Antenna unit and antenna array

Abstract

The invention discloses an antenna unit and an antenna array, the antenna unit comprises a plurality of radiation oscillators, at least one feed part and a switch device, and the radiation oscillators are arranged along a first longitudinal direction; the feeding part is electrically connected with the radiation oscillators through feeding channels respectively; and the switching device is arranged on the feeding channel and is set to be capable of controlling connection and disconnection between at least one radiation oscillator and the feeding part. According to the invention, a communication function of a communication network and a signal sensing function are integrated so as to realize communication and sensing integrated setting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an antenna unit and an antenna array. Background Art

[0002] With the evolution of technology and the expansion of business and information processing needs, communication and perception integration has become one of the leading trends in future technology and business. The future network is expected to be a fusion of mobile communication networks, perception networks, and computing networks. In conventional networks, communication and perception exist independently of each other, while the integrated design of communication and perception can reduce the waste of wireless spectrum and hardware resources and reduce the delay in information processing. Summary of the invention

[0003] The main purpose of the present invention is to propose an antenna unit and an antenna array, aiming to integrate the communication function of a communication network with the signal sensing function to achieve a synaesthesia integrated setting.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an antenna unit, wherein the antenna unit comprises:

[0005] A plurality of radiation vibrators are arranged along a first longitudinal direction;

[0006] at least one feeding portion, electrically connected to the radiation oscillators through feeding channels; and

[0007] The switch device is arranged on the feeding channel and is configured to control the connection between at least one of the radiation oscillators and the feeding part.

[0008] The present invention also proposes an antenna array, which includes multiple antenna units, each of which includes multiple radiating elements, at least one feeding part and a switching device, wherein the multiple radiating elements are arranged along a first longitudinal direction; the feeding part is electrically connected to the radiating elements respectively through a feeding channel; the switching device is arranged on the feeding channel and is configured to control the connection between at least one of the radiating elements and the feeding part, and the multiple antenna units are distributed in an array.

[0009] In the technical solution of the present invention, when the antenna unit is used for communication, it is common to connect the plurality of radiating elements to the feeding part to obtain the farthest radiation distance and ensure the communication quality. At this time, the beam angles of the plurality of radiating elements after loading are small and can meet the communication requirements, but when the antenna unit is used to sense signals, the spatial coverage rate of the small beam angle in the first direction is low. Although the coverage of the beam in the first direction can be improved by performing multi-channel digital scanning in the first direction of the antenna unit or adding phase shifters for analog beam scanning, multi-channel digital scanning requires increasing the number of channels and expanding the antenna array, which is costly to implement. In the solution of adding phase shifters for analog beam scanning, the antenna array does not need to be expanded, but multiple phase shifters need to be added, which is complex to control and also costly. Therefore, in the present application, the switch device is provided on the feeding channel, and the number of the radiating elements working in the antenna unit is controlled by the switch device, so that when the antenna unit is used to sense signals, the radiating elements in operation can be reduced to shorten the sensing distance, but a larger beam angle is obtained to improve the sensing coverage in the first direction, meet the spatial coverage requirements of the sensing signal, and this solution is simple to set up, low in cost and effective. At the same time, when the antenna unit is used for communication, the switch device can be controlled so that the plurality of radiating elements are connected to the feeding part, and restored to the communication use state of the antenna unit, without affecting the communication function of the antenna unit. In this way, the switch device can control the antenna unit to switch between the communication mode and the signal sensing mode, so as to realize the integration of the communication function and the signal sensing function, and realize the integrated setting of synaesthesia. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0011] Figure 1 A simplified plan view and a beam schematic diagram of a first specific embodiment of an antenna unit provided by the present invention;

[0012] Figure 2 A simplified plan view and a beam schematic diagram of a second specific embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention;

[0013] Figure 3 A simplified plan view and a beam schematic diagram of a third specific embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention;

[0014] Figure 4A simplified plan view and a beam schematic diagram of a fourth specific embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention;

[0015] Figure 5 The switch device in the first embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention is a simplified plan view of the first embodiment;

[0016] Figure 6 The switch device in the first embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention is a simplified plan view of the second embodiment;

[0017] Figure 7 The switch device in the first embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention is a simplified plan view of a third embodiment;

[0018] Figure 8 The branch channel in the second embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention is a simplified plan view of the first embodiment;

[0019] Fig. 9 The branch channel in the second embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention is a simplified plan view of the second embodiment;

[0020] Fig.10 The branch channel in the second embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention is a simplified plan view of the third embodiment;

[0021] Fig.11 The branch channel in the second embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention is a simplified plan view of the fourth embodiment;

[0022] Fig.12 The branch channel in the second embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention is a simplified plan view of the fifth embodiment;

[0023] Fig.13 The branch channel in the second embodiment of the antenna unit provided by the present invention is a simplified plan view of the sixth embodiment;

[0024] Fig.14 A simplified plan view of the antenna array provided by the present invention;

[0025] Fig.15 for Fig.14 A simplified diagram of the connectivity status of the radiating elements of the antenna array in communication mode and signal sensing mode.

[0026] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0027]

[0028]

[0029] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0032] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the meaning of "and / or" appearing in the full text includes three parallel schemes. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes scheme A, or scheme B, or a scheme that satisfies both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0033] With the evolution of technology and the expansion of business and information processing needs, communication and perception integration has become one of the leading trends in future technology and business. The future network is expected to be a fusion of mobile communication networks, perception networks, and computing networks. In conventional networks, communication and perception exist independently of each other, while the integrated design of communication and perception can reduce the waste of wireless spectrum and hardware resources and reduce the delay in information processing.

