Broadband high-gain transmissive array antenna based on single-layer dielectric substrate unit

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of wideband high gain transmission array antennas based on single-layer dielectric substrate unit, including corner horn antenna and transmission array, and the transmission array includes several transmission units, each transmission unit includes dielectric substrate, upper metal patch and lower metal patch, and upper and lower metal patches are respectively etched the upper surface and lower surface of dielectric substrate. Upper and lower metal patches are all fan ring circular ring superposition type structure, and the opening angle of outermost fan ring is controlled to realize its phase control. In addition, by mirror image upper and lower two layers of metal patch, 360 ° phase range can be obtained. Compared with the conventional high gain wideband transmission array antenna, the application uses single-layer dielectric substrate, avoids using metal through hole and metal column, the unit structure is simpler, and the profile height is effectively reduced. Compared with the existing low profile transmission array antenna based on single-layer dielectric substrate unit, the gain bandwidth and aperture efficiency are significantly improved, and the application scenario is more widely.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of antennas, and particularly relates to a wideband high-gain transmitarray antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the fields of radar communication, space communication and radio astronomy observation, an antenna needs to transmit in a specified direction over a long distance, and therefore must have a high gain and maintain excellent radiation performance in a wide frequency band. A conventional wideband high-gain transmitarray antenna usually uses a multi-layer structure to ensure good transmission amplitude and linear phase control. However, based on the requirements of miniaturization and low profile of modern communication systems, the number of dielectric substrate layers needs to be gradually reduced. In order to ensure good transmission amplitude, metal columns or metal vias are added, which increases the processing difficulty of the antenna. The low-profile transmitarray antenna without metal columns or metal vias has a decreased bandwidth and aperture efficiency. Therefore, the wideband high-gain transmitarray antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit is a very worthwhile antenna to try.

[0003] In 2016, Luo Qi et al. proposed a wideband transmitarray antenna in the paper “Wideband Transmitarray With Reduced Profile”, the transmission unit is composed of two identical three-layer frequency selective surfaces, which are separated by a quarter-wavelength air gap. In order to further reduce the profile height, in 2019, Yu Shixing et al. proposed a low-profile transmitarray lens antenna in the paper “Low-Profile Transmitarray Lens Antenna of X-Band with One Layer of Substrate and Metallic Vias”, the transmission unit is connected by metalized vias and printed on the upper and lower layers of the single-layer dielectric substrate. However, these low-profile structures with metalized vias have a narrow bandwidth, and the metalized vias in the structure increase the processing difficulty. In 2023, Rao Wei et al. proposed a transmission unit based on a single-layer dielectric substrate in the paper “A Dual-Layer Polarisation Rotating Element for Transmitarray Designs”, the metal patch is etched on the two layers of the dielectric substrate, and no metal column or metal via is used for connection, which reduces the profile height and processing difficulty. However, the bandwidth and aperture efficiency performance need to be further improved.

[0004] In summary, the existing wideband high-gain transmissive array antenna design has problems such as high profile and complex processing, and the bandwidth and aperture efficiency performance of the low-profile transmissive array antenna needs to be improved, so it is very challenging to design a transmissive array antenna that meets the requirements of low profile, high gain, wideband and easy processing. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application aims at the problems existing in the prior art, and provides a wideband high-gain transmissive array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit.

[0006] The technical solution for achieving the object of the present application is as follows: a wideband high-gain transmissive array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit, the antenna comprising a corner horn antenna, a transmissive array, a plastic support plate and a plurality of nylon columns; the corner horn antenna serving as a feed source is located directly below the transmissive array and is fixed on the plastic support plate; the plastic support plate and the transmissive array are supported and fixed by the nylon columns; the transmissive array comprises a plurality of transmissive units, each transmissive unit comprising an upper metal patch, a dielectric substrate and a lower metal patch arranged in order from top to bottom, the dielectric substrate being a single-layer structure; wherein the upper metal patch and the lower metal patch are etched on the upper surface and the lower surface of the dielectric substrate respectively, and the upper metal patch and the lower metal patch are both fan-ring circular ring superposition structures, which comprise a first fan-ring metal patch, a second fan-ring metal patch and a circular ring metal patch, the first fan-ring metal patch and the second fan-ring metal patch are oppositely arranged to form a virtual circular ring, and a straight-line narrow-band metal patch is connected between the first fan-ring metal patch and the second fan-ring metal patch, the circular ring metal patch is arranged on the inner side of the virtual circular ring and overlaps the straight-line narrow-band metal patch, and the diameter of the circular ring metal patch on the inner side is greater than the width of the straight-line narrow-band metal patch.

