A method for antenna gain using metamaterials

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for improving antenna gain using metamaterials, which belongs to the technical field of communication products. The metamaterial is composed of a plurality of metamaterial unit structures with the same structure arranged periodically, and the metamaterial unit is composed of a dielectric plate and a specific metal structure printed on the surface of the dielectric plate; the design method for improving antenna gain using metamaterials includes: placing a metamaterial with an appropriate equivalent negative relative dielectric constant above an antenna / antenna array, the equivalent negative relative dielectric constant of the metamaterial is ‑5 to ‑80, the relative magnetic permeability is any positive or negative number, and the distance between the metamaterial and the antenna / antenna array is 0.01‑0.5 wavelengths. The present invention realizes high MIMO system capacity, precise beamforming and good beam convergence of base station antennas, thereby improving the data transmission rate of base station antennas and the communication stability with users.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of communication products, and in particular relates to an antenna gain method using metamaterials. Background Art

[0002] 5G and even future communication systems have increasingly higher requirements for the system capacity (affecting the data transmission rate), beamforming performance (affecting the base station's ability to locate users), and beam convergence (affecting the coverage range of the base station) of the Massive MIMO base station antenna array. At the same time, in actual application environments, the volume and weight of the base station antenna array are strictly limited, which requires the base station antenna array to achieve large-scale and high-density characteristics, and the base station antenna unit to achieve miniaturization characteristics. Relevant research shows that the improvement of antenna array gain can bring huge benefits to system capacity, precise beamforming, and beam convergence. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve the deficiencies of the prior art and provides the following solutions:

[0004] An antenna gain method using a metamaterial, wherein the metamaterial is composed of a plurality of metamaterial unit structures with the same structure arranged periodically;

[0005] The design method for improving antenna gain using the metamaterial includes: placing the metamaterial with an equivalent negative relative dielectric constant above an antenna or an antenna array, the equivalent negative relative dielectric constant of the metamaterial is -5 to -80, the relative magnetic permeability is any positive or negative number, and the distance between the metamaterial and the antenna or antenna array is 0.01-0.5 wavelengths.

[0006] Preferably, the metamaterial unit structure comprises: a dielectric substrate and a plurality of metal patches on both sides of the dielectric substrate;

[0007] A plurality of the metal patches are printed on the front and back sides of the dielectric substrate;

[0008] The metal patches on each side include: two right-angled metal strip patches on the outside, a metal square ring patch in the middle and a square metal patch on the inside; the shape arrangement of the metal patches on one side is obtained by rotating the shape arrangement of the metal patches on the other side by 90 degrees clockwise in the plane where the first direction and the second direction are located;

[0009] The plane where the first direction and the second direction are located is the plane where the dielectric substrate is located, the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and the third direction is the normal direction of the plane.

[0010] Preferably, in the metamaterial unit structure, the rectangular metal strip patches are each composed of two straight metal strips parallel to the first direction or the second direction, and the angle between the two is 90 degrees;

[0011] The metal square ring patch is composed of four straight metal strips parallel to the first direction or the second direction connected end to end, and the angles between two adjacent metal strips in the four metal strips are both 90 degrees.

[0012] Preferably, in the metamaterial unit structure, the two rectangular metal strip patches on the outside of each surface have the same size, the metal square ring patch in the middle of each surface has the same size, and the square metal patch on the inside of each surface has the same size.

[0013] Preferably, in the metamaterial unit structure, the metal patches on each side partially overlap in the third direction to form an overlapping area, wherein the rectangular metal strip patches on both sides partially overlap to form a first overlapping area, the metal square ring patches on both sides completely overlap to form a second overlapping area, and the square metal patches on both sides completely overlap to form a third overlapping area.

[0014] Preferably, a plurality of the metamaterials are arranged periodically to form a periodic metamaterial structure.

[0015] Preferably, the base station antenna based on the metamaterial unit structure comprises: a periodic metamaterial structure, a floor, a dual-polarization antenna unit and a nylon column;

[0016] The dual-polarization antenna unit is arranged on the floor, and the periodic metamaterial structure is arranged directly above the dual-polarization antenna using the nylon column.