[0034] In view of this, the present invention provides an antenna unit. Figures 1 to 13 The antenna unit provided by the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] See also Figures 1 to 13The antenna unit 100 includes a plurality of radiation elements 1, at least one feeding part 2 and a switching device 4, wherein the plurality of radiation elements 1 are arranged along a first longitudinal direction; the feeding part 2 is electrically connected to the radiation elements 1 respectively through a feeding channel 3; the switching device 4 is arranged on the feeding channel 3, and is configured to be able to control the on-off between at least one radiation element 1 and the feeding part 2.

[0036] In the technical solution of the present invention, when the antenna unit 100 is used for communication, it is common to connect the plurality of radiating elements 1 to the feeding unit 2 to obtain the farthest radiation distance and ensure the communication quality. At this time, the beam angles of the plurality of radiating elements 1 after loading are small and can meet the communication requirements, but when the antenna unit 100 is used to sense signals, the spatial coverage rate of the small beam angle in the first direction is low. Although the coverage of the beam in the first direction can be improved by performing multi-channel digital scanning in the first direction of the antenna unit 100 or adding a phase shifter 5 for analog beam scanning, the multi-channel digital scanning requires increasing the number of channels and expanding the antenna array, which is costly to implement. In the solution of adding a phase shifter 5 for analog beam scanning, the antenna array does not need to be expanded, but multiple phase shifters 5 need to be added, which is complex to control and also costly. Therefore, in the present application, the switch device 4 is provided on the feeding channel 3, and the number of the radiating elements 1 working in the antenna unit 100 is controlled by the switch device 4, so that when the antenna unit 100 is used to sense signals, the radiating elements 1 in operation can be reduced to shorten the sensing distance, but a larger beam angle is obtained to improve the sensing coverage in the first direction, meet the spatial coverage requirements of the sensing signal, and this solution is simple to set up, low in cost and effective. At the same time, when the antenna unit 100 is used for communication, the switch device 4 can be controlled to make the multiple radiating elements 1 connected to the feeding part 2, and restore to the communication use state of the antenna unit 100, without affecting the communication function of the antenna unit 100. In this way, the switch device 4 can control the antenna unit 100 to switch between the communication mode and the signal sensing mode, so as to realize the integration of the communication function and the signal sensing function, and realize the integrated setting of synaesthesia.

[0037] It should be noted that the antenna unit 100 may not be provided with the switch device 4. After being loaded with a plurality of the radiation vibrators 1, they are commonly used for communication and sensing signals, and the interawareness integration of the antenna unit 100 can also be realized. However, as described above, after the plurality of the radiation vibrators 1 are loaded, the beam angle is small, the coverage rate of the space is low, and when sensing signals, the covered space range is small, and only signals within a small range can be sensed, which is less practical. Based on this, when the switch device 4 is set to select the sensing signal mode, the number of the radiation vibrators 1 connected to the feeding part 2 is mainly based on actual use needs and is not limited. The more the number of the radiation vibrators 1 connected, the longer the sensing distance, but the lower the spatial coverage rate, and the more the number of the radiation vibrators 1, the more complicated the loading and debugging of the beam; and the fewer the number of the radiation vibrators 1 connected, the closer the sensing distance, but the higher the spatial coverage rate, and the simpler the loading and debugging of the beam.

[0038] See also Figures 5 to 7 In the first embodiment of the antenna unit 100, at least two feeding channels 3 are provided, wherein one feeding channel 3 connects the feeding part 2 and the plurality of radiating elements 1, wherein the other feeding channel 3 connects the feeding part 2 and part of the radiating elements 1; the switch device 4 is provided between the two feeding channels 3 and the feeding part 2. The two feeding channels 3 include a first feeding channel 31 and a second feeding channel 32. By providing at least two feeding channels 3, the communication mode and the sensing signal mode of the antenna unit 100 are respectively corresponded. In this embodiment, the two modes are directly distinguished, and the first feeding channel 31 or the second feeding channel 32 is selected by the switch device 4, and the mode switching of the antenna unit 100 is directly completed. The number of the feeding channels 3 is large, and the laying area is large, but the logic is simple, the operation is convenient, and the implementation is convenient. It should be noted here that the number of the feed channels 3 is set according to the number of the sensing signal modes of the antenna unit 100, that is, different numbers of the radiating elements 1 are selected for signal sensing of different requirements, and different numbers of the feed channels 3 need to be set, and the switch device 4 is used to select a required feed channel 3 from the multiple feed channels 3 for connection to meet the use requirements, but it is obvious that the more the number of the feed channels 3, the larger the occupied area and the more complicated it is. Considering the actual use requirements, as in the first embodiment of the antenna unit 100 mentioned above, two feed channels 3 are set, corresponding to the communication mode and the sensing signal mode of the antenna unit 100, respectively, which is simple and practical. The number of the radiating elements 1 connected in the second feed channel 32 is mainly based on actual needs, which has been described in detail above and will not be repeated here.

