Antenna device and beam control method

Abstract

The invention provides an antenna device and a beam control method, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The antenna device comprises a plurality of antenna units which are arranged side by side along a second direction; the antenna unit comprises a waveguide structure and a radiation structure; the radiation structure comprises a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate which are oppositely arranged, a first electrode layer arranged on one side, close to the second dielectric substrate, of the first dielectric substrate, and a second electrode layer arranged on one side, close to the first dielectric substrate, of the second dielectric substrate; the first adjustable dielectric layer is arranged between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate; the first dielectric substrate is arranged on a waveguide cavity of the waveguide structure; the first electrode layer is provided with a plurality of slit openings which are arranged side by side along a first direction, and the second electrode layer comprises a plurality of patch electrodes which are arranged at intervals; the orthographic projection of one patch electrode and the orthographic projection of one slit opening on the first dielectric substrate are at least partially overlapped; the antenna device further comprises a feed structure. The feed structure comprises at least one first feed port and a plurality of second feed ports; and one second feed port is electrically connected with the waveguide structure of one antenna unit.

Description

Antenna device and beam control method Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure belongs to the field of communication technology, and particularly relates to an antenna device and a beam control method. Background Art

[0002] Antennas, as the terminal equipment in most wireless communication systems, are crucial to the overall performance of the system. With technological advancements, the demands on antenna performance are becoming increasingly stringent. Beyond traditional specifications like gain and polarization, antennas are often also required to have low profiles, be lightweight, and conformal. While reflector antennas, phased array antennas, and lens antennas can achieve high gain, they each have significant disadvantages. For example, reflector antennas require a spatial illumination source, significantly increasing their profile. Phased array antennas require complex feed networks, making their design difficult and costly. Lens antennas already have a high profile, and the addition of an illumination source further increases this. Holographic antennas, as high-gain antennas, simultaneously meet these low-profile and lightweight requirements, making them well-suited for current applications and offering significant potential for development.

[0003] The concept of a holographic antenna originates from the principle of optical holography, where a target wave and a reference wave interfere to form an interference surface. The reference wave then illuminates the interference surface to invert the target wave. A holographic antenna system consists solely of a holographic surface and a feed source, resulting in a very simple structure. The feed source is typically a horn antenna, monopole antenna, or slot antenna, eliminating the need for a complex feed network.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art and provides an antenna device and a beam control method.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an antenna device comprising a plurality of antenna units arranged side by side along a second direction; the antenna units comprising a waveguide structure and a radiating structure; the radiating structure comprising a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate arranged relative to each other, a first electrode layer arranged on a side of the first dielectric substrate close to the second dielectric substrate, a second electrode layer arranged on a side of the second dielectric substrate close to the first dielectric substrate, and a first adjustable dielectric layer arranged between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate; the first dielectric substrate is arranged on a waveguide cavity of the waveguide structure; the first electrode layer comprises a plurality of slit openings arranged side by side along the first direction, and the second electrode layer comprises a plurality of patch electrodes arranged at intervals; the orthographic projection of one of the patch electrodes and one of the slit openings on the first dielectric substrate at least partially overlaps; wherein,

[0007] The antenna device further includes: a feeding structure; the feeding structure includes at least one first feeding port and a plurality of second feeding ports; one of the second feeding ports is electrically connected to the waveguide structure of one of the antenna units.

[0008] In which, the feeding structure includes a main feeding channel and multiple branch feeding channels; the main feeding channel and the branch feeding channels both have a first end and a second end; the first end of the main feeding channel is used as the first feeding port; the first ends of the branch feeding channels are connected to the second ends of the main feeding channel, and the second ends of the branch feeding channels are used as the second feeding port.

[0009] The antenna device further includes a plurality of phase adjustment structures, and one of the branch feed channels is electrically connected to the waveguide structure of one of the antenna units via one of the phase adjustment structures.

[0010] Wherein, the phase adjustment structure includes a liquid crystal phase shifter.

[0011] Wherein, at least some of the branch feeding channels have different lengths.

[0012] Wherein, every two adjacent branch feeds form a group, and the lengths of the two branch feed channels in each group are different.

[0013] For each group of branch feeding channels, the lengths of the two branch feeding channels satisfy the requirement that the phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the corresponding waveguide structures differ by 180°.

[0014] The branch feed channels have the same length, and at least some of the branch feed channels are filled with different media.

[0015] Wherein, every two adjacent branch feeds form a group, and the two branch feed channels in each group are filled with different media.

[0016] For each group of branch feeding channels, the medium filled in the two branch feeding channels satisfies that the phase difference between the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures is 180°.

[0017] The phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective second feeding ports of the feeding structure and the corresponding waveguide structures are different.

[0018] The phase difference between the electromagnetic waves fed into any two adjacent second feeding ports and the corresponding waveguide structures is 180°.

[0019] The feeding structure includes multiple feeding channels, each of which has a first end and a second end. The first end of one of the feeding channels is used as one of the first feeding ports of the feeding structure, and the second end of one of the feeding channels is used as one of the second feeding ports of the feeding structure.

[0020] The first electrode layer is connected to a first bias voltage line, the patch electrodes are connected to a second bias voltage line, and each patch electrode is connected to an independent second bias voltage line.

[0021] Among them, the slit openings of each antenna unit are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence; the first electrode layer is connected to a first bias voltage line, and the patch electrode is connected to a second bias voltage line; the patch electrodes arranged side by side along the second direction are connected to the same second bias voltage line.