[0017] Preferably, the base station antenna array system formed by the base station antenna comprises: a floor dielectric substrate and a microstrip linear power divider;

[0018] The floor dielectric substrate is arranged on the floor, and the microstrip linear power distributor is arranged on the floor dielectric substrate;

[0019] A plurality of said dual-polarized antenna units are arranged on said floor dielectric substrate and connected through said microstrip linear power divider;

[0020] The periodic metamaterial structure is arranged directly above a plurality of the dual-polarization antennas using the nylon columns.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] The present invention proposes an antenna gain method using metamaterials, and provides a metamaterial unit structure and a base station antenna system based on the metamaterial unit structure, so as to achieve high MIMO system capacity, precise beamforming and good beam convergence of the base station antenna, thereby improving the data transmission rate of the base station antenna and the communication stability with users. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. 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 these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a design method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a metamaterial unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a metal patch printed on the first surface of a dielectric substrate in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a metal patch printed on the second surface of a dielectric substrate in Embodiment 2 of the present invention, wherein the dielectric substrate is processed in perspective and the metal patch is actually on the bottom surface (second surface) of the dielectric substrate;

[0028] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit element of a metal patch printed on the first surface of a dielectric substrate in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit of a metal patch printed on the first surface of a dielectric substrate in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the front view direction of the metamaterial unit of the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the base station antenna structure of Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0032] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of the front view direction of the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Fig.11Schematic diagram of gain comparison between the antenna unit of Embodiment 3 of the present invention and the antenna unit without loading the periodic metamaterial structure;

[0035] Fig.12 The main polarization electric field and cross-polarization electric field directivity patterns of embodiment 3 of the present invention in the horizontal plane (the plane formed by the first and third directions) and the vertical plane (the plane formed by the second and third directions), wherein (a) is the directivity pattern at 1.71 GHz, (b) is the directivity pattern at 1.95 GHz, and (c) is the directivity pattern at 2.17 GHz;

[0036] Fig.13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single-column multi-antenna array system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Fig.15 is a schematic diagram of a front view direction of a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Fig.16 Schematic diagram of gain comparison between the fourth embodiment of the present invention and the original 1×4 single-row antenna array without loading the periodic metamaterial structure;

[0040] Fig.17 The main polarization electric field and cross-polarization electric field directivity patterns of the fourth embodiment of the present invention in the horizontal plane (the plane formed by the first and third directions) and the vertical plane (the plane formed by the second and third directions), wherein (a) is the directivity pattern at 1.71 GHz, (b) is the directivity pattern at 1.95 GHz, and (c) is the directivity pattern at 2.17 GHz;

[0041] Fig.18 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an 8-column multi-antenna array system according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[0042] Fig.19 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Fig. 20 is a schematic diagram of the front view direction of the fifth embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Fig.21 Schematic diagram of gain comparison between the fifth embodiment of the present invention and the original multi-antenna array system without loading the periodic metamaterial structure;

[0045] Fig. 22These are the main polarization electric field and cross-polarization electric field radiation patterns of embodiment 5 of the present invention in the horizontal plane (the plane formed by the first and third directions) and the vertical plane (the plane formed by the second and third directions), where (a) is the radiation pattern at 1.71 GHz, (b) is the radiation pattern at 1.95 GHz, and (c) is the radiation pattern at 2.17 GHz.

[0046] Description of reference numerals:

[0047] 1. The first right-angled metal strip patch; 2. The second right-angled metal strip patch; 3. The first metal square ring patch; 4. The first square metal patch; 5. The dielectric substrate; 6. The third right-angled metal strip patch; 7. The fourth right-angled metal strip patch; 8. The second metal square ring patch; 9. The second square metal patch; 10. The dual-polarized antenna unit; 11. The floor; 12. The floor dielectric substrate; 13. The microstrip linear power divider; 14. The center column antenna; 15. The nylon column; F1, the first direction; F2, the second direction; F3, the third direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] 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.

[0049] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0050] Embodiment 1

[0051] In this embodiment, if Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , a method for antenna gain using metamaterials is shown. The metamaterial is composed of a plurality of metamaterial unit structures with the same structure arranged periodically. The metamaterial unit structure is composed of a dielectric plate and a specific metal structure printed on the surface of the dielectric plate. Electromagnetic simulation software has verified that these periodically arranged metamaterial unit structures enable the metamaterial to have an appropriate equivalent negative relative dielectric constant. This property can narrow the beam radiated by the antenna or antenna array, making the radiation energy more concentrated, thereby improving the gain of the antenna or antenna array. In this example, ε represents the equivalent dielectric constant and μ represents the equivalent magnetic permeability.

