Wireless module and electronic device including the same
By setting a plurality of radiators and resonators on the substrate of the antenna module and setting the resonators in a different area from the radiator, the problems of radio wave path loss and transmission distance in the prior art are solved, and efficient wireless communication is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380071963.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-08-10
- Filing Date
- 2023-04-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-27
AI Technical Summary
When the prior art uses beamforming technology, it is difficult to effectively solve the problems of radio wave path loss and transmission distance, especially in multi-antenna configurations.
By providing a plurality of radiators and resonators on the substrate of the antenna module and placing the resonators in a different region from the radiator, a multi-layer structure is formed to improve signal gain and expand bandwidth.
It realizes improving the signal gain and extended bandwidth of wireless communication in a multi-antenna configuration, and enhances the transmission distance and reception sensitivity of radio waves.
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Figure CN120051897A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to an antenna module and an electronic device including the antenna module. Background Art
[0002] As one of the technologies to mitigate radio wave path loss and increase the transmission distance of radio waves, beamforming technology is being used. Beamforming generally uses multiple antennas to concentrate the arrival area of radio waves or increase the directivity of reception sensitivity in a specific direction. Products equipped with multiple antennas are being developed to improve communication performance, and it is expected that devices with a greater number of antennas will be increasingly used. Summary of the invention
[0003] Technical issues
[0004] According to an example embodiment, a module for wireless communication may include: a radiator, a plurality of resonators, a first substrate on which the radiator and the plurality of resonators are disposed, and a second substrate including a power supply. The first substrate may include a plurality of first layers. The second substrate may include a plurality of second layers. The radiator may be disposed on a radiating layer among the plurality of first layers of the first substrate. The plurality of resonators may be disposed on a resonating layer among the plurality of first layers of the first substrate. At least a portion of the plurality of resonators in the resonating layer may be disposed in a region different from a region in the radiating layer where the radiator is disposed.
[0005] According to an example embodiment, an electronic device in a wireless communication system may include: an antenna cover, a radio unit (RU) housing, and an RU module including at least one antenna. The RU module may include a RU board including an antenna board on which an antenna module including at least one antenna is disposed and a power supply. The antenna module in the antenna module may include: a plurality of radiators, a plurality of resonators, and an antenna board on which the radiators and the plurality of resonators are disposed. The antenna board may include a plurality of first layers. The RU board may include a plurality of second layers. The radiator may be disposed on a radiating layer among the plurality of first layers of the antenna board. The plurality of resonators may be disposed on a resonating layer among the plurality of first layers of the antenna board. At least a portion of the plurality of resonators in the resonating layer may be disposed in an area different from (i.e., distinguished from) an area in the radiating layer where the radiator is disposed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0007] Figure 1 is a diagram of an example wireless communication system according to an embodiment;
[0008] Figure 2a and Figure 2bIncludes exploded perspective views and diagrams showing examples of components of an electronic device according to an embodiment;
[0009] Figure 3a and Figure 3b is a diagram showing an example configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment;
[0010] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a radio unit (RU) module of an electronic device according to an embodiment;
[0011] Figure 5a is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a stacking structure of RU modules according to an embodiment;
[0012] Figure 5b is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a radiator and a resonator of an RU module according to an embodiment;
[0013] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a stacked structure of an RU board and an antenna board according to an embodiment;
[0014] Figure 7a , Figure 7b and Figure 7c is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an antenna plate including a resonator according to an embodiment;
[0015] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of an array antenna according to an embodiment;
[0016] Figure 9a , Figure 9b and Fig.9c is a diagram showing an example of a radiation area including a radiator and a resonator according to an embodiment;
[0017] Figure 9d is a graph showing an example of performance according to the size of the antenna board according to the embodiment;
[0018] Fig.10a is a diagram showing an example of radiation according to the presence or absence of a resonator according to an embodiment;
[0019] Fig.10b is a graph showing an example of reflection loss according to the presence or absence of a resonator according to an embodiment;
[0020] Fig.10c is a graph showing an example of a gain according to the presence or absence of a resonator according to an embodiment;
[0021] Fig.11 including diagrams and graphs showing examples of performance of RU modules including resonators according to embodiments;
[0022] Fig.12 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an RU module including a resonator according to an embodiment; and
[0023] Fig.13 is a diagram showing an example functional configuration of an electronic device including an RU module according to an embodiment.