[0022] The antenna device further includes a driving chip, and the first bias voltage line and the second bias voltage line are both electrically connected to the driving chip.

[0023] Wherein, the width of the middle area of ​​the slit opening is not greater than the width of the two end areas.

[0024] The widths of the two end regions of the slit opening decrease as they get closer to the middle region.

[0025] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a beam steering method, which is applied to an antenna device, wherein the antenna device adopts any of the antennas described above; the beam steering method includes:

[0026] According to the slot opening position in each antenna unit, the pitch angle and azimuth angle of the target pointing, and the target frequency of the electromagnetic wave fed into the waveguide structure of the antenna unit by the second feeding port of the feeding structure, the excitation amplitude value of each slot opening is obtained through the amplitude sampling function;

[0027] Discretizing the excitation amplitude values ​​of the slit openings to obtain discrete results;

[0028] The radiation component is controlled according to the discrete result to control the on / off state of the slit opening.

[0029] The feeding structure includes a plurality of feeding channels, each of the feeding channels has a first end and a second end, the first end of one of the feeding channels serves as one of the first feeding ports of the feeding structure, and the second end of one of the feeding channels serves as one of the second feeding ports of the feeding structure;

[0030] At least some of the feeding channels feed electromagnetic waves having different frequencies into the waveguide structure of the antenna unit connected thereto. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG2 is a cross-sectional view of an antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG3 is a top view of the first electrode layer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a graph showing a frequency-energy curve of radiation energy of a radiation component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure based on the deflection frequency of liquid crystal molecules.

[0035] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a slit opening according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG6 is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG7 is a diagram showing the front control distribution and far-field result simulation of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure when the beam is pointed at (0°, 0°).

[0038] FIG8 is a diagram showing the front control distribution and far-field result simulation of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure with a beam pointing direction of (45°, 30°).

[0039] FIG9 is a diagram showing the array control distribution and far-field result simulation of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure with a beam pointing direction of (135°, 30°).

[0040] FIG10 is a simulation diagram of the front control distribution and far-field results of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure with a beam pointing direction of (225°, 30°).

[0041] FIG11 is a diagram showing the front sampling distribution and far-field result simulation of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure with a beam pointing direction of (315°, 45°).

[0042] FIG12 is a flow chart of a beam control method of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device in a second example of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the antenna device shown in FIG13 implementing the second directional beam steering and the first directional beam steering.

[0045] FIG15 is a diagram showing a far-field simulation result of the antenna device shown in FIG13 .

[0046] FIG16 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal phase shifter in which the phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided.

[0047] FIG17 is another schematic structural diagram of the antenna device in the second example of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] FIG18 is a simulation diagram showing that, compared with the case where the initial phase is the same, the side lobes at large angle positions of the antenna device with differentiated initial phases are greatly suppressed.

[0049] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of array sampling distribution for the cases where the initial phases are the same and the initial phases are different.

[0050] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device in a third example of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] FIG21 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device in a fifth example of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0052] FIG22 is a diagram showing the sidelobe suppression simulation effect of the antenna device shown in FIG21 .

[0053] FIG23 is a diagram showing multi-user interaction effects of the antenna device according to the sixth example of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0054] FIG24 is a space-frequency distribution diagram of the antenna device of FIG23 under different feeding channels corresponding to different directions and frequencies.

[0055] FIG25 is a diagram showing the interaction effect between the antenna device of an embodiment of the present disclosure and multiple users when performing first-direction scanning.

[0056] FIG26 is a diagram showing the front distribution and far-field results of the antenna device of an embodiment of the present disclosure implementing single-beam scanning in the first direction.

[0057] FIG27 is a diagram showing the front distribution and far-field results of the antenna device of an embodiment of the present disclosure implementing multi-beam scanning in the first direction.

[0058] FIG28 is a diagram showing the interaction effect between the antenna device of an embodiment of the present disclosure and multiple users when performing second-direction scanning.

[0059] FIG29 is a diagram showing the front distribution and far-field results of the antenna device of an embodiment of the present disclosure implementing single-beam scanning in the second direction.

[0060] FIG30 is a diagram showing the front distribution and far-field results of the antenna device of an embodiment of the present disclosure implementing multi-beam scanning in the second direction.

[0061] FIG31 is a diagram showing the interaction effect between the antenna device of an embodiment of the present disclosure and multiple users when performing plane scanning in the second direction and the first direction.

[0062] FIG32 is a diagram showing the array distribution and far-field results of the antenna device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure achieving plane scanning in the second direction and the first direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0064] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure should have the usual meanings understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which this disclosure belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, words such as "one", "an" or "the" do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the existence of at least one. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0065] In a first aspect, FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device in an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG2 is a cross-sectional view of an antenna unit in an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG3 is a top view of a first electrode layer in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1-3 , an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an antenna device comprising a plurality of antenna units 10 and a feed structure 20 arranged side by side along a second direction Y. The antenna units in the embodiment of the present disclosure may specifically be holographic antennas. Each antenna unit 10 comprises a waveguide structure 11 and a radiating structure. The radiating structure comprises a first dielectric substrate 12 and a second dielectric substrate 15 arranged opposite to each other, a first electrode layer 13 arranged on a side of the first dielectric substrate 12 close to the second dielectric substrate 15, a second electrode layer 16 arranged on a side of the second dielectric substrate 15 close to the first dielectric substrate 12, and a first adjustable dielectric layer 14 located between the first electrode layer 15 and the second electrode layer 13. The first dielectric substrate 12 is positioned on the waveguide cavity of the waveguide structure 11; the first electrode layer 13 has a plurality of slit openings 131 arranged side by side along a first direction X; the second electrode layer 16 includes a plurality of patch electrodes 161 arranged side by side and spaced apart along the first direction X, with the orthographic projection of each patch electrode 161 and each slit opening 131 on the first dielectric substrate 12 at least partially overlapping. In this embodiment, a one-to-one correspondence between the patch electrodes 161 and the slit openings 131 is used as an example. The feed structure 20 includes at least one first feed port and a plurality of second feed ports; each second feed port is electrically connected to the waveguide structure 11 of each antenna unit 10. The feed structure 20 is configured to feed power to the waveguide structure 11 of each antenna unit 10.