[0052] The design method of using metamaterials to improve antenna gain includes: placing a metamaterial with an appropriate equivalent negative relative dielectric constant above the antenna / antenna array, the equivalent negative relative dielectric constant of the metamaterial is -5 to -80, the relative magnetic permeability is any positive or negative number, and the distance between the metamaterial and the antenna / antenna array is 0.01-0.5 wavelengths. The number of layers of the metamaterial is a single layer or multiple layers. All subsequent embodiments follow the above design method and achieve good antenna / antenna array gain improvement effects, proving the effectiveness of the metamaterial and the design method.

[0053] Embodiment 2

[0054] In this embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown, a metamaterial unit structure includes: a dielectric substrate 5 and a plurality of metal patches on both sides of the dielectric substrate 5.

[0055] A plurality of metal patches are printed on the front and back surfaces of the dielectric substrate 5 , and the dielectric substrate 5 extends along the first direction F1 and the second direction F2 .

[0056] Each metal patch includes: two right-angled metal strip patches on the outside, a metal square ring patch in the middle, and a square metal patch on the inside. In this embodiment, the two right-angled metal strip patches on the first surface are the first right-angled metal strip patch 1 and the second right-angled metal strip patch 2, and the two right-angled metal strip patches on the second surface are the third right-angled metal strip patch 6 and the fourth right-angled metal strip patch 7; the metal square ring patch includes the first metal square ring patch 3 on the first surface and the second metal square ring patch 8 on the second surface; the square metal patch includes the first square metal patch 4 on the first surface and the second square metal patch 9 on the second surface. The shape arrangement of the metal patches on one surface is obtained by rotating the shape arrangement of the metal patches on the other surface by 90 degrees clockwise in the plane where the first direction F1 and the second direction F2 are located. The plane where the first direction F1 and the second direction F2 are located is the plane where the dielectric substrate 5 is located, the first direction F1 is perpendicular to the second direction F2, and the third direction F3 is the normal direction of the plane.

[0057] The rectangular metal strip patches are composed of two straight metal strips parallel to the first direction F1 or the second direction F2, and the angle between them is 90 degrees; the metal square ring patches are composed of four straight metal strips parallel to the first direction F1 or the second direction F2, and the angle between two adjacent metal strips is 90 degrees. The two rectangular metal strip patches on the outside of each face have the same size, the metal square ring patch in the middle of each face has the same size, and the square metal patches on the inside of each face have the same size.

[0058] Each metal patch partially overlaps in the third direction F3 to form an overlapping area, wherein the rectangular metal strip patches on both sides partially overlap to form a first overlapping area, the metal square ring patches on both sides completely overlap to form a second overlapping area, and the square metal patches on both sides completely overlap to form a third overlapping area.

[0059] In this embodiment, if Figure 3 As shown, in the outermost rectangular metal strip patch on the first surface, the lengths Lr1 and Lr2 of the first rectangular metal strip patch 1 are 24 mm and 19.8 mm respectively, the lengths Lr3 and Lr4 of the second rectangular metal strip patch 2 are also 24 mm and 19.8 mm respectively, and the widths Wr1 and Wr2 of the rectangular metal strip patches are both 1 mm. The side length Lloop1 of the first metal square ring patch 3 in the middle position on the first surface is 15 mm, and its width Wloop1 is 1 mm. The side length Lsquare1 of the first square metal patch 4 in the innermost position on the first surface is 9 mm. The distance D1 between the outermost rectangular metal strip patch and the edge of the dielectric substrate 5 is 3 mm, the distance D2 between the outermost rectangular metal strip patch and the first metal square ring patch 3 in the middle position is 3.5 mm, and the distance D3 between the first metal square ring patch 3 in the middle position and the first square metal patch 4 in the innermost position is 2 mm.

[0060] The metal patch structure on the second side is as follows Figure 4 As shown, the metal patch structure on the first surface is rotated 90 degrees clockwise in the plane where the first and second directions F2 are located. Among the outermost rectangular metal strip patches on the second surface, the lengths Lr11 and Lr21 of the third rectangular metal strip patch 6 are 24mm and 19.8mm respectively, and the lengths Lr31 and Lr41 of the fourth rectangular metal strip patch 7 are also 24mm and 19.8mm respectively, and the widths Wr11 and Wr21 of the rectangular metal strip patches are both 1mm. The side length Lloop11 of the second metal square ring patch 8 in the middle position on the second surface is 15mm, and its width Wloop11 is 1mm. The side length Lsquare11 of the second square metal patch 9 in the innermost position on the second surface is 9mm. The distance D4 between the outermost rectangular metal strip patch and the edge of the dielectric substrate 5 is 3 mm, the distance D5 between the outermost rectangular metal strip patch and the second metal square ring patch 8 in the middle position is 3.5 mm, and the distance D6 between the second metal square ring patch 8 in the middle position and the second square metal patch 9 in the innermost position is 2 mm.

