Antenna device and beam control method

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an antenna device and a beam control method, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The antenna device of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of antenna units 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 arranged oppositely, a first electrode layer arranged on the side of the first dielectric substrate close to the second dielectric substrate, a second electrode layer arranged on the 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 has a plurality of slit openings arranged side by side along a first direction; the second electrode layer comprises a plurality of patch electrodes arranged at intervals; the orthographic projection of one patch electrode and one slit opening on the first dielectric substrate at least partially overlaps; 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 second feeding port is electrically connected to the waveguide structure of one antenna unit.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0002] As a terminal device of most wireless communication systems, the working performance of an antenna is crucial to the overall performance of the system. With the development of science and technology, the requirements for the performance of the antenna are getting higher and higher. In addition to the traditional high requirements for traditional indicators such as gain and polarization, the antenna is also required to have low profile, light weight, easy to conform and other characteristics. Although reflector antennas, phased array antennas and lens antennas can achieve high gain, they all have obvious disadvantages, such as the reflector antenna needs to provide a space illumination source, which greatly increases the profile; the feed network of the phased array antenna is extremely complex, difficult to design, and high in cost; and the profile of the lens antenna itself is relatively high, and the profile is further increased after the illumination source. As a kind of high gain antenna, the holographic antenna can meet the requirements of low profile and light weight at the same time, and thus is very suitable for the current application background and has great development potential.

[0003] The concept of holographic antenna comes from the principle of optical holography, which is to form an interference surface by interference of a target wave and a reference wave, and then to obtain the target wave by illuminating the interference surface with the reference wave. The holographic antenna system only includes a holographic surface and a feed source, and the structure is very simple; the feed source generally adopts a horn antenna, a monopole antenna or a slot antenna, and does not need a complex feed network. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and provides an antenna device and a beam control method.

[0005] In a first aspect, an antenna device is provided, which includes a plurality of antenna units arranged side by side along a second direction; the antenna unit includes a waveguide structure and a radiation structure; the radiation structure includes a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate arranged oppositely, a first electrode layer arranged on the side of the first dielectric substrate close to the second dielectric substrate, a second electrode layer arranged on the 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 has a plurality of slot openings arranged side by side along a first direction; the second electrode layer includes a plurality of patch electrodes arranged at intervals; the projection of one patch electrode and one slot opening on the first dielectric substrate at least partially overlaps; wherein,

[0006] 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 the waveguide structure of one of the antenna units.

[0007] The feeding structure comprises one main feeding channel and a plurality of branch feeding channels; the main feeding channel and the branch feeding channels each have a first end and a second end; the first end of the main feeding channel serves as the first feeding port; the first end of each of the branch feeding channels is connected to the second end of the main feeding channel, and the second end of each of the branch feeding channels serves as the second feeding port.

[0008] The antenna device further comprises a plurality of phase adjustment structures; 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.

[0009] The phase adjustment structure comprises a liquid crystal phase shifter.

[0010] At least part of the branch feeding channels have different lengths.

[0011] Each two adjacent branch feeding channels form a group, and the lengths of the two branch feeding channels in each group are different.

[0012] For each group of branch feeding channels, the lengths of the two branch feeding channels satisfy that the phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures are different by 180°.

[0013] The lengths of the branch feeding channels are the same, and the media filled in at least part of the branch feeding channels are different.

[0014] Each two adjacent branch feeding channels form a group, and the media filled in the two branch feeding channels in each group are different.

[0015] For each group of branch feeding channels, the media filled in the two branch feeding channels satisfy that the phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures are different by 180°.

[0016] The phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures by each of the second feeding ports of the feeding structure are different.

[0017] The phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures by any two adjacent second feeding ports are different by 180°.

[0018] 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.

[0019] The first electrode layer is connected to a first bias voltage line, the patch electrode is connected to a second bias voltage line, and each of the patch electrodes is connected to an independent second bias voltage line.

[0020] The slit openings of the antenna units are arranged one by one 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] The width of the middle region of the slit opening is not greater than the width of the two end regions.

[0023] The width of the two end regions of the slit opening is smaller closer to the middle region.

[0024] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a beam control method applied to an antenna device, and the antenna device uses any of the above-mentioned antennas; the beam control method comprises the following steps.

[0025] According to the position of the slit opening in each antenna unit, the target pointing elevation angle and azimuth angle, 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 slit opening is obtained through an amplitude sampling function;

[0026] The excitation amplitude value of each slit opening is discretized to obtain a discrete result;

[0027] According to the discrete result, the radiation assembly is controlled to control the switching state of the slit opening.