[0066] It should be noted that the first adjustable dielectric layer 14 in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes but is not limited to a liquid crystal layer. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first adjustable dielectric layer 14 is taken as a liquid crystal layer as an example. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the radiation structure is divided into a plurality of radiation components 101 arranged side by side along a first direction. Each radiation component 101 includes a corresponding patch electrode 161 and a slit opening 131. The outer area of ​​the slit opening 131 of each radiation component 101 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the patch electrode 161 on the first dielectric substrate 12, forming a tunable capacitor C with the patch electrode 161. By applying a bias voltage to the first electrode layer 13 and the patch electrode 161, the dielectric constant of the first adjustable dielectric layer 14 is changed, thereby achieving tuning of the electromagnetic wave energy radiated by each radiation component 101. 4 , by applying a bias voltage to the first electrode layer 13 and the patch electrode 161, the dielectric constant of the first tunable dielectric layer 14 is changed, thereby changing the position of the resonance peak of the electromagnetic wave fed from the waveguide structure 11 to the radiating component 101. Specifically, the position of the resonance peak of the electromagnetic wave of the radiating component 101 under different dielectric constants is changed, thereby achieving tuning of the electromagnetic wave energy at different frequencies. The bias voltage applied to the first electrode layer 13 includes, but is not limited to, a ground voltage. For ease of control, the present embodiment uses the ground voltage applied to the first electrode layer 13 as an example.

[0067] In addition, it can be understood that whether the radiation component 101 can radiate electromagnetic waves depends on the deflection state of the liquid crystal molecules in the first adjustable dielectric layer 14. If there is no electromagnetic wave radiation, it is equivalent to the slit opening 131 being in the closed state. If there is electromagnetic wave radiation, it is equivalent to the slit opening 131 being in the open state. Therefore, the open state and closed state of the slit opening 131 mentioned in the following description do not refer to the macroscopic state of the slit opening, but rather represent whether the radiation component 101 radiates electromagnetic waves.

[0068] In the antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure, each antenna unit 10 is fed by the feeding structure 20, and the deflection state of the liquid crystal molecules of the first adjustable dielectric layer 14 can be controlled by controlling the bias voltage loaded on the patch electrode 161 of each radiating component 101, thereby controlling the radiation direction of the electromagnetic wave radiated through the slit opening 131, thereby realizing beam control in the entire space.

[0069] Specifically, one end of the bottom wall of the waveguide cavity of the waveguide structure 11 of each antenna unit 10 is connected to the feed structure 20, and the other end is connected to an absorbing load (not shown). For each antenna unit 10, electromagnetic waves are fed into one end of the waveguide structure 11 of the antenna unit 10 through the second feed port and enter the waveguide cavity. A portion of the electromagnetic waves couples energy outward based on the radiation conditions in the radiating component 101, while a portion is absorbed by the absorbing load at the other end of the waveguide structure 11, preventing reflection from affecting the electromagnetic waves in the waveguide cavity. The absorbing load includes but is not limited to a waveguide tube.

[0070] In some examples, the waveguide cavity of the waveguide structure 11 may be filled with a low-loss polymer material to achieve a slow-wave waveguide effect. Of course, the waveguide cavity may also be filled with air.

[0071] In some examples, the length direction of the slit opening 131 on the first electrode layer is perpendicular to the extension direction of the microstrip line. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the extension direction of the microstrip line is taken as the first direction X and the length direction of the slit opening 131 is taken as the second direction Y as an example.

[0072] Furthermore, the width of the middle region of the slit opening 131 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is not greater than the width of the end regions. For example, the width of the middle region of the slit opening 131 is less than the width of the end regions, and the widths of the end regions decrease as they get closer to the middle region, i.e., the widths of the end regions are gradual. The width and length of the middle region of the slit opening 131 are W1 and L1, respectively, 0.02≤W1≤0.5mm, 0<L1≤0.5mm, and the lengths of the end regions of the slit opening are L2 and L3, respectively, with the maximum widths of both being W2, L2=L3, 0.75≤L2≤2.5mm, and 0.12≤W2≤0.5mm.