[0024] Regarding the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for the same or similar components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] The terms used in this disclosure are used to describe various example embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Singular expressions may include plural expressions, unless different meanings are clearly referred to in the context. The terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as the meanings commonly understood by ordinary technicians in the technical field described in this disclosure. Among the terms used in this disclosure, the terms defined in the general dictionary may be interpreted as having the same or similar meanings as the contextual meanings of the relevant technology, and unless clearly defined in this disclosure, should not be interpreted as ideal or overly formal meanings. In some cases, even the terms defined in this disclosure cannot be interpreted as excluding embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0026] In the various embodiments of the present disclosure described below, the hardware method is described as an example. However, since the various embodiments of the present disclosure include technologies using both hardware and software, the various embodiments of the present disclosure do not exclude software-based methods.
[0027] For the convenience of description, the terms used in the following description that refer to a part of the electronic device (e.g., substrate, printed circuit board (PCB), flexible PCB (FPCB), module, antenna, antenna element, circuit, processor, chip, component, device), terms that refer to a certain part (e.g., zone, region, part), terms that refer to the shape of the part (e.g., structure, construction, support portion, contact portion, protruding portion), terms that refer to the connecting portion between structures (e.g., connecting portion, contact portion, support portion, contact structure, conductive member, component), terms that refer to the circuit (e.g., PCB, FPCB, signal line, feeder, data line, RF signal line, antenna, RF path, RF module, RF circuit, splitter, divider, coupler, combiner), etc. are used and illustrated. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the terms described below, and other terms with equivalent technical meanings may be used. Terms such as "... unit", "... device", "... material", "... body", etc. may refer to, for example, at least one shape structure, or may refer to, for example, a unit of processing function.
[0028] In the present disclosure, in order to determine whether a specific condition is satisfied or reached, the expression of greater than or less than may be used, but this is only a description for expressing an example and does not exclude the description of greater than or equal to or less than or equal to. The condition described as "greater than or equal to" may be replaced with "greater than", the condition described as "less than or equal to" may be replaced with "less than", and the condition described as "greater than or equal to and less than" may be replaced with "greater than and less than or equal to". In the following, "A" to "B" may refer to, for example, at least one of the elements from A (including A) and B (including B).
[0029] The present disclosure describes various embodiments using terms used in some communication standards (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), Scalable Radio Access Network (xRAN), and Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), but this is only an example of the description. Various embodiments of the present disclosure can be easily modified and can also be applied to other communication systems.
[0030] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system according to an embodiment. Figure 1 The wireless communication environment 100 shows a base station 110 and terminals 120, 130 as parts of nodes using a wireless channel.
[0031] The base station 110 is a network infrastructure that provides wireless access to the terminal 120. The base station 110 has a coverage area defined as a constant geographical area based on the distance over which a signal can be transmitted. In addition to a base station, the base station 110 may also be referred to as a massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) unit (MMU), an "access point (AP)", an "eNodeB (eNB)", a "fifth generation node (5G node)", a "5G NodeB (NB)", a "radio point", a "transmission / reception point (TRP)", an "access unit", a "distributed unit (DU)", a "transmission / reception point (TRP)", a "radio unit (RU)", a "remote radio head (RRH)" or other terms with equivalent technical meanings. The base station 110 may transmit a downlink signal or may receive an uplink signal.
[0032] The terminal 120 is a device used by a user and communicates with the base station 110 through a wireless channel. In some cases, the terminal 120 can operate without user participation. In other words, the terminal 120 is a device that performs machine type communication (MTC) and may not be carried by the user. In addition to the terminal, the terminal 120 may also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a subscriber station, a user premises equipment (CPE), a remote terminal, a wireless terminal, an electronic device, a terminal of a vehicle, a user equipment, or another term with an equivalent technical meaning.
[0033] Figure 1 The terminal 120 and the terminal 130 shown can support vehicle communication. In the case of vehicle communication, in the LTE system, the standardization work of the V2X technology based on the device-to-device (D2D) communication structure has been completed in 3GPP Release 14 and Release 15, and efforts are currently being made to develop the V2X technology based on 5G NR. In NR V2X, unicast communication, groupcast (or multicast) communication, and broadcast communication between terminals are supported.
[0034] As one of the technologies for reducing radio wave path loss and increasing the transmission distance of radio waves, beamforming technology is being used. In order to form beamforming coverage, instead of using a single antenna to form a signal in an isotropic mode, a communication device can be equipped with multiple antennas. In the following, an antenna array including multiple antennas will be described. The base station 110 or the terminal 120 may include an antenna array. Each antenna included in the antenna array may be referred to as an array element or an antenna element. In the following, in the present disclosure, the antenna array is shown as a two-dimensional planar array, but this is only an example and does not limit the embodiments of the present disclosure. The antenna array can be configured in various forms, such as a linear array or a multi-layer array. The antenna array may be referred to as a large-scale antenna array.