[0028] 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;

[0029] The frequencies of the electromagnetic waves fed into the waveguide structures of the antenna units by at least part of the feeding channels are different. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna device in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of an antenna element according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a top view of the first electrode layer according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0033] Figure 4 The radiation energy of the radiation component in this embodiment of the present disclosure is based on the liquid crystal molecule deflection frequency-energy curve.

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a slit opening according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 6 This is another schematic diagram of the antenna device in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0036] Figure 7 This is a simulation diagram of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiments of this disclosure, with array surface modulation distribution and far-field results at beam pointing (0°, 0°).

[0037] Figure 8 This is a simulation diagram of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiments of this disclosure, with array surface modulation distribution and far-field results in beam pointing at (45°, 30°).

[0038] Figure 9 This is a simulation diagram of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiments of this disclosure, with array surface modulation distribution and far-field results in beam pointing at (135°, 30°).

[0039] Figure 10 This is a simulation diagram of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiments of this disclosure, with array surface modulation distribution and far-field results in beam pointing at (225°, 30°).

[0040] Figure 11 This is a simulation diagram of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiments of this disclosure, with array sampling distribution and far-field results at beam pointing (315°, 45°).

[0041] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of a beam control method for an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of an antenna device in a second example of an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0043] Figure 14 forFigure 13 The antenna device shown achieves a schematic diagram of the second direction beam steering and the first direction beam steering.

[0044] Figure 15 For Figure 13 The antenna device shown achieves a simulation diagram of the far field result.

[0045] Figure 16 The phase adjustment structure of the embodiment of the present disclosure is a cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal phase shifter.

[0046] Figure 17 The antenna device in the second example of the embodiment of the present disclosure is another structure schematic diagram.

[0047] Figure 18 For the antenna device with the initial phase difference, the simulation diagram shows that the sidelobe at the wide-angle position is greatly suppressed compared with the case of the same initial phase.

[0048] Figure 19 For the initial phase same and the initial phase different cases, the array surface sampling distribution schematic diagram.

[0049] Figure 20 The antenna device in the third example of the embodiment of the present disclosure is a structure schematic diagram.

[0050] Figure 21 The antenna device in the fifth example of the embodiment of the present disclosure is a structure schematic diagram.

[0051] Figure 22 For Figure 21 The antenna device shown achieves a simulation diagram of the sidelobe suppression.

[0052] Figure 23 The multi-user interaction effect diagram of the antenna device in the sixth example of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] Figure 24 For Figure 23 The antenna device achieves a space-frequency distribution diagram of different feed channels corresponding to different directions and frequencies.

[0054] Figure 25 The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure achieves a multi-user interaction effect diagram when implementing the first direction scanning.

[0055] Figure 26 The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure achieves an array surface distribution and far field result diagram of the single beam in the first direction scanning.

[0056] Figure 27 The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure achieves an array surface distribution and far field result diagram of the multi-beam in the first direction scanning.

[0057] Figure 28 Fig. 2 is a plot of the interaction effect of the antenna device of the present disclosure with multiple users when the second direction is scanned.

[0058] Figure 29 Fig. 3 is a plot of the array distribution and far field results of the antenna device of the present disclosure when the second direction is scanned.

[0059] Figure 30 Fig. 4 is a plot of the array distribution and far field results of the antenna device of the present disclosure when the second direction is scanned.

[0060] Figure 31 Fig. 5 is a plot of the interaction effect of the antenna device of the present disclosure with multiple users when the second direction and the first direction are scanned.

[0061] Figure 32 Fig. 6 is a plot of the array distribution and far field results of the antenna device of the present disclosure when the second direction and the first direction are scanned. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] In order to enable persons skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present application, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0063] Unless otherwise defined, technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure shall have the ordinary meaning understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. The terms "first", "second" and similar terms used in the present disclosure do not represent any order, number or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, the terms "one", "a" or "the" and similar terms do not represent a quantity limitation, but represent the existence of at least one. The terms "include" or "contain" and similar terms mean that the elements or objects before the terms encompass the elements or objects listed after the terms and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. The terms "connect" or "connected" and similar terms are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and the like only represent relative positional relationships, which can change accordingly when the absolute positions of the described objects change.