[0073] In one example, the width of the middle area of ​​the slit opening 131 is 20 μm, the length of the middle area is 0.4 mm, the lengths of the two end areas of the slit opening 131 are equal to 2 mm, and the maximum width of the two end areas of the slit opening 131 is 0.12 mm. The width of the patch electrode 142 is 0.3 mm and the length is 0.5 mm. The number of slit openings 131 on a first electrode layer 13 is 64, that is, the number of radiating elements in each antenna unit 10 is 64. The following specific examples are all simulated using this parameter as an example, but it should be understood that this does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0074] Furthermore, the antenna device also includes a first bias voltage line and a second bias voltage line 42. The first electrode layer is electrically connected to the first bias voltage line, and the patch electrode 142 is electrically connected to the second bias voltage line 42. A first bias voltage is applied to the first electrode layer via the first bias voltage line, and a second bias voltage is applied to the patch electrode 161 via the second bias voltage line 42 to control the deflection state of the liquid crystal molecules in the first adjustable dielectric layer 143 in the radiating element 101, thereby achieving on and off control of the radiating element 101, and further achieving control of the on / off state of the slit opening 131.

[0075] Furthermore, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another structure of an antenna device in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4 , for each antenna unit 10, the first electrode layer 13 is electrically connected to a first bias voltage line. The patch electrodes 161 of each radiating element are each connected to an independent second bias voltage line 42, thereby enabling independent control of each radiating element 101. In some examples, both the first bias voltage line and the second bias voltage line 42 can be provided on the second dielectric substrate, thereby facilitating connection to the driver chip 40. In this case, the first electrode layer 13 can be electrically connected to the first bias voltage line via a conductive gold ball.

[0076] In one example, the patch electrodes 161 in each antenna unit 10 in the antenna device are connected to an independent second bias voltage line 42. At this time, the driver chip 40 is used to control the second bias voltage line 42 to load the second bias voltage, thereby realizing beam scanning in the entire space.

[0077] In one example, the radiating elements in each antenna unit 10 of the antenna device are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, that is, the patch electrodes in each antenna unit 10 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, and the slit openings are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence. In this case, the patch electrodes 161 of each radiating element 101 arranged side by side along the second direction Y are electrically connected to the same second bias voltage line 42. In this way, the second bias voltage is applied to the second bias voltage line 42 under the control of the driver chip 40, thereby achieving the same switching state for the radiating elements arranged side by side along the second direction Y.

[0078] Furthermore, the driver chip 40 in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes but is not limited to a programmable logic device FPGA.

[0079] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the feeding structure 20 may be a waveguide power splitter, a single waveguide structure 11, or a feeding structure 20 composed of multiple independent feeding channels. The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure is described below in conjunction with the specific structure of the feeding structure 20. The antenna unit 10 in the antenna device may adopt any of the above structures, and the specific structure of the antenna unit 10 will not be repeated in the following description.

[0080] The first example: As shown in Figures 1-3, in this example, the feeding structure 20 in the antenna device adopts a one-to-many power splitter. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna device includes eight antenna units 10 arranged side by side along the second direction Y. At this time, the feeding structure 20 is a one-to-eight power splitter, that is, the feeding structure 20 includes a main feeding channel 201 and eight branch feeding channels 202. The main feeding channel 201 and the branch feeding channel 202 both have a first end and a second end. The second end of the main feeding channel 201 is connected to the first end of each branch feeding channel 202, and the second end of each branch feeding channel 202 is connected to the waveguide structure 11 of the antenna unit 10 in a one-to-one correspondence. It can be understood that the first end of the main feeding channel 201 is used as the first feeding port of the feeding structure 20, and the second end of the branch feeding channel 202 is used as the second feeding port of the feeding structure 20. Based on this structure, a holographic algorithm can be used, and according to the amplitude sampling function, the excitation amplitude value of the slit opening 131 in each antenna unit 10 can be obtained. Then, the excitation amplitude value of the slit opening 131 is discretized to obtain a discrete result, that is, binarization is performed. Finally, the state of the first adjustable dielectric layer of the radiating component 14 is controlled according to the discrete result, thereby realizing the control of the switching state of the slit opening 131, and then realizing the pointing of different beams.

[0081] In some examples, the one-to-eight power splitter can be specifically a one-to-eight waveguide power splitter, and an isolation component is provided between adjacent branch feed channels 202. The isolation component can specifically be a periodically arranged conductive through-hole provided between the branch feed channels 202. By providing the isolation component between the branch feed channels 202, the branch feed channels 202 are isolated, thereby improving signal isolation. Of course, the feeding structure 20 of the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to a waveguide power splitter, and feeding networks of other structures can also be used.

[0082] Next, the beam steering method applied to the above antenna device is described in detail, wherein the slit openings 131 in each antenna unit 10 in the antenna device form a one- and two-dimensional array.

[0083] FIG13 is a flow chart of a beam steering method for an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG13 , the beam steering method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the following steps:

[0084] S11 , obtaining the excitation amplitude value of each slot opening 131 through an amplitude sampling function according to the position information of each slot opening 131 in the antenna device, the pitch angle and azimuth angle of the target pointing, and the target frequency.

[0085] In step S11, the position information of each slit opening 131 on the two-dimensional array of the antenna device can be pre-stored; the target frequency is 12.1 GHz, or any frequency between 12 GHz and 24 GHz; the elevation and azimuth angles of the target pointing are designed to be (0°, 0°), (45°, 30°), (135°, 30°), (225°, 30°), and (315°, 45°), respectively, although other angles can also be selected. Based on the holographic principle and according to the amplitude sampling function, the excitation amplitude value of each slit opening 131 is obtained.

[0086] Specifically, the holographic principle is as follows: a reference wave interferes with a target wave, an interference pattern is used to design an interference array, and the target wave is obtained through the interaction between the reference wave and the interference array.