[0035] One technology for improving the data capacity of 5G communications is beamforming technology using an antenna array connected to multiple RF paths. The number of components that perform wireless communications to improve communication performance is increasing. For example, due to the increase in the number of antennas, RF components (e.g., amplifiers, filters), and components for processing RF signals received or transmitted through antennas, when configuring communication equipment, space gain and cost efficiency are also basic requirements while satisfying communication performance.
[0036] Figure 2a and Figure 2b Included are exploded perspective views and diagrams illustrating examples of components of an electronic device according to an embodiment. Figure 2a is an exploded perspective view showing internal components of an electronic device 200 according to an embodiment, and Figure 2b 2 is a diagram showing an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side surface of an electronic device 200 according to an embodiment. Figure 1 , but a description of the electronic device 200 to be described later may be applied to the terminal 120 or the terminal 130.
[0037] refer to Figure 2a, the electronic device 200 may include a radome cover 201, a RU housing 203, a digital unit (or distributed unit) (DU) cover 205, and a RU module 210. The RU module 210 may include an antenna module 213 and a RU board 215. The RF components of the antenna module 213 may be disposed on the RU board 215. The RF components may include at least one of a connector for providing power, a DC / DC converter, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an LDO regulator, or a local oscillator (LO). The RU module 210 may include an antenna module including an additional resonator disposed together with a radiator according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, which will be described later.
[0038] The substrate on which the antenna module 213 is disposed may be referred to as an antenna board, an antenna substrate, a radiation substrate, a radiation board, or an RF board. According to an embodiment, the substrate on which the antenna module 213 is disposed may be a printed circuit board (PCB). According to an embodiment, the substrate on which the antenna module 213 is disposed may be a flexible PCB (FPCB). The RU board 215 may be referred to as a main board, a main substrate, a power board, a motherboard, a packaging board, or a filter board. The RU module 210 may be referred to as a baseband unit (BBU) or a baseband device. In addition, in order to refer to an integrated base station on which the RU module 210 is installed, terms such as access unit (AU), compact macro, or link cell may be used alternatively for the operation and function of the RU module 210.
[0039] The electronic device 200 may include a DU module 220. The DU module 220 may include an interface board 221, a modem board 223, and a CPU board 225. The electronic device 200 may include a power module 230, a GPS 240, and a DU housing 250. The DU module 220 may be referred to as a radio unit (RU) or a remote radio head (RRH).
[0040] refer to Figure 2b , the housing 250 is a diagram of the electronic device 200 viewed from above. Reference numerals 261, 263, 265, and 267 respectively show the electronic device 200 viewed from the left, front, right, and rear. Reference numeral 270 shows the electronic device 200 viewed from the bottom.
[0041] Figure 3a and Figure 3bis a diagram showing an example configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment. An electronic device (e.g., electronic device 200) may include an access unit. The access unit may include a RU 310, a DU 320, and a DC / DC module. The RU 310 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may refer to, for example, a component in which an antenna and RF components are installed. The DU 320 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured to process digital wireless signals, and may be configured to encrypt digital wireless signals to be sent to the RU 310, or to decrypt digital wireless signals sent from the RU 310. The DU 320 may be configured to perform communication with an upper node (e.g., a centralized unit (CU) or a core network (e.g., 5GC, EPC)) by processing packet data.
[0042] refer to Figure 3a , RU 310 may include a plurality of antenna elements. RU 310 may include one or more array antennas. According to an embodiment, the array antenna may be configured with a planar antenna array. The array antenna may correspond to one stream. The array antenna may include a plurality of antenna elements corresponding to one transmit path (or receive path). For example, the array antenna may include 256 antenna elements configured in 16x16.
[0043] RU 310 may include an RF chain for processing signals for each array antenna. The RF chain may be referred to as an "RFA". The RFA may include RF components (e.g., phase converters, power amplifiers) and mixers for beamforming. The mixer of the RFA may be configured to down-convert an RF signal at an RF frequency to an intermediate frequency, or to up-convert an intermediate frequency signal to an RF frequency signal. According to an embodiment, one RF chain set may correspond to one array antenna. For example, RU 310 may include four RF chain sets for four array antennas. Multiple RF chains may be connected to a transmit path or a receive path via a distributor (e.g., 1:16). Although not described in detail in the specification, the RF chains may be connected to a transmit path or a receive path via a distributor (e.g., 1:16). Figure 3a , but according to an embodiment, the RF chain may be implemented as a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC). The RFIC may process and generate RF signals supplied to multiple antenna elements.
