Electrically controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna and communication device

Abstract

The application provides an electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna and a communication device. The leaky-wave antenna comprises a gap waveguide including a strip-shaped ridge, the gap waveguide being used for transmitting electromagnetic waves in the form of a traveling wave, the strip-shaped ridge being arranged in the gap waveguide along a transmission direction of the electromagnetic waves; and a plurality of radiation units arranged on a side wall of the gap waveguide, each of the radiation units comprising a radiation slot and an electrically-controlled switch, the radiation slot being used for leaking electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide to a free space to form a beam, and the electrically-controlled switch being used for controlling an operating state of the radiation slot to realize beam scanning. The leaky-wave antenna provided by the application can improve the beam tilting characteristics of the antenna and improve the communication quality of the antenna.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of antennas, in particular to an electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna and a communication device. BACKGROUND

[0002] The electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna can realize wideband frequency scanning beams and narrowband fixed-frequency beam scanning, and has wide application scenarios. Gap waveguides can realize low-loss transmission of electromagnetic waves at high frequencies, and the application of gap waveguides to electrically-controlled leaky-wave antennas can fully exert the advantages of high gain and wide scanning of the antennas.

[0003] When the electrically-controlled leaky-wave antenna is excited by a wideband signal, the beam angle will deviate with the change of the 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 the frequency can be referred to as "beam tilting". In millimeter wave communication, a leaky-wave antenna with low beam tilting characteristics is required to ensure that the beam angle deviates as little as possible when the scanning frequency changes, so that the antenna has good gain and gain bandwidth and ensures good communication quality.

[0004] Figure 1 The related art provides an electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna based on a gap waveguide, which changes the phase constant by setting a tooth-shaped ridge 2 on the central axis of the gap waveguide, so that the transmission mode of the gap waveguide is converted from fast wave to slow wave, thereby suppressing fast wave radiation. However, the dispersion of the above-mentioned antenna structure is strong, resulting in a serious beam tilting problem of the antenna. Therefore, it is a problem to be solved to provide a low-dispersion electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna to improve the beam tilting characteristics. SUMMARY

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a low-dispersion electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna and a communication device, which can improve the beam tilting characteristics of the antenna and improve 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-shaped ridge, the gap waveguide being configured to transmit electromagnetic waves in the form of a traveling wave, and the strip-shaped ridge being arranged in the gap waveguide along the transmission direction of the electromagnetic waves; a plurality of radiation units arranged on the side wall of the gap waveguide, each of the radiation units comprising a radiation slot and an electrically-controlled switch, the radiation slot being configured to leak electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide to the free space to form a beam, and the electrically-controlled switch being configured to control the working state of the radiation slot to realize beam scanning.

[0007] According to the electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided in the embodiment of the present application, the gap waveguide is used as a waveguide structure, so that the antenna has a low insertion loss in the millimeter wave. By introducing a strip ridge into the gap waveguide and extending the strip ridge along the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave, the main mode of the gap waveguide 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 is increased, so that the main mode works in a slow wave; on the other hand, the addition of the TEM mode weakens the dispersion of the transmitted electromagnetic wave. By controlling the height, 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 slow wave and the low dispersion transmission performance can be met. The low dispersion waveguide structure is combined with the electrically-controlled radiation structure, the performance of the electrically-controlled beam scanning is realized, and then the beam tilting characteristics of the antenna can be effectively improved, and the communication quality of the antenna is improved.

[0008] The electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided in the present application includes a plurality of radiation units, which can be arranged on one side wall of the gap waveguide according to a certain rule. Each radiation unit includes a radiation slot and an electrically-controlled switch that work together. The radiation slot can leak the electromagnetic wave in the gap waveguide to 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 arrangement makes the radiation beam of the leaky-wave antenna provided in the present application have the characteristics of wide angle, high gain and electrically-controlled two-dimensional scanning. The radiation units are arranged in a dense manner, 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 and light weight, and is suitable for future millimeter wave wireless communication systems.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the gap waveguide further includes a metal bottom plate and a cover plate arranged oppositely and at intervals, the strip ridge is protrudingly arranged on the surface of the metal bottom plate facing the cover plate, there is a gap between the strip ridge and the cover plate, and the plurality of 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, the gap waveguide further includes a metal baffle arranged on both sides of the strip ridge.

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

[0013] In a possible implementation, the cover plate comprises a dielectric substrate and a first metal layer arranged on an outer surface of the dielectric substrate, and the radiation slot is formed on the first metal layer, and the electrically-controlled switch is arranged on an inner surface of the dielectric substrate.

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

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

[0016] In a possible implementation, the plurality of radiation units are arranged in multiple rows, and the radiation units in each row are arranged staggeredly.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna further comprises 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 comprises a matching load connected to the gap waveguide and configured to absorb residual electromagnetic waves.

