A metasurface unit, a metasurface array antenna and a communication device thereof

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a metasurface unit, a metasurface array antenna and a communication device thereof, which can be applied to radio systems such as communication, broadcasting, television, radar and navigation, and the metasurface unit comprises a first layer of dielectric plate, a second layer of dielectric plate and a third layer of dielectric plate, wherein the second layer of dielectric plate comprises a metal ground layer, a liquid crystal material layer, a metal patch with anisotropic characteristics and a direct current bias line; the direct current bias line and the metal patch are printed on the liquid crystal material layer, wherein the first layer of dielectric plate is one surface of the metasurface unit, the third layer of dielectric plate is another surface of the metasurface unit, and the second layer of dielectric plate is located between the first layer of dielectric plate and the third layer of dielectric plate. Through the embodiment of the application, the working frequency band of the metasurface antenna can reach the millimeter wave or even the terahertz frequency band by using liquid crystal as an adjustable material, and the patch structure with anisotropic characteristics used by the metasurface unit can make two polarization directions work in different frequency bands, thereby constructing a metasurface with double-frequency working capability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a metasurface element, a metasurface array antenna, and a communication device thereof. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, reconfigurable metasurfaces can be achieved by incorporating adjustable components and materials such as diodes into the elements of metasurface antennas and coordinating them with varying bias voltages. For metasurfaces capable of dual-band operation, photodiodes or varactor diodes are added to the two polarization directions of the element, changing their operating states to control the element's phase response in that polarization direction (frequency band), thus constructing a metasurface with dual-band capability. However, existing solutions are costly, have high losses, and most photodiodes and varactor diodes cannot operate in the millimeter-wave band. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a metasurface unit, a metasurface array antenna, and a communication device thereof, which can be applied to radio systems such as communication, broadcasting, television, radar, and navigation. It relates to the field of smart antenna technology. By using liquid crystal as an adjustable material, the operating frequency band of the metasurface antenna can reach the millimeter wave or even terahertz band. Furthermore, the anisotropic patch structure used in the metasurface unit allows the two polarization directions to operate in different frequency bands, thus constructing a metasurface with dual-frequency operating capability.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a metasurface unit, the metasurface unit comprising:

[0005] The system comprises a first dielectric substrate, a second dielectric substrate, and a third dielectric substrate, wherein the second dielectric substrate includes a metal ground layer, a liquid crystal material layer, a metal patch with anisotropic characteristics, and a DC bias line; the DC bias line and the metal patch are both printed on the liquid crystal material layer; the first dielectric substrate is one surface of the metasurface unit, the third dielectric substrate is the other surface of the metasurface unit, and the second dielectric substrate is located between the first dielectric substrate and the third dielectric substrate.

[0006] In this embodiment, by using liquid crystal as an adjustable material, the operating frequency band of the metasurface antenna can reach the millimeter wave or even terahertz frequency band. Furthermore, the anisotropic patch structure used in the metasurface unit allows the two polarization directions to operate in different frequency bands, thus constructing a metasurface with dual-frequency operating capability.

[0007] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide another metasurface array antenna, which includes the metasurface array element described in the first aspect above.

[0008] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device having the metasurface array antenna described in the second aspect above. Attached Figure Description

[0009] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the background art, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application or the background art will be described below.

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0011] Figure 2 This is a side view schematic diagram of a metasurface unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0012] Figure 3 This is a top view schematic diagram of a metasurface unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0013] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the connection of the same-column metasurface units provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0014] Figure 5 This is a simulation curve showing the reflection amplitude and reflection phase of the metasurface unit as a function of frequency.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of one arrangement of metasurface units when the first polarization wave is incident;

[0016] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of one arrangement of metasurface units when the second polarization wave is incident;

[0017] Figure 8 a is a two-dimensional far-field pattern of beam scanning achieved by metasurface units at 31.5 GHz;

[0018] Figure 8 b is the two-dimensional far-field radiation pattern of the metasurface unit achieving beam scanning at 42.2 GHz;

