Electric control beam scanning leaky-wave antenna and communication equipment

Abstract

The invention provides an electric control beam scanning leaky-wave antenna and communication equipment, and the leaky-wave antenna comprises a gap waveguide which comprises a strip-shaped ridge, the gap waveguide is used for transmitting electromagnetic waves in a traveling wave manner, and the strip-shaped ridge extends in the transmission direction of the electromagnetic waves and is arranged in the gap waveguide; the plurality of radiation units are arranged on the side wall of the gap waveguide, each radiation unit comprises a radiation slot and an electric control switch, and the radiation slots are used for leaking electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide to a free space to form wave beams; and the electric control switch is used for controlling the working state of the radiation slot so as to realize beam scanning. According to the leaky-wave antenna provided by the invention, the beam tilt characteristic of the antenna can be improved, and the communication quality of the antenna is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to an electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna and communication equipment. Background Art

[0002] The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna can not only scan the beam in a wide frequency band, but also scan the beam at a fixed frequency in a narrow band, and has a wide range of application scenarios. The gap waveguide can realize low-loss transmission of electromagnetic waves in the high frequency band. Applying it to the electrically controlled leaky wave antenna can give full play to the high gain and wide scanning advantages of the antenna.

[0003] When an electrically controlled leaky-wave antenna is excited by a broadband signal, its beam angle will shift with frequency, resulting in different gains of beams of different frequencies at the target angle, thereby reducing the gain bandwidth of the antenna and the stability of the communication link. This phenomenon of beam scanning with frequency can be called "beam tilt". In millimeter-wave communications, a leaky-wave antenna with a lower beam tilt characteristic is required to ensure that the beam angle shift is as small as possible when the scanning frequency changes. Only then can it have good gain and gain bandwidth, ensuring that the antenna has good communication quality.

[0004] Figure 1 The related art shown provides an electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna based on a gap waveguide, which changes the phase constant by setting a serrated ridge 2 on the central axis of the gap waveguide, so that the transmission mode of the gap waveguide is converted from a fast wave to a slow wave, thereby suppressing the fast wave radiation. However, the above antenna structure has a strong dispersion, resulting in a serious problem of antenna beam tilt. Based on this, providing a low-dispersion electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna to improve the beam tilt characteristics has become a problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a low-dispersion electrically-controlled beam-scanning leaky-wave antenna and communication equipment, which can improve the beam tilt characteristics of the antenna and enhance the communication quality of the antenna.

[0006] In a first aspect, an electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna is provided, comprising: a gap waveguide comprising a strip ridge, the gap waveguide being used to transmit electromagnetic waves in the form of traveling waves, the strip ridge extending along the transmission direction of the electromagnetic waves and arranged in the gap waveguide; a plurality of radiation units being arranged on the side walls of the gap waveguide, each of the radiation units comprising a radiation slot and an electrically controlled switch, the radiation slot being used to leak the electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide into free space to form a beam, and the electrically controlled switch being used to control the working state of the radiation slot to achieve beam scanning.

[0007] According to the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application, the gap waveguide is used as the waveguide structure, so that the antenna still has a low insertion loss in millimeter waves. By introducing a strip ridge into the gap waveguide, and the strip ridge is extended along the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave, the main mode of the gap waveguide transmission is changed from TE10 to a mixed mode of TE10 and TEM. In this way, on the one hand, the phase constant of the antenna will increase, so that the main mode works in the slow wave; on the other hand, the addition of the TEM mode weakens the dispersion of the transmitted electromagnetic wave. By controlling the height and width of the strip ridge and the width of the gap waveguide, the size of the phase constant of the gap waveguide and the proportion of the TEM mode in the mixed mode can be reasonably changed, and the transmission performance of slow waves and low dispersion can be met. By combining the low-dispersion waveguide structure with the electrically controlled radiation structure, the performance of low-dispersion electrically controlled beam scanning can be achieved, thereby effectively improving the beam tilt characteristics of the antenna and improving the communication quality of the antenna.

[0008] The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided by the present application includes a plurality of radiation units, and the plurality of radiation units can be arranged on one of the side walls of the gap waveguide according to certain rules, and each radiation unit includes a radiation slot and an electrically controlled switch that cooperate with each other, and the radiation slot can leak the electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide into the free space to form a beam, and the electrically controlled switch can control the working state of the radiation slot to realize the beam scanning of the leaky wave antenna. The above settings make the radiation beam of the leaky wave antenna provided by the present application have wide angle, high gain, and electrically controlled two-dimensional scanning characteristics. The radiation units are densely arranged, and the beam has good continuity. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided by the present application also has the advantages of low transmission loss, low profile, easy processing, and easy integration, so that the antenna has the advantages of high gain, high efficiency, low profile, lightweight, etc., and is suitable for future millimeter wave wireless communication systems.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the gap waveguide also includes a metal base plate and a cover plate that are relatively and spaced apart, the strip ridge is protrudingly arranged on the surface of the metal base plate facing the cover plate, there is a gap between the strip ridge and the cover plate, and the multiple radiation units are arranged on the cover plate.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the gap waveguide further includes a metal pin array, the metal pin array includes a plurality of pins, and the plurality of pins are periodically arranged on both sides of the strip ridge.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the gap waveguide further includes metal baffles arranged on both sides of the strip ridge.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, the metal baffle plate and the cover plate are connected and fixed by metal screws.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the cover plate includes a dielectric substrate and a first metal layer disposed on an outer surface of the dielectric substrate, the radiation slot is formed on the first metal layer, and the electric control switch is disposed on an inner surface of the dielectric substrate.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the electrically controlled switch includes at least one of a PIN diode, a varactor diode, a micro-electromechanical switch, and a photosensitive switch.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, the radiation slot is a rectangular slot, and an angle formed between a long side of the rectangular slot and a transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave is 0 degrees, 45 degrees, or 90 degrees.