[0044] RU 310 may include a digital analog front end (DAFE) and an "RFB". The DAFE may be configured to convert digital signals and analog signals to each other. For example, RU 310 may include two DAFEs (DAFE #0, DAFE #1). The DAFE may be configured to up-convert a digital signal (e.g., DUC) in a transmit path and convert the up-converted signal into an analog signal (e.g., DAC). The DAFE may be configured to convert an analog signal into a digital signal (e.g., ADC) in a receive path and down-convert a digital signal (e.g., DDC). Corresponding to the transmit path and the receive path, the RFB may include a mixer and a switch. The mixer of the RFB may be configured to up-convert a baseband frequency to an intermediate frequency, or to down-convert an intermediate frequency signal to a baseband frequency signal. The switch may be configured to select one of the transmit path and the receive path. For example, RU 310 may include two RFBs (RFB#0, RFB#1).
[0045] The RU 310 may include a controller (e.g., including control and / or processing circuits) and / or may include a field programmable gate array (FPGA). An FPGA may refer to, for example, a semiconductor device including a programmable logic device and a programmable internal circuit. Communication with the DU 320 may be performed through a serial peripheral interface (SPI) communication.
[0046] The RU 310 may include an RF local oscillator (LO). The RF LO may be configured to supply a reference frequency for up-conversion or down-conversion. According to an embodiment, the RF LO may be configured to provide a frequency for up-conversion or down-conversion of the above-mentioned RFB. For example, the RF LO may supply a reference frequency to RFB #0 and RFB #1 through a 2-way divider.
[0047] According to an embodiment, the RF LO may be configured to provide a frequency for up-conversion or down-conversion of the above-mentioned RFAs. For example, the RF LO may supply a reference frequency to each RFA (8 RFAs per RF chain, grouped by polarization) through a 32-way splitter.
[0048] refer to Figure 3b, the RU 310 may include a DAFE block 311, an IF up / down conversion unit 313, a beamformer 315, an array antenna 317, and a control block 319. The DAFE block 311 may convert a digital signal into an analog signal, or may convert an analog signal into a digital signal. The IF up / down conversion unit 313 may correspond to an RFB. Based on a reference frequency supplied from an RF LO, the IF up / down conversion unit 313 may convert a signal of a baseband frequency into a signal of an IF frequency, or may convert a signal of an IF frequency into a signal of a baseband frequency. The beamformer 315 may correspond to an RFA. Based on a reference frequency supplied from an RF LO, the beamformer 315 may convert a signal of an RF frequency into a signal of an IF frequency, or may convert a signal of an IF frequency into a signal of an RF frequency. The array antenna 317 may include a plurality of antenna elements. Each antenna element of the array antenna 317 may be configured to radiate a signal processed by the RFA. The array antenna 317 may be configured to perform beamforming according to a phase applied by the RFA. The control block 319 may control each block of the RU 310 to execute a command from the DU 320 and the above-mentioned signal processing.
[0049] Base station 110 Figure 2a , Figure 2b , Figure 3a and Figure 3b The electronic device 200 is shown as an example, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the base station 110. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to an electronic device for radiating a wireless signal and a base station configured with a DU and a RU.
[0050] With the development of technology, it is necessary to ensure equivalent receiving performance while improving the transmission output, and support for dual bands (for example, 28 GHz band and 39 GHz band) is required. Multiple antenna elements can be used to support millimeter wave (mmWave) bands. Installing multiple antenna elements in an RU module (for example, RU module 210) inevitably requires reliability in large-scale production. In order to address these needs and reduce unit cost, an embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a module (for example, an antenna module or an RU module) and an electronic device including the module, in which an additional resonator is arranged on a substrate (for example, a PCB or FPCB) including a radiator (for example, a patch antenna), instead of arranging an additional FPCB and a support (for example, stainless steel (SUS)) on the radiator.
[0051] Figure 4is a diagram showing an example of a radio unit (RU) module of an electronic device according to an embodiment. A RU module (e.g., RU module 220) of an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 200) may refer to, for example, a substrate (hereinafter referred to as a first substrate) (e.g., PCB, FPCB) on which an antenna of the antenna module is mounted and a substrate (hereinafter referred to as a second substrate) (e.g., PCB) on which an antenna module and a signal processing component (e.g., connector, direct current (DC) / DC converter, DFE) are mounted are separated and arranged. The first substrate may be referred to as an antenna board, an antenna substrate, a radiation substrate, a radiation board, or an RF board. The second substrate may be referred to as a RU board, a main board, a power board, a motherboard, a packaging board, or a filter board. Hereinafter, the second substrate is referred to as a RU board 410 and is described.
[0052] refer to Figure 4 , the RU board 410 may include a component (e.g., an antenna) for sending a signal to a radiator. According to an embodiment, one or more first substrates may be provided on the RU board 410. The RU board 410 may include an antenna substrate 420 for a first frequency band (e.g., a 28 GHz band) and an antenna substrate 430 for a second frequency band (e.g., a 39 GHz band). In other words, one or more array antennas may be mounted on the RU board 410. For example, two array antennas may be mounted on the RU board 410. Figure 4 In the figure, two antenna modules are shown, in other words, an array antenna supporting two frequency bands is shown, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. Two array antennas may be provided for each frequency band to support dual frequency bands, and the array antenna mounted on the RU board 410 may be configured to support 2-transmit 2-receive (2T2R).