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

[0020] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided, which comprises the electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

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

[0022] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of an electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided by related technologies.

[0023] Figure 2 FIG. 3 is a comparison diagram of phase constant curves.

[0024] Figure 3 FIG. 5 is a comparison diagram of beam scanning angles of the antenna under different phase constants.

[0025] Figure 4 FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of an electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application.

[0027] Figure 6 is an exploded view of a structure of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application.

[0028] Figure 7 is a side view of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application.

[0029] Figure 8 is a side view of a cover plate of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application.

[0030] Figure 9 is a top view of a cover plate of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application.

[0031] Figure 10 is a bottom view of a cover plate of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application.

[0032] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of an electrically controlled switch of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application.

[0033] Figure 12 is a comparison diagram of a phase constant curve of Embodiment One and related art.

[0034] Figure 13 is a comparison diagram of an antenna beam scanning angle of Embodiment One and related art.

[0035] Figure 14 is a normalized radiation pattern of Embodiment One and related art.

[0036] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment Two of the present application.

[0037] Figure 16 is a top view of a cover plate of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment Two of the present application.

[0038] Figure 17 is a bottom view of a cover plate of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment Two of the present application.

[0039] Figure 18 is a comparison diagram of a phase constant curve of Embodiment Two and related art.

[0040] Figure 19 is a comparison diagram of an antenna beam scanning angle of Embodiment Two and related art.

[0041] Figure 20 is a normalized radiation pattern of Embodiment Two and related art.

[0042] Figure 21 is a structural schematic diagram of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment Three of the present application.

[0043] Figure 22 is an exploded view of the leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment Three of the present application.

[0044] Figure 23 is a side view of the leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment Three of the present application.

[0045] Figure 24 is a structural schematic diagram of a leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment Four of the present application.

[0046] Figure 25 is a top view of a cover plate of the leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment Four of the present application.

[0047] Figure 26 is a bottom view of the cover plate of the leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment Four of the present application.

[0048] Reference Signs:

[0049] 1, radiating slot; 2, toothed ridge;

[0050] 10, gap waveguide; 11, metal bottom plate; 12, cover plate; 121, first metal layer; 122, second metal layer; 123, dielectric substrate; 13, array of metal pins; 14, strip ridge; 15, excitation port; 16, load interface; 17, metal baffle; 18, screw hole; 19, metal screw;

[0051] 20, radiating unit; 21, radiating slot; 22, electrically controlled 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] Embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, examples of which are shown in the drawings, wherein the same or similar notations represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. 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 a limitation of the present application.

[0056] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected or can communicate with each other; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0057] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "side", "front", "back" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the installation, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0058] It should also be noted that the same reference signs in the embodiments of the present application represent the same component or the same part, and for the same parts in the embodiments of the present application, only one part or component may be labeled with a reference sign in the drawing, and it should be understood that the reference sign is also applicable to other identical parts or components.

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

[0060] Leaky-wave antenna: a kind of traveling wave antenna, its main feature is that it can radiate electromagnetic waves with a certain width along the radiation direction of the antenna. The leaky-wave antenna forms a kind of waveguide structure in the radiation direction, which can produce wideband, high-power, wide-angle electromagnetic wave radiation. The leaky-wave antenna can realize frequency scanning in space, and is widely used in radar, communication, remote sensing, space-based navigation and other fields. Due to its excellent radiation characteristics, especially in electronic countermeasures and other scenarios, it has obvious advantages. At the same time, the leaky-wave antenna also has good directivity, high gain, simple structure, small size, low manufacturing cost and other advantages, which provides favorable conditions for the further development of antenna technology.

[0061] Because the leaky-wave antenna itself has the frequency scanning characteristic, and considering the actual requirement of the fixed frequency scanning (i.e., realizing the beam scanning at a fixed frequency), the fixed frequency scanning leaky-wave antenna emerges as the times require. The fixed frequency scanning leaky-wave antenna generally loads an electrically controlled switch or an electrically tunable dielectric on the leaky-wave antenna, and changes the on-off of the switch or the electromagnetic characteristics of the dielectric by an external voltage, so as to change the beam direction of the leaky-wave antenna at a certain fixed frequency point, and realize the fixed frequency beam scanning. Such fixed frequency scanning leaky-wave antenna is also called electrically controlled scanning leaky-wave antenna, and the most typical electrically controlled scanning leaky-wave antenna is based on PIN diode or varactor diode. In recent years, the planar leaky-wave antenna has been widely studied. The planar leaky-wave antenna can be directly processed on a printed circuit board (PCB), and has the advantages of low profile, easy processing, simple structure, easy feeding, high directivity, and beam scanning characteristics.