[0016] In a possible implementation manner, the plurality of radiation units are arranged into a plurality of rows, and the radiation units in each row are staggered with each other.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna further includes: a feeding structure connected to the gap waveguide and configured to feed electromagnetic waves into the gap waveguide.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna further includes: a matching load connected to the gap waveguide for absorbing remaining electromagnetic waves.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna further includes: a beam control module, configured to output a control signal to the electrically controlled switch to implement beam scanning.

[0020] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising an electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided by any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0021] Optionally, the communication device may be, for example, a base station, a radar, a mobile terminal (such as a mobile phone), or any other communication device that utilizes an antenna structure to transmit energy or electromagnetic waves, but is not limited thereto. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided by related technology.

[0023] Figure 2 It is a comparison diagram of the phase constant curve.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a comparison of the antenna beam scanning angles under different phase constants.

[0025] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided in Example 1 of the present application.

[0026] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 1 of the present application.

[0027] Figure 6 It is a structural decomposition diagram of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 1 of the present application.

[0028] Figure 7 It is a side view of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 1 of the present application.

[0029] Figure 8 It is a side view of the cover plate of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 1 of the present application.

[0030] Fig. 9 It is a top view of the cover plate of the leaky wave antenna provided in the first embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Fig.10 It is a bottom view of the cover plate of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 1 of the present application.

[0032] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electrically controlled switch of the leaky wave antenna provided in the first embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Fig.12 It is a comparison diagram of the phase constant curve of the first embodiment and the related art.

[0034] Fig.13 It is a comparison diagram of the antenna beam scanning angle of the first embodiment and the related art.

[0035] Fig.14 It is the normalized radiation pattern of the first embodiment and the related technology.

[0036] Fig.15 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 2 of the present application.

[0037] Fig.16 It is a top view of the cover plate of the leaky wave antenna provided in the second embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Fig.17 It is a bottom view of the cover plate of the leaky wave antenna provided in the second embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Fig.18 It is a comparison diagram of the phase constant curve of the second embodiment and the related art.

[0040] Fig.19 It is a comparison diagram of the antenna beam scanning angle of the second embodiment and the related art.

[0041] Fig. 20 It is the normalized radiation pattern of the second embodiment and the related technology.

[0042] Fig.21 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 3 of the present application.

[0043] Fig. 22 This is a structural decomposition diagram of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 3 of the present application.

[0044] Fig.23 It is a side view of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 3 of the present application.

[0045] Fig.24 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 4 of the present application.

[0046] Fig.25 It is a top view of the cover plate of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 4 of the present application.

[0047] Fig.26 It is a bottom view of the cover plate of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 4 of the present application.

[0048] Reference numerals:

[0049] 1. Radiating gaps; 2. Serrated ridges;

[0050] 10. Gap waveguide; 11. Metal base plate; 12. Cover plate; 121. First metal layer; 122. Second metal layer; 123. Dielectric substrate; 13. Metal pin array; 14. Strip ridge; 15. Excitation port; 16. Load interface; 17. Metal baffle; 18. Screw hole; 19. Metal screw;

[0051] 20, radiation unit; 21, radiation gap; 22, electric control switch; 221, first patch; 222, second patch; 223, third patch; 224, first PIN diode; 225, second PIN diode; 226, first metal via; 227, second metal via;

[0052] 30. Feed structure;

[0053] 40. Matching load;

[0054] 50. Beam control module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0056] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or mutual communication; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0057] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "side", "front", "rear", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the installation, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0058] It should also be noted that, in the embodiments of the present application, the same figure mark is used to represent the same component or the same part. For the same parts in the embodiments of the present application, the figure may only mark one of the parts or components as an example. It should be understood that the figure mark also applies to other identical parts or components.

[0059] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, the relevant concepts in the present application are first introduced below.

[0060] Leaky-wave antenna: A traveling wave antenna whose main feature is that it can radiate electromagnetic waves of a predetermined width along the radiation direction of the antenna. The leaky-wave antenna forms a waveguide-like structure in the radiation direction, which enables it to generate broadband, high-power, and wide-angle electromagnetic wave radiation. Leaky-wave antennas can achieve frequency scanning in space and are widely used in radar, communications, remote sensing, space-based navigation and other fields. Due to its excellent radiation characteristics, it has obvious advantages, especially in scenarios such as electronic countermeasures. At the same time, leaky-wave antennas also have the advantages of good directivity, high gain, simple structure, small size, and low manufacturing cost, which provide favorable conditions for the further development of antenna technology.

[0061] Because the leaky wave antenna itself has a frequency scanning characteristic, and considering the actual requirements of fixed-frequency scanning (i.e., beam scanning at a fixed frequency), the fixed-frequency scanning leaky wave antenna came into being. The fixed-frequency scanning leaky wave antenna generally loads an electrically controlled switch or an electrically adjustable medium on the leaky wave antenna, and changes the on-off of the switch or the electromagnetic characteristics of the medium by applying an external voltage to change the beam direction of the leaky wave antenna at a fixed frequency point to achieve fixed-frequency beam scanning. This fixed-frequency scanning leaky wave antenna is also called an electrically controlled scanning leaky wave antenna. The most typical electrically controlled scanning leaky wave antenna is based on a PIN diode or a varactor diode. In recent years, planar leaky wave antennas have been widely studied. Planar leaky wave antennas can be directly processed on printed circuit boards (PCBs), and have the advantages of low profile, easy processing, simple structure, easy feeding, high directivity, and beam scanning characteristics.

[0062] Gap waveguide (GW): A type of waveguide structure that has characteristics similar to traditional waveguides but can overcome their limitations. Compared with common uniform waveguides, the important feature of gap waveguides is that one or more gaps are implanted in the waveguide, and metal sidings are laid on both sides of the waveguide, and dielectric materials are filled in the gaps. This structure helps to lower the operating wavelength of the waveguide, reduce the size and loss of the device. Gap waveguides are not only suitable for microwave devices in high-frequency bands (millimeter wave and terahertz bands), but are also widely used in low-frequency radio transmission systems, such as microwave integrated circuits, broadband communication systems, high-speed digital communications, etc. Because this waveguide can support a wider bandwidth and has the advantages of low transmission distortion, it has been widely used in modern communication and radar systems.