[0061] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the equivalent circuit elements of the metal patch printed on the first surface of the dielectric substrate (the schematic diagram of the equivalent circuit elements on the second surface is similar thereto). Equivalent inductance and capacitance elements are formed between the different structures on the first and second surfaces of the metamaterial unit, where the equivalent inductances are L1 and L2, and the equivalent capacitances are C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, and C7. Figure 6 is the equivalent circuit diagram of the metal patch printed on the first side of the dielectric substrate (the equivalent circuit diagram on the second side is similar), and the equivalent circuit diagram of the metal patch printed on the first side of the dielectric substrate is given. Figure 4 The equivalent circuit diagram of the equivalent circuit elements is shown in Figure 1. The electromagnetic simulation software verifies that within 1.71-2.17 GHz, the metamaterial has an equivalent negative relative permittivity of about -15 and an equivalent relative permeability of about 34.

[0062] Looking from the first direction F1, Figure 7 As shown, the side length Lsub1 of the dielectric substrate 5 of the metamaterial unit is 30 mm, the thickness Tsub1 is 0.254 mm, the dielectric substrate 5 is a Rogers RO4350 dielectric substrate, the relative dielectric constant is 3.66, the relative magnetic permeability is 1, and the loss tangent is 0.004.

[0063] In the metamaterial unit structure here, metal patches are printed on both surfaces of the dielectric substrate 5. In some possible implementations, the metal patches of the above-mentioned form may be printed on only one side of the dielectric substrate 5 for use, or the parameters of the metal patches may vary to adapt to antennas operating in different frequency bands, but the morphological structure is the same.

[0064] A plurality of metamaterial units are arranged periodically to form a periodic metamaterial structure. In this embodiment, the periodic metamaterial structure can be composed of any number of identical metamaterial units arranged in combination, such as a periodic metamaterial structure composed of 9 metamaterial units arranged in 3 rows and 3 columns, or a periodic metamaterial structure composed of 25 metamaterial units arranged in 5 rows and 5 columns, or a periodic metamaterial structure composed of 6 metamaterial units arranged in 2 rows and 3 columns.

[0065] Embodiment 3

[0066] In this embodiment, a base station antenna based on a metamaterial unit structure includes: a periodic metamaterial structure, a floor 11, a dual-polarization antenna unit 10, and a nylon column 15. The dual-polarization antenna unit 10 is arranged on the floor 11, and the periodic metamaterial structure is arranged directly above the dual-polarization antenna unit 10 using the nylon column 15.

[0067] Specifically, Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Fig.10As shown, a single antenna system is loaded on a dual-polarized antenna unit 10 with a 3×3 (three rows and three columns) periodic metamaterial structure composed of 9 metamaterial units, including: a floor 11, a dual-polarized antenna unit 10, and a periodic metamaterial structure placed directly above the dual-polarized antenna unit 10. The total height H1 of the single antenna system in the figure is 87 mm, and the distance H2 between the antenna and the periodic metamaterial is 41 mm, which is 0.26 wavelengths. In this embodiment, a feeding port is provided at the bottom of the dual-polarized antenna unit, and is connected to external facilities for feeding through an external cable.

[0068] According to the single antenna system provided by this embodiment with periodic metamaterial loaded above the antenna, Fig.11 As shown in the figure, its gain can reach 9dBi-10dBi in the 1.71-2.17GHz frequency band, which is 1.3-2.7dBi higher than the original gain of the antenna unit of 7.3dBi-7.65dBi, and the improvement effect is significant. Fig.12 As shown, the 1.71, 1.95, and 2.17 GHz main polarization electric field and cross-polarization electric field patterns of the single antenna system in the horizontal plane (the plane formed by the first direction F1 and the third direction F3) and the vertical plane (the plane formed by the second direction F2 and the third direction F3), where: Fig.12 (a) is the radiation pattern at 1.71GHz. Fig.12 (b) is the radiation pattern at 1.95GHz. Fig.12 (c) is the radiation pattern at 2.17 GHz; it can be seen that after loading the periodic metamaterial structure, the radiation pattern of the antenna is stable and the cross-polarization discrimination rate is good.