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

[0063] Gap waveguide is a new type of waveguide structure, which is made of two parallel metal conductor plates. The upper metal plate serves as a perfect electric conductor (PEC), the lower metal plate is composed of a metal ridge / air slot in the middle and an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) formed by periodic metal pins on both sides, and the air gap layer is between the upper and lower layers. Electromagnetic waves propagate along the metal ridge / air slot. Gap waveguide mainly includes ridge gap waveguide (RGW), slot gap waveguide and substrate integrated gap waveguide, etc. Among them, the ridge gap waveguide can better solve the problems of high frequency loss and processing, and is widely studied.

[0064] The ridge gap waveguide is composed of four parts: a metal ridge, periodically spaced metal pins, and a top metal plate and a bottom metal plate. Due to the band gap 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 constrained to propagate in the air gap above the metal ridge, and therefore the ridge gap waveguide does not worry about dielectric loss. And the structure is relatively small, easier to miniaturize and integrate. The ridge gap waveguide not only has similar transmission performance to the rectangular waveguide, but also does not have the disadvantages of the rectangular waveguide, and becomes a new choice for millimeter wave antenna design.

[0065] Beam squint: refers to the deviation of the antenna beam pointing direction with frequency changes due to factors such as bandwidth limitations and multi-frequency operation. Beam squint often leads to poor performance of the antenna at some frequencies because the beam fails to accurately point in the desired direction. In order to avoid beam squint, the appropriate beam width needs to be selected in the antenna design, and accurate correction and control are needed. When the antenna has a low beam squint characteristic (i.e. small angular deviation), it can ensure that the beam angle deviation is as small as possible when the scanning frequency changes.

[0066] Dispersion: refers to the difference in speed of different wavelengths or frequencies of light or electromagnetic waves propagating in a medium. This phenomenon causes different wavelengths or frequencies of light or electromagnetic waves to disperse in the medium, i.e. propagate in different directions, forming some dispersion effects such as dispersion relationship, dispersion delay, etc. Common dispersion phenomena include refractive dispersion, dispersion of a dispersion lens, free space dispersion, etc. Dispersion has great significance in physics and its application fields, such as optics, communication, materials science, etc. When the antenna has weak dispersion, the antenna will have good beam squint characteristics, i.e. low dispersion can improve the beam squint characteristics.

[0067] The emergence of 5th generation (5G) mobile communication greatly promotes the development of industry and improves the quality of people's 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 frequency band can meet the wideband requirements of 5G mobile communication to realize high-speed data transmission, but high directional antennas are needed to combat severe path loss, and the antennas also need to have the ability of beam scanning to achieve large-scale signal coverage.

[0068] Leaky-wave antennas are a kind of beam scanning antennas, which have the advantages of high directivity, low profile, simple feed and easy integration. The traditional leaky-wave antenna relies on changing the frequency to achieve multi-target coverage, but the popular electrically controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna in recent years has a wider application scenario, because it can realize both wideband frequency scanning beam and narrowband fixed-frequency beam scanning. Gap waveguide technology can realize low-loss transmission of electromagnetic waves at high frequencies, and its application in electrically controlled leaky-wave antennas can fully exert the advantages of high gain and wide scanning of the antenna.

[0069] However, it should be noted that when the electrically controlled leaky-wave antenna is excited by a wideband signal, the beam angle will shift with the change of frequency, resulting in different gains of beams at the target angle at different frequencies, thereby reducing the gain bandwidth of the antenna and the stability of the communication link. This phenomenon of beam scanning with frequency is commonly referred to as "beam squint". In millimeter wave communication, a leaky-wave antenna with low beam squint characteristic is required to ensure that the beam angle shift is as small as possible when the scanning frequency changes, so as to have good gain and gain bandwidth, and ensure good communication effect of the antenna.

[0070] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an electrically controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided by the related art, Figure 2 is a comparison diagram of phase constant curves. Figure 3 is a comparison diagram of antenna beam scanning angles at different phase constants. As Figure 1 shown, the related art provides an electrically controlled leaky-wave antenna based on a gap waveguide structure, a 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-off of the PIN diode, different aperture fields of different periods can be realized, thereby realizing electrically controlled beam scanning. A toothed 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 fast wave to slow wave, thereby suppressing fast wave radiation and realizing -1 order spatial harmonic radiation.

[0071] In the related art shown in Figure 1 , the toothed ridge 2 is used to adjust the phase constant of the gap waveguide, and the obtained phase curve is Figure 2 the curve with a black rectangle in the figure, the slope of which 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 art and the phase constant of the light line is also gradually increasing. And Figure 2The curve with a white circle is the phase constant curve that is expected to be obtained, and the slope thereof is closer to the light line, and the phase constant value of the high frequency is also relatively small. Here, the phase curve of the light line can reflect the light transmission characteristics. When the electromagnetic wave is transmitted in the TEM mode in the vacuum environment, the phase velocity thereof is the same as the light speed, and thus the light line is often used as a comparison item and the phase constant of other dispersion structures is compared.