[0063] Gap waveguide is a new type of waveguide structure, made of two parallel metal conductor plates. The upper metal plate is a perfect electric conductor (PEC), and the lower metal plate is composed of an artificial nagnetic conductor (AMC) formed by metal ridges / air slots in the middle and periodic metal pins on both sides. There is an air gap layer between the upper and lower layers, and electromagnetic waves will propagate along the metal ridges / air slots. Gap waveguides mainly include ridge gap waveguides (RGW), slot gap waveguides and substrate integrated gap waveguides. Among them, ridge gap waveguides can better solve high-frequency band loss and processing problems and are widely studied.

[0064] The ridge gap waveguide consists of four parts: a metal ridge, periodically spaced metal pins, and top and bottom metal plates. Due to the bandgap characteristics of the electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structure within the operating frequency, it can block the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a specific frequency band, so that the electromagnetic waves are confined to propagate in the air gap on the upper layer of the metal ridge. Therefore, the ridge gap waveguide does not have to worry about dielectric loss. In addition, the structure is relatively small and easier to miniaturize and integrate. The ridge gap waveguide not only has a transmission performance similar to that of a rectangular waveguide, but also does not have the disadvantages of a rectangular waveguide, making it a new choice for millimeter wave antenna design.

[0065] Beam squint: refers to the deviation of the antenna's beam pointing as the frequency changes due to factors such as bandwidth limitations and multi-frequency operation. Beam squint usually causes the antenna to perform poorly at some frequencies because the beam is not pointing accurately in the desired direction. To avoid beam squint, the antenna design needs to select the appropriate beam width and perform precise correction and control. When the antenna has a low beam tilt characteristic (i.e., a small angle deviation), it can ensure that the beam angle deviation is as small as possible when the scanning frequency changes.

[0066] Dispersion: refers to the situation where light or electromagnetic waves of different wavelengths or frequencies propagate at different speeds in a medium. This phenomenon causes light or electromagnetic waves of different wavelengths or frequencies to disperse in the medium, that is, propagate in different directions, forming some dispersion effects, such as dispersion relation, dispersion delay, etc. Common dispersion phenomena include refractive dispersion, dispersion lens dispersion, free space dispersion, etc. Dispersion is of great significance in physics and its application fields, such as optics, communications, materials science and other fields. When the dispersion of the antenna is weak, the antenna will have better beam tilt characteristics, that is, low dispersion can improve the beam tilt characteristics.

[0067] The emergence of the 5th generation (5G) mobile communications has greatly promoted the development of industry and improved people's quality of life. Its high-speed data transmission characteristics are widely used in the fields of Internet of Things, autonomous driving, virtual reality (VR) / augmented reality (AR), etc. The millimeter wave band can meet the broadband requirements of 5G mobile communications to achieve high-speed data transmission, but it requires highly directional antennas to combat severe path loss. At the same time, the antenna must also have the ability to scan beams to achieve wide-range signal coverage.

[0068] Leaky wave antennas are a type of beam scanning antennas that have the advantages of high directivity, low profile, simple feeding, and easy integration. Traditional leaky wave antennas rely on changing frequencies to achieve multi-target coverage, but the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antennas that have become popular in recent years have a wider range of applications because they can scan beams in a wide frequency band and achieve fixed-frequency beam scanning in a narrow band. Gap waveguide technology can achieve low-loss transmission of electromagnetic waves in high frequency bands. Applying it to electrically controlled leaky wave antennas can give full play to the high gain and wide scanning advantages of the antenna.

[0069] However, it should be noted that when the electrically controlled leaky wave antenna is excited by a broadband signal, its beam angle will shift with the change of frequency, resulting in different gains of beams of different frequencies at the target angle, thereby reducing the gain bandwidth of the antenna and the stability of the communication link. This phenomenon of beam scanning with frequency is usually called "beam tilt (beamsquint)". In millimeter wave communication, a leaky wave antenna with a lower beam tilt characteristic is required to ensure that the beam angle shift is as small as possible when the scanning frequency changes. Only then can it have good gain and gain bandwidth, ensuring that the antenna has a good communication effect.

[0070] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided by the related technology. Figure 2 It is a comparison diagram of the phase constant curve. Figure 3 This is a comparison of antenna beam scanning angles under different phase constants. Figure 1 As shown, the related art provides an electrically controlled leaky wave antenna based on a gap waveguide structure, wherein the radiation slot 1 is located above the gap waveguide for radiating electromagnetic waves, and each radiation slot 1 is loaded with a PIN diode. By changing the on and off of the PIN diode, aperture fields of different period lengths can be realized, thereby realizing electrically controlled beam scanning. The serrated ridge 2 is located on the central axis of the gap waveguide, and by changing its height, the phase constant can be effectively changed, so that the transmission mode of the gap waveguide is converted from a fast wave to a slow wave, thereby suppressing fast wave radiation and realizing -1 spatial harmonic radiation.

[0071] exist Figure 1 In the related art shown in FIG. 1 , the serrated ridge 2 is used to adjust the phase constant of the gap waveguide, and the obtained phase curve is: Figure 2 The slope of the curve with a black rectangle in the figure is quite different from the slope of the phase curve of the light line, and as the frequency increases, the difference between the phase constant of the related technology and the phase constant of the light line also gradually increases. Figure 2The curve with white circles is the expected phase constant curve, whose slope is closer to light, and the phase constant value at high frequencies is relatively small. Here, the phase curve of light can reflect the light transmission characteristics. When electromagnetic waves are transmitted in TEM mode in a vacuum environment, their phase velocity is the same as the speed of light. Therefore, light lines are often used as comparison items to compare with the phase constants of other dispersion structures.