[0007] Further, the first fan-ring metal patch and the second fan-ring metal patch are oppositely arranged.

[0008] Further, the virtual circular ring and the circular ring metal patch are arranged with the same center.

[0009] Further, the central axis of the straight-line narrow-band metal patch coincides with the central axis of the circular ring metal patch.

[0010] Further, when the transmissive unit performs phase compensation, a horizontal mirror image operation is performed to realize a continuous phase change of 0-360°.

[0011] Further, the transmission unit comprises two states, state A and state B, respectively, from the top view of the upper metal patch, taking the center as the origin, the horizontal left-right direction as the x-axis, and the vertical direction as the z-axis, an o-xyz coordinate system is established;

[0012] For state A: the angle of the center axis of the straight narrow-band metal patch, the circular ring metal patch and the virtual circular ring is 22.5° counterclockwise rotation with the center of the upper metal patch and along the z-axis direction as the reference; the lower metal patch is the same as the shape of the upper metal patch, and is obtained by counterclockwise rotation of 45° of the upper metal patch with the z-axis as the reference;

[0013] For state B: the angle of the center axis of the straight narrow-band metal patch, the circular ring metal patch and the virtual circular ring is 22.5° counterclockwise rotation with the center of the upper metal patch and along the z-axis direction as the reference; the lower metal patch is the same as the shape of the upper metal patch, and is obtained by counterclockwise rotation of 45° of the upper metal patch with the z-axis as the reference.

[0014] Further, the opening angle α of the first fan ring metal patch and the second fan ring metal patch can be adjusted to realize the linear phase change of the transmission unit.

[0015] Further, the plurality of transmission units are periodically distributed in a circular array.

[0016] Further, the spacing P between the transmission units is 0.33λ, where λ is the free space wavelength corresponding to the set center frequency.

[0017] Further, the thickness H of the dielectric substrate is 0.1λ, and the dielectric constant is 2.2.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:

[0019] (1) Compared with the conventional wideband high-gain transmission array antenna, the antenna array of the present application only has one dielectric substrate and two metal patches, which reduces the air layer and effectively reduces the profile height of the array.

[0020] (2) Compared with the transmission array antenna with metalized vias or metal columns, the unit structure is simplified and easy to process.

[0021] (3) Compared with the single-layer dielectric unit-based transmission array antenna without using metal vias or metal columns, the bandwidth and aperture efficiency performance are greatly improved.

[0022] (4) The fan ring circular ring superposition type metal patch structure designed for the first time in the present application realizes the polarization twisting function while having good transmission performance, and greatly improves the transmission amplitude and phase shift range of the transmission unit.

[0023] The application will be described in further detail below with reference to the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wideband high-gain transmissive array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit in an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a transmissive unit of a wideband high-gain transmissive array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit in an embodiment, wherein Figure 2 (a) in FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the transmissive unit, Figure 2 (b) in FIG. 5 is a top view of the upper metal patch, Figure 2 (c) in FIG. 5 is a top view of the lower metal patch.

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a transmissive unit of a wideband high-gain transmissive array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit in an embodiment, wherein Figure 3 (a) in FIG. 6 is the transmissive unit in state A, Figure 3 (b) in FIG. 6 is the transmissive unit in state B.

[0027] Figure 4 A plot of the transmittance and phase shift of a transmissive unit of a wideband high-gain transmissive array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit in an embodiment, at a design frequency of 10 GHz, as a function of the opening angle a of the outer sector ring of the metal patch in states A and B.

[0028] Figure 5 A plot of the transmittance and phase shift of a transmissive unit of a wideband high-gain transmissive array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit in an embodiment, at a design frequency of 10 GHz, as a function of the opening angle a of the outer sector ring of the metal patch at different incident angles.

[0029] Figure 6 Measured and simulated normalized radiation patterns of an E-plane and an H-plane of a wideband high-gain transmissive array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit in an embodiment at 10 GHz, wherein Figure 6 (a) in FIG. 7 is the measured and simulated normalized radiation pattern of the E-plane, Figure 6 (b) in FIG. 7 is the measured and simulated normalized radiation pattern of the H-plane.

[0030] Figure 7 Measured normalized radiation patterns of an E-plane and an H-plane of a wideband high-gain transmissive array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit in an embodiment at a frequency of 9.4 GHz corresponding to a 1-dB bandwidth, wherein Figure 7(a) is the measured normalized radiation pattern of the E-plane of the transmissive array antenna at 9.4 GHz, Figure 7 (b) is the measured normalized radiation pattern of the H-plane of the transmissive array antenna at 9.4 GHz.