[0072] It can be seen from Figure 3 that the range of the beam angle of the antenna provided by the related art changes more with the frequency, and the dispersion is relatively strong, resulting in that the beam tilting problem of the antenna provided by the related art is relatively serious. Based on this, it becomes a problem to be solved to provide a low-dispersion electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna to improve the beam tilting characteristics.

[0073] Embodiments of the present application provide a low-dispersion electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna and a communication device. By introducing a strip ridge into a 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 tilting characteristics of the antenna and improve the communication quality of the antenna. The low-dispersion electrically-controlled beam scanning performance can be achieved by combining the low-dispersion waveguide structure and the electrically-controlled radiation structure. The leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiments of the present application is applicable to a 5G millimetre wave (MMW) high-speed communication system, a base station communication system, a wideband large-capacity communication system, a vehicle (ship, aircraft) -borne radar, and a "mobile satellite communication" system, but is not limited thereto.

[0074] Embodiments of the present application first provide an electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna, Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of part of the structure of the leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application, Figure 6 is an exploded view of the structure of the leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application, Figure 7 is a side view of the leaky-wave antenna provided by Embodiment One of the present application. As Figures 4-7 shown, the electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiments of the present application includes a gap waveguide 10 and a plurality of radiation units 20.

[0075] The gap waveguide 10 includes a strip 14, and the gap waveguide 10 is used to transmit electromagnetic waves in the form of a traveling wave, and the strip 14 is arranged in the gap waveguide 10 along the direction of the electromagnetic wave transmission, or the electromagnetic wave propagates along the extension direction of the strip 14. The strip 14 is a long strip-shaped metal structure, and the material of the strip 14 includes at least one of copper, aluminum, silver, stainless steel, etc. The strip 14 can increase the phase constant of the gap waveguide, convert the fast wave transmission mode into a slow wave, and has a low dispersion characteristic. Figure 6 and Figure 7 The cross-sectional shape of the strip 14 in the gap waveguide 10 can be rectangular, and can also be trapezoidal, rhombic, parallelogram, circular, elliptical, or other shapes, which are not limited in the present application. The strip 14 can be located in the middle of the gap waveguide 10, can penetrate through the entire gap waveguide 10, and is connected to the metal bottom plate 11 below. For example, the strip 14 can be arranged along the direction of electromagnetic wave transmission 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 electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide 10 to 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. The radiation slot 21 can radiate (leak) electromagnetic waves to the external environment, and the electrically controlled switch 22 is used to control the working state of the radiation slot 21, for example, can control the radiation slot 21 to open to enter the working state (i.e., radiate electromagnetic waves outwardly), or can also control the radiation slot 21 to close to enter the non-working state (i.e., stop radiating electromagnetic waves). Controlling the radiation slot 21 to enter the working state is equivalent to controlling the corresponding radiation unit 20 to enter the working state, and controlling the radiation slot 21 to enter the non-working state is equivalent to controlling the corresponding radiation unit 20 to enter the non-working state. By controlling the working states of the plurality of radiation units 20, for example, some of the radiation units 20 can work and the others can not work. By controlling different radiation units 20 to enter the working state, different pointing directions of the beam of the leaky-wave antenna can be achieved through different arrangements and combinations, different beam radiation angles can be achieved, and thus the beam scanning characteristic of the leaky-wave antenna can be achieved.

[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 a waveguide structure, so that the antenna has a low insertion loss in the millimeter wave. By introducing the strip ridge 14 into the gap waveguide 10, and arranging the strip ridge 14 to extend along the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave, the main mode of 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 is increased, so that the main mode works in a slow wave; on the other hand, the addition of the TEM mode weakens the dispersion of the transmitted electromagnetic wave. By controlling the height, 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 slow wave and the low dispersion transmission performance can be met. The low dispersion waveguide structure and the electrically-controlled radiation structure are combined, the performance of the electrically-controlled beam scanning is realized, and then the beam tilting characteristics of the antenna can be effectively improved, and the communication quality of the antenna is improved.

[0079] The electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided by 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 a certain rule. Each radiation unit 20 includes a radiation slot 21 and an electrically-controlled switch 22 that work together. The radiation slot 21 can leak the electromagnetic wave in the gap waveguide 10 to 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 arrangement makes the radiation beam of the leaky-wave antenna provided by the present application have the characteristics of wide angle, high gain and electrically-controlled two-dimensional scanning. The radiation units are arranged in a dense manner, 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 and light weight, and is suitable for future millimeter wave wireless communication systems.