[0072] from Figure 3 It can be seen that the beam angle of the antenna provided by the related art varies with frequency in a wider range and has stronger dispersion, resulting in a more serious beam tilt problem for the antenna provided by the related art. Based on this, providing a low-dispersion electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna to improve the beam tilt characteristics has become a problem to be solved.

[0073] The embodiment of the present application provides a low-dispersion electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna and communication equipment. By introducing a strip ridge into the gap waveguide, the main mode of the gap waveguide transmission is changed from TE10 to a mixed mode of TE10 and TEM. The addition of the TEM mode weakens the dispersion of the transmitted electromagnetic wave, which can effectively improve the beam tilt characteristics of the antenna and improve the communication quality of the antenna. The present application combines a low-dispersion waveguide structure with an electrically controlled radiation structure, and the performance of low-dispersion electrically controlled beam scanning can be achieved. The leaky wave antenna provided in the embodiment of the present application is suitable for 5G millimeter wave (MMW) high-speed communication systems, base station communication systems, broadband large-capacity communication systems, vehicle (ship, aircraft) borne radars, and "mobile communication" satellite communication systems, but is not limited thereto.

[0074] The present application first provides an electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided in the first embodiment of the present application, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a leaky wave antenna provided in Embodiment 1 of the present application, Figure 6 is a structural exploded diagram of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 1 of the present application, Figure 7 is a side view of the leaky wave antenna provided in the first embodiment of the present application. Figure 4-Figure 7 As shown, the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a gap waveguide 10 and a plurality of radiation units 20 .

[0075] The gap waveguide 10 includes a strip ridge 14. The gap waveguide 10 is used to transmit electromagnetic waves in the form of traveling waves. The strip ridge 14 is extended in the gap waveguide 10 along the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave, or the electromagnetic wave propagates along the extension direction of the strip ridge 14. The strip ridge 14 is a long metal structure. For example, the material constituting the strip ridge 14 includes at least one of copper, aluminum, silver and stainless steel. The strip ridge 14 can increase the phase constant of the gap waveguide, convert the fast wave transmission mode into a slow wave, and has the characteristic of low dispersion. Figure 6 and Figure 7 The cross-sectional shape of the strip ridge 14 in the embodiment can be a rectangle, and can also be other shapes such as a trapezoid, a rhombus, a parallelogram, a circle or an ellipse, which is not limited in the present application. The strip ridge 14 can be located in the middle of the gap waveguide 10, and can pass through the entire gap waveguide 10, and the metal bottom plate 11 can be connected below. For example, the strip ridge 14 can be arranged along the electromagnetic wave transmission direction and located on the center line or the central axis of the metal bottom plate 11.

[0076] A plurality of radiation units 20 are arranged on the side wall of the gap waveguide 10, and each radiation unit 20 includes a radiation slot 21 and an electrically controlled switch 22. The radiation slot 21 is used to leak the electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide 10 into the free space to form a beam, and the electrically controlled switch 22 is used to control the working state of the radiation slot 21 to realize the beam scanning of the leaky wave antenna.

[0077] Specifically, each radiation unit 20 includes a radiation slot 21 and an electrically controlled switch 22 that cooperate with each other, wherein the radiation slot 21 can radiate (leak) electromagnetic waves into the external environment, and the electrically controlled switch 22 is used to control the working state of the radiation slot 21. For example, the radiation slot 21 can be controlled to open to enter the working state (i.e., radiate electromagnetic waves outward), or the radiation slot 21 can be controlled to close to enter the non-working state (i.e., stop radiating electromagnetic waves). Controlling the radiation slot 21 to enter the working state means controlling the corresponding radiation unit 20 to enter the working state, and controlling the radiation slot 21 to enter the non-working state means controlling the corresponding radiation unit 20 to enter the non-working state. By controlling the working states of multiple radiation units 20, for example, some of the radiation units 20 can be controlled to work and the rest can be controlled not to work. By controlling different radiation units 20 to enter the working state, that is, through different arrangements and combinations, the beam of the leaky wave antenna can be made to achieve different directions and different beam radiation angles, thereby achieving the beam scanning characteristics of the leaky wave antenna.

[0078] According to the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application, the gap waveguide 10 is used as the waveguide structure, so that the antenna still has a low insertion loss in millimeter waves. By introducing the strip ridge 14 into the gap waveguide 10, and the strip ridge 14 is extended along the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave, the main mode transmitted by the gap waveguide 10 is changed from TE10 to a mixed mode of TE10 and TEM. In this way, on the one hand, the phase constant of the antenna will increase, so that the main mode works in the slow wave; on the other hand, the addition of the TEM mode weakens the dispersion of the transmitted electromagnetic wave. By controlling the height and width of the strip ridge 14 and the width of the gap waveguide 10, the size of the phase constant of the gap waveguide 10 and the proportion of the TEM mode in the mixed mode can be reasonably changed, and the transmission performance of slow waves and low dispersion can be met. By combining the low-dispersion waveguide structure with the electrically controlled radiation structure, the performance of low-dispersion electrically controlled beam scanning can be achieved, thereby effectively improving the beam tilt characteristics of the antenna and improving the communication quality of the antenna.

[0079] The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided in the present application includes a plurality of radiation units 20, which can be arranged on one of the side walls of the gap waveguide 10 according to certain rules, and each radiation unit 20 includes a radiation slot 21 and an electrically controlled switch 22 that work in cooperation with each other, the radiation slot 21 can leak the electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide 10 into the free space to form a beam, and the electrically controlled switch 22 can control the working state of the radiation slot 21 to realize the beam scanning of the leaky wave antenna. The above settings make the radiation beam of the leaky wave antenna provided in the present application have wide angle, high gain, and electrically controlled two-dimensional scanning characteristics. The radiation units are densely arranged, and the beam has good continuity. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided in the present application also has the advantages of low transmission loss, low profile, easy processing, and easy integration, so that the antenna has the advantages of high gain, high efficiency, low profile, lightweight, etc., and is suitable for future millimeter wave wireless communication systems.