[0064] In a first aspect, Figure 1 Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an antenna device in the present disclosure; Figure 2 Fig. 2 is a sectional view of an antenna unit of the present disclosure; Figure 3 Fig. 3 is a top view of a first electrode layer of the present disclosure; and Figures 1-3As shown, the antenna device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of antenna units 10 arranged side by side along a second direction Y and a feeding structure 20. The antenna unit in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be a holographic antenna. Each antenna unit 10 includes a waveguide structure 11 and a radiation structure. The radiation structure includes a first dielectric substrate 12 and a second dielectric substrate 15 arranged oppositely, a first electrode layer 13 arranged on the side of the first dielectric substrate 12 close to the second dielectric substrate 15, a second electrode layer 16 arranged on the 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 located 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, and the projection of one patch electrode 161 and one slit opening 131 on the first dielectric substrate 12 at least partially overlaps. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the patch electrodes 161 and the slit openings 131 are arranged one by one as an example. The feeding structure 20 includes at least one first feeding port and a plurality of second feeding ports. One second feeding port is electrically connected to the waveguide structure 11 of one antenna unit 10. The feeding structure 20 is configured to feed each waveguide structure 11 of the antenna unit 10.

[0065] 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, and the first adjustable dielectric layer 14 is taken as a liquid crystal layer as an example in the embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the radiation structure is divided into a plurality of radiation assemblies 101 arranged side by side along the first direction X. Each radiation assembly 101 includes a patch electrode 161 and a slit opening 131 arranged correspondingly, and the peripheral area of the slit opening 131 of each radiation assembly 101 and the projection of the patch electrode 161 on the first dielectric substrate 12 overlap, forming an adjustable capacitance C with the patch electrode 161. By loading a bias voltage on the first electrode layer 13 and the patch electrode 161, the dielectric constant of the first adjustable dielectric layer 14 is changed, so that the tuning of the electromagnetic wave energy radiated by each radiation assembly 101 can be realized. Moreover, by loading a bias voltage on the first electrode layer 13 and the patch electrode 161, the dielectric constant of the first adjustable dielectric layer 14 is changed, so that the position of the resonance peak of the electromagnetic wave of the radiation assembly 101 is changed, that is, the position of the resonance peak of the electromagnetic wave of the radiation assembly 101 under different dielectric constants, and the tuning of the electromagnetic wave energy at different frequencies is realized. Figure 4

[0066] ​In addition, it can be understood that whether the radiation assembly 101 can radiate electromagnetic waves depends on the deflection state of the liquid crystal molecules of the first tunable dielectric layer 14, and if there is no electromagnetic wave radiation, it is equivalent to the slit opening 131 being in the off state, and if there is electromagnetic wave radiation, it is equivalent to the slit opening 131 being in the on state, so in the following description, the on state and the off state of the slit opening 131 are not referred to the macroscopic state of the slit opening, but represent whether the radiation assembly 101 has electromagnetic wave radiation.

[0067] In the antenna device 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 tunable dielectric layer 14 can be controlled by controlling the bias voltage of the loading of the patch electrode 161 of each radiation assembly 101, so as to control the radiation direction of the electromagnetic waves radiated through the slit opening 131, thereby realizing the beam steering of the whole space.

[0068] Specifically, one end of the waveguide cavity of the waveguide structure 11 of each antenna unit 10 is connected with the feeding structure 20, and the other end is connected with a wave-absorbing load (not shown in the figure). For each antenna unit 10, electromagnetic waves are fed into one end of the waveguide structure 11 of the antenna unit 10 from the second feeding port, enter the waveguide cavity, and a part of the electromagnetic waves is coupled out according to the radiation condition in the radiation assembly 101, and a part of the electromagnetic waves is absorbed by the wave-absorbing load at the other end of the waveguide structure 11 to prevent the reflection from affecting the electromagnetic waves in the waveguide cavity. The wave-absorbing load includes but is not limited to a waveguide tube.

[0069] In some examples, the waveguide cavity of the waveguide structure 11 can be filled with a low-loss polymer material to achieve the effect of a slow-wave waveguide. Of course, the waveguide cavity can also be filled with air medium.

[0070] 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 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.

[0071] Further, the width of the middle region of the slit opening 131 in the present disclosure is not greater than the width of the two end regions. For example, the width of the middle region of the slit opening 131 is less than the width of the two end regions, and the closer the width of the two end regions is to the width of the middle region, the smaller it is, that is, the width of the two end regions is gradually changed. The width and length of the middle region of the slit opening 131 are W1 and L1 respectively, 0.02≤W1≤0.5mm, 0

[0072] In one example, the width of the middle region of the slit opening 131 is 20 μm, the length of the middle region is 0.4 mm, the lengths of the two end regions of the slit opening 131 are equal, both being 2 mm, and the maximum width of the two end regions of the slit opening 131 is 0.12 mm. The patch electrode 142 has a width of 0.3 mm and a length of 0.5 mm. The number of slit openings 131 on a first electrode layer 13 is 64, that is, the number of radiating components in each antenna element 10 is 64. The specific examples below are simulated using these parameters, but it should be understood that this does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0073] 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 through the first bias voltage line, and a second bias voltage is applied to the patch electrode 161 through the second bias voltage line 42, so as to control the deflection state of the liquid crystal molecules in the first tunable dielectric layer 143 in the radiating component 101, thereby realizing the control of the on and off states of the radiating component 101, and thus realizing the control of the on / off state of the slit opening 131.