[0069] Embodiment 4

[0070] In this embodiment, a base station antenna array system based on a metamaterial unit structure includes: a periodic metamaterial structure, a floor 11, a floor dielectric substrate 12, a microstrip linear power divider 13, a dual-polarized antenna unit 10, and a nylon column 15. The floor dielectric substrate 12 is arranged on the floor 11, and the microstrip linear power divider 13 is arranged on the floor dielectric substrate 12, wherein a feeding port is arranged on the microstrip linear power divider 13, and an external cable is connected to an external facility for feeding; the dual-polarized antenna unit 10 is arranged on the floor dielectric substrate 12 and connected through the microstrip linear power divider 13; the periodic metamaterial structure is arranged directly above the dual-polarized antenna unit 10 using the nylon column 15.

[0071] Specifically, Fig.13 , Fig.14 , Fig.15As shown, a single-column multi-antenna array system is loaded with a 3×15 (3 rows and 15 columns) periodic metamaterial composed of 45 metamaterial units on a 1×4 single-column dual-polarization base station antenna array, including: a floor 11, a floor dielectric substrate 5, a microstrip linear power divider 13 on the dielectric substrate 5, 4 dual-polarization antenna units 10, a periodic metamaterial structure and a nylon column 15. In the figure, the total height H3 of the system is 87 mm, and the spacing H4 between the antenna and the periodic metamaterial is 41 mm, which is 0.26 wavelengths. The spacing Dv1 between the dual-polarization antenna units 10 in the second direction F2 is 118 mm.

[0072] According to the single antenna system provided by this embodiment with periodic metamaterial loaded above the antenna, Fig.16 As shown in Figure 1, its gain reaches 14.6-15.2dBi in the range of 1.71-2.17GHz, which is 1.3-1.6dBi higher than the gain of 13.2-13.9dBi of the original 1×4 single-row antenna without metamaterials. Fig.17 As shown, the 1.71, 1.95, and 2.17 GHz main polarization electric field and cross-polarization electric field patterns of the 1×4 single-row multi-antenna array system of the periodic metamaterial structure in the horizontal plane (the plane formed by the first and third directions F3) and the vertical plane (the plane formed by the second and third directions F3), where: Fig.17 (a) is the radiation pattern at 1.71GHz. Fig.17 (b) is the radiation pattern at 1.95GHz. Fig.17 (c) is the radiation pattern at 2.17 GHz. It can be seen that after loading the periodic metamaterial structure, the radiation pattern of the antenna is stable and the cross-polarization discrimination rate is good.

[0073] Embodiment 5

[0074] In this embodiment, if Fig.18 , Fig.19 , Fig. 20 As shown, it is an 8-column multi-antenna array system in which 8 periodic metamaterials are placed above the antenna array. Each periodic metamaterial structure is composed of 38 metamaterial units, and the metamaterial units are arranged in 2 rows and 19 columns (2×19). Each column of antennas is composed of 4 dual-polarization base station antenna units. It includes: a floor 11, a floor dielectric substrate 5, a microstrip linear power divider 13, 32 dual-polarization antenna units 10, 8 periodic metamaterial structures and nylon columns 15. Similarly, a feeding port is provided on the microstrip linear power divider 13, which is connected to external facilities for feeding through an external cable. The column spacing between each column of antennas is 77mm (half the wavelength of a 1.95GHz electromagnetic wave in free space). As shown Fig.19 As shown, the column spacing Dh1 of each column of antennas is 77 mm. Fig. 20As shown, the total height H5 of the system is 87 mm, and the distance H6 between the antenna and the periodic metamaterial is 41 mm, which is 0.26 wavelengths.

