Novel antenna module integrated positioning system

Abstract

The invention discloses a novel antenna module integrated positioning system, which comprises an antenna layer (5), a feed broadband balun (6) and an active circuit PCBA (1), wherein a radio frequency front end part of the active circuit PCBA (1) is integrated with a positioning module (2); the antenna layer (5) is arranged above the active circuit PCBA (1) through the short circuit supporting copper columns (7), the feed broadband balun (6) is located above the active circuit PCBA (1) and penetrates through the antenna layer (5), and on the active circuit PCBA (1), a radio frequency front end part and the positioning module (2) are arranged on the PCB in a coplanar mode; the radio frequency front end part of the positioning antenna and the positioning module are integrated, and an output signal is output in a serial port form, so that better compatibility and good anti-interference capability are achieved. After the antenna and the module are integrated, the installation position can be more random and is not influenced by a space wire harness, and the interference problem is not introduced through a wire rod.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of positioning technology, and in particular to a novel antenna module integrated positioning system. Background Art

[0002] Most existing positioning systems use single antennas to connect to the positioning module through external RF cables. Limited by the space required for the antenna body, the antenna signal processing circuit has a low utilization rate of the effective area of ​​the circuit board, resulting in a waste of space. In addition, there is the problem of external interference during the signal output process. According to the existing antenna form, a longer RF wire needs to be connected to the outside. The wire is expensive and the transmission effect is poor. The material is also difficult to bend. The RF wire is also inconvenient to install, and the interface takes up a large space. In addition, most positioning antenna manufacturers on the market purchase positioning modules for direct use. The two have not been tuned and matched, which will result in the positioning system being unable to exert its best performance advantages.

[0003] The problems with general high-precision positioning system antennas are: 1. There is an adaptation problem between the antenna and the module: If the antenna and the module are developed by different companies, there will be a problem that the antenna and the module cannot be adapted, so that the excellent performance of the antenna positioning system cannot be maximized; 2. The antenna and module are attached to two different PCBA boards: first, the cost increases; second, it cannot be miniaturized and compact; third, it affects production efficiency; 3. Use RF line connection: the cost increases, and secondly there is line loss, and multi-stage amplifiers are required for gain compensation. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to design a new antenna module integrated positioning system, which integrates the RF front end of the positioning antenna and the positioning module, and outputs the signal in the form of a serial port, which has better compatibility and good anti-interference ability. After the antenna and the module are integrated, the installation position can be more arbitrary, not affected by the space harness, and the interference problem will not be introduced through the wire.

[0005] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: a novel antenna module integrated positioning system, including an antenna layer, a feeding broadband balun, and an active circuit PCBA in which a radio frequency front end part and a positioning module are integrated; the antenna layer is arranged above the active circuit PCBA through a short-circuit support copper column, the feeding broadband balun is located above the active circuit PCBA and penetrates the antenna layer, and on the active circuit PCBA, the radio frequency front end part and the positioning module are coplanarly arranged on the PCB.

[0006] In order to better realize the novel antenna module integrated positioning system described in the present invention, the following setting method is particularly adopted: the feeding broadband balun is a cross-embedded structure composed of two broadband baluns with similar structures and equal heights, and the feeding broadband balun accurately passes through the center of the antenna layer. The two broadband baluns with similar structures have equal height structural characteristics, which can effectively reduce the axial ratio of the antenna and thus improve the gain of the antenna. At the same time, the embedded structure design helps to reduce the height of the antenna and realize the low profile characteristics of the antenna.

[0007] In order to better realize the novel antenna module integrated positioning system described in the present invention, the following setting method is particularly adopted: the short-circuit support copper column connects the antenna layer and the active circuit PCBA and maintains a vertical state.

[0008] In order to better realize the novel antenna module integrated positioning system described in the present invention, the following setting method is particularly adopted: one end of the short-circuit support copper column passes through the antenna layer, and the other end penetrates the PCB to achieve electrical connection.