[0074] Furthermore, Figure 5 This is another structural schematic diagram of the antenna device in the embodiments of this disclosure; as shown Figure 4 As shown, for each antenna element 10, the first electrode layer 13 is electrically connected to a first bias voltage line. The patch electrodes 161 of each radiating component are respectively connected to independent second bias voltage lines 42, thereby enabling independent control of each radiating component 101. In some examples, both the first bias voltage line and the second bias voltage line 42 can be disposed on the second dielectric substrate, which facilitates 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 conductive gold balls.

[0075] In one example, the patch electrodes 161 in each antenna element 10 of the antenna device are connected to an independent second bias voltage line 42. At this time, the driver chip 40 controls the application of a second bias voltage to the second bias voltage line 42, thereby realizing beam scanning of the entire space.

[0076] In one example, the radiation assemblies in each of the antenna units 10 in the antenna device are arranged in one-to-one correspondence, that is, the patch electrodes in each of the antenna units 10 are arranged in one-to-one correspondence, and the slot openings are arranged in one-to-one correspondence. In this case, the patch electrodes 161 of each radiation assembly 101 arranged side by side along the second direction Y are electrically connected to the same second bias voltage line 42, so that the second bias voltage is loaded to the second bias voltage line 42 by the driving chip 40, thereby realizing the same switching state of the radiation assemblies arranged side by side along the second direction Y.

[0077] Further, the driving chip 40 in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes but is not limited to a programmable logic device FPGA.

[0078] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the feeding structure 20 can be a waveguide power divider, a single waveguide structure 11, and can also be a feeding structure 20 composed of multiple independent feeding channels, and the like. The antenna device in the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below in combination with the specific structure of the feeding structure 20. Among them, the antenna unit 10 in the antenna device can adopt any of the above structures, and the specific structure of the antenna unit 10 will not be repeated in the following description.

[0079] First example: in combination with Figures 1-3 As shown in the figure, in this example, the feeding structure 20 in the antenna device adopts a one-to-many power divider. 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 an eight-way power divider, that is, the feeding structure 20 includes one main feeding channel 201 and eight branch feeding channels 202. The main feeding channel 201 and the branch feeding channel 202 each 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 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. On the basis of this structure, the holographic algorithm can be used, and the excitation amplitude value of the slot opening 131 in each antenna unit 10 can be obtained according to the amplitude sampling function, and then the excitation amplitude value of the slot opening 131 is discretized to obtain a discrete result, that is, binary, and finally the state of the first adjustable dielectric layer of the radiation assembly 14 is controlled according to the discrete result, thereby realizing the control of the switching state of the slot opening 131, and further realizing the pointing of different beams.

[0080] In some examples, the one-to-eight power divider can be a one-to-eight waveguide power divider, and an isolation component, which can be a periodically arranged conductive via arranged between the branch feeding channels 202, is arranged between the adjacent branch feeding channels 202. The branch feeding channels 202 are isolated by the isolation component arranged therebetween, so that the signal isolation is improved. Of course, the feeding structure 20 of the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the waveguide power divider, and other structures of the feeding network can also be used.

[0081] Next, the beam control method applied to the above antenna device will be described in detail. The slits 131 in each antenna unit 10 in the antenna device form a two-dimensional array.

[0082] Figure 13 The flowchart of the beam control method of the antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the beam control method of the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the following steps: Figure 13

[0083] S11, according to the position information of each slit opening 131 in the antenna device, the target pointing elevation angle and azimuth angle, and the target frequency, the excitation amplitude value of each slit opening 131 is obtained by the amplitude sampling function.

[0084] 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, and can also be any frequency point in 12 GHz-24 GHz; the target pointing elevation angle and azimuth angle are designed as (0°, 0°), (45°, 30°), (135°, 30°), (225°, 30°), and (315°, 45°), and 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.

[0085] Specifically, the holographic principle is as follows: the reference wave and the target wave are interfered, the interference pattern is designed to design the interference array, and the target wave is obtained through the interaction of the reference wave and the interference array.

[0086] The target wave function is as follows:

[0087]

[0088] The reference wave function is as follows:

[0089]

[0090] where k g is the waveguide wave number, k0 is the wave number in free space, θ0 is the target beam pointing elevation angle, ​An azimuth angle to which the target beam is directed.