[0053] The RU board 410 may include a component for supplying an RF signal to the antenna. For example, the RU board 410 may include one or more radio frequency programmable gain amplifiers (FPGAs) 451. For example, the RU board 410 may include one or more local oscillators (LOs) 453. LO 453 may be used to supply a reference frequency for up-conversion or down-conversion in an RF system. For example, the RU board 410 may include one or more DC / DC converters 455. The DC / DC converter 455 may be used to convert a direct current into a direct current. For example, the RU board 410 may include one or more connectors 460. The connector 460 may be used to transmit an electrical signal. The RU board 410 may also include various components for signal processing. For example, the RU board 410 may include one or more distributors. The distributor may be used to distribute an input signal and send the input signal to multiple paths. For example, the RU board 410 may include one or more low dropout regulators (LDOs). LDOs may be used to suppress external noise and power supply. For example, the RU board 410 may include one or more voltage regulator modules (VRMs). VRM may refer to a module, for example, for ensuring that an appropriate voltage is maintained. For example, the RU board 410 may include one or more digital front ends (DFEs). For example, the RU board 410 may include one or more intermediate frequency (IF) processing units. For example, the RU board 410 may include an RF filter for filtering a signal. Figure 4 The configuration shown can be omitted Figure 4 Some of the components shown, or a greater number of components may be installed.
[0054] Figure 5a is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a stack structure of a RU module according to an embodiment. A RU module (eg, RU module 220 ) may include an antenna module (eg, antenna module 213 ) and a RU board (eg, RU board 215 ).
[0055] refer to Figure 5a, the RU module 220 may include a second substrate 510 corresponding to the RU board 215. The RU module 220 may include a first substrate 530 corresponding to the antenna board of the antenna module 213. The first substrate 530 may include a radiator 535. Alternatively, the radiator 535 may be disposed on one surface of the first substrate 530. The first substrate 530 may be electrically connected to the second substrate 510. For example, the first substrate 530 may be electrically connected to the second substrate 510 through an adhesive member 525. The first substrate 530 may be disposed on an adhesive layer (e.g., an adhesive member 525) stacked on one surface of the second substrate 510. For example, the first substrate 530 may be electrically connected to the second substrate 510 through a grid array (e.g., a ball grid array (BGA), a land grid array (LGA)). The first substrate 530 may be referred to as an antenna board, an antenna substrate, a radiation substrate, a radiation board, or an RF board. The second substrate 510 may be referred to as a main board, a main substrate, a power board, a motherboard, a packaging board, or a filter board.
[0056] The second substrate 510 may be electrically connected to an RF processing unit (eg, RFA 515). Figure 5a 515, but the implementation may be modified in the form of a separate board (e.g., a PCB) electrically connected to which the RFIC is mounted (e.g., a BGA). The second substrate 510 may include a feeding unit for sending a signal received from the RF processing unit to the radiator. The second substrate 510 may include a through-hole 520 (e.g., low-cost flame retardant (FR)-4) and a feed line 521. The signal received through the through-hole 520 and the feed line 521 may be sent to the first substrate 530 of the antenna module through a coupling pad 523. The coupling pad 523 of the second substrate 510 may be coupled to the coupling pad 531 of the first substrate 530. Through the coupling pad 523 of the second substrate 510, the RF processed signal (hereinafter, the RF signal) may be sent to the coupling pad 531 of the first substrate 530. In Figure 5a In the embodiment, the feed line 521 is described as being disposed on a layer (eg, a top layer) of the second substrate 510 , but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. The feed line 521 may also be disposed on a layer (eg, a bottom layer) of the first substrate 530 .
[0057] Components of the antenna module 213 may be disposed in the first substrate 530. According to an embodiment, the first substrate 530 may be a flexible PCB (FPCB). According to an embodiment, the first substrate 530 may be a PCB. The first substrate 530 may include a coupling pad 531, a feeding hole 533, and a radiator 535 to receive a signal transmitted from the second substrate 510 or transmit a signal received through a wireless channel to the second substrate 510. For example, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 200) including the RU module 220 may transmit a signal. The coupling pad 531 may obtain an RF signal through coupling feeding of the coupling pad 523 of the second substrate 510. The coupling pad 531 may transmit the RF signal to the radiator 535 through the feeding hole 533. The radiator 535 may radiate the RF signal into the air.