[0080] like Figure 4-Figure 6 As shown, the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided in the embodiment of the present application also includes a feeding structure 30, which is connected to the gap waveguide 10 and is used to feed electromagnetic waves into the gap waveguide 10 through the excitation port 15 of the gap waveguide 10. The feeding structure 30 is used to feed electromagnetic energy into the gap waveguide 10 through the excitation port 15. Typical types of feeding structures that can be selected from the feeding structure 30 include parallel feeding, series feeding, reflection surface feeding, lens feeding, and multi-channel independent signal feeding. In some cases, the feeding structure 30 can simultaneously feed electromagnetic waves into multiple gap waveguides 10 arranged in parallel.

[0081] like Figure 4-Figure 6As shown, the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided in the embodiment of the present application also includes a matching load 40, which is connected to the gap waveguide 10 and is used to absorb the remaining electromagnetic waves through the load interface 16 of the gap waveguide 10, thereby reducing the reflection of the electromagnetic waves, which is beneficial to improving the communication quality of the antenna. The gap waveguide 10 can be an elongated structure as a whole, and the excitation port 15 and the load interface 16 can be located at the two ends of the elongated structure, or in other words, the feeding structure 30 and the matching load 40 are distributed at the two ends of the elongated gap waveguide 10. In some cases, when the remaining electromagnetic energy at the end of the gap waveguide 10 (i.e., the end with the load interface 16) is very little or less, the matching load 40 at the end can be removed.

[0082] like Figure 4-Figure 6 As shown, the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes a beam control module 50, and the beam control module 50 is used to output a control signal to the electrically controlled switch 22 to achieve beam scanning.

[0083] Specifically, the beam control module 50 is connected to each electronically controlled switch 22 in communication, and the beam control module 50 can output a control signal to the electronically controlled switch 22, and the electronically controlled switch 22 further controls the working state of the radiation unit 20 according to the control signal, for example, controlling some radiation units 20 to enter a working state, while the remaining radiation units 20 enter a non-working state (i.e., not working), thereby being able to control the beam pointing in the antenna radiation pattern, and realizing the electronically controlled beam scanning characteristics of the antenna. The present application adopts a beam control module to provide a beam control signal for the antenna, and controls the working state of each radiation unit 20 through the electronically controlled switch 22, which has the advantages of quick response and high stability, and the beam control module 50 is easy to integrate with the antenna system.

[0084] Optionally, the beam control module 50 may be any type of controller or processor such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) controller or a programmable logic controller (PLC).

[0085] The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided in the embodiment of the present application is more related to the structural improvement of the gap waveguide 10. The structural details of the gap waveguide 10 are further defined below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present application, the gap waveguide 10 can transmit electromagnetic waves with high frequency and low loss, and can be composed of multiple rows of bandgap pins, a metal base plate, and a dielectric plate with a metal layer. Multiple rows of bandgap pins are distributed on both sides of the channel of the gap waveguide 10, which can bind the electromagnetic waves in the middle. The bandgap pins in each row are arranged at equal intervals. The bandgap pins can be a rectangular metal block structure, which needs to be connected to the metal base plate and the dielectric plate with a metal layer to have the bandgap characteristic. The metal base plate and the dielectric plate with a metal layer are located at the lower and upper layers of the bandgap pins, and cooperate with the bandgap pins to form a waveguide structure.

[0087] Specifically, the gap waveguide 10 includes a metal bottom plate 11 and a cover plate 12 that are arranged oppositely and at intervals. The metal bottom plate 11 and the cover plate 12 can both be flat plates and are arranged in parallel. The strip ridge 14 is protrudingly arranged on the surface of the metal bottom plate 11 facing the cover plate 12. There is a gap between the strip ridge 14 and the cover plate 12, that is, the two are not in contact. A plurality of radiation units 20 are arranged on the cover plate 12 according to certain rules, so that the plurality of radiation units 20 can be coupled with the gap waveguide 10 to obtain electromagnetic energy, or to leak electromagnetic waves into free space (external environment).

[0088] Figure 7 The structural parameters that affect the dispersion are marked. The dispersion of the gap waveguide 10 can be effectively reduced by increasing the gap waveguide width w1, increasing the ridge width w2 and increasing the ridge height h1.

[0089] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present application, the gap waveguide 10 further includes a metal pin array 13 , and the metal pin array 13 includes a plurality of pins, and the plurality of pins are periodically arranged on both sides of the strip ridge 14 .

[0090] The metal pin array 13 forms an EBG structure, which has a bandgap characteristic and can prevent electromagnetic waves from propagating in non-ridge directions, without causing leakage of electromagnetic waves. The top of the pin can abut against the cover plate 12, and the height of the pin is higher than the height of the strip ridge 14, which can not only ensure that an air gap is formed between the strip ridge 14 and the cover plate 12, but also better confine the electromagnetic waves inside the waveguide.

[0091] like Figure 5-Figure 7 As shown, the pins of the metal pin array 13 are cylindrical structures and extend along the thickness direction of the gap waveguide 10. The cross section of the cylindrical structure parallel to the plane where the metal bottom plate 11 is located can be any one of rectangular, circular, square, elliptical, etc. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, there is no limitation on the cross-sectional shape and the dimensions or parameters such as height, width, and spacing of the pins.

[0092] In the embodiment of the present application, the radiation unit 20 can be disposed on the cover plate 12 by using various processes such as PCB, low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC), and wafer processing. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a radiation unit array in a staggered arrangement. In other embodiments, the radiation units 20 may also be arranged in a non-staggered arrangement. One or more rows of radiation units 20 may be provided on the cover plate 12, and the radiation units 20 in each row may be staggered.