[0019] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a metasurface array antenna provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0022] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. The singular forms “a” and “the” as used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0023] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used to describe various information in embodiments of this disclosure, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of embodiments of this disclosure, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein can be interpreted as "when," "when," or "in response to a determination." For the purpose of brevity and ease of understanding, the terms "greater than" or "less than," "higher than," or "lower than" are used herein to characterize size relationships. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the term "greater than" also encompasses the meaning of "greater than or equal to," and "less than" also encompasses the meaning of "less than or equal to"; the term "higher than" also encompasses the meaning of "higher than or equal to," and "lower than" also encompasses the meaning of "lower than or equal to."

[0024] To facilitate understanding, the terminology used in this application will be introduced first.

[0025] 1. Metasurface

[0026] Metamaterials are artificial structures composed of a periodic arrangement of several subwavelength units. By changing the structure and arrangement of these units, many physical phenomena not found in nature can be realized, such as inverse Doppler, negative refraction, and inverse Cherenkov radiation. With the increasing demand for highly integrated and low-profile metamaterials, unit structures can be arranged in a two-dimensional form on a plane to form metasurfaces. Unlike metamaterials, which utilize spatial phase accumulation to control the phase of electromagnetic waves, metasurfaces utilize the abrupt changes in phase and amplitude that occur when incident electromagnetic waves reach the unit surface to modulate electromagnetic waves, offering advantages such as low profile and ease of integration.

[0027] 2. Anisotropy

[0028] Anisotropy refers to the change in all or part of a substance's chemical, physical, and other properties as direction changes, exhibiting different properties in different directions. Anisotropy is a common property in materials and media, varying greatly in scale, from crystals to various materials in everyday life, and even the Earth's medium. It is important to note that anisotropy and non-homogeneity are two different descriptions of matter and should not be equated.

[0029] To better understand the metasurface unit, metasurface array antenna and communication device disclosed in the embodiments of this application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application is described below.

[0030] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system may include, but is not limited to, a network device and a terminal device. Figure 1 The number and form of devices shown are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. In actual applications, it may include two or more network devices and two or more terminal devices. Figure 1 The communication system shown is exemplified by a network device 101 and a terminal device 102.

[0031] It should be noted that the technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems. For example, Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems, 5G New Radio (NR) systems, or other future new mobile communication systems. It should also be noted that the side link in this application embodiment can also be called a side link or a direct link.

[0032] The network device 101 in this embodiment is a network-side entity used for transmitting or receiving signals. For example, the network device 101 can be an evolved NodeB (eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in an NR system, a base station in other future mobile communication systems, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. This application does not limit the specific technology or device form used in the network device. The network device provided in this embodiment can be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU can also be called a control unit. Using a CU-DU structure allows the protocol layer of a network device, such as a base station, to be separated. Some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining or all protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU.

[0033] In this application embodiment, the terminal device 102 is a user-side entity used to receive or transmit signals, such as a mobile phone. The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. The terminal device can be a car with communication capabilities, a smart car, a mobile phone, a wearable device, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal device.

[0034] In sidelink communication, there are four sidelink transmission modes. Sidelink transmission mode 1 and sidelink transmission mode 2 are used for device-to-device (D2D) communication. Sidelink transmission modes 3 and 4 are used for V2X communication. When sidelink transmission mode 3 is used, resource allocation is scheduled by network device 101. Specifically, network device 101 can send resource allocation information to terminal device 102, and then terminal device 102 can allocate resources to another terminal device so that the other terminal device can send information to network device 101 through the allocated resources. In V2X communication, a terminal device with a better signal or higher reliability can be used as terminal device 102. The first terminal device mentioned in this application embodiment can refer to terminal device 102, and the second terminal device can refer to the other terminal device.

[0035] It is understood that the communication system described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0036] The metasurface element and metasurface array antenna provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to... Figure 1 The communication system shown.