[0058] In addition to the radiator 535, the first substrate 530 according to the embodiment may further include one or more resonators. The first substrate 530 including the resonator may mean, for example, that the resonator is mounted on an inner layer of the first substrate 530 or that the resonator is disposed on one surface of the first substrate 530. For example, the one or more resonators may include a resonator 540a, a resonator 540b, a resonator 540c, and a resonator 540d. According to an embodiment, the one or more resonators may not be located on a separate substrate (e.g., an FPCB using SUS), but may be disposed on the first substrate 530 on which the radiator 535 is mounted. The one or more resonators may be used as an array together with the radiator 535.
[0059] According to an embodiment, one or more resonators may be disposed on the same layer as the layer on which the radiator 535 is disposed. In other words, the radiator 535 and the one or more resonators may be located on the same single layer of the first substrate 530. According to an embodiment, one or more resonators may be disposed on a layer adjacent to the layer on which the radiator 535 is disposed. For example, in the case where the radiator 535 is disposed on the highest layer of the first substrate 530 (hereinafter referred to as layer 1 (L1)), the one or more resonators may be disposed on layers (e.g., L2 and L3) that are one step or two steps lower than the layer on which the first substrate 530 is disposed. For another example, in the case where the radiator 535 is disposed on layers (e.g., L2 and L3) that are one step or two steps lower than the highest layer of the first substrate 530, the one or more resonators may be disposed on the highest layer (e.g., L1) of the first substrate 530. Reference will be made to Figure 6 , Figure 7a , Figure 7b and Figure 7c An example in which one or more resonators are disposed on a layer adjacent to a layer on which the radiator 535 is disposed is described in detail.
[0060] Figure 5b 2 is a diagram showing an example of a radiator and a resonator of an RU module according to an embodiment. The RU module (eg, RU module 220) may include an antenna module (eg, antenna module 213) and a RU board (eg, RU board 215). Figure 5a The performance improvement of the radiator (eg, the radiator 535 ) and the resonator (eg, the resonator 540 a , the resonator 540 b , the resonator 540 c , and the resonator 540 d ) according to the RU module 220 is explained.
[0061] refer to Figure 5b , the first substrate 530 may include a coupling pad 531, a feeding hole 533, and a radiator 535 to receive a signal transmitted from the second substrate 510 or transmit a signal received through a wireless channel to the second substrate 510. For example, the first substrate 530 may be electrically connected to the second substrate (e.g., the second substrate 510) through an adhesive member 525. For example, the coupling pad 531 of the first substrate 530 may receive an RF signal coupled and fed through the coupling pad 523 of the ground layer 550 of the second substrate 510. For example, the first substrate 530 may include a coating layer 570.
[0062] Since the radiator 535 is disposed on the first substrate 530 together with the resonators (eg, the resonators 540a, 540b, 540c, and 540d), the bandwidth may be extended and the gain may be improved. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the resonator 540b is described as an example.
[0063] The various aspects of performance improvement may include aspects of bandwidth extension and aspects of gain improvement. Bandwidth extension may refer to, for example, an increase in the frequency range of communicable signals. As the thickness of the substrate (e.g., the first substrate 530) increases, the bandwidth may be extended. Bandwidth extension may refer to, for example, a widening of the frequency range providing a certain value or greater gain. For example, the bandwidth and thickness of the substrate may be represented by the following equation.
[0064] [Equation 1]
[0065]
[0066] BW may refer to, for example, bandwidth, and h may refer to, for example, thickness of a substrate. L represents the length of an antenna (eg, a patch antenna), and W represents the width of the antenna.
[0067] As the size of the resonator 540b increases, the bandwidth can be expanded. Here, the size of the resonator 540b may refer to, for example, the planar width of the resonator 540b. For example, in the case where the resonator 540b includes a quadrilateral surface, the area of the quadrilateral may correspond to the size of the resonator 540b. The size of the resonator 540b may be related to the resonant frequency of the resonator 540b. Since the resonant frequency of the resonator 540b is formed adjacent to the resonant frequency of the radiator 535, the bandwidth may be formed to be wider. According to an embodiment, the difference between the size of the resonator 540b and the size of the radiator 535 may be within a critical range so that the resonant frequencies are formed adjacent to each other.
[0068] Gain improvement may refer to, for example, an increase in signal strength and an increase in reach distance. The gain improvement due to the resonator 540b can be achieved by causing enhanced interference between the signal of the radiator 535 and the signal due to the resonator 540b. When considering the frequency band (e.g., 28 GHz, 39 GHz), in order to achieve enhanced interference, the thickness of the substrate (e.g., the first substrate 530) may need to be thin. As the thickness of the first substrate 530 decreases, the gain can be improved. In other words, the smaller the thickness of the first substrate 530, the smaller the change in the reflection phase of the signal. By the same principle, as the size of the resonator 540b becomes smaller, the gain improvement effect can be improved. For example, when the reflection phase of the resonator 540b is 0 degrees, the maximum gain can be achieved. The thinner the thickness and the smaller the size, the closer the reflection phase may be to 0 degrees.