[0093] For example, the multiple radiation units 20 in the embodiment of the present application are arranged as follows: Figure 5 and Figure 6 The radiation units 20 in each row are arranged alternately.

[0094] Figure 8 It is a side view of the cover plate 12 of the leaky wave antenna provided in the first embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9 It is a top view of the cover plate 12 of the leaky wave antenna provided in the first embodiment of the present application. Fig.10 FIG. 1 is a bottom view of the cover plate 12 of the leaky wave antenna provided in the first embodiment of the present application. Figure 8-Figure 10 As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the cover plate 12 includes a dielectric substrate 123 and a first metal layer 121 arranged on the outer surface of the dielectric substrate 123 , the radiation gap 21 is formed on the first metal layer 121 , and the electric control switch 22 is arranged on the inner surface of the dielectric substrate 123 .

[0095] Optionally, the first metal layer 121 and the dielectric substrate 123 may be tightly combined into an integrated structure through machining, electroplating, hot pressing or microelectronics.

[0096] Optionally, the cover plate 12 can be a PCB board, the dielectric substrate 123 can be an insulating dielectric plate (layer) of the PCB board, and the first metal layer 121 can be a copper-clad layer of the PCB board. At this time, radiation gaps 21 can be opened on the first metal layer 121 through etching and other processes, and multiple radiation gaps 21 can be periodically arranged on the first metal layer 121 to form a gap array.

[0097] Optionally, the radiation slot 21 may be a slot of any shape, such as a rectangular slot, a circular slot, an elliptical slot, a triangular slot, etc. The radiation slot 21 directly leaks the electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide 10 into the free space.

[0098] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Fig. 9As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the radiation slot 21 can be a rectangular slot (straight strip slot), and the angle formed between the long side of the rectangular slot and the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave (that is, the extension direction of the strip ridge 14) is 0 degrees. At this time, the radiation slot 21 can also be called a longitudinal slot.

[0099] Optionally, the electrically controlled switch 22 may include tunable electronic components and / or tunable materials, and electrically controlled beam scanning is achieved through the above components or materials, which has the advantages of simple structure, low cost, fast beam response speed and large beam scanning range.

[0100] For example, the tunable electronic element may include at least one of a PIN diode, a varactor diode, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) switch, and a photosensitive switch.

[0101] For example, the tunable material may include at least one of a ferroelectric material barium strontium titanate, an optoelectronic material graphene, a temperature-variable material vanadium dioxide, water, liquid crystal, and the like.

[0102] Optionally, the electronically controlled switch 22 may include a tunable electronic component (for example, an active electronic component), a metal patch and a metal via, wherein the metal patch is disposed on the inner surface of the dielectric substrate 123, the tunable electronic component is fixed on the metal patch, and the metal via passes through the dielectric substrate 123 and electrically connects the first metal layer 121 with the metal patch.

[0103] Fig.11 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electric control switch 22 of the leaky wave antenna provided in the first embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 , Fig.10 and Fig.11 As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the electric switch 22 includes a first patch 221, a third patch 223 and a second patch 222 which are arranged in sequence and at intervals. The three patches are all metal patches and are sequentially connected to form a straight line, which intersects with the projection of the long strip-shaped radiation slot 21 (for example, they are perpendicular to each other), and the third patch 223 in the middle can be located directly below the radiation slot 21. The three patches are arranged in parallel on the inner surface of the dielectric substrate 123 to form a second metal layer 122, which can also be regarded as a part of the cover plate 120.

[0104] Optionally, any functional device such as capacitors, inductors, resistors, chips, integrated circuits, etc. can be set on the metal layer in the embodiment of the present application (for example, the first metal layer 121 and / or the second metal layer 122). The present application does not limit this. In some cases, the above-mentioned functional devices can also be regarded as part of the metal layer.

[0105] Furthermore, the electronically controlled switch 22 further includes a first PIN diode 224, a second PIN diode 225, a first metal via 226, and a second metal via 227. The first metal via 226 penetrates the dielectric substrate 123 to electrically connect the first patch 221 and the first metal layer 121, and the second metal via 227 penetrates the dielectric substrate 123 to electrically connect the second patch 222 and the first metal layer 121. One end of the first PIN diode 224 is connected to the first patch 221, and the other end is connected to the third patch 223; one end of the second PIN diode 225 is connected to the second patch 222, and the other end is connected to the third patch 223. Any PIN diode can be connected to the patch by welding, so the metal patch in the embodiment of the present application can also be understood as a pad.

[0106] For a specific radiation unit 20, the beam control module 50 can control the first PIN diode 224 and the second PIN diode 225 of the radiation unit 20 to be turned on. At this time, the radiation slot 21 of the radiation unit 20 is short-circuited, the radiation unit 20 does not work, and does not radiate electromagnetic waves outward, which can be represented by the number "0". Alternatively, the beam control module 50 can also control the first PIN diode 224 and the second PIN diode 225 of the radiation unit 20 to be turned off. At this time, the radiation slot 21 of the radiation unit 20 is not short-circuited, the radiation unit 20 works, and radiates electromagnetic waves outward, which can be represented by the number "1".

[0107] The present application can control the short circuit and non-short circuit of the radiation slot 21 by controlling the "on" and "off" of the PIN diode, so that the radiation unit 20 has two digital coding states of "0" and "1". By controlling the "0" and "1" states of each radiation unit 20 in the array, a digital coding scheme of the antenna is formed. The beam control module 50 can control the beam pointing in the antenna radiation pattern by switching between different digital coding schemes, and realize the required radiation pattern at the same specific frequency, thereby realizing beam scanning.