[0075] According to the multi-antenna array system using the periodic metamaterial structure provided in this embodiment, Fig.21 As shown in the figure, the gain of the center column (4th column) antenna reaches 11.8-12.7dBi in the 1.71-2.17GHz range, which is 0.5-0.6dBi higher than the gain of the original center column (4th column) antenna without metamaterials (11.3-12.2dBi). Fig. 22 As shown, the 1.71, 1.95, and 2.17 GHz gain patterns of the center column antenna 14 of the multi-antenna array system for demonstrating the radiation performance in the horizontal plane (the plane formed by the first direction F1 and the third direction F3) and the vertical plane (the plane formed by the second direction F2 and the third direction F3), wherein: Fig. 22 (a) is the radiation pattern at 1.71GHz. Fig. 22 (b) is the radiation pattern at 1.95GHz. Fig. 22 (c) is the radiation pattern at 2.17 GHz. It can be seen that after loading the periodic metamaterial structure, the radiation pattern of the antenna is stable, and the center column of the antenna achieves 7 degrees of electrical downtilt in the vertical plane.

[0076] It is necessary to explain that although the above text uses an antenna unit, a single-column 1×4 multi-antenna array, and an 8-column multi-antenna array using a 3×3 periodic metamaterial structure, a 3×15 periodic metamaterial structure, and eight 2×19 periodic metamaterial structures as examples to illustrate the technology of the present application, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the number of antenna units in an antenna array, the number of columns of the antenna array, and the number of metamaterial units contained in the periodic metamaterial structure may also be less or more.

[0077] The embodiments described above are only descriptions of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Without departing from the design spirit of the present invention, various modifications and improvements made to the technical solutions of the present invention by ordinary technicians in this field should all fall within the protection scope determined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An antenna gain method using metamaterials, characterized in that: The metamaterial is composed of a plurality of metamaterial unit structures with the same structure arranged periodically; The design method for improving antenna gain by using the metamaterial comprises: placing the metamaterial having an equivalent negative relative permittivity above an antenna or an antenna array, wherein the equivalent negative relative permittivity of the metamaterial is -5 to -80, the relative magnetic permeability is any positive or negative number, and the distance between the metamaterial and the antenna or the antenna array is 0.01 to 0.5 wavelengths; The metamaterial unit structure comprises: a dielectric substrate and a plurality of metal patches on both sides of the dielectric substrate; A plurality of the metal patches are printed on the front and back sides of the dielectric substrate; The metal patches on each side include: two right-angled metal strip patches on the outside, a metal square ring patch in the middle and a square metal patch on the inside; the shape arrangement of the metal patches on one side is obtained by rotating the shape arrangement of the metal patches on the other side 90 degrees clockwise in the plane where the first direction and the second direction are located.

2. The antenna gain method using metamaterials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plane where the first direction and the second direction are located is the plane where the dielectric substrate is located, the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and the third direction is the normal direction of the plane.

3. The antenna gain method using metamaterials according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the metamaterial unit structure, the rectangular metal strip patches are each composed of two straight metal strips parallel to the first direction or the second direction, and the angle between the two is 90 degrees; The metal square ring patch is composed of four straight metal strips parallel to the first direction or the second direction connected end to end, and the angles between two adjacent metal strips in the four metal strips are both 90 degrees.

4. The antenna gain method using metamaterials according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the metamaterial unit structure, the two rectangular metal strip patches on the outside of each surface have the same size, the metal square ring patch in the middle of each surface has the same size, and the square metal patch on the inside of each surface has the same size.

5. The antenna gain method using metamaterials according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the metamaterial unit structure, the metal patches on each side partially overlap in the third direction to form an overlapping area, wherein the rectangular metal strip patches on both sides partially overlap to form a first overlapping area, the metal square ring patches on both sides completely overlap to form a second overlapping area, and the square metal patches on both sides completely overlap to form a third overlapping area.

6. The antenna gain method using metamaterials according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of the metamaterials are arranged periodically to form a periodic metamaterial structure.

7. The antenna gain method using metamaterials according to claim 6, characterized in that: The base station antenna based on the metamaterial unit structure comprises: a periodic metamaterial structure, a floor, a dual-polarization antenna unit and a nylon column; The dual-polarization antenna unit is arranged on the floor, and the periodic metamaterial structure is arranged directly above the dual-polarization antenna using the nylon column.

8. The antenna gain method using metamaterials according to claim 7, characterized in that: The base station antenna array system formed by the base station antenna comprises: a floor dielectric substrate and a microstrip linear power divider; The floor dielectric substrate is arranged on the floor, and the microstrip linear power distributor is arranged on the floor dielectric substrate; A plurality of said dual-polarized antenna units are arranged on said floor dielectric substrate and connected through said microstrip linear power divider; The periodic metamaterial structure is arranged directly above a plurality of the dual-polarization antennas using the nylon columns.

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