[0069] As described above, bandwidth extension and gain improvement may have a trade-off relationship. According to an embodiment, the size of the resonator 540 b may depend on the height of the first substrate 530 .
[0070] exist Figure 5a and Figure 5b In the embodiment, it is described that all resonators are arranged with the same size and the same spacing, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the size of a resonator relatively adjacent to a radiator may be larger than the size of a resonator relatively far from the radiator. For another example, the spacing between a radiator and a resonator adjacent to the radiator or the spacing between radiators adjacent to the radiator may be wider than the spacing between resonators relatively far from the radiator.
[0071] Figure 6 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a stacked structure of an RU board and an antenna board according to an embodiment. A RU module (e.g., RU module 220) may include an antenna module (e.g., antenna module 213) and a RU board (e.g., RU board 215) for setting the antenna module 213. The antenna board may refer to, for example, a substrate (e.g., PCB) on which the antenna module is set.
[0072] refer to Figure 6, the RU module 220 may include a second substrate 610 corresponding to the RU board 215. The RU module 220 may include a first substrate 630 corresponding to the antenna board. The first substrate 630 may include a radiator. The first substrate 630 may be electrically connected to the second substrate 610. For example, the first substrate 630 may be electrically connected to the second substrate 610 through a grid array (e.g., a ball grid array (BGA) 625 and a land grid array (LGA)). The first substrate 630 may be referred to as an antenna board, an antenna substrate, a radiation substrate, a radiation board, or an RF board. The second substrate 610 may be referred to as a main board, a main substrate, a power board, a motherboard, a packaging board, or a filter board.
[0073] The second substrate 610 may be connected to an RF processing unit (e.g., RFA and RFIC) (not shown). The second substrate 610 may include a through hole 620 (e.g., low-cost flame retardant (FR)-4) and a coupling pad 623. A signal received through the through hole 620 may be transmitted to the first substrate 630 of the antenna module through the coupling pad 623. The coupling pad 629 may obtain an RF signal through coupling feeding of the coupling pad 623 of the second substrate 610.
[0074] Components of the antenna module 213 may be provided in the first substrate 630. According to an embodiment, the first substrate 630 may be a PCB. One or more first substrates 630 may be provided on the second substrate 610. The antenna element of the array antenna may be provided on each of the first substrates 630. The antenna element corresponds to the radiator 640. The first substrate 630 may include a coupling pad 629, a feed line 631, a feed hole 633, a feed pad 635, and a radiator 640 to receive a signal transmitted from the second substrate 610 or transmit a signal received through a wireless channel to the second substrate 610. For example, an electronic device (eg, the electronic device 200) including the RU module 220 may transmit a signal. The coupling pad 629 may obtain an RF signal by coupling and feeding the coupling pad 623 of the second substrate 610. The coupling pad 629 may transmit the RF signal to the radiator 640 through the feed line 631, the feed hole 633, and the feed pad 635. The radiator 640 may radiate the RF signal into the air.
[0075] In addition to the radiator 640, the first substrate 630 according to the embodiment may further include one or more resonators. According to the embodiment, the one or more resonators may not be provided on a separate substrate (for example, an FPCB using SUS), but may be provided on the first substrate 610 which is a PCB on which the antenna module is provided. The one or more resonators may be used as an array together with the radiator 640. Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figure 7a , Figure 7b and Figure 7cAn example of arrangement between the resonator and the radiator 640 is described.
[0076] exist Figure 6 In FIG. 6 , the feed line 621 is shown as being disposed on a layer of the first substrate 630 , but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. The feed line 621 may be disposed on a layer (eg, a top layer) of the second substrate 610 .
[0077] exist Figure 6 In the embodiment, it is described that all resonators are arranged with the same size and the same spacing, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the size of a resonator relatively adjacent to a radiator may be larger than the size of a resonator relatively far from the radiator. For another example, the spacing between a radiator and a resonator adjacent to the radiator or the spacing between radiators adjacent to the radiator may be wider than the spacing between resonators relatively far from the radiator.
[0078] Figure 7a , Figure 7b and Figure 7c 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an antenna board including a resonator according to an embodiment. An antenna module (eg, antenna module 213) may be mounted on the antenna board. Figure 6 To describe various designs and deployments of antenna panels.