[0091] The array interference pattern is obtained by using the holographic principle as follows:

[0092]

[0093]

[0094] By using the above formula, the target wave vector k f and the reference wave vector k s are defined, the reference wave interacts with the target wave, the transmission coefficient of the interference array is obtained, and finally the target wave is obtained.

[0095]

[0096] The excitation amplitude value corresponding to the position of each slit opening 131 can be obtained by the amplitude sampling function.

[0097] S12, the excitation amplitude value of each slit opening 131 is discretized to obtain a discrete result.

[0098] In some examples, step S12 can include discretizing the excitation amplitude value of each slit opening 131, and the discrete threshold is t, 0

[0099] For example: t = 0.5, the number of slit openings 131 is 64*8, and the excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 obtained in step S11 is 0.79, at this time, the discrete result M of the excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 is recorded as 1. The excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 is 0.35, and the discrete result M of the excitation amplitude value m of the slit opening 131 is recorded as 0. According to the same method, the discrete result M of the excitation amplitude value m of the 64*8 slit openings 131 can be obtained.

[0100] It should be noted that the size of the discrete threshold t needs to be adjusted, and the antenna simulation diagram is obtained by simulating the antenna through electromagnetic software according to different discrete thresholds t; the antenna simulation diagram is compared with the amplitude weighted theoretical simulation diagram of the antenna, and the required discrete threshold t is found. In this way, when the antenna simulation diagram is closest to the amplitude weighted theoretical simulation diagram of the antenna, the discrete threshold t corresponding to the antenna simulation diagram is used as the required discrete threshold t.

[0101] S13, according to the discrete result, the state of the first adjustable dielectric layer of the radiation assembly is controlled to control the on-off state of the slit opening 131.

[0102] 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 assembly 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 assembly is controlled to be in the closed state, so that the first slit opening 131 is in the closed state.

[0103] In addition, Figure 7 The array surface control distribution and the far field result simulation diagram of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure when the beam pointing is (0°, 0°); Figure 8 The array surface control distribution and the far field result simulation diagram of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure when the beam pointing is (45°, 30°); Figure 9 The array surface control distribution and the far field result simulation diagram of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure when the beam pointing is (135°, 30°); Figure 10 The array surface control distribution and the far field result simulation diagram of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure when the beam pointing is (225°, 30°); Figure 11 The array surface control distribution and the far field result simulation diagram of the antenna device in the first example of the embodiment of the present disclosure when the beam pointing is (315°, 45°); Figures 6-11 The array surface slit opening 131 switch state diagram and the far field radiation direction diagram when the target pointing is (0°, 0°), (45°, 30°), (135°, 30°), (225°, 30°), and (315°, 45°), respectively. In the array surface slit opening 131 switch state diagram, black represents that the slit opening 131 is in the closed state, and white represents that the slit opening 131 is in the open state.

[0104] Second example: Figure 13 A structural schematic diagram of the antenna device in the second example of the embodiment of the present disclosure; as Figure 13As shown, the antenna device in this example is substantially the same as the antenna device structure of the first example, and the only difference is that each branch feeding channel 202 of the feeding structure 20 is electrically connected with a phase adjustment structure 30 and a corresponding antenna unit 10. That is, the branch feeding channel 202 is arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the phase adjustment structure 30, and the corresponding branch feeding channel 202 and phase adjustment structure 30 are electrically connected, and the phase adjustment structure 30 is arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the antenna unit 10, and the corresponding phase adjustment structure 30 and antenna unit 10 are electrically connected. In this case, since the phase adjustment structure 30 is arranged on each branch feeding channel 202, the beam control in the first direction X can be realized through the phase adjustment structure 30, at this time, only the holographic algorithm is needed to sample each slit opening 131 in the first direction X on the array, and then the switch state of the radiation component in each antenna unit 10 is controlled to realize the control of the switch state of the slit opening 131, and then the pointing of different beams is realized. That is, in this example, by combining the dynamic beam scanning in the first direction X with the phase adjustment structure 30 dynamic beam scanning in the first direction X, the beam steering of the whole space is realized.

[0105] Figure 14 For Figure 13 The antenna device shown in the figure realizes the second direction Y beam steering and the first direction X beam steering; refer to Figure 14 , respectively, the first direction X 0°, 30°, -30°, the antenna device each antenna unit 10 slit opening 131 switch case schematic diagram. In the figure, black represents the slit opening 131 in the off state, and white represents the slit opening 131 in the on state. Refer to Figure 13 The phase control of the phase adjustment structure 30 in the second direction Y realizes the angle control in the second direction Y schematic diagram.

[0106] Figure 14 For Figure 12 The far field result simulation diagram of the antenna device shown in the figure; refer to Figure 14 , the two-dimensional beam pointing simulation far field diagram of the beam pointing (45°, 30°) is given.