[0087] The target wave function is as follows:

[0088] The reference wave function is as follows:

[0089] Among them, k g is the waveguide wave number, k0 is the wave number in free space, θ0 is the pitch angle of the target beam, is the azimuth angle of the target beam.

[0090] The interference pattern of the array surface obtained by using the holographic principle is as follows:

[0091] Based on the above formula, the target wave vector k is defined as f and the reference wave vector k s , by interfering the reference wave with the target wave, the transmission coefficient of the interference array is interfered with, and the target wave is finally obtained through interaction with the reference wave.

[0092] The excitation amplitude value corresponding to each slit opening 131 position can be obtained through the amplitude sampling function.

[0093] S12 , discretizing the excitation amplitude values ​​of each slit opening 131 to obtain a discrete result.

[0094] In some examples, step S12 may include discretizing the excitation amplitude value of each slit opening 131, where the discrete threshold is t, 0<t<1; when the excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 is not less than t, the discrete result M is recorded as 1, and when the excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 is less than t, the discrete result M is recorded as 0.

[0095] For example, if t=0.5 and the number of slit openings 131 is 64*8, the excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 obtained in step S11 is 0.79, and the discrete result M of the excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 is recorded as 1. If the excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 is 0.35, the discrete result M of the excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 is recorded as 0. Using the same method, 64*8 discrete results M of the excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 can be obtained.

[0096] It should be noted that the discrete threshold t needs to be adjusted. Using electromagnetic software to simulate antennas with different discrete thresholds t, an antenna simulation diagram is generated. This antenna simulation diagram is then compared with the amplitude-weighted theoretical simulation diagram to determine the desired discrete threshold t. When the antenna simulation diagram most closely matches the amplitude-weighted theoretical simulation diagram, the discrete threshold t corresponding to the antenna simulation diagram is used as the desired discrete threshold t.

[0097] S13 , controlling the state of the first adjustable dielectric layer of the radiation component according to the discrete result, so as to control the on / off state of the slot opening 131 .

[0098] Specifically, when the excitation amplitude value m of each slit opening 131 is discretely processed in step S12 and the discrete result M is recorded as 0 or 1, in step S13, when the discrete result M is 1, the radiation component is controlled to be in the open state so that the first slit opening 131 is in the open state; when the discrete result M is 0, the radiation component is controlled to be in the closed state so that the first slit opening 131 is in the closed state.

[0099] In addition, Figure 7 is a simulation diagram of the array control distribution and far-field results of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure when the beam pointing is (0°, 0°); Figure 8 is a simulation diagram of the array control distribution and far-field results of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure when the beam pointing is (45°, 30°); Figure 9 is a simulation diagram of the array control distribution and far-field results of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure when the beam pointing is (135°, 30°); Figure 10 is a simulation diagram of the array control distribution and far-field results of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure when the beam pointing is FIG11 is a simulation diagram of the array control distribution and far-field results when the beam pointing direction is (225°, 30°); FIG12 is a simulation diagram of the array sampling distribution and far-field results when the beam pointing direction is (315°, 45°) in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG6-11 are respectively diagrams of the array slit opening 131 switch state and far-field radiation pattern when the elevation angle and azimuth angle of the target pointing are designed to be (0°, 0°), (45°, 30°), (135°, 30°), (225°, 30°), and (315°, 45°). In the diagram of the array slit opening 131 switch state, black indicates that the slit opening 131 is in the closed state, and white indicates that the slit opening 131 is in the open state.

[0100] Second example: FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna device in the second example of an embodiment of the present disclosure; As shown in FIG13 , the antenna device in this example has substantially the same structure as the antenna device in the first example, with the only difference being that each branch feed channel 202 of the feed structure 20 is electrically connected to the corresponding antenna unit 10 via a phase adjustment structure 30. That is, the branch feed channels 202 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the phase adjustment structure 30, and the corresponding branch feed channels 202 are electrically connected to the phase adjustment structure 30. The phase adjustment structure 30 is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the antenna unit 10, and the corresponding phase adjustment structure 30 is connected to the antenna unit 10 in a one-to-one correspondence. In this case, since a phase adjustment structure 30 is provided on each branch feed channel 202, beam control in the first direction X can be achieved through the phase adjustment structure 30. At this time, it is only necessary to sample each slit opening 131 in the first direction X on the plane using a holographic algorithm, and then control the on / off state of the radiating component in each antenna unit 10 to control the on / off state of the slit opening 131, thereby achieving the directionality of different beams. That is, in this example, by combining the dynamic beam scanning in the first direction X with the dynamic beam scanning of the phase adjustment structure 30 in the first direction X, beam control in the entire space is achieved.

[0101] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating the antenna apparatus shown in Figure 13 implementing beam steering in the second direction Y and beam steering in the first direction X. Referring to Figure 14 , a schematic diagram illustrates the open and close states of the slit openings 131 of each antenna unit 10 of the antenna apparatus at 0°, 30°, and -30° in the first direction X, respectively. Black in the figure indicates a closed state for the slit opening 131, while white indicates an open state for the slit opening 131. Referring to Figure 13 , a schematic diagram illustrates the angle control in the second direction Y achieved by phase control of the phase adjustment structure 30 in the second direction Y.

[0102] FIG14 is a far-field simulation diagram of the antenna device shown in FIG12 . Referring to FIG14 , a two-dimensional beam pointing simulation far-field diagram with a beam pointing angle of (45°, 30°) is given.