[0037] The metasurface element, metasurface array antenna, and communication device provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a side view schematic diagram of a metasurface unit provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the metasurface unit 200 includes a first dielectric substrate 10, a second dielectric substrate 20, and a third dielectric substrate 30. Optionally, the first dielectric substrate 10 can be one surface of the metasurface unit 200, and the third dielectric substrate 30 can be another surface of the metasurface unit 200. The two surfaces can be understood as having a symmetrical relationship; for example, the first dielectric substrate can be the upper surface of the metasurface unit 200, and the third dielectric substrate 30 can be the lower surface of the metasurface unit 200. The second dielectric substrate 20 is located between the first dielectric substrate 20 and the third dielectric substrate 30. Figure 2 As shown, the metasurface unit 200 includes a first dielectric substrate 10, a second dielectric substrate 20, and a third dielectric substrate 30 distributed from top to bottom. It should be noted that the top-to-bottom arrangement in this embodiment is for ease of explanation only and should not be considered as limiting the scope of this application.

[0039] The second dielectric substrate 20 includes a metal ground layer 21, a liquid crystal material layer 22, a metal patch 23 with anisotropic characteristics, and a DC bias line 24. Figure 2 (Not shown in the image). In this embodiment, both the DC bias line 24 and the metal patch 23 are printed on the liquid crystal material layer 22. It should be noted that the liquid crystal material layer 22 is located between the first dielectric substrate 10 and the metal ground layer 21, and the metal ground layer 21 is adjacent to the third dielectric substrate 30.

[0040] In this embodiment, since liquid crystal is used as an adjustable material on the second dielectric substrate, the operating frequency band of the metasurface can reach the millimeter wave or even terahertz band, thus expanding the operating frequency band of the array antenna.

[0041] Optionally, in this embodiment, the shape of the anisotropic metal patch 23 can be rhomboid, elliptical, or rectangular, etc., and the metasurface unit in this embodiment can reflect beams outward based on the metal patch 23. Because of the anisotropic patch structure used in this reflective metasurface unit, the two polarization directions can operate at different frequency bands, thus constructing a metasurface with dual-frequency operation capability.

[0042] Optionally, the metal patch 23 serves as both a scatterer and the positive terminal of the DC bias, while the metal grounding layer 21 serves as both a reflector and the negative terminal of the DC bias.

[0043] Optionally, the first dielectric substrate 10 and the third dielectric substrate 30 can serve as supports for the metasurface unit, providing support for the metasurface unit, and the first dielectric substrate 10 and the third dielectric substrate 30 can constrain the flow of liquid crystal material in the second dielectric substrate 20. In some implementations, the first dielectric substrate 10 can be a glass dielectric substrate, and the third dielectric substrate 30 can be a glass dielectric substrate. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a top view schematic diagram of a metasurface unit provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the DC bias line 24 and the metal patch 23 are both printed on the liquid crystal material layer 22, that is, the bias line 24 and the metal patch 23 are on the same layer.

[0044] Optionally, the metal patch 23 can be a rhomboid metal patch, which has anisotropic characteristics, such as... Figure 3As shown, the rhomboid metal patch 23 includes a first diagonal L and a second diagonal W. The first diagonal L can be a long diagonal, and the second diagonal can be a short diagonal; that is, the length of the first diagonal is greater than the length of the second diagonal. In this embodiment, the change in the first diagonal mainly affects the reflection amplitude and phase of the first polarized wave, while the change in the second diagonal mainly affects the reflection amplitude and phase of the second polarized wave. In other words, the first diagonal is related to the reflection amplitude and phase of the first polarized wave, and the second diagonal is related to the reflection amplitude and phase of the second polarized wave.

[0045] like Figure 3 As shown, a change in the first diagonal can affect a polarized wave with a polarization direction of X, and a change in the second diagonal can affect a polarized wave with a polarization direction of Y. Optionally, in this application, a polarized wave with a polarization direction of X can be referred to as a first polarized wave, and a polarized wave with a polarization direction of Y can be referred to as a second polarized wave. The above definitions apply to subsequent embodiments in this application and will not be described separately thereafter.