[0031] Figure 8 is the measured normalized radiation pattern of the E-plane of the transmissive array antenna at 11.5 GHz, Figure 8 (a) is the measured normalized radiation pattern of the E-plane of the transmissive array antenna at 11.5 GHz, Figure 8 (b) is the measured normalized radiation pattern of the H-plane of the transmissive array antenna at 11.5 GHz.

[0032] Figure 9 is the simulated and measured gain and aperture efficiency of the single-layer dielectric substrate unit based wideband high gain transmissive array antenna in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and should not be used to limit the present application.

[0034] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present application involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement condition, etc. between components in a certain posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the certain posture changes, the directional indications also change accordingly.

[0035] In addition, if the embodiments of the present application involve descriptions of "first", "second", etc., the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for description purposes, and should not be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features limited by "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions of each embodiment can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the realization of a person skilled in the art, and when the combination of technical solutions appears contradictory or unachievable, it should be considered that the combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the protection scope required by the present application.

[0036] In one embodiment, in combination with Figures 1 to 2The application provides a single-layer medium substrate unit-based broadband high-gain transmission array antenna, which comprises an angle horn antenna 1, a transmission array 2, a plastic support plate 3 and a plurality of nylon columns 4; the angle horn antenna 1 is used as a feed source, is located directly below the transmission array 2 and is fixed on the plastic support plate 3; the plastic support plate 3 and the transmission array 2 are fixed by the nylon columns 4; the transmission array 2 comprises a plurality of transmission units 5; the transmission unit 5 comprises an upper layer metal patch 6, a medium substrate 7 and a lower layer metal patch 8 which are sequentially arranged from top to bottom; the medium substrate 7 is a single-layer structure; the upper layer metal patch 6 and the lower layer metal patch 8 are respectively etched on the upper surface and the lower surface of the medium substrate 7; the upper layer metal patch 6 and the lower layer metal patch 8 are both fan ring circular ring superposition type structures; the first fan ring metal patch and the second fan ring metal patch are oppositely arranged and can form a virtual circular ring; the first fan ring metal patch and the second fan ring metal patch are connected by a straight line narrow band type metal patch; the virtual circular ring is provided with the circular ring type metal patch on the inner side; the circular ring type metal patch is overlapped with the straight line narrow band type metal patch; and the diameter of the inner side of the circular ring type metal patch is greater than the width of the straight line narrow band type metal patch.

[0037] Preferably, in some embodiments, the first fan ring metal patch and the second fan ring metal patch are oppositely arranged.

[0038] Preferably, in some embodiments, the virtual circular ring and the circular ring type metal patch are arranged with the same center.

[0039] Preferably, in some embodiments, the central axis of the straight line narrow band type metal patch is coincident with the central axis of the circular ring type metal patch.

[0040] Further, in one of the embodiments, when the transmission unit 5 performs phase compensation, a horizontal mirror image operation is performed to realize 0-360° continuous phase change.

[0041] The transmission unit 5 comprises two states, state A and state B; from the top view angle of the upper layer metal patch 6, the horizontal left-right direction is the x-axis and the vertical direction is the z-axis, and an o-xyz coordinate system is established with the center as the origin;

[0042] For state A: the angle of the central axis of the straight line narrow band type metal patch, the circular ring type metal patch and the virtual circular ring is 22.5° counterclockwise rotation along the z-axis direction with the center of the upper layer metal patch 6 as the reference; the lower layer metal patch 8 is the same in shape as the upper layer metal patch 6 and is obtained by counterclockwise rotation of the upper layer metal patch 6 by 45° with the z-axis as the reference;

[0043] For state B: the angle of the straight narrowband type metal patch, the circular ring type metal patch and the center axis of the virtual circular ring is: 22.5° counterclockwise rotation based on the center of the upper metal patch 6 and along the z-axis direction; the lower metal patch 8 is the same shape as the upper metal patch 6, and is obtained by counterclockwise rotation of 45° based on the upper metal patch 6 and the z-axis.

[0044] Further, in one of the embodiments, the opening angle α of the first fan ring metal patch and the second fan ring metal patch can be adjusted to achieve linear phase change of the transmission unit 5.

[0045] Further, in one of the embodiments, the plurality of transmission units 5 are periodically distributed in a circular array.

[0046] Further, in one of the embodiments, the spacing P between the transmission units 5 is 0.33λ, where λ is the free space wavelength corresponding to the set center frequency.

[0047] Further, in one of the embodiments, the thickness H of the dielectric substrate 7 is 0.1λ, and the dielectric constant is 2.2.