[0107] In one example, Figure 15 Another structure schematic diagram of the antenna device in the second example of the embodiment of the present disclosure; as Figure 15As shown, every two adjacent branch feeding channels 202 in the feeding structure 20 are a group, and the phase adjustment structure 30 connected by the two branch feeding channels 202 in each group makes the phase difference of the electromagnetic wave fed into the corresponding waveguide structure 11 be 180° (Ψ1-Ψ2=180°). That is, the initial phase of the microwave signal fed by each group of branch feeding channels 202 is 180°. For example, one of the initial phases is 180°, and the other is 0°. Further, 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 Figure 16 As shown, compared with the case of the same initial phase, the sidelobe at the large-angle position of the antenna device with the different initial phase is greatly suppressed. Referring to Figure 17 It can be seen that the array sampling distribution is also different for the cases of the same initial phase and the different initial phase (the left side is the array sampling distribution when the initial phases are the same, and the right side is the array sampling distribution when the initial phases are different).

[0108] In some examples, the phase adjustment structure 30 in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be a liquid crystal phase shifter. Specifically, the liquid crystal phase shifter can include oppositely arranged third and fourth dielectric substrates 301 and 302, a third electrode layer 303 arranged on the side of the third dielectric substrate 301 close to the fourth dielectric substrate 302, a fourth electrode layer 304 arranged on the side of the fourth dielectric substrate 302 close to the third dielectric substrate 301, and a second adjustable dielectric layer 305 between the third and fourth electrode layers 303 and 304. The second adjustable dielectric layer 305 is a liquid crystal layer. In this case, by controlling the bias voltage loaded on the third and fourth electrode layers 303 and 304, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer is changed, and the phase adjustment of the electromagnetic wave is realized. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the fourth dielectric substrate 302 can be arranged on the side of the waveguide structure away from the first dielectric substrate.

[0109] Further, the phase adjustment structure 30 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to a liquid crystal phase shifter, but can also be a digital phase shifter, a fixed phase shifter, or any form of phase adjustment structure, which is not listed one by one here.

[0110] Third example: Figure 20 The structure diagram of the antenna device in the third example of the embodiment of the present disclosure; as Figure 20As shown, this example is structurally similar to the first example, except that the adjacent branch feed channels 202 in the feed structure 20 are grouped together, and the lengths of the two branch feed channels 202 in each group are unequal. Specifically, the lengths of the two branch feed channels 202 in each group satisfy the condition that the phase difference between the electromagnetic waves fed into and their corresponding waveguide structures 11 is 180°. That is, by setting an initial phase difference of 180° between adjacent branch feed channels 202, a sidelobe suppression effect over a large angle range is achieved. The principle of this structure is the same as in the second example. Figure 15 The principle of the structure shown is the same, except that in this example, there is no need to design the phase adjustment structure 30, and it can be achieved simply by setting the length of the branch feed channel 202.

[0111] Furthermore, in the power supply structure 20, the odd-numbered branch power supply channels 202 have the same length, and the even-numbered branch power supply channels 202 have the same length. This facilitates the arrangement of each branch power supply channel 202.

[0112] The fourth example: This example is structurally similar to the first example, except that adjacent branch feed channels 202 in the feed structure 20 are grouped together, and the dielectric material filling the two branch feed channels 202 in each group is different. The dielectric material filling the two branch feed channels 202 in each group satisfies the condition that the electromagnetic waves fed into their respective waveguide structures 11 are 180° out of phase. That is, by adding materials with different dielectric constants to adjacent branch feed channels 202 and setting the initial phase difference between adjacent branch feed channels 202 to 180°, a large-angle sidelobe suppression effect is achieved.

[0113] Fifth example: Figure 21 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna device in the fifth example of the embodiments of this disclosure; as shown Figure 21 As shown, the feeding structure 20 in the antenna device in this example is different from the feeding structure 20 in the four examples above. 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 of the eight second feeding ports from the first feeding port are all different, the initial phases of the electromagnetic wave signals fed into the corresponding waveguide structures 11 by the eight second feeding ports are all different.

[0114] In one example, the spacing between any two adjacent second feed ports is such that the initial phase difference between the electromagnetic wave signals fed into their respective waveguide structures 11 is 180°. That is, the initial phase difference between any two adjacent second feed ports is 180°, achieving a sidelobe suppression effect over a large angle range. (Refer to...) Figure 22 ,Figure 22 As Figure 21 The antenna device side lobe suppression simulation effect diagram shown in the sixth example of the present disclosure.