[0046] In this embodiment, the correspondence between different diagonal lengths and operating frequencies can be obtained in advance through testing. Furthermore, the center operating frequencies of the first and second polarized beams can be determined based on the correspondence between diagonal lengths and operating frequencies. Optionally, the center operating frequencies of the first and second polarized beams can be obtained by querying the correspondence between diagonal lengths and operating frequencies based on the lengths of the first and second diagonals.

[0047] It should be noted that, due to the different lengths of the first and second diagonals, the center operating frequencies of the first and second polarized beams are correspondingly different. In some implementations, the center operating frequencies of the first and second polarized beams are negatively correlated with the lengths of their respective diagonals. That is, if the length of the first diagonal is greater than the length of the second diagonal, the center operating frequency of the first polarized beam will be lower than that of the second polarized beam; conversely, if the length of the first diagonal is less than that of the second diagonal, the center operating frequency of the first polarized beam will be greater than that of the second polarized beam.

[0048] Please see Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of metasurface units provided in an embodiment of this application. In some implementations, multiple metasurface units can be arranged in an array to form a metasurface array. In the case of array arrangement, the metal patches 23 arranged in the same column of metasurface units can be connected by DC bias lines 24. That is to say, metasurface units in the same column can share the same DC bias line and extend to the outermost layer to maximize the simulation of the DC power supply routing in actual situations.

[0049] In this embodiment, the DC bias line 24 can be used to control the entire array of metasurfaces, thereby reducing the complexity of the power supply network. In other words, the relative permittivity of an entire array can be changed by using the DC bias line 24 in each array, thus enabling the metasurface units to be in different states.

[0050] Based on the above embodiments, in this embodiment, the relative permittivity of the liquid crystal material in the liquid crystal material layer 22 can be adjusted within the operating frequency band, thereby simulating the change in the relative permittivity of the liquid crystal material with changes in the voltage across the terminals in actual conditions. In this embodiment, the relative permittivity of the liquid crystal material in the liquid crystal material layer 22 can be adjusted within the operating frequency band using simulation software. The simulation software allows for flexible and continuous adjustment of the relative permittivity value, enabling convenient and more accurate numerical results and avoiding errors.

[0051] As the relative permittivity of the liquid crystal material in the metasurface unit changes, the reflection amplitude and reflection phase of the metasurface unit also change. That is, by adjusting the relative permittivity of the liquid crystal material within the operating frequency band, the phase state of the metasurface unit in this embodiment will continuously change. Optionally, during the adjustment of the relative permittivity of the liquid crystal material within the operating frequency band, the metasurface unit may exhibit two different phase states with a reflection phase difference of 180°.

[0052] In some implementations, plane waves with different polarization directions can be incident on the metasurface unit. For example, a plane wave with a first polarization direction (X-polarization) can be incident on the metasurface unit, or a plane wave with a second polarization direction (Y-polarization) can be incident on the metasurface unit. When plane waves with the same polarization direction are incident on the metasurface unit, the reflection amplitude and emission phase of the metasurface unit can be changed by adjusting the relative permittivity of the liquid crystal material. The metasurface unit in this embodiment is based on the continuously adjustable characteristic of liquid crystal modulation. By changing the voltage values ​​applied across the liquid crystal material layer, the state of the metasurface unit can be continuously controlled.

[0053] As the relative permittivity of the liquid crystal material in the metasurface unit changes, the simulation curves of the reflection amplitude and reflection phase of the metasurface unit as a function of frequency are shown below. Figure 5 As shown. From Figure 5 As can be seen from this, when the first polarized wave is incident on the metasurface unit as a plane incident wave, the center operating frequency of the metasurface unit is 31.5 GHz, and when the relative permittivity ε of the liquid crystal material... r =2.4 and ε rWhen ε = 3.9, the phase states of the metasurface units differ by 180°; however, when the second polarized wave is incident on the metasurface unit as a plane incident wave, the center operating frequency of the metasurface unit is 42.2 GHz, and the relative permittivity ε of the liquid crystal material is... r =2.4 and ε r When the phase ratio is 2.85, the phase states are 180° apart.