[0048] As a specific example, in one of the embodiments, the application is further described in detail.

[0049] The embodiment is based on a single-layer medium substrate unit of a broadband high-gain transmissive array antenna, which comprises a corner horn antenna, a transmissive array, a plastic support plate and a plurality of nylon columns. The corner horn antenna as a feed source is located directly above the transmissive array, and the vertical distance between the corner horn antenna and the transmissive array is 173 mm. The aperture surface diameter of the transmissive array is 270 mm, and the transmissive array comprises 623 transmissive units with a spacing P of 10 mm between the transmissive units. Each transmissive unit comprises an upper metal patch, a medium substrate and a lower metal patch arranged in sequence from top to bottom. The dielectric constant of the medium substrate is 2.2, and the thickness H is 3 mm. The upper metal patch (6) and the lower metal patch (8) are respectively etched with a fan ring and a circular ring superimposed type metal patch structure. The metal patch structure comprises a first fan ring metal patch, a second fan ring metal patch and a circular ring type metal patch. The first fan ring metal patch and the second fan ring metal patch are oppositely arranged to form a virtual circular ring. A straight line narrow band type metal patch is connected between the first fan ring metal patch and the second fan ring metal patch. The circular ring type metal patch is arranged on the inner side of the virtual circular ring and overlaps the straight line narrow band type metal patch, and the diameter of the circular ring type metal patch on the inner side is greater than the width of the straight line narrow band type metal patch. The inner radius of the first fan ring metal patch and the second fan ring metal patch is R1, and the ring width is W1. The inner radius of the virtual circular ring is R2, and the ring width is W2. The width of the straight line narrow band type metal patch is W3. Preferably, R1 = 3.5 mm, R2 = 1 mm, W1 = 1.4 mm, W2 = 1.4 mm and W3 = 1.4 mm. The opening angle α of the outer fan ring is variable to realize linear phase change of the transmissive unit, and the change range of the angle α is 18° to 52°.

[0050] It can be seen that the lower metal patch 8 is obtained by counterclockwise rotation of the upper metal patch 6 by 45° based on the z-axis. Figure 3 It can be seen that the lower metal patch 8 is obtained by counterclockwise rotation of the upper metal patch 6 by 45° based on the z-axis.

[0051] It can be seen that the lower metal patch 8 is obtained by counterclockwise rotation of the upper metal patch 6 by 45° based on the z-axis. Figure 4 It can be seen that the transmissive amplitude of the transmissive unit 5 at 10 GHz changes with the opening angle α of the outer fan ring, and the transmissive amplitude is always greater than -2.6 dB. State A can realize a phase range of 0° to 180°, and State B has a phase difference of 180° with State A, and can realize a phase range of 0° to -180°. A total phase range of 360° can be realized, and the unit has good performance.

[0052] It can be seen that the transmissive amplitude of the transmissive unit 5 at 10 GHz changes with the opening angle α of the outer fan ring, and the transmissive amplitude is always greater than -2.6 dB. State A can realize a phase range of 0° to 180°, and State B has a phase difference of 180° with State A, and can realize a phase range of 0° to -180°. A total phase range of 360° can be realized, and the unit has good performance. Figure 5It can be seen that the transmission amplitude of the transmission unit 5 is greater than-3dB at 10GHz under different sizes and different incident angles, which shows that the unit has good transmission capacity and is less affected by the change of the incident angle.

[0053] It can be seen that the transmission amplitude of the transmission unit 5 is greater than-3dB at 10GHz under different sizes and different incident angles, which shows that the unit has good transmission capacity and is less affected by the change of the incident angle. Figure 6 It can be seen that the transmission amplitude of the transmission unit 5 is greater than-3dB at 10GHz under different sizes and different incident angles, which shows that the unit has good transmission capacity and is less affected by the change of the incident angle.

[0054] It can be seen that the transmission amplitude of the transmission unit 5 is greater than-3dB at 10GHz under different sizes and different incident angles, which shows that the unit has good transmission capacity and is less affected by the change of the incident angle. Figures 7 to 8 It can be seen that the transmission amplitude of the transmission unit 5 is greater than-3dB at 10GHz under different sizes and different incident angles, which shows that the unit has good transmission capacity and is less affected by the change of the incident angle.

