Lens antenna with high integration level

Abstract

The invention particularly relates to a high-integration-level lens antenna which comprises a lens and an antenna array arranged around the lens. The antenna array comprises a plurality of antennas; a dynamic adjusting module is arranged between the output end of the antenna and the input end of the lens; the output end of the lens is connected with a receiving system through a transmission feeder line; wherein the dynamic adjustment module comprises a calibration channel, which is used for calibrating the amplitude phase of an antenna post-stage lens; the gain compensation path is used for compensating the transmission loss and the beam forming loss of the antenna; the antenna is a printed antenna; the printed antenna and the dynamic adjustment module are packaged on the multilayer printed board in a mixed pressing manner. According to the scheme, the calibration path and the gain compensation path are realized by using the dynamic adjustment module, and the antenna and the dynamic adjustment module are packaged on the multi-layer printed board in a mixed pressing manner, so that high integration of the lens antenna can be realized, and the dynamic reconfigurable performance requirement of the lens antenna is met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of antennas, and in particular to a highly integrated lens antenna. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, the R-KR lens antenna is a cylindrical cavity structure with matching RF input / output elements evenly distributed on its circumference. Figure 1 As shown, the conventional R-KR lens antenna is a cylindrical cavity structure, in which an R-KR lens 102 is arranged in the shell, and matching RF input / output elements are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction around the R-KR lens 102. The lens 102 is connected to the antenna 101 through a transmission feeder 103. Transverse electromagnetic waves (TEM waves) propagate between parallel conductive plates. It essentially uses a principle similar to an optical lens to regulate electromagnetic waves so that the energy radiated from the antenna can propagate in a specific direction and manner.

[0003] The following technical problems often exist for R-KR lens antennas with more ports: (1) In a multi-port network, the amplitude and phase are consistent and it is impossible to calibrate each channel one by one; (2) The gain is single and does not have dynamic reconfigurability; (3) The synthesis loss is large; (4) The antenna size is large, resulting in large transmission loss; (5) The composite gain of the antenna multi-port is much higher than the gain of a single antenna, which increases the difficulty of the system back-end circuit design.

[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background technology section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present invention, and therefore may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to ordinary technicians in the field. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a highly integrated lens antenna, which can improve the integration of a traditional R-KR lens antenna and improve the passive net gain of the lens antenna, thereby effectively overcoming the defects existing in the prior art to a certain extent.

[0006] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by practice of the present invention.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a highly integrated lens antenna, comprising: a lens, and an antenna array arranged around the lens; the antenna array comprises a plurality of antennas;

[0008] A dynamic adjustment module is provided between the output end of the antenna and the input end of the lens; the output end of the lens is connected to the receiving system through a transmission feeder;

[0009] The dynamic adjustment module includes: a calibration path for calibrating the amplitude and phase of the antenna rear lens; a gain compensation path for compensating the transmission loss and beamforming loss of the antenna;

[0010] The antenna is a printed antenna; the printed antenna and the dynamic adjustment module are mixed-pressure packaged on a multi-layer printed circuit board.

[0011] In some exemplary embodiments, the dynamic adjustment module further includes:

[0012] The through path is used to suppress nonlinear parameters.

[0013] In some exemplary embodiments, the dynamic adjustment module includes: a first input port, a second input port, a limiting module, a filtering module, an amplifying module, a first switching element, a second switching element, and a third switching element; wherein the first input port is used to input a radio frequency signal received by an antenna; and the second input port is used to input a power division signal;

[0014] The first input port is connected to the first input end of the first switch element through the limiting module, and the second input port is connected to the second input end of the first RF switch;

[0015] The output end of the first switch element is connected to the input end of the second switch element through a filtering module, the first output end of the second switch element is connected to the first input end of the third switch element, and the second output end of the second switch element is connected to the second input end of the third switch element.

[0016] In some exemplary embodiments, the dynamic adjustment module is disposed on a multi-layer signal board;

[0017] The multi-layer signal board comprises a calibration signal layer, a control signal layer, a power signal layer and a surface dielectric layer stacked in sequence from bottom to top; a metal isolation layer is arranged between adjacent signal layers;

[0018] Wherein, the calibration signal layer is provided with a power division circuit for sending a self-test signal to the dynamic adjustment module;

[0019] The control signal layer is connected to the control drive circuit and is used to send a working / self-testing control signal or an amplification / attenuation control signal to the dynamic adjustment module;

[0020] The power signal layer is provided with a voltage stabilizing circuit for providing power to the dynamic adjustment module;

[0021] Wherein, the dynamic adjustment module is fixed on the surface dielectric layer of the multilayer board by welding balls.