[0039] Further, in the first embodiment of the antenna unit 100, the switch device 4 has multiple corresponding embodiments, see Figure 5 In the first embodiment of the switch device 4, the switch device 4 includes a switching switch 41 disposed between the two feeding channels 3 and the feeding portion 2, and the switching switch 41 switches one of the two feeding channels 3 to be electrically connected to the feeding portion 2. In this embodiment, the switch device 4 is set as the switching switch 41, and the first feeding channel 31 and the second feeding channel 32 can be selected. The structure is simple and the operation is convenient, and the abnormal situation that the switch device 4 simultaneously connects the first feeding channel 31 and the second feeding channel 32 will not occur. In the second embodiment of the switch device 4, refer to Figure 6 , the switch device 4 includes two first switches 42 respectively arranged on the two feeding channels 3. In this embodiment, one first switch 42 is respectively arranged on the first feeding channel 31 and the second feeding channel 32, and the connection between the first feeding channel 31 and the second feeding channel 32 can be independently controlled. When one of the first switches 42 is damaged and fails, the other first switch 42 can still perform its function to meet the normal use of one mode of the antenna unit 100, so as to minimize the impact of the damage of the first switch 42 on the antenna unit 100.

[0040] It should be noted that, based on the second embodiment of the switch device 4, a third embodiment of the switch device 4 is given, and specific reference is made to Figure 7 The feeding part 2 can be set to be multiple. Regarding the setting of the first feeding channel 31 and the second feeding channel 32 mentioned above, the first feeding channel 31 and the second feeding channel 32 can actually be connected to one feeding part 2 respectively. At this time, multiple feeding parts 2 can feed the same digital signal, and the first switch 42 is also respectively set on one feeding channel 3 to control the two feeding channels 3 to be connected to their corresponding feeding parts 2 respectively.

[0041] In addition, in view of the problem that the number of the feeding channels 3 is large, the area is large, and the laying is complicated when the feeding channels 3 are provided in plurality to correspond to different usage modes of the antenna unit 100, the present application also proposes a second embodiment of the antenna unit 100, see Figures 8 to 13The feeding channel 3 includes a main channel 33 and a branch channel 34, the main channel 33 is connected to the feeding part 2; the branch channel 34 is connected to the main channel 33, and the branch channel 34 includes a plurality of branches 341 corresponding to the plurality of radiating elements 1; at least one of the main channel 33 and the branch channel 34 is provided with the switching device 4. The branch channel 34 includes the branch 341 connected to the plurality of radiating elements 1. At this time, the switch device 4 is arranged in the branch channel 34, that is, the radiating elements 1 in the branch channel 34 can be selectively connected. At this time, the switch device 4 is arranged in the main channel 33, then at least part of the radiating elements 1 in the branch channel 34 can be selectively connected to the feeding part 2. With such an arrangement, on a feeding channel 3, by coordinating the feeding channel 3 and the switch device 4, the plurality of radiating elements 1 in the antenna unit 100 can be selected to meet the different usage modes of the antenna unit 100. Compared with the first embodiment of the antenna unit 100 in which a plurality of radiating channels are arranged to correspond to the different usage modes of the antenna unit 100, the radiating channels in this embodiment have a small area, high utilization, low cost and are more practical.

[0042] Specifically, see Figures 8 to 9 , is the first embodiment to the second embodiment of the branch channel 34, one end of the plurality of branches 341 is connected to the main channel 33. In this embodiment, the plurality of radiation oscillators 1 are directly connected in parallel to the main channel 33, the feeding channel 3 is easy to lay and implement, and correspondingly, the switch device 4 has multiple embodiments, that is, the switch device 4 is arranged in the branch 341 or the switch device 4 is arranged in the main channel 33. Specifically, in the first embodiment of the branch channel 34, see Figure 8 The switch device 4 is arranged on the branch 341, so that one of the radiation vibrators 1 corresponds to one of the switch devices 4, so that each of the radiation vibrators 1 can be independently controlled, and its operation method is more flexible, but the setting of the switch device 4 is more complicated, and in the process of switching the communication mode and the sensing signal mode of the antenna unit 100, the number of the radiation vibrators 1 used is relatively fixed and does not need to be flexibly controlled. Therefore, each of the radiation vibrators 1 is independently controlled, which is less practical.

[0043] Based on this, a second embodiment of the branch channel 34 is proposed, see Fig. 9, the multiple radiating elements 1 include a first radiating element 11 and a second radiating element 12; the multiple branches 341 include a first branch 3411 connected to the first radiating element 11, and a second branch 3412 connected to the second radiating element 12; one end of the main channel 33 is connected to the feeding part 2, the main channel 33 has a first connection point 331 connected to the first branch 3411, and a second connection point 332 connected to the second branch 3412, the first connection point 331 is located between the second connection point 332 and the feeding part 2; the switching device 4 includes a second switch 43 arranged between the first connection point 331 and the second connection point 332. That is, when a plurality of branches 341 are connected in parallel to the main channel 33, the switch device 4 is arranged on the main channel 33, and the switch device 4 is adjusted to be set to the second switch 43 located between the first connection point 331 and the second connection point 332, so that the second switch 43 switches on and off the main channel 33, controls the connection and disconnection of the main channel 33 and the second branch 3412, and plays a role in selecting the radiation oscillator 1.

[0044] Furthermore, the second radiation vibrator 12 is arranged in plurality. In the process of setting the position of the second switch 43, the number of the second branch 3412 is at least one, and in this embodiment, it is a plurality, that is, the second radiation vibrator 12 is arranged in plurality, so that the second switch 43 can synchronously control the on and off of the plurality of the second radiation vibrators 12, which is obviously less costly than the above-mentioned independent control of each radiation vibrator 1 by the switch device 4.

