is also deflected. Through formula calculation and dynamic adjustment, the main lobe points exactly at the satellite.

[0085] For a given satellite, knowing its ephemeris, which is the precise position or trajectory of the satellite as it moves over time, allows us to determine its location in space. A four-beam active phased array antenna can accurately locate itself using BeiDou or other navigation systems, thereby calculating the relative position and angle between the user and the satellite. This allows us to control the phase shifter inside the four-beam active phased array antenna to precisely point the antenna beam at the satellite, achieving reliable satellite communication.

[0086] The RF chip layer 5 is connected to the frequency conversion module and the baseband signal processor.

[0087] like Figure 10 As shown, after the antenna receives signals from four satellites, the signals are amplified by the radio frequency chip and output as four beam signals. Each beam signal is then mixed with the local oscillator and down-converted to a baseband signal, becoming four baseband signals. After demodulation processing by the baseband signal processor, they become four useful signals.

[0088] The specific operation process of the antenna of this invention is as follows: Taking simultaneous communication with four satellites as an example, the four satellites transmit signals to the terminal, which are then transmitted to the array surface of the four-beam active phased array antenna. Since each beam has a phase shifter, each beam of the four-beam active phased array antenna can be precisely pointed at the satellite, greatly improving the overall channel quality. Figure 2As shown, the antenna receives satellite signals, which are transmitted to the radio frequency chip layer 5 through the corresponding electromagnetic interconnection structure. The radio frequency chip layer 5 has many blocks of radio frequency chips. The radio frequency signals are processed by the radio frequency chips, such as low noise amplification, phase shifting, attenuation, etc., to output 4 useful beam signals. The beam signals are transmitted to the beam layer 2 through the beam electromagnetic interconnection structure. The beam signals of different chips are combined together through the beam synthesis network. The beam 1 signals of different chips are combined together through the beam synthesis network to form one radio frequency signal for output. The beam 2 signals of different chips are combined together through the beam synthesis network to form one radio frequency signal for output. Similarly, the 4 radio frequency signals can be finally formed because the present application has four layers of beam networks. The 4 radio frequency signals have high isolation and are independent of each other. Each beam contains useful signals of one satellite. The 4 radio frequency signals are mixed with local oscillator signals in frequency conversion modules 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 to become 4 baseband signals. The 4 baseband signals are demodulated by a baseband signal processor to output 4 useful signals to terminal users.

[0089] The specific implementation scheme of the present application in the radio frequency chip is as shown in Figure 7 As shown, the antenna receives satellite signals, which are transmitted to the corresponding channel of the radio frequency chip. The weak satellite signals are amplified by the LNA module in the chip. The amplified signals are divided into 4 beams. Each beam is controlled by a phase shifter to realize the pointing angle of the satellite and an attenuator to adjust the amplitude, i.e., control the signal size. Each channel contains 4 phase shifters and 4 attenuators. The same beams of multiple channels are combined by the beam network in the chip to form a beam signal, which is output through the 4 beam ports of the chip.

[0090] In the embodiment, the four-beam active phased array antenna can flexibly switch the number of beams required to be used according to the use scene. In the high-rate scene, such as watching high-definition video or downloading a large amount of data, 4 beams work simultaneously, which can communicate at a very high rate, and is suitable for the scene with high-rate and strong performance requirement. In the medium-rate scene, such as watching standard-definition video or video conference, 2 beams or 3 beams can be selected to work simultaneously. When the communication environment condition is good and the signal strength is high, 2 beams can be directly turned off to reduce the power consumption of the terminal and increase the endurance. The 4 independent beams in the beam layer 2 can work simultaneously. The adjacent beams are separated by a layer of floor. The low-loss propagation of the radio frequency signal can be realized in the beam layer 2. The radio frequency signals between different channels have high isolation. The electromagnetic interconnection structure can vertically transmit the radio frequency signal between different layers with low loss. The circuit part of the four-beam active phased array antenna is realized by the PCB process. The overall antenna system is designed through complete electromagnetic compatibility design, high-speed digital circuit design, radio frequency circuit and chip design, antenna design and the like. The overall system design is complete and has high reliability.

[0091] The basic principles, main features and advantages of the present application are shown and described above. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present application is not limited by the above embodiments, and the above embodiments and descriptions in the specification are only preferred examples of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, various changes and improvements can be made to the present application, and these changes and improvements all fall within the scope of the present application. The scope of protection of the present application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A multi-beam phased array antenna, characterized by, The antenna layer, the beam layer, the control network layer, the power network layer, and the radio frequency chip layer are included. The beam layer includes a plurality of beam synthesis network layers. The radio frequency chip layer is connected with the beam layer and the antenna layer through an electromagnetic interconnection structure. The multi-beam phased array antenna outputs a plurality of independent beams, the number of the independent beams is less than or equal to the number of the beam synthesis network layers, and the opening or closing and pointing of any independent beam is controlled according to the demand of communication rate, signal strength and use scenario. The multi-beam phased array antenna is configured to: in a high-rate communication scenario, open all independent beams; in a medium-rate communication scenario, open part of the independent beams; in a low-rate communication scenario, open one independent beam, and in response to the signal strength and the communication rate being lower than a preset threshold, control a plurality of independent beams to point to the same satellite to enhance the signal strength and the communication rate. The electromagnetic interconnection structure is a coaxial structure, including an inner core and an outer core, the inner core is composed of a metal via hole for transmitting signals, and the outer core is composed of a plurality of metal via holes surrounding the inner core for shielding other signal interference, realizing low-loss transmission of radio frequency signals and high isolation. The radio frequency chip layer includes a plurality of radio frequency chips for receiving N independent beams, N beam ports are arranged on the radio frequency chip, a plurality of channels are arranged in the radio frequency chip, one low noise amplifier, N phase shifters for adjusting the phase of the independent beam and N attenuators are arranged in any channel, the low noise amplifier in any channel is connected with the N phase shifters, one attenuator is connected behind any phase shifter, and the attenuators processing the same independent beam are connected with the corresponding beam port. The same beams of a plurality of channels are combined into one beam signal through the beam network inside the chip and output through the beam port of the chip. The N beam ports on the radio frequency chip are connected with the N beam synthesis network layers one by one through the electromagnetic interconnection structure.

2. The multi-beam phased array antenna of claim 1, wherein, The multi-beam phased array antenna outputs at least 3 independent beams.

3. The multi-beam phased array antenna of claim 1, wherein, The antenna layer, the beam layer, the control network layer, the power network layer, and the radio frequency chip layer are manufactured by a multi-layer PCB or LTCC process.

4. The multi-beam phased array antenna of claim 1, wherein, Any two adjacent beam synthesis network layers are separated by a floor.

5. The multi-beam phased array antenna of claim 1, wherein, The control network layer includes a clock network, a data network, and a control network.

6. The multi-beam phased array antenna of claim 1, wherein, The antenna layer includes a receiving antenna array, and the receiving antenna array includes a plurality of antenna units.

7. The multi-beam phased array antenna of claim 6, wherein, The phase difference between any two adjacent antenna units is Δφ. The main lobe pointing of the independent beam of the multi-beam phased array antenna is adjusted by the following formula: Where λ is the wavelength of the independent beam, θ0 is the main lobe pointing, and d is the distance between any two adjacent antenna units.

8. The multi-beam phased array antenna of claim 1, wherein, The radio frequency chip layer is connected with a frequency conversion module and a baseband signal processor.

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