[0022] In some exemplary embodiments, the power division circuit is an equal-phase power division circuit.

[0023] In some exemplary embodiments, each of the antennas is respectively configured with a corresponding dynamic adjustment module;

[0024] Alternatively, two or more adjacent antennas are configured with one dynamic adjustment module.

[0025] In some exemplary embodiments, the lens is an R-KR lens and the antenna comprises a Vivaldi antenna.

[0026] In some exemplary embodiments, the dynamic adjustment module is an active device based on SiP packaging.

[0027] The highly integrated lens antenna provided by the embodiment of the present invention provides a dynamic adjustment module between the output end of the antenna and the input end of the lens, and uses the gain compensation path of the dynamic adjustment module to compensate for the transmission loss and beam synthesis loss of the antenna, thereby improving the passive net gain of the R-KR lens antenna. At the same time, by providing a calibration path in the dynamic adjustment module, the amplitude and phase of the antenna rear-stage lens can be calibrated, thereby realizing the amplitude and phase calibration function of the antenna channel. By using the dynamic adjustment module to realize the calibration path and the gain compensation path, and the antenna and the dynamic adjustment module are mixed and packaged on a multi-layer printed circuit board, it is possible to achieve a high degree of integration of the lens antenna and meet the dynamic reconfigurable performance requirements of the lens antenna.

[0028] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present invention, and together with the specification are used to explain the principles of the present invention. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without creative work.

[0030] Figure 1 The overall structure of a conventional R-KR lens antenna in the prior art is schematically shown;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a lens antenna according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram schematically illustrates a structure of a dynamic adjustment module in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram schematically illustrates a working signal flow between a dynamic adjustment module and a multilayer board in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 A schematic diagram schematically shows a power division circuit structure in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present invention will be more comprehensive and complete and fully convey the concepts of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0036] In addition, the accompanying drawings are only schematic illustrations of the present invention and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the figures represent the same or similar parts, and their repeated description will be omitted. Some of the block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities can be implemented in software form, or implemented in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or implemented in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0037] In the related art, the technical problems of the traditional R-KR lens antenna include: (1) the multi-port network of the traditional R-KR lens antenna has amplitude and phase consistency and cannot realize channel-by-channel calibration; (2) the traditional R-KR lens antenna has a single gain and is not dynamically reconfigurable; (3) the synthesis loss and transmission loss of the traditional R-KR lens antenna reduce the passive gain of the receiving system; (4) the high antenna gain causes the front-end low-noise amplifier to generate a large number of nonlinear parameters; (5) the high antenna gain causes the limiter to have a high limiting power level requirement.

[0038] In view of the shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art, this exemplary embodiment provides a highly integrated lens antenna that can solve the technical problems existing in the traditional R-KR lens antenna.

[0039] The structure of the highly integrated lens antenna in this exemplary implementation will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0040] refer to Figure 2The highly integrated lens antenna shown includes: a lens 22, and an antenna array arranged around the lens; the antenna array includes multiple antennas 21. Among them, the lens 22 is an R-KR lens, and the antenna includes a Vivaldi antenna. Among them, the antenna is used to receive electromagnetic signals in space and input the electromagnetic signals into the lens; the lens can converge the electromagnetic wave signals emitted by the antenna, perform beamforming, focus the electromagnetic wave energy in a specific direction, and improve the gain and directivity of the antenna.

[0041] Exemplarily, a dynamic adjustment module 24 is provided between the output end of the antenna 21 and the input end of the lens 22; the output end of the lens 22 is connected to a receiving system (not shown) via a transmission feeder 23. For example, a dynamic adjustment module may be provided between the output end of each antenna 21 and the lens to achieve a one-to-one correspondence between the antenna and the dynamic adjustment module.

[0042] The dynamic adjustment module 24 may include: a calibration path for calibrating the amplitude and phase of the antenna rear-stage lens; and a gain compensation path for compensating for the transmission loss and beam synthesis loss of the antenna.

[0043] In some exemplary embodiments, the dynamic adjustment module may further include: a through path for suppressing nonlinear parameters.

[0044] Specifically, by setting up multiple selectable signal paths in the dynamic adjustment module, two dynamic windows, direct and amplified, are implemented in the module to reduce the impact of nonlinear parameters of the system. By implementing the calibration channel, the amplitude and phase consistency of each Vivaldi antenna rear lens in the R-KR lens antenna can be effectively calibrated.

[0045] Exemplarily, the dynamic adjustment module is an active device based on SiP packaging. By using the SIP module packaging form for the dynamic adjustment module, not only the circuit amplitude and phase characteristics are standardized, but also the shielding of the active radio frequency is guaranteed.