[0045] In addition, see Figures 10 to 13, which are the third to sixth embodiments of the branch channel 34, the radiation oscillator 1 includes a first radiation oscillator 11 and a plurality of second radiation oscillators 12; the plurality of branches 341 include a first branch 3411 connected to the first radiation oscillator 11, and a plurality of second branches 3412 corresponding to the plurality of second radiation oscillators 12; the branch channel 34 includes a plurality of branch channels 342 connected between the main channel 33 and the plurality of branches 341, at least one of the branch channels 342 includes a first connecting channel 3421, one end of the first connecting channel 3421 is connected to at least two of the branches 341, and the branch 341 connected to the first connecting channel 3421 is the second branch 3412; the switch device 4 is used to control the on and off of the first connecting channel 3421. That is, the branch channel 34 includes a plurality of parallel shunt channels 342, and each of the shunt channels 342 can be connected to at least one branch 341. When the antenna unit 100 switches between the communication mode and the signal sensing mode, if it is necessary to switch on and off the plurality of the radiating elements 1, that is, it is necessary to switch on and off the plurality of the second radiating elements 12, the plurality of the second branches 3412 corresponding to the plurality of the second radiating elements 12 can be centrally connected to the shunt channel 342, that is, connected to the first connection channel 3421, and the switch device 4 can control the on and off of the first connection channel 3421 to achieve synchronous control of the on and off of the plurality of the second radiating elements 12.

[0046] Specifically, see Fig.10 , is a third embodiment of the branch channel 34, the switch device 4 includes a third switch 44 arranged on the first connecting channel. That is, the third switch 44 is directly arranged on the first connecting channel, and when there are multiple first connecting channels, each first connecting channel is controlled by the corresponding third switch 44, so that independent control is performed to avoid affecting other branches 341.

[0047] In addition, see Fig.11, is a fourth embodiment of the branch channel 34, wherein the feed portion 2 is connected to the middle section of the main channel 33, and the feed portion 2 divides the main channel 33 into a first channel section 333 and a second channel section 334; the other end of the first connecting channel 3421 is connected to the first channel section 333, and the other branch channels 342 are connected to the second channel section 334; the switch device 4 includes a fourth switch 45 disposed on the first channel section 333. Corresponding to the third embodiment of the branch channel 34, the main channel 33 is divided into the first channel section 333 and the second channel section 334 by connecting the feed portion 2 to the middle section of the main channel 33, at which time the first channel section 333 is only connected to the first connecting channel 3421, and the other branch channels 342 are connected to the second channel section 334, so that when the switch device 4 is set to the fourth switch 45 located on the first channel section 333, the fourth switch 45 is also used to switch the first connecting channel 3421 on.

[0048] In addition, see Fig.12 , which is the fifth embodiment of the branch channel 34, at least one of the branch channels 342 includes a first mixing connection channel 3422 and a first connection channel 3421, one end of the first mixing connection channel 3422 is connected to the main channel 33; one end of the first connection channel 3421 is connected to at least two of the branches 341, and the branch 341 connected to the first connection channel 3421 is the second branch 3412; wherein the other end of the first mixing connection channel 3422 is connected to the other end of the first connection channel 3421, and is connected to at least one of the first branches 3411. In this embodiment, in order to meet the use requirements, the diversion channel 342 includes the first mixed connection channel 3422, which is connected to the main channel 33 by the first mixed connection channel 3422 and diverts to the first connection channel 3421 and at least one first branch 3411, that is, diverts to multiple second radiation vibrators 12 integrated by the first connection channel 3421 and at least one first radiation vibrator 11. At this time, the switching device 4 can be set on the first connection channel 3421, or it can be set at one end of the first mixed connection channel 3422 connected to the first connection channel 3421, so as to realize the switching of the first connection channel 3421. There is no limitation here, and it is mainly based on actual use requirements.

[0049] Further, see Fig.13, which is the sixth embodiment of the branch channel 34, at least one of the branch channels 342 includes a second mixing connection channel 3424 and a second connection channel 3423, one end of the second mixing connection channel 3424 is connected to the main channel 33; one end of the second connection channel 3423 is connected to at least two of the branches 341, and the branch 341 connected to the second connection channel 3423 is the first branch 3411; wherein the other end of the second mixing connection channel 3424 is connected to the other end of the second connection channel 3423 and at least one of the second branches 3412. Corresponding to the fifth embodiment of the branch channel 34, in order to meet the use requirements, the branch channel 342 may also include the second mixed connection channel 3424, which is connected to the main channel 33 and diverted to the second connection channel 3423 and at least one second branch 3412, that is, diverted to the multiple first radiation vibrators 11 integrated by the second connection channel 3423 and at least one second radiation vibrator 12. At this time, the switching device 4 can be set on the second branch 3412, or it can be set at one end of the second mixed connection channel 3424 connected to the second branch 3412, so as to realize the connection and disconnection of the two branches 341. There is no limitation here, and it is mainly based on actual use requirements.

[0050] In addition, the radiating element 1 includes a first radiating element 11 and a second radiating element 12, wherein the switch device 4 is used to control the on / off between the second radiating element 12 and the feeding part 2; the radiating element 1 includes at least two first radiating elements 11. When the antenna unit 100 is in the sensing signal mode, the specific setting of the number of the radiating elements 1 connected to the feeding part 2 has been described in detail above, and will not be repeated here. In this embodiment, in order to meet the use requirements, the first radiating element 11 connected to the feeding part 2 is set to at least two.