[0103] In one example, FIG15 is another structural schematic diagram of the antenna device in the second example of the embodiment of the present disclosure; as shown in FIG15 , every two adjacent branch feeding channels 202 in the feeding structure 20 form a group, and the two branch feeding channels 202 in each group are connected to the phase adjustment structure 30 so that the phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the two and the corresponding waveguide structures 11 differ by 180° (Ψ1-Ψ2=180°). That is to say, the initial phases of the microwave signals fed into each group of branch feeding channels 202 differ by 180°. For example, the initial phase of one is 180° and the initial phase of the other is 0°. Furthermore, the initial phases of the electromagnetic waves output by the phase adjustment structure 30 electrically connected to the odd-numbered branch feeding channels 202 in the feeding structure 20 are the same, and the initial phases of the electromagnetic waves output by the phase adjustment structure 30 electrically connected to the even-numbered branch feeding channels 202 are the same. Referring to FIG16 , compared with the case where the initial phases are the same, the side lobes at large angle positions of the antenna device with initial phase differentiation are greatly suppressed. 17 , it can be seen that the array sampling distribution is different for the cases where the initial phase is the same and the initial phase is different (the left side is the array sampling distribution when the initial phase is the same, and the right side is the array sampling distribution with differentiated initialization phases).

[0104] In some examples, the phase adjustment structure 30 in the disclosed embodiments can be specifically a liquid crystal phase shifter. Specifically, the liquid crystal phase shifter can include a third dielectric substrate 301 and a fourth dielectric substrate 302 arranged opposite each other, a third electrode layer 303 disposed on the side of the third dielectric substrate 301 proximal to the fourth dielectric substrate 302, a fourth electrode layer 304 disposed on the side of the fourth dielectric substrate 302 proximal to the third dielectric substrate 301, and a second tunable dielectric layer 305 located between the third and fourth electrode layers 303 and 304. The second tunable dielectric layer 305 is a liquid crystal layer. In this case, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer is changed by controlling the bias voltage applied to the third and fourth electrode layers 303 and 304, thereby achieving phase adjustment of the electromagnetic wave. In the disclosed embodiment, the fourth dielectric substrate 302 can be disposed on the side of the waveguide structure facing away from the first dielectric substrate.

[0105] Furthermore, the phase adjustment structure 30 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to a liquid crystal phase shifter, and may also be any form of phase adjustment structure such as a digital phase shifter, a fixed phase shifter, etc., which are not listed here one by one.

[0106] The third example: Figure 20 is a structural diagram of the antenna device in the third example of the embodiment of the present disclosure; as shown in Figure 20, the structure of this example is roughly the same as that of the first example, with the only difference that the adjacent branch feeding channels 202 in the feeding structure 20 are a group, and the lengths of the two branch feeding channels 202 in each group are not equal. Specifically, the lengths of the two branch feeding channels 202 in each group satisfy that the phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into and corresponding to the waveguide structures 11 are 180° apart. That is, by setting the initial phase difference of 180° between adjacent branch feeding channels 202, a sidelobe suppression effect in a large angle range is achieved. The principle of this structure is the same as that of the structure shown in Figure 15 in the second example, except that in this example, there is no need to design a phase adjustment structure 30, and it can be achieved by setting the length of the branch feeding channel 202.

[0107] Furthermore, in the feeding structure 20 , the lengths of the branch feeding channels 202 at odd numbers are the same, and the lengths of the branch feeding channels 202 at even numbers are the same. In this case, the arrangement of the branch feeding channels 202 is facilitated.

[0108] Fourth example: This example has a structure roughly the same as that of the first example, with the only difference being that the adjacent branch feeding channels 202 in the feeding structure 20 are grouped together, and the two branch feeding channels 202 in each group are filled with different media. The media filled in the two branch feeding channels 202 in each group satisfy that the phase of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures 11 differs by 180°. That is, by adding materials with different dielectric constants to adjacent branch feeding channels 202, the initial phase difference between the adjacent branch feeding channels 202 is 180°, thereby achieving a sidelobe suppression effect over a wide angle range.

[0109] Fifth example: Figure 21 is a structural schematic diagram of the antenna device in the fifth example of an embodiment of the present disclosure; as shown in Figure 21, the feeding structure 20 in the antenna device in this example is different from the feeding structure 20 of the above four examples. The feeding structure 20 adopts a single feeding channel structure. For example, the feeding structure 20 is a single waveguide structure, which has a first feeding port and eight second feeding ports arranged side by side along the first direction X. Since the distances between the eight second feeding ports and the first feeding port are different, the initial phases of the electromagnetic wave signals fed into the corresponding waveguide structures 11 by the eight second feeding ports are different.

[0110] In one example, the spacing between any adjacent second feeding ports ensures that the initial phases of the electromagnetic wave signals fed into their respective waveguide structures 11 differ by 180°. That is, the initial phases of any adjacent second feeding ports differ by 180°, achieving a sidelobe suppression effect over a wide angle range. Referring to FIG22 , FIG22 is a sidelobe suppression simulation effect diagram of the antenna device shown in FIG21 .