[0080] As shown in Figures 4-6 The electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application further includes a feeding structure 30 connected with the gap waveguide 10, for feeding 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. The typical types of the feeding structure 30 include parallel feeding, series feeding, reflective surface feeding, lens feeding and multi-path independent signal feeding, etc. In some cases, the feeding structure 30 can feed electromagnetic waves into a plurality of gap waveguides 10 arranged side by side at the same time.

[0081] As shown in Figures 4-6As shown, the electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application further comprises a matching load 40, which is connected with the gap waveguide 10, and is used to absorb the residual electromagnetic wave through the load interface 16 of the gap waveguide 10, so as to reduce the reflection of the electromagnetic wave, and thus improve the communication quality of the antenna. The gap waveguide 10 can have an overall strip-shaped structure, and the excitation port 15 and the load interface 16 can be located at two ends of the strip-shaped structure, or in other words, the feed structure 30 and the matching load 40 are distributed at two ends of the strip-shaped gap waveguide 10. In some cases, when the electromagnetic energy remaining at the end of the gap waveguide 10 (i.e. the end having the load interface 16) is small or less, the matching load 40 at the end can be removed.

[0082] As shown, Figures 4-6 As shown, the electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application further comprises a beam control module 50, which is used to output a control signal to the electrically-controlled switch 22 to realize beam scanning.

[0083] Specifically, the beam control module 50 is in communication connection with each electrically-controlled switch 22, and the beam control module 50 can output a control signal to the electrically-controlled switch 22, and the electrically-controlled switch 22 further controls the working state of the radiating unit 20 according to the control signal, for example, controls some radiating units 20 to enter the working state, while the remaining radiating units 20 enter the non-working state (i.e. do not work), so as to control the beam pointing in the antenna radiation pattern, and realize the electrically-controlled beam scanning characteristic of the antenna. The beam control module provided by the present application provides a beam control signal for the antenna, and controls the working state of each radiating unit 20 through the electrically-controlled switch 22, which has the advantages of fast response, high stability, etc., and the beam control module 50 is easy to integrate with the antenna system.

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

[0085] The electrically-controlled beam scanning leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application is more related to the structural improvement of the gap waveguide 10, and the structural details of the gap waveguide 10 will be further limited below in combination with the drawings.

[0086] In this embodiment, the gap waveguide 10 can transmit electromagnetic waves at high frequency and low loss. It can be composed of multiple rows of bandgap pins, a metal base plate, and a dielectric substrate with a metal layer. The multiple rows of bandgap pins are distributed on both sides of the channel of the gap waveguide 10, confining the electromagnetic waves in the middle. The bandgap pins in each row are evenly spaced. The bandgap pins can be rectangular metal blocks, and they need to be connected to the metal base plate and the dielectric substrate with a metal layer to have bandgap characteristics. The metal base plate and the dielectric substrate with a metal layer are located below and above the bandgap pins, respectively, forming a waveguide structure in conjunction with the bandgap pins.

[0087] Specifically, the gap waveguide 10 includes a metal base plate 11 and a cover plate 12 arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart. The metal base plate 11 and the cover plate 12 can both be flat plates and are arranged parallel to each other. A strip-shaped ridge 14 protrudes from the surface of the metal base plate 11 facing the cover plate 12, and there is a gap between the strip-shaped ridge 14 and the cover plate 12, that is, the two do not contact each other. Multiple radiating elements 20 are arranged on the cover plate 12 according to a certain rule so that the multiple radiating elements 20 can couple with the gap waveguide 10 to obtain electromagnetic energy, or in other words, to leak electromagnetic waves into free space (external environment).

[0088] Figure 7 The structural parameters affecting dispersion are marked. 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.

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

[0090] The metal pin array 13 forms an EBG structure, which has bandgap characteristics and can prevent electromagnetic waves from propagating along non-ridge directions, thus avoiding electromagnetic wave leakage. 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. This not only ensures that an air gap is formed between the strip ridge 14 and the cover plate 12, but also better confines the electromagnetic waves inside the waveguide.

[0091] like Figures 5-7 As shown, the pins of the metal pin array 13 are columnar structures and extend along the thickness direction of the gap waveguide 10. The cross-section of this columnar structure parallel to the plane of the metal base plate 11 can be any of the following: rectangular, circular, square, elliptical, etc. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, there are no limitations on the cross-sectional shape and dimensions or parameters such as height, width, and spacing of the pins.

[0092] In the embodiments of the present application, the radiation unit 20 can be arranged on the cover plate 12 by using various processes such as PCB, low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC), and flow process. As shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the present application provides a radiation unit array arranged in an interleaved manner. In other embodiments, the radiation unit 20 can also be arranged in a non-interleaved manner. One or more rows of radiation units 20 can be arranged on the cover plate 12, and the rows of radiation units 20 can be interleaved.