[0051] Furthermore, the two first radiating elements 11 are arranged adjacent to each other in the first direction. Generally, the multiple radiating elements 1 on the antenna unit 100 are arranged along the first direction. When the antenna unit 100 is in the communication mode, all the radiating elements 1 are connected to the feeding part 2 to load and form a radiating whole, and generally the distance between the adjacent radiating elements 1 is a certain value, so as to facilitate the adjustment of the beam after the multiple radiating elements 1 are loaded. Correspondingly, when the antenna unit 100 is in the sensing signal mode, the feeding part 2 is connected to at least two of the first radiating elements 11. When the two first radiating elements 11 are separated by the second radiating element 12, the beam loading of the two first radiating elements 11 needs to be further adjusted. Compared with directly setting the two first radiating elements 11 adjacent to each other, the required operations and design steps are more complicated and less practical. Therefore, in this embodiment, the two first radiating elements 11 are directly set adjacent to each other in the first direction.

[0052] In addition, a phase shifter 5 is provided on the feeding path. The phase shifter 5 includes a first phase shifter 51 . The first phase shifter 51 can control the phase of one of the two first radiation elements 11 . When the two first radiating vibrators 11 are connected to the feeding part 2, the beam extension direction thereof is the second lateral direction. Compared with selecting only one first radiating vibrator 11, when two first radiating vibrators 11 are selected, the beam angle thereof is reduced by nearly half, which does not meet the requirements of spatial coverage of the upper half of the horizontal plane or spatial coverage of the lower half of the horizontal plane when used in actual situations. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first phase shifter 51 is arranged on the feeding path, and the phase of one of the two first radiating vibrators 11 is changed by the first phase shifter 51, so that the beams extending along the second lateral direction loaded by the two are deflected in the first longitudinal direction. Corresponding to actual use, the beams thereof may rise relative to the horizontal plane to meet the requirements of spatial coverage of the upper half of the horizontal plane, or the beams thereof may tilt downward relative to the horizontal plane to meet the requirements of spatial coverage of the lower half of the horizontal plane. The phase shift selection of the first phase shifter 51 is performed according to actual needs and is not limited here.

[0053] In addition, a phase shifter 5 is also provided on the feeding channel 3, and the phase shifter 5 includes a second phase shifter 52, and the second phase shifter 52 can control the phase of some of the radiation vibrators 1 in the multiple radiation vibrators 1. When the antenna unit 100 is in the communication mode, it is generally necessary to meet the beam coverage of the lower half of its horizontal plane to ensure the communication quality. When the second phase shifter 52 is not set, the beams of the multiple radiation vibrators 1 after loading extend in the horizontal direction, and the beam angles thereof are small, which do not meet the beam coverage of the lower half of its horizontal plane. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second phase shifter 52 is added to make the beams of the multiple radiation vibrators 1 after loading tilt downward relative to the horizontal plane to meet the beam coverage of the lower half of the horizontal plane and ensure the communication quality.

[0054] In addition, the switch device 4 includes a switch unit 46 connected in series to the feed channel 3; and / or, the switch device 4 includes a ground channel 47 connected in parallel to the feed channel 3 and a switch unit 46 arranged on the ground channel 47. The switch device 4 can be set in a variety of ways. Two setting methods are proposed in the present application. One is to set the switch unit 46 directly connected in series to the feed channel 3, and to control the on-off of the feed channel 3 by directly switching on and off; the other is to set the ground channel 47 connected in parallel to the feed channel 3, and to connect the switch unit 46 in series to the ground channel 47, so that the part of the feed channel 3 located downstream of the ground channel 47 is grounded and shielded by the ground channel 47 by controlling the on-off of the switch unit 46, and the on-off of the feed channel 3 can also be controlled. The present application does not limit the specific settings of the two, and it is sufficient to meet the use requirements.

[0055] In addition, the radiating element 1 includes a dual-polarized radiating element 1, and the feeding part 2, the feeding channel 3 and the switch device 4 are correspondingly set to two groups. The radiating element 1 can be a single-polarized radiating element 1, a circularly polarized radiating element 1 and a dual-polarized radiating element 1, which is mainly based on actual use requirements and is not limited here. In this embodiment, the dual-polarized radiating element 1 is adopted. On this basis, the feeding part 2, the feeding channel 3 and the switch device 4 need to be set to two groups to respectively control and connect a polarized radiation unit in the dual-polarized radiating element 1.

[0056] Furthermore, a phase shifter 5 is provided on the feeding channel 3, and is correspondingly provided on the two groups of the feeding channels 3. The specific setting mode and function of the phase shifter 5 have been described in detail above, and will not be repeated here. Based on the setting of the dual-polarization radiation oscillator 1, when the feeding part 2, the feeding channel 3 and the switch device 4 are set as two groups, the phase shifter 5 also needs to be set as two corresponding groups to meet the use requirements.

[0057] Specifically, see Figure 1 In the first specific embodiment of the antenna unit 100 of the present application, the feed part 2 is connected to the branch 341 where the six dual-polarized radiating elements 1 are located in sequence through the main channel 33, and the second phase shifter 52 is loaded at the position between the third and fourth radiating elements 1 in the first longitudinal direction of the main channel 33, so as to realize the electrical downtilt control of the channel beam of the antenna unit 100 in the communication mode. At the same time, the switch device 4 is loaded between the fifth and sixth radiating elements 1 in the first longitudinal direction of the main channel 33, and the switch device 4 and the second phase shifter 52 are correspondingly arranged on the two groups of the feeding channels 3. When the switch device 4 is in the first state, the RF signal emitted by the feed part 2 is transmitted to the six radiating elements 1 through the feeding channel 3, and the synthetic communication narrow beam realizes the ground communication coverage. At the same time, the second phase shifter 52 is used to realize the electrical downtilt control and adjustment of the ground communication beam. When the switch device 4 is in the second state, the upper five radiating elements 1 in the feeding channel 3 are blocked by the switch device 4, and the radio frequency signal cannot be transmitted to the five radiating elements 1, and the radio frequency signal is only transmitted to the sixth radiating element 1. In the conventional base station antenna layout, the channel beam is a 60° to 70° wide beam at this time, and the air sensing beam coverage can reach more than 30°. As shown in the beam in the figure, the beam width is 60° to 70°, which is the dotted angle in the beam. Since the maximum direction of the beam is horizontal, the upward beam width in the horizontal direction is 1 / 2 of the total beam width, which is more than 30°. To this end, vertical beam coverage of the entire space is achieved.