[0046] Specifically, in order to realize the above-mentioned channels and corresponding functions of the dynamic adjustment module, refer to Figure 3 As shown, the dynamic adjustment module may include: a first input port 31, a second input port 32, a limiting module 33, a filtering module 34, an amplifying module 37, a first switching element 33, a second switching element 35 and a third switching element 36; wherein the first input port is used to input the radio frequency signal received by the antenna; and the second input port is used to input a power division signal or a control signal.

[0047] Specifically, the first input port is connected to the first input end of the first switch element through the limiting module, and the second input port is connected to the second input end of the first RF switch; the output end of the first switch element is connected to the input end of the second switch element through the filtering module, the first output end of the second switch element is connected to the first input end of the third switch element, and the second output end of the second switch element is connected to the second input end of the third switch element.

[0048] The first input port of the dynamic adjustment module can be used to input the electromagnetic signal output by the Vivaldi antenna; the second input port can be used to input a control signal, such as a calibration power division signal. By setting multiple RF switch devices in the dynamic adjustment module, the gating state of multiple switches can be controlled, and the above-mentioned gain compensation path, calibration path and direct path can be realized, thereby realizing the dynamic selection and switching of multiple working windows of the gain amplification module.

[0049] Exemplarily, the limiting module can use a limiter. By setting a limiter in the dynamic adjustment module, the system's back-end circuit can be protected from burning out by high-power signals. Compared with the traditional R-KR lens antenna, the present invention sets a limiter between the antenna and the lens, which reduces the antenna system's requirement for limiting power and facilitates engineering implementation.

[0050] Exemplarily, the amplification module can be a low noise amplifier. By setting a low noise amplifier in the dynamic adjustment module and placing it after the antenna and before the lens, the transmission loss and beamforming loss of the antenna can be effectively compensated, and the gain dynamic adjustment function of the RF signal can be realized; and the nonlinear parameter influence of the low noise amplifier and the limiter power requirement under the same input power are reduced, thereby overcoming the technical defects existing in the traditional R-KR antenna.

[0051] Exemplary, reference Figure 4 As shown, the dynamic adjustment module 41 is arranged on a multi-layer signal board 42; the multi-layer signal board includes a calibration signal layer 424, a control signal layer 423, a power signal layer 422 and a surface dielectric layer 421 stacked in sequence from bottom to top; a metal isolation layer 425 is arranged between adjacent signal layers.

[0052] The calibration signal layer is provided with a power division circuit for sending a self-test signal to the dynamic adjustment module. The control signal layer is connected to the control drive circuit for sending a working / self-test control signal or an amplification / attenuation control signal to the dynamic adjustment module; the power signal layer is provided with a voltage stabilization circuit for providing power to the dynamic adjustment module.

[0053] Specifically, the printed antenna and the dynamic adjustment module can be arranged on the surface dielectric layer; for example, the printed antenna and the dynamic adjustment module are surface-mounted on the surface dielectric layer. A copper layer is arranged between two adjacent signal layers of the surface dielectric layer, the power signal layer, the control signal layer, and the calibration signal layer as a metal isolation layer between two adjacent signal layers.

[0054] For example, Figure 2 As shown, an external port 25 can also be provided on the printed circuit board, through which control signals and power signals can be input. For example, the external port can be connected to a control drive circuit, and the control drive circuit generates various types of control signals (such as self-test control signals, amplification control signals, and attenuation control signals), and transmits each control signal to the dynamic adjustment module through the corresponding signal layer.

[0055] Exemplarily, the power division circuit may be an equal phase common division circuit. Figure 5 As shown, equal-phase power division circuits corresponding to each antenna can be distributed on the bottom layer of the multilayer printed circuit board. By setting a power division circuit on the calibration signal layer, the self-test signal can be input into the dynamic adjustment module. By controlling the switch in the dynamic adjustment module to select the calibration channel and process the self-test signal, the amplitude phase consistency of each Vivaldi antenna rear-stage lens in the R-KR lens antenna can be effectively calibrated.

[0056] By setting the dynamic adjustment module on a multi-layer printed circuit board and using a multi-layer mixed-pressure method to integrate the RF antenna, transmission feeder, power division circuit, power control circuit and other control circuits into a mixed-pressure package on the multi-layer printed circuit board, the channel amplitude and phase calibration function and the dynamic selection expansion function can be integrated without changing the size of the original equipment.

[0057] By setting multiple switches in the module to switch between working and calibration functions, and then filtering out out-band signals through filters, the system's adaptability to complex environments can be improved.