[0108] Table 1: Related technologies and embodiments 1 Digital coding scheme for antennas with an angle of -40° at 30 GHz

[0109]

[0110] Figure 1The antenna structure provided by the related art shown in the figure (the radiation slot 21 is a longitudinal slot) realizes the antenna digital coding scheme of -40° angle at 30GHz frequency as shown in the first row of Table 1, and the antenna structure provided by the first embodiment of the present application realizes the antenna digital coding scheme of -40° angle at 30GHz frequency as shown in the second row of Table 1. Each bit in Table 1 corresponds to a radiation unit 20, the number "0" indicates that the corresponding radiation unit 20 is not working, and the number "1" indicates that the corresponding radiation unit 20 is working. At angles other than -40°, the antenna may have a digital coding scheme different from that shown in Table 1.

[0111] like Figure 8-Figure 11 As shown, increasing the gap waveguide width w1, increasing the ridge width w2 and increasing the ridge height h1 can effectively reduce the dispersion of the gap waveguide 10. For example, as a specific example, w1 = 8 mm, w2 = 3 mm, h1 = 3 mm.

[0112] Furthermore, the radiation element 20 can be realized by etching a gap on a printed circuit board and loading a PIN diode (the PIN diode is located inside the structure). Figure 8 The single-layer core board shown is composed of an upper copper foil etched slot array and a lower copper foil etched pad (i.e., metal patch). The basic unit of the etched slot array is a longitudinal slot, with a slot length of 2.5mm (the dimension in the direction of electromagnetic wave transmission (x direction)) and a width of 0.5mm (the dimension in the y direction perpendicular to the direction of electromagnetic wave transmission). The array has a total of 24 units, arranged in two rows, with the spacing between units in each row of slots being 3.4mm, and the spacing between the two rows being 3.7mm. The two rows of slots are staggered by 1.7mm in the x direction. Fig.10 The structure of the electric control switch 22, 24 sets of electric control switches 22 correspond to 24 radiation slots 21 one by one, the electric control switch 22 includes a metal patch and a PIN diode, and the specific structural details can be seen in Fig.11 According to the relevant introduction, the radiation power of the longitudinal seam can be controlled by electrically controlling the on and off of the PIN diode.

[0113] Fig.12 It is a comparison diagram of the phase constant curve of the first embodiment and the related art. Fig.13 It is a comparison diagram of the antenna beam scanning angle of the first embodiment and the related art. Fig.14 is the normalized radiation pattern of the first embodiment and the related art, wherein, Fig.14 Part (a) is the normalized radiation pattern of the related art. Fig.14 Part (b) is the normalized radiation pattern of the first embodiment.

[0114] Fig.12By comparing the phase constants of the antenna structure proposed in the related art at 27 to 35 GHz when the radiation slot 21 is a longitudinal slot and the antenna structure provided in Example 1 of the present application, it can be seen that the slope of the phase constant curve of Example 1 is smaller, and the value and slope are closer to the light line, so its dispersion is also smaller. Fig.13 , Fig.14 The low dispersion feature of the first embodiment is illustrated by comparing the frequency scanning characteristics of the antenna when the operating frequency is 27 to 35 GHz. Fig.13 and Fig.14 The coding of the medium beam is based on the aforementioned Table 1. It can be seen that when the frequency changes from 27 GHz to 35 GHz, the angle change of the related art is 44°, and the angle change of the first embodiment is 35°. The first embodiment of the present application has a smaller angle offset.

[0115] Fig.15 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 2 of the present application. Fig.16 It is a top view of the cover plate 12 of the leaky wave antenna provided in the second embodiment of the present application. Fig.17 It is a bottom view of the cover plate 12 of the leaky wave antenna provided in the second embodiment of the present application.

[0116] Compared with the above-mentioned embodiment 1, Figures 15 to 17 The radiation slot 21 in the second embodiment shown can be a rectangular slot, the long side of which is perpendicular to the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave (that is, the extension direction of the strip ridge 14), that is, the angle formed between the long side of the rectangular slot and the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave is 90 degrees. In this case, the radiation slot 21 can also be called a transverse slot.

[0117] like Figures 15 to 17 As shown, the radiation slot 21 of the radiation unit 20 can be a transverse slot, and the radiation unit 20 can be realized by etching a transverse slot on a printed circuit board and loading a PIN diode (the PIN is located inside the structure). The printed circuit board is composed of a single-layer core board, the upper copper foil is etched with a slot array, and the lower copper foil is etched with a pad (i.e., a metal patch). The basic unit of the etched slot array is a transverse slot, and the slot length is 2.5mm (y-direction dimension) and the width is 0.5mm (x-direction dimension). The array has a total of 24 units, arranged in two rows, the spacing between the units in each row of slots is 3.4mm, and the row spacing between the two rows is 3.7mm. The two rows of slots are staggered by 1.7mm in the x-direction. Fig.17 The structure of the electric control switch 22, 24 sets of electric control switches 22 correspond to 24 radiation slots 21 one by one, the electric control switch 22 includes a metal patch and a PIN diode, and the specific structural details can be seen in Fig.11 According to the relevant introduction, the radiation power of the longitudinal seam can be controlled by electrically controlling the on and off of the PIN diode.

[0118] Table 2: Related technologies and Example 2 Digital coding scheme for antennas with an angle of -40° at 30 GHz

[0119]

[0120] Figure 1 The antenna structure provided by the related art shown in the figure (the radiation slot 21 is a horizontal slot) realizes the antenna digital coding scheme of -40° angle at 30GHz frequency as shown in the first row of Table 2, and the antenna structure provided by the second embodiment of the present application realizes the antenna digital coding scheme of -40° angle at 30GHz frequency as shown in the second row of Table 2. Each bit in Table 2 corresponds to a radiation unit 20, the number "0" indicates that the corresponding radiation unit 20 is not working, and the number "1" indicates that the corresponding radiation unit 20 is working. At angles other than -40°, the antenna may have a digital coding scheme different from that shown in Table 2.