[0115] The sixth example: Figure 23 The multi-user interaction effect diagram of the antenna device of the sixth example of the present disclosure; as Figure 23 The feeding structure 20 in the example is different from the feeding structure 20 in the above five examples, and the feeding structure 20 includes a plurality of independent feeding channels, each of which has a first end and a second end, the first end of one feeding channel is used as a first feeding port of the feeding structure 20, and the second end of one feeding channel is used as a second feeding port of the feeding structure 20. That is, one antenna unit 10 in the antenna device is fed through one feeding channel. In this structure, since each antenna unit 10 uses an independent feeding channel, different frequencies can be input for different channels, and beam scanning can be performed for different frequencies respectively.

[0116] In some examples, the antenna device can be a transceiving antenna, that is, it can not only realize the transmission of electromagnetic wave signals but also realize the reception of electromagnetic wave signals. Of course, for the antenna device, it is not limited to including the above structure, but also includes a transceiving 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 transceiving unit can include a baseband and a receiving end, the baseband provides at least one frequency band of signals, such as 2G signals, 3G signals, 4G signals, 5G signals, etc., and transmits at least one frequency band of signals to the radio frequency transceiver. After the antenna in the communication system receives the signal, it can be transmitted to the receiving end in the transceiving unit after being processed by the filter unit, the power amplifier, the signal amplifier, and the radio frequency transceiver. The receiving end can be a smart gateway, etc.

[0117] Further, the radio frequency transceiver is connected to the transceiving unit, and is used for modulating the signal transmitted by the transceiving unit, or for demodulating the signal received by the antenna and then transmitting it to the transceiving unit. Specifically, the radio frequency transceiver can include a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, a modulation circuit, and a demodulation circuit. After the transmitting circuit receives a plurality of types of signals provided by the baseband, the modulation circuit can modulate the plurality of types of signals provided by the baseband and then transmit them to the antenna. The receiving circuit of the radio frequency transceiver transmits the received signal to the demodulation circuit, and the demodulation circuit demodulates the signal and then transmits it to the receiving end.

[0118] Furthermore, the RF transceiver is connected to a signal amplifier and a power amplifier, which are then connected to a filtering unit. The filtering unit is connected to at least one antenna. During signal transmission in the communication system, the signal amplifier improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the RF transceiver's output signal before transmitting it to the filtering unit; the power amplifier amplifies the power of the RF transceiver's output signal 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 from the signal amplifier and power amplifier, filters out clutter, and transmits them to the antenna, which then radiates the signal. During signal reception in the communication system, the antenna receives the signal and transmits it to the filtering unit. The filtering unit filters out clutter from the received signal and transmits it to the signal amplifier and power amplifier. The signal amplifier increases the gain of the received signal, improving the SNR; the power amplifier amplifies the power of the received signal. The signal received by the antenna, after processing by the power amplifier and signal amplifier, is transmitted to the RF transceiver, which then transmits it to the transceiver unit.

[0119] In some examples, the signal amplifier may include various types of signal amplifiers, such as low-noise amplifiers, without limitation.

[0120] In some examples, the antenna device provided in this disclosure embodiment further includes a power management unit connected to a power amplifier and providing the power amplifier with a voltage for amplifying the signal.

[0121] In this example of the antenna device, each antenna element 10 is fed through an independent feed channel, each antenna transmits signals at a different frequency, and each holographic beam dynamic control antenna can achieve beam scanning in space, thereby realizing multi-user interactive communication with space-frequency distribution, such as... Figure 21 As shown. Different frequency electromagnetic waves are input into different feed channels, and beam scanning is performed at different frequencies respectively; Figure 24 for Figure 22 The space-frequency distribution diagram of the antenna device under different pointing and frequencies corresponding to different feed channels; such as Figure 24 As shown, antenna element 10 corresponds to the coding state of different frequencies and beam directions, where black indicates that slit opening 131 is in the closed state and white indicates that slit opening 131 is in the open state.

[0122] In the embodiments of this disclosure, regardless of which of the six antenna devices described above is used, the antenna element 10 can be a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna, or a transceiver antenna. Figure 25 This is a diagram illustrating the interaction effect between the antenna device of this disclosure and multiple users when performing X-ray scanning in the first direction; see reference to... Figure 25, by controlling the switch state of the slit opening 131 in each antenna unit 10, beam scanning in the first direction X can be realized, each beam pointing to a target user (User1... User i... User N), thereby realizing interactive communication of users at different positions on the ground. The results of single-beam and multi-beam scanning in the first direction X respectively are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively. Figure 26 The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure realizes the array distribution and far-field result diagram of single-beam scanning in the first direction X. Figure 27 The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure realizes the array distribution and far-field result diagram of multi-beam scanning in the first direction X. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively. Figure 26 and Figure 27 .