[0058] A limiter is designed at the input stage of the working branch of the module to realize the function of preventing the system's subsequent circuit from burning out due to high-power signals. Then a switch is designed to realize the switching between working and calibration functions. The out-of-band signal is filtered out by a filter to improve the system's adaptability to complex environments. Finally, the system's working dynamic window is selected through the two-state circuits of pass-through and gain amplification.

[0059] Exemplarily, a multi-layer printed circuit board may be provided, on which a control drive circuit, an external port, and a dynamic adjustment module are arranged, and each circuit is integrated and packaged on the multi-layer printed circuit board.

[0060] In some exemplary embodiments, a plurality of adjacent antennas may be configured with one dynamic adjustment module. For example, two or three adjacent antennas may be connected to one dynamic adjustment module and share the dynamic adjustment module, thereby reducing the complexity of the circuit.

[0061] The highly integrated printed lens antenna based on the R-KR lens provided in the embodiment of the present invention sets a dynamic adjustment module between the antenna and the lens, thereby utilizing the low-noise amplifier in the module to effectively compensate for the transmission loss between the Vivaldi antenna and the lens and the combined loss of the lens itself; compared with the traditional R-KR lens antenna, the passive net gain is significantly improved; and the nonlinear parameters of the low-noise amplifier and the limiter limiting power requirements under the same input power are reduced.

[0062] By using the multi-layer printed circuit board mixed pressure technology to realize the common board design of the printed antenna, control voltage stabilization circuit, calibration phase power division circuit and feeder transmission circuit, a high degree of integration of multiple functions is achieved, and a high integration, high-precision calibration, nonlinear parameter suppression and high limiting power design of the receiving system are achieved. In addition, the lens antenna of the present invention, as an active antenna for front-end reception, has the advantage of small size.

[0063] It should be noted that the above figures are only schematic illustrations of the processes included in the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to be limiting. In addition, it is also easy to understand that these processes can be executed synchronously or asynchronously in multiple modules, for example.

[0064] It should be noted that, although several modules or units of the equipment for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. On the contrary, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into being embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0065] Other embodiments of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the invention herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention that follow the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed by the present invention. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the invention are indicated by the claims.

[0066] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exact construction that has been described above and shown in the drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A highly integrated lens antenna, characterized in that: The invention comprises: a lens, and an antenna array arranged around the lens; The antenna array includes a plurality of antennas; A dynamic adjustment module is provided between the output end of the antenna and the input end of the lens; The output end of the lens is connected to the receiving system through a transmission feeder; The dynamic adjustment module includes: a calibration path for calibrating the amplitude and phase of the antenna rear lens; a gain compensation path for compensating the transmission loss and beamforming loss of the antenna; The antenna is a printed antenna; the printed antenna and the dynamic adjustment module are mixed-pressure packaged on a multi-layer printed circuit board.

2. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that The dynamic adjustment module also includes: A direct path is used to suppress nonlinear parameters.

3. The highly integrated lens antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The dynamic adjustment module includes: a first input port, a second input port, a limiting module, a filtering module, an amplifying module, a first switching element, a second switching element and a third switching element; wherein the first input port is used to input a radio frequency signal received by an antenna; and the second input port is used to input a power division signal; The first input port is connected to the first input end of the first switch element through the limiting module, and the second input port is connected to the second input end of the first RF switch; The output end of the first switch element is connected to the input end of the second switch element through a filtering module, the first output end of the second switch element is connected to the first input end of the third switch element, and the second output end of the second switch element is connected to the second input end of the third switch element.

4. The highly integrated lens antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that: The dynamic adjustment module is arranged on a multi-layer signal board; The multi-layer signal board comprises a calibration signal layer, a control signal layer, a power signal layer and a surface dielectric layer stacked in sequence from bottom to top; a metal isolation layer is arranged between adjacent signal layers; Wherein, the calibration signal layer is provided with a power division circuit for sending a self-test signal to the dynamic adjustment module; The control signal layer is connected to the control drive circuit and is used to send a working / self-testing control signal or an amplification / attenuation control signal to the dynamic adjustment module; The power signal layer is provided with a voltage stabilizing circuit for providing power to the dynamic adjustment module.

5. The highly integrated lens antenna according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power division circuit is an equal-phase power division circuit.

6. The highly integrated lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the antennas is respectively configured with a corresponding dynamic adjustment module; Alternatively, two or more adjacent antennas are configured with one gain amplification module.

7. The highly integrated lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lens is an R-KR lens, and the antenna includes a Vivaldi antenna.

8. The highly integrated lens antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dynamic adjustment module is an active device based on SiP packaging.

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