[0111] Sixth example: FIG23 is a diagram of multi-user interaction effects of the antenna device of the sixth example of the embodiment of the present disclosure; as shown in FIG23 , the feeding structure 20 of the antenna device in this example is different from the feeding structures 20 of the above five examples. The feeding structure 20 includes multiple independent feeding channels, each of which has a first end and a second end. The first end of a feeding channel is used as a first feeding port of the feeding structure 20, and the second end of a feeding channel is used as a second feeding port of the feeding structure 20. That is, an antenna unit 10 in the antenna device is fed through a feeding channel. In this structure, since each antenna unit 10 adopts an independent feeding channel, different frequencies can be input to different channels, and beam scanning can be performed corresponding to different frequencies.

[0112] In some examples, the antenna device may be a transceiver antenna, that is, it can both transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Of course, the antenna device is not limited to the above-mentioned structure, but also includes a transceiver unit, a radio frequency transceiver, a signal amplifier, a power amplifier, and a filter unit. The antenna in the communication device can be used as a transmitting antenna or a receiving antenna. The transceiver unit may include a baseband and a receiving end. The baseband provides a signal of at least one frequency band, such as a 2G signal, a 3G signal, a 4G signal, a 5G signal, etc., and sends a signal of at least one frequency band to the radio frequency transceiver. After the antenna in the communication system receives the signal, it can be processed by the filter unit, the power amplifier, the signal amplifier, and the radio frequency transceiver and then transmitted to the receiving end in the transceiver unit. The receiving end may be, for example, a smart gateway.

[0113] Furthermore, a radio frequency transceiver is connected to the transceiver unit and is used to modulate the signals sent by the transceiver unit or to demodulate the signals received by the antenna and transmit them back to the transceiver unit. Specifically, the radio frequency transceiver may include a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, a modulation circuit, and a demodulation circuit. After the transmitting circuit receives various types of signals provided by the baseband, the modulation circuit can modulate these various types of signals provided by the baseband and then transmit them to the antenna. The antenna receives the signal and transmits it to the receiving circuit of the radio frequency transceiver. The receiving circuit transmits the signal to the demodulation circuit, which demodulates the signal and transmits it to the receiving end.

[0114] Furthermore, the RF transceiver is connected to a signal amplifier and a power amplifier, which are then connected to a filtering unit, which is connected to at least one antenna. When the communication system transmits signals, the signal amplifier is used to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal output by the RF transceiver before transmitting it to the filtering unit. The power amplifier is used to amplify the power of the signal output by the RF transceiver before transmitting it to the filtering unit. The filtering unit may specifically include a duplexer and a filtering circuit. The filtering unit combines the signals output by the signal amplifier and the power amplifier, filters out noise, and then transmits them to the antenna, which radiates the signal. When the communication system receives signals, the antenna receives the signal and transmits it to the filtering unit. The filtering unit filters out noise from the signal received by the antenna and transmits it to the signal amplifier and power amplifier. The signal amplifier amplifies the signal received by the antenna to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. The power amplifier amplifies the power of the signal received by the antenna. The signal received by the antenna is processed by the power amplifier and the signal amplifier before being transmitted to the RF transceiver, which then transmits it to the transceiver unit.

[0115] In some examples, the signal amplifier may include various types of signal amplifiers, such as a low noise amplifier, which is not limited herein.

[0116] In some examples, the antenna device provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a power management unit, which is connected to a power amplifier and provides the power amplifier with a voltage for amplifying a signal.

[0117] For the antenna device in this example, each antenna unit 10 is fed through an independent feeding channel, each antenna transmits signals corresponding to different frequencies, and each holographic beam dynamic control antenna can realize beam scanning in space, thereby realizing multi-user interactive communication with space-frequency distribution, as shown in Figure 21. Different feeding channels input electromagnetic waves of different frequencies, and beam scanning is performed corresponding to different frequencies respectively; Figure 24 is a space-frequency distribution diagram of the antenna device of Figure 22 under different feeding channels corresponding to different directions and frequencies; as shown in Figure 24, the antenna unit 10 corresponds to the coding state of different frequencies and beam directions respectively, where black indicates that the slit opening 131 is in the closed state, and white indicates that the slit opening 131 is in the open state.

[0118] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, regardless of which antenna device is used in the six examples above, the antenna unit 10 can be a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna, or a transceiver antenna. Figure 25 is a diagram showing the effect of the antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure interacting with multiple users when scanning in the first direction X; referring to Figure 25, by controlling the on / off state of the slit openings 131 in each antenna unit 10, beam scanning can be achieved in the first direction X, with each beam pointing to a target user (User 1…..User i…..User N), thereby achieving interactive communication between users at different locations on the ground. The results of single-beam and multi-beam scanning in the first direction X are shown in Figure 26, which shows the front surface distribution and far-field result of the antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure implementing single-beam scanning in the first direction X; Figure 27 shows the front surface distribution and far-field result of the antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure implementing multi-beam scanning in the first direction X. As shown in Figures 26 and 27.

[0119] Figure 28 illustrates the effect of the antenna device of the present disclosure performing multi-user interaction when scanning in the second direction Y. As shown in Figure 28, by controlling the on / off state of the slit openings 131 in each antenna unit 10, beam scanning in the second direction Y can also be achieved, with each beam directed toward a target user, thereby enabling interactive communication between users at different locations on the ground. The results of single-beam and multi-beam scanning in the second direction Y are shown in Figure 29, which shows the array distribution and far-field results of the antenna device of the present disclosure performing single-beam scanning in the second direction Y. Figure 30 shows the array distribution and far-field results of the antenna device of the present disclosure performing multi-beam scanning in the second direction Y, as shown in Figures 29 and 30.