[0054] In this embodiment, when the plane incident wave is a first polarized wave, the two metasurface units with different phase states can be referred to as the first metasurface unit 1. x Second metasurface unit 2 x When the incident wave in the plane is a second-polarized wave, the metasurface units with two different phase states can be called the third metasurface unit 1. y and the fourth metasurface unit 2 y .

[0055] Furthermore, the metasurface units with two different phase states are arranged in different ways. In the embodiments of this application, the beams reflected by the different arrangement methods under the incident plane wave correspond to different phase periods and beam deflection angles, thereby achieving the purpose of beam scanning through the reflection function of the metasurface units.

[0056] In this embodiment, when the plane incident wave is a first polarized wave, the two metasurface units with different phase states can be referred to as the first metasurface unit 1. x Second metasurface unit 2 x When the incident wave in the plane is a second-polarized wave, the metasurface units with two different phase states can be called the third metasurface unit 1. y and the fourth metasurface unit 2 y .

[0057] Optionally, in the case of the first polarized wave incident, the metasurface unit can be arranged according to "1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x “1” x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x “1” x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x “1” x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x "The array is arranged in four different ways. It should be noted that each number in each array corresponds to a column, for example, "1..." x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x "Among them, the first 1" x The first column represents the first metasurface unit; the second column represents the first metasurface unit. x The second column indicates the first metasurface unit; the third column is 2. x The third column indicates the second metasurface unit; the fourth column is 2. xThis indicates that the fourth column represents the second metasurface unit; and so on, the 16th column being the second metasurface unit. x The fourth column indicates that it is the second metasurface unit.

[0058] For example, if the metasurface unit is arranged according to "1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x "Layout, layout diagram as follows" Figure 6 As shown, the first and second columns are the first metasurface units, the third and fourth columns are the second metasurface units, the fifth and sixth columns are the first metasurface units, the seventh and eighth columns are the second metasurface units, and so on, with the thirteenth and fourteenth columns being the first metasurface units and the fifteenth and sixteenth columns being the second metasurface units.

[0059] Optionally, in the case of second polarized wave incident, the metasurface unit can be arranged according to "1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y “1” y 1 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y “1” y 1 y 1 y 2y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 1 y 2 y “1” y 1 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 2 y 2 y "The array is arranged in four different ways. It should be noted that each number in each array corresponds to a column, for example, "1..." y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y "Among them, the first 1" y The first column indicates the third metasurface unit; the second column is 2. y The second column indicates the fourth metasurface unit; the third 1 y The third column indicates the third metasurface unit; the fourth column is 2. y This indicates that the fourth column is the fourth metasurface unit; and so on, the 15th column is the fourth metasurface unit. y The fifteenth column indicates the third metasurface unit; the sixteenth column is 2. y The sixteenth column indicates that it is the fourth metasurface unit.

[0060] For example, if the metasurface unit is arranged according to "1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y "Layout, layout diagram as follows" Figure 7 As shown, the first column represents the third metasurface unit; the second column represents the fourth metasurface unit; the third column represents the third metasurface unit; the fourth column represents the fourth metasurface unit; and so on, with the 15th column representing the third metasurface unit. y The fifteenth column indicates the third metasurface unit; the sixteenth column is 2. y The sixteenth column indicates that it is the fourth metasurface unit.

[0061] In this embodiment, because the metasurface units are arranged in different ways, the phase period of the beam emitted by the metasurface units changes, and the beam deflection angle changes accordingly, thereby achieving the purpose of beam scanning. Figure 8 As shown, near the low frequency of 31.5 GHz, the beam scans to 12.9°, 16°, 23°, and 35.4°, respectively; near the high frequency of 42.2 GHz, the beam scans to 11.5°, 16.5°, 25.4°, and 60°, respectively. Beam scanning functionality is achieved on the metasurface near both frequency points.