[0123] Figure 28 The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure realizes the multi-user interaction effect diagram when scanning in the second direction Y. As shown in FIG. 6, by controlling the switch state of the slit opening 131 in each antenna unit 10, beam scanning in the second direction Y can also be realized, each beam pointing to a target user, thereby realizing interactive communication of users in a space range. Corresponding to the results of beam spatial scanning in the second direction Y, Figure 28 The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure realizes the array distribution and far-field result diagram of single-beam scanning in the second direction Y. Figure 29 The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure realizes the array distribution and far-field result diagram of multi-beam scanning in the second direction Y. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively. Figure 30 and Figure 29 and Figure 30 .

[0124] Of course, Figure 31 The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure realizes the multi-user interaction effect diagram when scanning in the second direction Y and the first direction X plane. As shown in FIG. 9, by controlling the switch state of the slit opening 131 in each antenna unit 10, beam scanning in the second direction Y and the first direction X plane can also be realized, each beam pointing to a target user, thereby realizing interactive communication of users in a space range. Corresponding to the results of beam spatial scanning in the second direction Y and the first direction X plane, Figure 31 The antenna device of the embodiment of the present disclosure realizes the array distribution and far-field result diagram of scanning in the second direction Y and the first direction X plane. As shown in FIG. 10. Figure 32 Figure 32 .

[0125] ​It is understood that the above embodiments are only exemplary for illustrating the principles of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. Various modifications and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, and these modifications and improvements are also considered as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An antenna device comprising a plurality of antenna units arranged side by side in a second direction; the antenna unit comprising a waveguide structure and a radiation structure; the radiation structure comprising a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate arranged oppositely, a first electrode layer arranged on the side of the first dielectric substrate close to the second dielectric substrate, a second electrode layer arranged on the side of the second dielectric substrate close to the first dielectric substrate, and a first tunable 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 has a plurality of slit openings arranged side by side in a first direction, and the second electrode layer includes 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, 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; the feeding structure includes a main feeding channel and a plurality of branch feeding channels; The antenna device further includes a plurality of phase adjustment structures; 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; the phase adjustment structure includes a liquid crystal phase shifter.

2. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein, The main feeding channel and the branch feeding channel each have a first end and a second end; the first end of the main feeding channel serves as the first feeding port; the first end of each of the branch feeding channels is connected to the second end of the main feeding channel, and the second end of each of the branch feeding channels serves as the second feeding port.

3. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein, At least part of the branch feeding channels have different lengths.

4. The antenna device of claim 3, wherein, Each two adjacent branch feeding channels form a group, and the lengths of the two branch feeding channels in each group are different.

5. The antenna device of claim 4, wherein, For each group of branch feeding channels, the lengths of the two branch feeding channels satisfy that the phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures differ by 180°.

6. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein, The lengths of the branch feeding channels are the same, and the media filled in at least part of the branch feeding channels are different.

7. The antenna device of claim 6, wherein, Each two adjacent branch feeding channels form a group, and the media filled in the two branch feeding channels in each group are different.

8. The antenna device of claim 7, wherein, For each group of branch feeding channels, the media filled in the two branch feeding channels satisfy that the phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures differ by 180°.

9. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein, The phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures by each second feeding port of the feeding structure are different.

10. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein, The phases of the electromagnetic waves fed into the respective corresponding waveguide structures by any two adjacent second feeding ports differ by 180°.

11. The antenna device of 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 patch electrode is connected to an independent second bias voltage line.

12. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein, The slit openings of each antenna unit are arranged one by one; the first electrode layer is connected to a first bias voltage line, and the patch electrodes are connected to a second bias voltage line. The patch electrodes arranged side by side in the second direction are connected to the same second bias voltage line.

13. The antenna device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, A driving chip is further included, and the first bias voltage line and the second bias voltage line are both electrically connected to the driving chip.

14. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein, The width of the middle region of the slit opening is not greater than the width of the two end regions.

15. The antenna device of claim 14, wherein, The width of the two end regions of the slit opening decreases as it approaches the middle region.

16. A beam steering method applied in an antenna device, the antenna device employing the antenna device of any one of claims 1-15. The beam control method includes: According to a slotted opening position in each antenna unit, a target pointing elevation angle and azimuth angle, and a target frequency of electromagnetic waves fed into a waveguide structure of the antenna unit by a second feeding port of a feeding structure, an excitation amplitude value of each slotted opening is obtained by an amplitude sampling function; Discrete processing is performed on the excitation amplitude value of each slotted opening to obtain a discrete result; According to the discrete result, a first tunable dielectric layer of the antenna unit is controlled to control a switching state of the slotted opening.

Images