[0120] Figure 31 illustrates the effect of multi-user interaction when the antenna device of the present embodiment achieves plane scanning in the second direction Y and the first direction X. As shown in Figure 31, by controlling the on / off state of the slit openings 131 in each antenna unit 10, beam scanning can also be achieved in the second direction Y and the first direction X, with each beam directed toward a target user, thereby enabling interactive communication among users within a spatial range. Corresponding to the results of spatial beam scanning in the second direction Y and the first direction X, Figure 32 illustrates the array distribution and far-field results of the antenna device of the present embodiment achieving plane scanning in the second direction Y and the first direction X.

[0121] It will be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments for illustrating the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and substance of the present invention, and such modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An antenna device, comprising a plurality of antenna units arranged side by side along a second direction; the antenna units comprising a waveguide structure and a radiation structure; the radiation structure comprising a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate arranged opposite to each other, a first electrode layer arranged on a side of the first dielectric substrate close to the second dielectric substrate, a second electrode layer arranged on a side of the second dielectric substrate close to the first dielectric substrate, and a first adjustable dielectric layer arranged between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate; The first dielectric substrate is arranged on the waveguide cavity of the waveguide structure; the first electrode layer has a plurality of slit openings arranged side by side along a first direction, and the second electrode layer includes a plurality of patch electrodes arranged at intervals; The orthographic projections of one of the patch electrodes and one of the slit openings on the first dielectric substrate at least partially overlap; wherein, The antenna device further comprises: a feeding structure; the feeding structure comprises at least one first feeding port and a plurality of second feeding ports; one of the second feeding ports is electrically connected to a waveguide structure of the antenna unit.

2. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The feeding structure includes a main feeding channel and multiple branch feeding channels; the main feeding channel and the branch feeding channels both have a first end and a second end; the first end of the main feeding channel is used as the first feeding port; the first ends of the branch feeding channels are connected to the second ends of the main feeding channel, and the second ends of the branch feeding channels are used as the second feeding port.

3. The antenna device according to claim 2, wherein: It also includes a plurality of phase adjustment structures, and one of the branch feeding channels is electrically connected to the waveguide structure of one of the antenna units through one of the phase adjustment structures.

4. The antenna device according to claim 3, wherein: The phase adjustment structure includes a liquid crystal phase shifter.

5. The antenna device according to claim 2, wherein: At least some of the branch feeding channels have different lengths.

6. The antenna device according to claim 5, wherein: Every two adjacent branch feeds form a group, and the lengths of the two branch feed channels in each group are different.

7. The antenna device according to claim 6, wherein: For each group of the branch feeding channels, the lengths of the two branch feeding channels satisfy that the phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the corresponding waveguide structures differ by 180°.

8. The antenna device according to claim 2, wherein: The branch feeding channels have the same length, and at least some of the branch feeding channels are filled with different media.

9. The antenna device according to claim 8, wherein: Every two adjacent branch feeds form a group, and the two branch feed channels in each group are filled with different media.

10. The antenna device according to claim 9, wherein: For each group of the branch feeding channels, the medium filled in the two branch feeding channels satisfies that the phase difference between the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures is 180°.

11. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective second feeding ports of the feeding structure and into the corresponding waveguide structures are different.

12. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The phase difference between the electromagnetic waves fed into any two adjacent second feeding ports and the corresponding waveguide structures is 180°.

13. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The feeding structure includes multiple feeding channels, each of which has a first end and a second end. The first end of one of the feeding channels is used as one of the first feeding ports of the feeding structure, and the second end of one of the feeding channels is used as one of the second feeding ports of the feeding structure.

14. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The first electrode layer is connected to a first bias voltage line, the patch electrodes are connected to a second bias voltage line, and each of the patch electrodes is connected to an independent second bias voltage line.

15. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The slit openings of the antenna units are arranged in one-to-one correspondence; the first electrode layer is connected to a first bias voltage line, and the patch electrode is connected to a second bias voltage line; The patch electrodes arranged side by side along the second direction are connected to the same second bias voltage line.

16. The antenna device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein: A driving chip is also included, and the first bias voltage line and the second bias voltage line are both electrically connected to the driving chip.

17. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The width of the middle area of ​​the slit opening is not greater than the width of the two end areas.

18. The antenna device according to claim 17, wherein: The widths of the two end regions of the slit opening decrease as they approach the middle region.

19. A beam control method, applied to an antenna device, wherein the antenna device adopts the antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 18; The beam steering method comprises: According to the slot opening position in each antenna unit, the pitch angle and azimuth angle of the target pointing, and the target frequency of the electromagnetic wave fed into the waveguide structure of the antenna unit by the second feeding port of the feeding structure, the excitation amplitude value of each slot opening is obtained through the amplitude sampling function; Discretizing the excitation amplitude value of each slit opening to obtain a discrete result; The radiation component is controlled according to the discrete result to control the on / off state of the slit opening.

20. The beam steering method according to claim 19, wherein: The feeding structure comprises a plurality of feeding channels, each of the feeding channels has a first end and a second end, the first end of one of the feeding channels is used as one of the first feeding ports of the feeding structure, and the second end of one of the feeding channels is used as one of the second feeding ports of the feeding structure; At least part of the feeding channels feed electromagnetic waves having different frequencies into the waveguide structure of the antenna unit connected thereto.

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