[0121] Fig.18 It is a comparison diagram of the phase constant curve of the second embodiment and the related art. Fig.19 It is a comparison diagram of the antenna beam scanning angle of the second embodiment and the related art. Fig. 20 is the normalized radiation pattern of the second embodiment and the related art, wherein, Fig. 20 Part (a) is the normalized radiation pattern of the related art. Fig. 20 Part (b) is the normalized radiation pattern of the second embodiment.

[0122] Fig.18 By comparing the phase constants of the antenna structure proposed in the related art at 27 to 35 GHz when the radiation slot 21 is a transverse slot and the antenna structure provided in Example 2 of the present application, it can be seen that the slope of the phase constant curve of Example 2 is smaller, and the value and slope are closer to the light line, so its dispersion is also smaller. Fig.19 , Fig. 20 The low dispersion feature of the second embodiment is illustrated by comparing the frequency scanning characteristics of the antenna when the operating frequency is 27-35 GHz. Fig.19 and Fig. 20 The coding of the medium beam is based on the aforementioned Table 2. It can be seen that when the frequency changes from 27 GHz to 35 GHz, the angle change of the related art is 49°, and the angle change of the second embodiment is 35°. The second embodiment of the present application has a smaller angle offset.

[0123] Fig.21 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 3 of the present application. Fig. 22 This is a structural decomposition diagram of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 3 of the present application. Fig.23 It is a side view of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 3 of the present application.

[0124] Compared with the above-mentioned embodiment 1 and embodiment 2, Figure 21 to Figure 23 In the third embodiment shown, the metal pin array 13 (ie, bandgap pins) of the gap waveguide 10 is replaced with a metal baffle 17, thereby achieving a shielding effect while simplifying the processing.

[0125] Specifically, the gap waveguide 10 further includes metal baffles 17 disposed on both sides of the strip ridge 14. The two metal baffles 17 are parallel to each other and spaced apart, connecting the metal bottom plate 11 and the cover plate 12 on both sides, thereby jointly defining the inner cavity of the gap waveguide 10. For example, the metal baffles 17 can be baffles made of any metal material such as aluminum baffles and copper baffles.

[0126] One end of the metal baffle 17 is connected to the metal bottom plate 11, and the other end is connected to the cover plate 12. The cover plate 12 is, for example, a PCB board. The metal baffle 17 and the cover plate 12 can be connected and fixed by metal screws 19. For example, screw holes are provided on both the metal baffle 17 and the cover plate 12. On the one hand, it is convenient to fix the two together by the metal screws 19. On the other hand, the metal screws 19 have a bandgap effect, and can prevent energy (electromagnetic wave) leakage through dense arrangement.

[0127] Fig.24 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 4 of the present application. Fig.25 It is a top view of the cover plate of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 4 of the present application. Fig.26 It is a bottom view of the cover plate of the leaky wave antenna provided in Example 4 of the present application.

[0128] Compared with the above-mentioned embodiment 1, embodiment 2 and embodiment 3, Figure 24 to Figure 26 The radiation slot 21 in the fourth embodiment shown can be a rectangular slot, and the angle formed between the long side of the rectangular slot and the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave is 45 degrees, that is, the radiation unit 20 can also be polarized at 45°, thereby having polarization diversity.

[0129] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, comprising the electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna provided by any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0130] Optionally, the communication device may be, for example, a base station, a radar, a mobile terminal (such as a mobile phone), or any other communication device that utilizes an antenna structure to transmit energy or electromagnetic waves, but is not limited thereto.

[0131] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna, characterized in that: include: A gap waveguide (10) comprising a strip ridge (14), the gap waveguide (10) being used to transmit electromagnetic waves in the form of traveling waves, the strip ridge (14) extending along the transmission direction of the electromagnetic waves and arranged in the gap waveguide (10); A plurality of radiation units (20) are arranged on the side wall of the gap waveguide (10), each of the radiation units (20) comprising a radiation slot (21) and an electrically controlled switch (22), the radiation slot (21) being used to leak electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide (10) into free space to form a beam, and the electrically controlled switch (22) being used to control the working state of the radiation slot (21) to achieve beam scanning.

2. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gap waveguide (10) further comprises a metal base plate (11) and a cover plate (12) which are arranged opposite to each other and at intervals, the strip ridge (14) being protrudingly arranged on the surface of the metal base plate (11) facing the cover plate (12), with a gap between the strip ridge (14) and the cover plate (12), and the plurality of radiation units (20) being arranged on the cover plate (12).

3. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The gap waveguide (10) further comprises a metal pin array (13), wherein the metal pin array (13) comprises a plurality of pins, and the plurality of pins are periodically arranged on both sides of the strip ridge (14).

4. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The gap waveguide (10) further comprises metal baffles (17) arranged on both sides of the strip ridge (14).

5. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to claim 4, characterized in that: The metal baffle plate (17) and the cover plate (12) are connected and fixed via metal screws (19).

6. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The cover plate (12) comprises a dielectric substrate (123) and a first metal layer (121) arranged on the outer surface of the dielectric substrate (123); the radiation gap (21) is formed on the first metal layer (121); and the electric control switch (22) is arranged on the inner surface of the dielectric substrate (123).

7. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The electrically controlled switch (22) comprises at least one of a PIN diode, a varactor diode, a micro-electromechanical switch and a photosensitive switch.

8. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The radiation slot (21) is a rectangular slot, and the angle formed between the long side of the rectangular slot and the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave is 0 degrees, 45 degrees or 90 degrees.

9. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The plurality of radiation units (20) are arranged in a plurality of rows, and the radiation units (20) in each row are arranged in an interlaced manner.

10. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna also includes: A feeding structure (30) is connected to the gap waveguide (10) and is used to feed electromagnetic waves into the gap waveguide (10).

11. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna also includes: A matching load (40) is connected to the gap waveguide (10) and is used to absorb the remaining electromagnetic waves.

12. The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna also includes: The beam control module (50) is used to output a control signal to the electric control switch (22) to achieve beam scanning.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: It comprises an electrically controlled beam scanning leaky wave antenna as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12.

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