[0009] To further better realize the novel antenna module integrated positioning system described in the present invention, the following configuration is particularly adopted: the RF front-end part includes a pre-filter circuit, a low-noise amplifier circuit, a post-filter circuit and an attenuation circuit; Among them, the pre-filter circuit is located at the front end of the RF front end part, and is connected to the high-precision positioning antenna through a phase shift combiner. The pre-filter circuit is responsible for the preliminary screening and filtering of the signal from the positioning antenna; it helps to eliminate some high-frequency noise and clutter, and provide a relatively pure signal input for subsequent circuits; the fed broadband balun is a structure of two pieces with similar structures and equal heights, which adopt a vertical cross setting and achieve a 90° phase difference through a phase shift combiner; the antenna layer serves as a radiation surface of the positioning antenna.

[0010] The core of the low noise amplifier circuit is a low noise amplifier (LNA), whose main function is to enhance and amplify the weak signal received after being processed by the pre-filter circuit. The LNA has an extremely low noise coefficient and can minimize the noise introduced by itself while amplifying the signal, thereby ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the signal; The post-filter circuit further screens and purifies the signal processed by the low-noise amplifier circuit, removes clutter and noise that may be introduced during the amplification process, and ensures that the quality of the final output signal meets the requirements of the subsequent processing circuit; The attenuation circuit is an adjustable circuit that can adjust the strength of the signal (i.e., used to attenuate the signal after further screening and purification by the post-filter circuit) according to actual needs. The attenuation circuit can appropriately reduce the signal strength to prevent circuit overload or signal distortion, ensuring that the signal can be fully amplified without distortion, so that the RF front-end part can maintain stable signal reception and processing capabilities in various complex environments.

[0011] In order to further better realize the novel antenna module integrated positioning system described in the present invention, the following configuration is particularly adopted: the positioning module includes a radio frequency signal demodulation processing module, a baseband signal processing module, a positioning solution module, and a power supply and clock control module; The RF signal demodulation processing module demodulates the RF signal received from the RF front end into a baseband signal; The baseband signal processing module further processes and analyzes the baseband signal to extract positioning parameters; The positioning solution module uses the positioning parameters to calculate accurate position and speed information; The power supply and clock control module provides stable power supply, controls switches and voltages, and ensures stable operation of the positioning module.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects: The present invention mounts the debugged positioning module and the RF front-end part on the same PCB through SMT and makes them coplanar. Compared with the traditional solution, it reduces the RF line between the two, shortens the signal transmission path, avoids the signal from being interfered by other communication systems, makes the signal reception more stable, and can also greatly reduce costs and improve efficiency.

[0013] The integration of the antenna and the module of the present invention can save the connection of cables between the two, which can reduce the loss of the connecting line so that a higher gain is not needed for compensation, and can also reduce material costs and improve production efficiency.

[0014] The integration of the antenna and the module of the present invention shortens the transmission path of the signal, can prevent the signal from being interfered by other communication systems, and makes the signal reception more stable.

[0015] The antenna and module of the present invention are products of the same manufacturer, and the two can be better tuned to achieve the best adaptation, so that the positioning system performance is optimized.

[0016] Other features and advantages of the present application will be described in the following description, and partly become apparent from the description, or understood by implementing the embodiments of the present application. The purpose and other advantages of the present application can be realized and obtained by the structures specifically pointed out in the written description and the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. As shown in the drawings, the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application will be clearer. The same reference numerals indicate the same parts in all the drawings. The drawings are not deliberately scaled to the actual size, and the focus is on showing the main purpose of the present application.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a PCBA diagram of the active circuit integrating the RF front-end part and the positioning module described in the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a top view of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a side view of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of the electrical connection between the RF front end and the positioning module of the present invention.

[0023] Among them, 1-active circuit PCBA, 2-positioning module, 3-antenna feeding point, 4-serial port output terminal, 5-antenna layer, 6-feed broadband balun, 7-short-circuit support copper column, 8-shielding cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with examples, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention claimed for protection, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention.

[0026] It should be noted that similar numbers and letters represent similar items in the following figures, so once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. At the same time, in the description of this application, relational terms such as "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the term "and / or" in this application is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms, etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention 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 cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0028] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, and the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0029] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected" 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 also be an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0030] The functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module may exist independently, or two or more modules may be integrated to form an independent part.

[0031] Alternatively, the present invention may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, the present invention may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present invention is generated in whole or in part.

[0032] In this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, principle, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, principle, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the statement "include..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, principle, article or device including the elements.