[0093] For example, the plurality of radiation units 20 in the embodiments of the present application are arranged in two rows as shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 , and the rows of radiation units 20 are interleaved.

[0094] Figure 8 is a side view of the cover plate 12 of the leaky-wave antenna provided in Embodiment One of the present application. Figure 9 is a top view of the cover plate 12 of the leaky-wave antenna provided in Embodiment One of the present application. Figure 10 is a bottom view of the cover plate 12 of the leaky-wave antenna provided in Embodiment One of the present application. As shown in Figures 8-10 , in the embodiments 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 slot 21 is formed on the first metal layer 121, and the electrically controlled 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 can be tightly combined into an integral structure by mechanical processing, electroplating, hot pressing, or microelectronic process.

[0096] Optionally, the cover plate 12 can be a PCB, the dielectric substrate 123 can be an insulating dielectric plate (layer) of the PCB, and the first metal layer 121 can be a copper clad layer of the PCB. At this time, the radiation slot 21 can be opened on the first metal layer 121 by etching process, and the plurality of radiation slots 21 can be periodically arranged on the first metal layer 121 and form a slot array.

[0097] Optionally, the radiation slot 21 can be a rectangular slot, a circular slot, an elliptical slot, a triangular slot, or any other shaped slot, and the radiation slot 21 directly leaks the electromagnetic wave in the gap waveguide 10 to the free space.

[0098] As shown in Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 9As shown in the embodiments of the present application, the radiation slot 21 can be a rectangular slot (a straight strip-shaped slot), and the included angle between the long side of the rectangular slot and the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave (i.e., the extension direction of the strip-shaped ridge 14) is 0 degrees. In this case, the radiation slot 21 can also be referred to as a longitudinal slot.

[0099] Optionally, the electrically controlled switch 22 can include a tunable electronic element and / or a tunable material, and the electrically controlled beam scanning is realized through the above-mentioned element or material, 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 can 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 can include at least one of a ferroelectric material barium strontium titanate, a photoelectric material graphene, a temperature-variable material vanadium dioxide, water, and a liquid crystal.

[0102] Optionally, the electrically controlled switch 22 can include a tunable electronic element (which can be an active electronic element), a metal patch, and a metal via, the metal patch is arranged on the inner surface of the dielectric substrate 123, the tunable electronic element is fixed on the metal patch, and the metal via penetrates the dielectric substrate 123 and electrically connects the first metal layer 121 and the metal patch.

[0103] Figure 11 FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the electrically controlled switch 22 of the leaky-wave antenna provided in Embodiment One of the present application. As shown in Figure 8 、 Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown in the embodiments of the present application, the electrically controlled switch 22 includes the first patch 221, the third patch 223, and the second patch 222 arranged in sequence and at intervals, the above-mentioned three patches are metal patches, and are arranged in sequence and in a straight line, the straight line intersects (e.g., is perpendicular to) the projection of the long strip-shaped radiation slot 21, and the third patch 223 in the middle can be located directly below the radiation slot 21. The above-mentioned three patches are arranged side by side on the inner surface of the dielectric substrate 123, and constitute the second metal layer 122. The second metal layer 122 can also be regarded as part of the cover plate 120.

[0104] Optionally, any functional device such as a capacitor, an inductor, a resistor, a chip, and an integrated circuit can be arranged on the metal layer (e.g., the first metal layer 121 and / or the second metal layer 122) in the embodiments of the present application, which is not limited in the present application. In some cases, the above-mentioned functional device can also be regarded as part of the metal layer.

[0105] Further, the electrically controlled switch 22 further comprises 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 and patch can be connected by soldering, so the metal patch in the embodiment of the present application can also be understood as a solder 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 both conductive, 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 both non-conductive, 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 "conduction" and "disconnection" 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, and the beam control module 50 can control the beam pointing in the antenna radiation pattern by switching between different digital coding schemes, so as to realize the required radiation pattern at the same specific frequency and realize the scanning of the beam.

[0108] Table 1: Antenna digital coding scheme of related art and embodiment one at 30 GHz frequency to realize -40° angle

[0109]

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

[0111] As shown in the table 1, by increasing the gap waveguide width w1, increasing the ridge width w2 and increasing the ridge height h1, the dispersion of the gap waveguide 10 can be effectively reduced. For example, as a specific example, w1=8mm, w2=3mm, h1=3mm. Figures 8-11