[0062] Please see Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a metasurface array antenna provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 As shown, the metasurface array antenna 900 may include multiple metasurface elements 200 as described in the above embodiments. In some implementations, the metasurface array antenna 900 may be an M×N array, that is, it may include M×N metasurface elements 200, where M and N are positive integers greater than or equal to 1, M represents a row, and N represents a column.

[0063] In this embodiment, the metal patches 23 in the same column of metasurface units 200 can be connected via DC bias lines 24. This means that metasurface units in the same column can share the same DC bias line, extending to the outermost layer, to maximize the simulation of DC power supply routing in real-world scenarios. In this embodiment, the DC bias line 24 enables control of the entire metasurface column, thereby reducing the complexity of the power supply network. In other words, the relative permittivity of an entire column can be changed via the DC bias line 24 of each column, allowing the metasurface units to be in different states.

[0064] In this embodiment, the metasurface antenna array 900 may include two metasurface elements 900 with different phase states. These elements are arranged in different configurations to form the metasurface antenna array. Under the incidence of a plane incident wave, the different configurations result in different phase periods and beam deflection angles in the beams reflected by the metasurface antenna array. In this embodiment, when the plane incident wave is a first polarized wave, the two metasurface elements with different phase states can be referred to as the first metasurface element 1. x Second metasurface unit 2 x When the incident wave in the plane is a second-polarized wave, the metasurface units with two different phase states can be called the third metasurface unit 1. y and the fourth metasurface unit 2 y .

[0065] Optionally, in the case of the first polarized wave incident, the metasurface unit can be arranged according to "1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x “1” x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x “1” x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2x 2 x “1” x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x "Arranged in four different ways."

[0066] Optionally, in the case of second polarized wave incident, the metasurface unit can be arranged according to "1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y 1 y 2 y “1” y 1 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y “1” y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 1 y 2 y“1” y 1 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 2 y 2 y 1 y 1 y 1 y 1 y 2 y 2 y 2 y 2 y "Arranged in four different ways."

[0067] In this embodiment, since the metasurface units are arranged in different ways to form a metasurface array antenna, the phase period of the beam emitted by the array antenna changes, and the beam deflection angle changes accordingly, thereby achieving the purpose of beam scanning.

[0068] Please see Figure 10 , Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1000 can be a network device or a terminal device. The communication device 1000 may include the metasurface array antenna in the above embodiment.

[0069] The communication device 1000 may include one or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control the communication device (e.g., base station, baseband chip, terminal equipment, terminal equipment chip, DU or CU, etc.), execute computer programs, and process data from the computer programs.

[0070] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include one or more memories 1002, on which a computer program 804 may be stored, and the processor 801 executes the computer program 1004. Optionally, the memories 1002 may also store data. The communication device 1000 and the memories 1002 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0071] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver 1005 and a metasurface array antenna 1006. The transceiver 1005 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transmission and reception functions. The transceiver 1005 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver may be referred to as a receiver or receiving circuit, etc., and is used to implement the receiving function; the transmitter may be referred to as a transmitter or transmitting circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0072] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include one or more interface circuits 1007. The interface circuit 1007 is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor 1001. The processor 1001 executes the code instructions.

[0073] In one implementation, the processor 1001 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit can be used for reading and writing code / data, or it can be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0074] In one implementation, processor 1001 may store computer program 1003, which runs on processor 1001. Computer program 1003 may be embedded in processor 1001; in this case, processor 1001 may be implemented in hardware.