[0033] Embodiment 1: The new antenna module integrated positioning system integrates the RF front end of the positioning antenna and the positioning module. The output signal is output in the form of a serial port, which has better compatibility and good anti-interference ability. After the antenna and module are integrated, the installation position can be more arbitrary, not affected by the space harness, and interference problems will not be introduced through the wire. Figure 1~Figure 5 As shown, an active circuit PCBA1 including an antenna layer 5, a feeding broadband balun 6, and an RF front end part and a positioning module 2 are integrated; the antenna layer 5 is arranged above the active circuit PCBA1 through a short-circuit support copper column 7, the feeding broadband balun 6 is located above the active circuit PCBA1 and passes through the antenna layer 5, and on the active circuit PCBA1, the RF front end part and the positioning module 2 are coplanarly arranged on the PCB.

[0034] Preferably, one end of the microstrip line on the feeding broadband balun 6 (antenna feeding point 3) is electrically connected to the pre-filter of the RF front-end part by welding, thereby realizing signal communication between the antenna layer 5 and the RF front-end part and the positioning module 2, and ensuring the complete transmission of the signal from the antenna end to the RF front-end part.

[0035] On the active circuit PCBA1, there is a serial port output terminal 4 through the SMT patch. The serial port output terminal 4 is used to input and output serial port signals, provide power supply, and provide a reference ground to facilitate the connection of devices that require original positioning signals.

[0036] A shielding cover 8 is provided on the active circuit PCBA1, and the shielding cover 8 is connected to the ground of the active circuit PCBA1 by welding, which can better shield the signal and prevent interference.

[0037] Embodiment 2: This embodiment is further optimized on the basis of the above embodiment, and the same points as the above technical solution are not repeated here. Figure 1~Figure 5 As shown, in order to better realize the novel antenna module integrated positioning system described in the present invention, the following setting method is particularly adopted: the feeding broadband balun 6 is a cross-embedded structure composed of two broadband baluns with similar structures and equal heights, and the feeding broadband balun 6 accurately passes through the center of the antenna layer 5. The two broadband baluns with similar structures have equal height structural characteristics, which can effectively reduce the axial ratio of the antenna and thus improve the gain of the antenna. At the same time, the embedded structure design helps to reduce the height of the antenna and realize the low profile characteristics of the antenna. The use of this feeding broadband balun 6 is to effectively convert the balanced structure into an unbalanced structure while meeting the needs of signal transmission.

[0038] Embodiment 3: This embodiment is further optimized on the basis of any of the above embodiments, and the same points as the above technical solutions are not repeated here. Figure 1~Figure 5 As shown, in order to better realize the novel antenna module integrated positioning system described in the present invention, the following setting method is particularly adopted: the short-circuit support copper column 7 connects the antenna layer 5 and the active circuit PCBA1 and maintains a vertical state.

[0039] Embodiment 4: This embodiment is further optimized on the basis of any of the above embodiments, and the same points as the above technical solutions are not repeated here. Figure 1~Figure 5 As shown, in order to better realize the novel antenna module integrated positioning system described in the present invention, the following setting method is particularly adopted: one end of the short-circuit support copper column 7 passes through the antenna layer 5, and the other end penetrates the PCB to achieve electrical connection.

[0040] Embodiment 5: This embodiment is further optimized on the basis of any of the above embodiments, and the same points as the above technical solutions are not repeated here. Figure 1~Figure 5 As shown, in order to better realize the novel antenna module integrated positioning system described in the present invention, the following configuration is particularly adopted: the RF front end part includes a pre-filter circuit, a low-noise amplifier circuit, a post-filter circuit and an attenuation circuit; Among them, the pre-filter circuit is located at the front end of the RF front end part, and is connected to the high-precision positioning antenna through a phase shift combiner. The pre-filter circuit is responsible for preliminary screening and filtering of signals from the positioning antenna; it helps to eliminate some high-frequency noise and clutter, and provide a relatively pure signal input for subsequent circuits; the feed broadband balun 6 is a structure of two pieces with similar structures and equal heights, which adopts a vertical cross setting and achieves a phase difference of 90° through a phase shift combiner; the antenna layer 5 serves as a radiating surface of the positioning antenna; the positioning antenna preferably adopts a high-precision positioning antenna.