[0112] Further, the radiation unit 20 (PIN diode located inside the structure) can be realized by etching a slot on the printed circuit board and loading a PIN diode. The printed circuit board is composed of a single-layer core board as shown in the table 1, the upper copper foil etches a slot array, and the lower copper foil etches a pad (i.e. metal patch). The basic unit of the etched slot array is a longitudinal slot, the slot length is 2.5mm (dimension in the electromagnetic wave transmission direction (x direction)), and the width is 0.5mm (dimension in the y direction perpendicular to the electromagnetic wave transmission direction). The array has 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. Figure 8 The structure of the electrically controlled switch 22, 24 sets of electrically controlled switches 22 correspond to 24 radiation slots 21 one by one, the electrically controlled switch 22 includes a metal patch and a PIN diode, for details, please refer to the relevant introduction of the table 1, the on-off of the electrically controlled PIN diode can realize the control of the longitudinal slot radiation power. Figure 10 Figure 11

[0113] Figure 12 is a comparison chart of the phase constant curves of the embodiment one and the related art. Figure 13 is a comparison chart of the antenna beam scanning angles of the embodiment one and the related art. Figure 14 is a normalized radiation pattern of the embodiment one and the related art, wherein, Figure 14 the part (a) of the table 1 is a normalized radiation pattern of the related art, Figure 14 the part (b) of the table 1 is a normalized radiation pattern of the embodiment one.

[0114] Figure 12 ​​​The phase constant curves of the antenna structure provided by the embodiment one are compared with the phase constant curves of the antenna structure proposed by the related art when the radiation slot 21 is a longitudinal slot. It can be seen that the slope of the phase constant curve of the embodiment one is smaller, and the value and the slope are closer to the light line, so the dispersion of the embodiment one is smaller. Figure 13 , Figure 14 The low dispersion feature of the embodiment one is illustrated by comparing the frequency scanning characteristics of the antenna when the working frequency is 27-35 GHz. Figure 13 and Figure 14 The beam coding in the above table 1 is used. 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 embodiment one is 35°, so the embodiment one has a smaller angle deviation.

[0115] Figure 15 is a structure diagram of the leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiment two of the present application. Figure 16 is a top view of the cover plate 12 of the leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiment two of the present application. Figure 17 is a bottom view of the cover plate 12 of the leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiment two of the present application.

[0116] With respect to the embodiment one, Figures 15 to 17 the radiation slot 21 in the embodiment two shown in the above table 1 can be a rectangular slot, the long side of the rectangular slot is perpendicular to the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave (i.e. the extension direction of the strip ridge 14), that is, the included angle between the long side of the rectangular slot and the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave is 90 degrees, at this time the radiation slot 21 can also be called a transverse slot.

[0117] As shown in the above table 1, Figures 15 to 17 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 and loading a PIN diode on a printed circuit board (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, the slot length is 2.5 mm (y-direction size), and the slot width is 0.5 mm (x-direction size). The array has a total of 24 units, arranged in two rows, the spacing between the units in each row of slots is 3.4 mm, and the row spacing between the two rows is 3.7 mm. The two rows of slots are staggered by 1.7 mm in the x-direction. Figure 17 is a structure of the electrically controlled switch 22, 24 sets of electrically controlled switches 22 correspond to 24 radiation slots 21 one by one, the electrically controlled switch 22 includes a metal patch and a PIN diode, and the specific structure details can be referred to the related description of Figure 11 The on-off of the electrically controlled PIN diode can realize the control of the longitudinal slot radiation power.

[0118] Table 2: Antenna digital coding scheme of the related art and embodiment two at 30GHz frequency to achieve -40° angle

[0119]

[0120] Figure 1 The antenna structure (radiation slot 21 is a horizontal slot) provided by the related art shown in the table 1, the antenna structure provided by embodiment two of the present application at 30GHz frequency to achieve -40° angle of the antenna digital coding scheme is shown in the second row of table 2. Each bit in table 2 corresponds to a radiation unit 20, and the number "0" represents that the corresponding radiation unit 20 does not work, and the number "1" represents that the corresponding radiation unit 20 works. At other angles other than -40°, the antenna can have a digital coding scheme different from that shown in table 2.

[0121] Figure 18 is a comparison diagram of the phase constant curves of embodiment two and the related art. Figure 19 is a comparison diagram of the antenna beam scanning angle of embodiment two and the related art. Figure 20 is a normalized radiation pattern of embodiment two and the related art, wherein, Figure 20 part (a) of figure 8 is a normalized radiation pattern of the related art, Figure 20 part (b) of figure 8 is a normalized radiation pattern of embodiment two.

[0122] Figure 18 The phase constants of the antenna structure provided by the related art when the radiation slot 21 is a horizontal slot and the antenna structure provided by embodiment two of the present application are compared, it can be seen that the slope of the phase constant curve of embodiment two is smaller, and the value and the slope are closer to the light line, so its dispersion is also smaller. Figure 19 、 Figure 20 The low dispersion feature of embodiment two is illustrated by comparing the frequency scanning characteristics of the antenna when the working frequency is 27-35GHz, wherein Figure 19 and Figure 20 The coding of the beam in figure 9 is based on the aforementioned table 2. It can be seen that when the frequency changes from 27GHz to 35GHz, the angle of the related art changes by 49°, and the angle of embodiment two changes by 35°, so embodiment two of the present application has a smaller angle offset.