[0058] See also Figure 2In the second specific embodiment of the antenna unit 100 of the present application, the feeding part 2 is connected to the six dual-polarized radiating elements 1 through a parallel-fed power divider. The parallel-fed power divider is designed in two stages. First, each three radiating elements 1 are connected by a one-to-three power divider, and then the two paths are synthesized by a one-to-two power divider. At the same time, the second phase shifter 52 is loaded on the branch 341 of the one-to-two power divider to realize the electrical downtilt control of the channel beam. At the same time, the switch device 4 is loaded in the one-to-two and one-to-three power divider branches 341, and the switch device 4 and the second phase shifter 52 are correspondingly arranged on the two groups of the feeding channels 3. When the switch device 4 is in the first state, the radio frequency signal is transmitted to the six radiating elements 1 through the feeding channel 3, and the synthesized communication narrow beam realizes ground communication coverage. At the same time, the second phase shifter 52 is used to realize the electrical downtilt control and adjustment of the ground communication beam. When the switch device 4 is in the second state, the upper five radiating elements 1 in the feeding channel 3 are isolated by the switch, and the radio frequency signal cannot be transmitted to the five radiating elements 1. All signals are only transmitted to the sixth radiating element 1. In the conventional base station antenna layout, the channel beam is a 60°~70° wide beam at this time, and the air sensing beam coverage can reach more than 30°. As shown in the beam in the figure, the beam width is 60°~70°, which is the dotted angle in the beam. Since the maximum direction of the beam is horizontal, the upward beam width in the horizontal direction is 1 / 2 of the total beam width, which is more than 30°. To this end, vertical beam coverage of the entire space is achieved.

[0059] See also Figure 3In the third specific embodiment of the antenna unit 100 of the present application, the feeding part 2 is connected to the six dual-polarized radiating elements 1 through a parallel-fed power divider. The parallel-fed power divider is designed in two stages. First, every three radiating elements 1 are connected by a one-to-three power divider, and then the two paths are synthesized by a one-to-two power divider. At the same time, the second phase shifter 52 is loaded on the upper branch 341 of the one-to-two power divider to realize the electrical downtilt control of the channel beam. In order to select the radiating element 1, the switch device 4 is introduced into the network branch 341 in the figure, and the first phase shifter 51 is introduced into the network of the two lowest radiating elements 1 for loading. When the switch device 4 is in the first state, the radio frequency signal is transmitted to the six radiating elements 1 through the feeding channel 3, and the synthesized communication narrow beam realizes ground communication coverage. At the same time, the two second phase shifters 52 are used to realize the electrical downtilt control and adjustment of the ground communication beam. When the switch device 4 is in the second state, the upper four units in the feed channel 3 are isolated by the switch device 4, and the radio frequency signal cannot be transmitted to the four radiating elements 1. All signals are only transmitted to the fifth and sixth radiating elements 1. In the conventional base station antenna layout, the channel beam is a 30°~35° beam at this time. The first phase shifter 51 below is used to adjust the beam pointing to 15°~18° upward, so that the air sensing beam coverage can reach more than 30°. As shown in the beam in the figure, the beam width is 30°~35°, which is the dotted angle in the beam. In order to achieve coverage of the upper half of the space, the first phase shifter 51 between the two radiating elements 1 after switching by the switch device 4 is used to make the beam point to a maximum of 15°~18° upward. At this time, the horizontal upward beam width is more than 30° (that is, the beam width). To this end, beam coverage of the entire vertical space is achieved.

[0060] See also Figure 4In the fourth specific embodiment of the antenna unit 100 of the present application, the feeding part 2 is connected to the six dual-polarized radiating elements 1 through a parallel-fed power divider. The parallel-fed power divider is designed in two stages. First, every three radiating elements 1 are connected by a one-to-three power divider, and then the two paths are synthesized by a one-to-two power divider. At the same time, the second phase shifter 52 is loaded on the upper branch 341 of the one-to-two power divider to realize the electrical downtilt control of the channel beam. In order to select the radiating element 1, the switching device 4 is introduced in the network branch 341 in the figure. When the switching device 4 is in the first state, the radio frequency signal is transmitted to the six radiating elements 1 through the feeding channel 3, and the synthesized communication narrow beam realizes ground communication coverage. At the same time, the second phase shifter 52 is used to realize the electrical downtilt control and adjustment of the ground communication beam. When the switch device 4 is in the second state, the top two radiating elements 1 and the bottom two radiating elements 1 in the feeding channel 3 are blocked by the switch device 4, and the radio frequency signal cannot be transmitted to the four radiating elements 1. All signals are only transmitted to the third and fourth radiating elements 1. In the conventional base station antenna layout, the channel beam is a 30° to 35° beam at this time. The second phase shifter 52 (the first phase shifter 51 and the second phase shifter 52 in this embodiment are the same phase shifter 5) is used to adjust the beam pointing to 15° to 18° upward, so that the air sensing beam coverage can reach more than 30°. As shown in the beam in the figure, the beam width is 30° to 35°, which is the dotted angle in the beam. In order to achieve coverage of the upper half of the space, the second phase shifter 52 between the two radiating elements 1 after the switch device 4 is switched makes the beam point to 15° to 18° upward at the maximum. At this time, the horizontal upward beam width is more than 30° (that is, the beam width). To this end, beam coverage of the entire vertical space is achieved.