[0041] The core of the low noise amplifier circuit is a low noise amplifier (LNA), whose main function is to enhance and amplify the weak signal received after being processed by the pre-filter circuit. The LNA has an extremely low noise coefficient and can minimize the noise introduced by itself while amplifying the signal, thereby ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the signal; The post-filter circuit further screens and purifies the signal processed by the low-noise amplifier circuit, removes clutter and noise that may be introduced during the amplification process, and ensures that the quality of the final output signal meets the requirements of the subsequent processing circuit; The attenuation circuit is an adjustable circuit that can adjust the strength of the signal (i.e., used to attenuate the signal after further screening and purification by the post-filter circuit) according to actual needs. The attenuation circuit can appropriately reduce the signal strength to prevent circuit overload or signal distortion, ensuring that the signal can be fully amplified without distortion, so that the RF front-end part can maintain stable signal reception and processing capabilities in various complex environments.

[0042] Embodiment 6: This embodiment is further optimized on the basis of any of the above embodiments, and the same points as the above technical solutions are not repeated here. Figure 1~Figure 5 As shown, in order to better realize the novel antenna module integrated positioning system described in the present invention, the following setting method is particularly adopted: the positioning module includes a radio frequency signal demodulation processing module, a baseband signal processing module, a positioning solution module and a power supply and clock control module; The RF signal demodulation processing module demodulates the RF signal received from the RF front end into a baseband signal; The baseband signal processing module further processes and analyzes the baseband signal to extract positioning parameters; The positioning solution module uses the positioning parameters to calculate accurate position and speed information; The power supply and clock control module provides stable power supply, controls switches and voltages, and ensures stable operation of the positioning module.

[0043] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. For those skilled in the art, this application may have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the principles, ideas, spirits and principles of this application shall be included in the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. The new antenna module integrated positioning system is characterized by: An active circuit PCBA (1) comprising an antenna layer (5), a feeding broadband balun (6), and a radio frequency front end part and a positioning module (2) integrated together; the antenna layer (5) is arranged above the active circuit PCBA (1) via a short-circuit support copper column (7); the feeding broadband balun (6) is located above the active circuit PCBA (1) and penetrates the antenna layer (5); on the active circuit PCBA (1), the radio frequency front end part and the positioning module (2) are coplanarly arranged on the PCB.

2. The novel antenna module integrated positioning system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The feeding broadband balun (6) is a cross-embedded structure formed by two broadband baluns of similar structure and equal height, and the feeding broadband balun (6) precisely penetrates the center of the antenna layer (5).

3. The novel antenna module integrated positioning system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The short-circuit support copper column (7) connects the antenna layer (5) and the active circuit PCBA (1) and maintains a vertical state.

4. The novel antenna module integrated positioning system according to claim 3 is characterized in that: One end of the short-circuit support copper column (7) passes through the antenna layer (5), and the other end penetrates the PCB to achieve electrical connection.

5. The novel antenna module integrated positioning system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The radio frequency front end part includes a pre-filter circuit, a low-noise amplifier circuit, a post-filter circuit and an attenuation circuit; The pre-filter circuit is located at the front end of the RF front end and is connected to the high-precision positioning antenna through a phase shift combiner. The pre-filter circuit is responsible for preliminarily screening and filtering the signal from the positioning antenna. The low-noise amplifier circuit is used to enhance and amplify the weak signal received after being processed by the pre-filter circuit; The post-filter circuit further screens and purifies the signal processed by the low-noise amplifier circuit to remove clutter and noise that may be introduced during the amplification process; The attenuation circuit can adjust the signal strength according to actual needs. The attenuation circuit can appropriately reduce the signal strength to prevent circuit overload or signal distortion, ensure that the signal can be fully amplified without distortion, and enable the RF front-end part to maintain stable signal reception and processing capabilities in various complex environments.

6. The novel antenna module integrated positioning system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The positioning module includes a radio frequency signal demodulation processing module, a baseband signal processing module, a positioning solution module, and a power supply and clock control module; The RF signal demodulation processing module demodulates the RF signal received from the RF front end into a baseband signal; The baseband signal processing module further processes and analyzes the baseband signal to extract positioning parameters; The positioning solution module uses the positioning parameters to calculate accurate position and speed information; The power supply and clock control module provides stable power supply, controls switches and voltages, and ensures stable operation of the positioning module.

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