[0055] Figure 9 For the measurement and simulation curves of the gain and aperture efficiency of the transmission array antenna with frequency variation, at the center frequency of 10GHz, the simulation gain of the antenna is 27.12dBi, the maximum aperture efficiency is 60.7%, the maximum gain appears at 10.1GHz and is 27.18dBi, the 1-dB gain bandwidth is 23.1%(9.45-11.79GHz), and the 3-dB gain bandwidth is 37.3%(8.88-12.64GHz). The measured gain of the antenna at 10GHz is 26.98dBi, which is the maximum gain, the maximum aperture efficiency is 58.7%, the 1-dB gain bandwidth is 22.5%(9.4-11.65GHz), and the 3-dB gain bandwidth is 35%(8.95-12.45GHz). The measurement results are consistent with the simulation results.

[0056] In summary, the transmission unit based on a single-layer dielectric substrate proposed in the application can realize a transmission amplitude greater than-2.6dB and a 360° phase shift range at a design frequency of 10GHz under a low profile, which simplifies the structure, reduces the cost, avoids the need for metalized vias in the existing low-profile single-layer dielectric substrate design, and ensures the wideband and high-gain performance of the transmission array antenna.

[0057] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present application. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the above-mentioned embodiments and descriptions in the specification are only to illustrate the principles of the present application, and any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A broadband high-gain transmission array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit, the antenna comprising a pyramidal horn antenna (1), a transmission array (2), a plastic support plate (3), and a plurality of nylon pillars (4); the pyramidal horn antenna (1) serves as a feed source, located directly below the transmission array (2), and fixed on the plastic support plate (3); the plastic support plate (3) and the transmission array (2) are supported and fixed together by the nylon pillars (4); characterized in that, The transmission array (2) includes several transmission units (5). Each transmission unit (5) includes an upper metal patch (6), a dielectric substrate (7), and a lower metal patch (8) arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The dielectric substrate (7) is a single-layer structure. The upper metal patch (6) and the lower metal patch (8) are respectively etched on the upper and lower surfaces of the dielectric substrate (7). Both the upper metal patch (6) and the lower metal patch (8) are fan-ring stacked structures, including a first fan ring. The device comprises a metal patch, a second sector-ring metal patch, and a circular metal patch. The first sector-ring metal patch and the second sector-ring metal patch are arranged opposite each other to form a virtual ring. The first sector-ring metal patch and the second sector-ring metal patch are connected by a straight narrow strip metal patch. The circular metal patch is located on the inner side of the virtual ring, and the circular metal patch overlaps with the straight narrow strip metal patch. The inner diameter of the circular metal patch is larger than the width of the straight narrow strip metal patch.

2. The broadband high-gain transmission array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first sector ring metal patch and the second sector ring metal patch are arranged facing each other.

3. The broadband high-gain transmission array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The virtual ring and the ring-shaped metal patch are set at the same center.

4. The broadband high-gain transmission array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit according to claim 3, characterized in that, The central axis of the linear narrow strip metal patch coincides with the central axis of the annular metal patch.

5. The broadband high-gain transmission array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the transmission unit (5) performs phase compensation, it achieves continuous phase change from 0 to 360° by performing a horizontal mirroring operation.

6. The broadband high-gain transmission array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit according to claim 5, characterized in that, The transmission unit (5) includes two states, namely state A and state B. From the top view of the upper metal patch (6), with the center as the origin, the horizontal left and right directions as the x-axis and the vertical direction as the z-axis, an o-xyz coordinate system is established. For state A: the angle of the central axis of the linear narrow strip metal patch, the circular metal patch and the virtual ring is: 22.5° counterclockwise rotation of the center of the upper metal patch (6) with the z-axis as the reference; the lower metal patch (8) has the same shape as the upper metal patch (6) and is obtained by rotating the upper metal patch (6) counterclockwise by 45° with the z-axis as the reference; For state B: The angle of the central axis of the linear narrow strip metal patch, the circular metal patch and the virtual ring is: rotated 22.5° counterclockwise from the center of the upper metal patch (6) along the z-axis; the lower metal patch (8) has the same shape as the upper metal patch (6) and is obtained by rotating the upper metal patch (6) counterclockwise by 45° with the z-axis as the reference.

7. The broadband high-gain transmission array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The opening angle α of the first sector ring metal patch and the second sector ring metal patch can be adjusted to achieve linear phase change of the transmission unit (5).

8. The broadband high-gain transmission array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of transmission units (5) are periodically distributed in a circular array.

9. The broadband high-gain transmission array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit according to claim 8, characterized in that, The spacing between the transmission units (5) is P = 0.33λ, where λ is the free space wavelength corresponding to the set center frequency.

10. The broadband high-gain transmission array antenna based on a single-layer dielectric substrate unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dielectric substrate (7) has a thickness H = 0.1λ and a dielectric constant of 2.2.

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