[0123] Figure 21 is a structure diagram of the leaky-wave antenna provided by embodiment three of the present application. Figure 22 is an exploded view of the leaky-wave antenna provided by embodiment three of the present application. Figure 23 is a side view of the leaky-wave antenna provided by embodiment three of the present application.

[0124] With respect to the foregoing embodiment one and embodiment two, Figures 21 to 23 In the illustrated embodiment three, the metal pin array 13 (i.e. bandgap pin) of the gap waveguide 10 is replaced by a metal baffle 17, thereby simplifying the processing while playing a shielding effect.

[0125] Specifically, the gap waveguide 10 further comprises metal baffles 17 arranged on both sides of the strip ridge 14. The two metal baffles 17 are arranged in parallel 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 baffle 17 can be an aluminum baffle, a copper baffle or any other metal material baffle.

[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, for example, the cover plate 12 is a PCB plate, and 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 the metal baffle 17 and the cover plate 12, on the one hand, to facilitate the fixation of the above two by metal screws 19, and on the other hand, the metal screws 19 have a bandgap effect, which can prevent energy (electromagnetic wave) leakage through dense arrangement.

[0127] Figure 24 is a structural schematic diagram of a leaky-wave antenna provided by an embodiment four of the present application. Figure 25 is a top view of a cover plate of a leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiment four of the present application. Figure 26 is a bottom view of a cover plate of a leaky-wave antenna provided by the embodiment four of the present application.

[0128] With respect to the foregoing embodiment one, embodiment two and embodiment three, Figures 24 to 26 The radiation slot 21 in the illustrated embodiment four can be a rectangular slot, and the included angle between the long side of the rectangular slot and the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave is 45 degrees, i.e. the radiation unit 20 can also be 45° polarized, thereby having polarization diversity.

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

[0130] Optionally, the communication device can be any communication device using an antenna structure for energy or electromagnetic wave transmission, such as a base station, a radar, a mobile terminal (such as a mobile phone, etc.), but is not limited thereto.

[0131] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna, characterized in that, include: A gap waveguide (10) includes a strip ridge (14) for transmitting electromagnetic waves in the form of a traveling wave. The strip ridge (14) extends along the transmission direction of the electromagnetic waves and is disposed within the gap waveguide (10). Multiple radiating units (20) are arranged on the sidewall of the gap waveguide (10). Each radiating unit (20) includes a radiating slot (21) and an electronic switch (22). The radiating slot (21) is used to leak electromagnetic waves in the gap waveguide (10) into free space to form a beam. The electronic switch (22) is used to control the working state of the radiating slot (21) to achieve beam scanning. The gap waveguide (10) also includes a metal base plate (11) and a cover plate (12) that are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart. The strip ridge (14) protrudes from the surface of the metal base plate (11) facing the cover plate (12). There is a gap between the strip ridge (14) and the cover plate (12). The plurality of radiating units (20) are arranged on the cover plate (12). The cover plate (12) includes a dielectric substrate (123) and a first metal layer (121) disposed on the outer surface of the dielectric substrate (123). The radiation slit (21) is formed on the first metal layer (121), and the electronic switch (22) is disposed on the inner surface of the dielectric substrate (123).

2. The electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gap waveguide (10) also includes a metal pin array (13), which includes multiple pins arranged periodically on both sides of the strip ridge (14).

3. The electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gap waveguide (10) also includes metal baffles (17) arranged on both sides of the strip ridge (14).

4. The electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that, The metal baffle (17) and the cover plate (12) are connected and fixed by metal screws (19).

5. The electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The electronically controlled switch (22) includes at least one of a PIN diode, a varactor diode, a micro-motor switch, and a photosensitive switch.

6. The electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The radiation slit (21) is a rectangular slit, and the angle formed between the long side of the rectangular slit and the transmission direction of the electromagnetic wave is 0 degrees, 45 degrees or 90 degrees.

7. The electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The plurality of radiation units (20) are arranged in multiple rows, and the radiation units (20) in each row are staggered with each other.

8. The electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The electronically controlled beam scanning leaky antenna also includes: The feeding structure (30) is connected to the gap waveguide (10) and is used to feed electromagnetic waves into the gap waveguide (10).

9. The electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The electronically controlled beam scanning leaky antenna also includes: A matching load (40) is connected to the gap waveguide (10) for absorbing the remaining electromagnetic waves.

10. The electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The electronically controlled beam scanning leaky antenna also includes: The beam control module (50) is used to output control signals to the electronically controlled switch (22) to achieve beam scanning.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes an electrically controlled beam-scanning leaky antenna as described in any one of claims 1-10.

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