[0061] The present invention further provides an antenna array 1000, the antenna array 1000 includes an antenna unit 100, and the specific structure of the antenna unit 100 is referred to the above embodiment. Since the antenna array 1000 adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here; multiple antenna units 100 are distributed in an array.

[0062] Specifically, the plurality of antenna units 100 arranged along the first direction form an antenna group 200, and the antenna array 1000 includes a plurality of antenna groups 200 arranged along the second transverse direction. When the switch device 4 controls at least one of the radiation oscillators 1 and the feeding part 2 to be disconnected, the channel spacing between the two antenna units 100 at both ends of at least one antenna group 200 is greater than the center distance between the two. The distance between the center point of the plurality of radiation oscillators 1 connected to the feeding part on one antenna unit 100 in the longitudinal direction and the center point of the plurality of radiation oscillators 1 connected to the feeding part on another antenna unit 100 in the longitudinal direction is the above-mentioned channel spacing. From the perspective of the measurement mechanism of sensing the target angle, the larger the aperture of the antenna array 1000, that is, the larger the channel spacing between the two antenna units 100, the higher its angular resolution and the higher the sensing accuracy. Therefore, when designing the antenna surface, it is necessary to maximize the maximum distance between the channels within the limited antenna surface space to obtain a larger aperture. Based on this, in this embodiment, the channel spacing between the two antenna units 100 in the signal sensing mode is set to be at least larger than the center distance between the two, so as to increase the maximum distance between the channels and improve the sensing accuracy.

[0063] Further, when the switch device 4 in the antenna unit 100 controls the disconnection between at least one of the radiation oscillators 1 and the feeding part 2, the antenna array 1000 includes at least two groups of antenna unit groups 300 with different channel spacings, and the antenna unit group 300 includes two antenna units 100 spaced apart in the first direction. Under the premise that the number of digital channels is fixed, the increase in the aperture is bound to increase the spacing between channels, which may introduce the problem of target mirroring and also affect the perception accuracy. Therefore, in this embodiment, on the basis of the antenna group 200 with the above-mentioned increase in the maximum distance between channels, the antenna unit group 300 with a different maximum distance is also provided. When the antenna array 1000 is only provided with two rows in the second horizontal direction, one antenna group 200 is one antenna unit group 300. At this time, the channel spacings of the multiple antenna groups 200 arranged in the second horizontal direction are set to be different, so that the antenna array 1000 has different apertures, which meets the requirements of improving the perception accuracy while suppressing the mirroring problem. When the antenna array 1000 is arranged in at least three rows in the second lateral direction, an antenna group 200 may include a plurality of antenna unit groups 300, so that antenna unit groups 300 with different channel spacings can be arranged in an antenna group 200, so that an antenna group 200 can have different apertures, thereby satisfying the need to improve perception accuracy while suppressing mirror problems.

[0064] Specifically, it can be understood that setting a larger channel spacing between the two antenna units 100 can improve the angular resolution, but will cause mirroring problems, while setting a smaller channel spacing between the two antenna units 100 can reduce the mirroring problem, but will reduce the angular resolution. Both settings will affect the final perception accuracy. Therefore, when setting the channel spacing between the two antenna units 100, there is actually no perfect setting solution. Therefore, when designing the antenna array 1000, it is necessary to take into account both the aperture and the mirroring suppression effect. The design should be based on the fact that the spacing between some of the antenna unit groups 300 is large and the spacing between some of the antenna unit groups 300 is small, so as to comprehensively meet the perception accuracy requirements of the antenna array.

[0065] See also Figure 14 to Figure 15 In the specific embodiment of the antenna array 1000 of the present application, the antenna array 1000 is composed of two antenna units 100 as described in the fourth specific embodiment and four antenna units 100 as described in the third specific embodiment, which can be arranged into an antenna array with two rows and three columns. When all the switch devices 4 are in the second state, only Fig.15 The radiating element 1 in the dark position shown in the figure is connected to the feeding part 2. At this time, the maximum aperture of the entire array in the vertical direction is determined by the centers of the two equivalent channels farthest apart in the third column of the array, and its aperture size is equal to 10 times the spacing between the radiating elements 1. In contrast, the same arrangement of the antenna array surface composed of the traditional fixed six-element antenna unit group 300 has an aperture size in the vertical direction of only six times the spacing between the radiating elements 1. It can be seen that by adopting the array design given in the present application, a larger aperture of the sky can be obtained without increasing the number of the radiating elements 1, thereby achieving higher-precision target perception. However, if each column of the antenna array 1000 uses the same antenna combination as the third column, due to the large interval between the two channels, although a large vertical aperture can be obtained, multiple target images may appear during target perception, affecting the perception accuracy. For this reason, the present application selects a different combination of radiating elements 1 in the first and second columns than in the third column. At this time, the three columns of the antenna group 200 are combined to perceive the target, which can effectively suppress the image problem in perception. In summary, by adopting a variety of antenna architectures through reasonable combination, without increasing the number of the radiating elements 1, an antenna array 1000 with a larger antenna aperture and capable of suppressing the image of the perceived target can be obtained, thereby achieving higher-precision perception.