[0075] In one implementation, the communication device 1000 may include circuitry capable of performing the functions of transmitting, receiving, or communicating as described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in this application can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), n-metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon-germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0076] The communication device described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal device (such as the first terminal device in the foregoing method embodiments), but the scope of the communication device described in this application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may vary. Figure 10 The communication device may be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be:

[0077] (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0078] (2) A collection of one or more ICs, optionally including storage components for storing data and computer programs;

[0079] (3) ASIC, such as modem;

[0080] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0081] (5) Receivers, terminal equipment, smart terminal equipment, cellular phones, wireless equipment, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted equipment, network equipment, cloud equipment, artificial intelligence equipment, etc.

[0082] (6) Others, etc.

[0083] Those skilled in the art will also understand that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps listed in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Whether such functionality is implemented through hardware or software depends on the specific application and the overall system design requirements. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality using various methods for each specific application, but such implementation should not be construed as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0084] Those skilled in the art will understand that the various numerical designations such as "first," "second," etc., involved in this application are merely for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application, nor do they indicate the order of sequence.

[0085] At least one in this application can also be described as one or more, and multiple can be two, three, four or more, and this application does not impose any limitation. In the embodiments of this application, for a technical feature, the technical features in that technical feature are distinguished by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D", and there is no order or size among the technical features described by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D".

[0086] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0087] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0088] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A metasurface unit, characterized in that, include: The system comprises a first dielectric substrate, a second dielectric substrate, and a third dielectric substrate, wherein the second dielectric substrate includes a metal ground layer, a liquid crystal material layer, a metal patch with anisotropic characteristics, and a DC bias line; the DC bias line and the metal patch are both printed on the liquid crystal material layer; the first dielectric substrate is one surface of the metasurface unit, the third dielectric substrate is the other surface of the metasurface unit, and the second dielectric substrate is located between the first dielectric substrate and the third dielectric substrate; The metal patch is a rhombus-shaped metal patch, which includes a first diagonal and a second diagonal. The first diagonal is related to the reflection amplitude and reflection phase of the first polarized beam, and the second diagonal is related to the reflection amplitude and reflection phase of the second polarized beam. The first polarized beam and the second polarized beam have different center operating frequencies, wherein the center operating frequencies of the first polarized beam and the second polarized beam are negatively correlated with the length of their respective diagonals; The metal patches arranged in the same column are connected by the DC bias line, wherein the DC bias line of each column is used to adjust the relative permittivity of the column; The metal patch acts as both a scatterer and the positive electrode of the DC bias, while the metal grounding layer acts as both a reflective surface and the negative electrode of the DC bias.

2. The metasurface unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, By adjusting the relative permittivity of the liquid crystal material within the operating frequency band, the phase state of the metasurface unit changes continuously.

3. The metasurface unit according to claim 2, characterized in that, By adjusting the relative permittivity of the liquid crystal material within the operating frequency band, the metasurface unit corresponds to two different phase states with a reflection phase difference of 180°.

4. The metasurface unit according to claim 3, characterized in that, The two metasurface units with different phase states are arranged in different ways. The different arrangements result in different phase periods and beam deflection angles of the reflected beams under the incident plane wave.

5. The metasurface unit according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the plane incident wave is the first polarized wave, the two metasurface units with different phase states include a first metasurface unit and a second metasurface unit; or, when the plane incident wave is the second polarized wave, the two metasurface units with different phase states include a third metasurface unit and a fourth metasurface unit.

6. The metasurface unit according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The third dielectric layer includes a glass dielectric layer, and the first dielectric layer is a glass dielectric substrate.

7. A metasurface antenna array, characterized in that, It includes M×N metasurface units as described in claim 1, wherein the values ​​of M and N are positive integers greater than or equal to 1.

8. The metasurface antenna array according to claim 7, characterized in that, The metasurface antenna array is aligned and controlled.

9. The metasurface antenna array according to claim 8, characterized in that, The metasurface antenna array includes two metasurface elements with different phase states. The metasurface elements with different phase states are arranged in different ways to form the metasurface antenna array. Under the incident plane wave, the beams reflected by the metasurface antenna array correspond to different phase periods and beam deflection angles.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes the metasurface antenna array as described in any one of claims 7-9.

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