[0066] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An antenna unit, characterized in that: include: A plurality of radiation vibrators are arranged along a first longitudinal direction; At least one feeding portion, electrically connected to the radiation oscillators through feeding channels; as well as, The switch device is arranged on the feeding channel and is configured to control the connection between at least one of the radiation oscillators and the feeding part.

2. The antenna unit according to claim 1, characterized in that At least two feeding channels are provided, wherein one feeding channel connects the feeding part and the plurality of radiating elements, and another feeding channel connects the feeding part and some of the radiating elements; The switch device is arranged between the two feeding channels and the feeding portion.

3. The antenna unit according to claim 2, characterized in that The switch device comprises a switch disposed between the two feeding channels and the feeding portion, the switch switching one of the two feeding channels to be electrically connected to the feeding portion; or, The switch device comprises two first switches respectively arranged on the two feeding channels.

4. The antenna unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The feeding channel comprises: a main channel connected to the feed portion; and A branch channel connected to the main channel, wherein the branch channel includes a plurality of branches corresponding to the plurality of radiating elements; At least one of the main channel and the branch channel is provided with the switch device.

5. The antenna unit according to claim 4, characterized in that One ends of the plurality of branches are connected to the main channel.

6. The antenna unit according to claim 5, characterized in that The plurality of radiating elements include a first radiating element and a second radiating element; The plurality of branches include a first branch connected to the first radiating element, and a second branch connected to the second radiating element; One end of the main channel is connected to the feeding portion, the main channel has a first connection point connected to the first branch, and a second connection point connected to the second branch, the first connection point is located between the second connection point and the feeding portion; The switch device includes a second switch disposed between the first connection point and the second connection point.

7. The antenna unit according to claim 4, characterized in that The radiating vibrator comprises a first radiating vibrator and a plurality of second radiating vibrators; The plurality of branches include a first branch connected to the first radiating element, and a plurality of second branches corresponding to the plurality of second radiating elements connected thereto; The branch channel includes a plurality of branch channels connected between the main channel and the plurality of branches, at least one of the branch channels includes a first connecting channel, one end of the first connecting channel is connected to at least two of the branches, and the branch connected to the first connecting channel is the second branch; The switch device is used to control the opening and closing of the first connecting channel.

8. The antenna unit according to claim 7, characterized in that The switch device includes a third switch disposed on the first communication passage.

9. The antenna unit according to claim 7, characterized in that The feed portion is connected to the middle section of the main channel, and the feed portion divides the main channel into a first flow channel section and a second flow channel section; The other end of the first connecting channel is connected to the first flow channel section, and the other branch flow channels are connected to the second flow channel section; The switch device includes a fourth switch arranged on the first flow channel section.

10. The antenna unit according to claim 7, characterized in that At least one of the flow channels comprises: A first mixing connection channel, one end of which is connected to the main channel; and a first connecting channel, one end of which is connected to at least two of the branches, and the branch connected to the first connecting channel is the second branch; Wherein, the other end of the first mixing connection channel is connected to the other end of the first connection channel and to at least one of the first branches.

11. The antenna unit according to claim 7, characterized in that: At least one of the flow channels comprises: A second mixing connection channel, one end of which is connected to the main channel; and a second connecting channel, one end of which is connected to at least two of the branches, and the branch connected to the second connecting channel is the first branch; The other end of the second mixing connection channel is connected to the other end of the second connection channel and at least one of the second branches.

12. The antenna unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The radiating element comprises a first radiating element and a second radiating element, wherein the switch device is used to control the connection between the second radiating element and the feeding part; The radiating element includes at least two first radiating elements.

13. The antenna unit according to claim 12, characterized in that The two first radiation elements are arranged adjacent to each other in the first direction.

14. The antenna unit according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that: The feeding channel is provided with a phase shifter, and the phase shifter includes a first phase shifter, and the first phase shifter can control the phase of one of the two first radiating elements.

15. The antenna unit according to claim 1, characterized in that A phase shifter is also provided on the feeding channel, and the phase shifter includes a second phase shifter, and the second phase shifter can control the phase of some of the radiation vibrators among the plurality of radiation vibrators.

16. The antenna unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The switch device comprises a switch unit connected in series to the feeding channel; and / or, The switch device includes a ground channel connected in parallel to the feeding channel and a switch unit arranged on the ground channel.

17. The antenna unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The radiating element comprises a dual-polarized radiating element, and the feeding portion, the feeding channel and the switching device are correspondingly arranged in two groups.

18. An antenna array, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of antenna units, wherein the antenna units are the antenna units as described in any one of claims 1 to 17, and the plurality of antenna units are distributed in an array.

19. The antenna array according to claim 18, characterized in that The plurality of antenna units arranged along the first direction form an antenna group, the antenna array includes the plurality of antenna groups arranged along the second lateral direction, and when the switch device controls at least one of the radiation oscillators to be disconnected from the feeding part, the channel spacing between the two antenna units at both ends of at least one of the antenna groups is greater than the center distance between the two antenna units.

20. The antenna array according to claim 18, characterized in that When the switch device in the antenna unit controls the disconnection between at least one of the radiating elements and the feeding portion, the antenna array includes at least two groups of antenna units with different channel spacings, and the antenna unit groups include two antenna units spaced apart in a first direction.

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