[0079] refer to Figure 7a , the RU module 220 may include a first substrate 730 corresponding to the antenna board. The first substrate 730 may include a feed line 731, a feed hole 733, and a radiator 740 to transmit an RF signal through a wireless channel or process a signal received through a wireless channel.
[0080] In various embodiments, the first substrate 730 may include a plurality of resonators (e.g., resonator 751a, resonator 751b, resonator 751c, resonator 753a, resonator 753b, resonator 753c, resonator 755a, resonator 755b, resonator 755c, resonator 757a, resonator 757b, and resonator 757c). According to an embodiment, among the plurality of resonators, a group of resonators (e.g., resonator 753a, resonator 753b, resonator 753c, resonator 755c, resonator 757a, resonator 757b, and resonator 757c) may be disposed on a layer (e.g., L1) higher than a layer (e.g., L2) on which the radiator 740 of the first substrate 730 is disposed. Among the plurality of resonators, another group of resonators (e.g., resonator 751a, resonator 751b, resonator 751c, resonator 755a, resonator 755b, and resonator 755c) may be disposed on a layer (e.g., L3) lower than a layer (e.g., L2) on which the radiator 740 having the first substrate 730 disposed thereon.
[0081] By using multiple resonators, the bandwidth can be extended. Since the resonant frequency in each resonator is set adjacent to the resonant frequency of the radiator 740, a frequency range with a low reflection coefficient can be widely formed. In addition, the signal of the radiator 740 is coupled through multiple resonators, so that the gain of the wireless signal can be improved. At the same time, as described above, the expansion of the bandwidth and the increase in gain are in a trade-off relationship. In order to support the required bandwidth and increase the required gain, multiple resonators can be arranged on a layer different from the layer on which the radiator 740 is arranged. In order to increase the signal gain, the resonator (for example, resonator 753a, resonator 753b, resonator 753c, resonator 755c, resonator 757a, resonator 757b and resonator 757c) can be arranged on one surface of the first substrate 730 to be radiated. To increase the effect of resonance, additional resonators (e.g., resonator 751a, resonator 751b, resonator 751c, resonator 755a, resonator 755b, and resonator 755c) may be disposed on another layer (e.g., L3) of the first substrate 730. According to an embodiment, a resonator disposed on one surface and a resonator disposed on another layer may be disposed at positions facing each other. For example, resonator 753b and resonator 755b may be disposed at the same position in a layer.
[0082] refer to Figure 7b , the RU module 220 may include a first substrate 730 corresponding to the antenna board. The first substrate 730 may include a feed line 731, a feed hole 733, and a radiator 740 to transmit an RF signal through a wireless channel or process a signal received through a wireless channel. Figure 7b The first substrate 730 and related components can be referred to Figure 7a Description.
[0083] In various embodiments, in addition to the radiator 740, the first substrate 730 may further include a plurality of resonators (e.g., resonator 753a, resonator 753b, resonator 753c, resonator 757a, resonator 757b, and resonator 757c). According to an embodiment, the plurality of resonators may be disposed on a layer (e.g., L1) higher than a layer (e.g., L2) on which the radiator 740 of the first substrate 730 is disposed. Through the plurality of resonators, the bandwidth may be extended. Through the plurality of resonators, the signal of the radiator 740 is coupled, so that the gain of the wireless signal may be improved. At the same time, with Figure 7aDifferently, according to an embodiment, the resonators (e.g., resonators 753a, resonators 753b, resonators 753c, resonators 757a, resonators 757b, and resonators 757c) may be disposed only on a layer higher than the radiator 740. Due to the resonators disposed inside the first substrate 730, the manufacturing cost of the first substrate 730 may increase. Due to the alignment error of the resonators, the performance may be degraded. Therefore, by disposing the resonators on one surface of the first substrate 730, the required gain and the required bandwidth of the radiator 740 of the first substrate may be satisfied.
[0084] refer to Figure 7c , the RU module 220 may include a first substrate 730 corresponding to the antenna board. The first substrate 730 may include a feed line 731, a feed hole 733, and a radiator 740 to transmit an RF signal through a wireless channel or process a signal received through a wireless channel. Figure 7c The first substrate 730 and related components can be referred to Figure 7a Description.
[0085] In various embodiments, in addition to the radiator 740, the first substrate 730 may further include a plurality of resonators (e.g., resonator 751a, resonator 751b, resonator 751c, resonator 755a, resonator 755b, and resonator 755c). According to an embodiment, the plurality of resonators may be disposed on a layer (e.g., L3) lower than a layer (e.g., L2) on which the radiator 740 of the first substrate 730 is disposed. The plurality of resonators may be disposed on an inner layer of the first substrate 730. Through the plurality of resonators, the bandwidth may be extended. Through the plurality of resonators, the signal of the radiator 740 is coupled, so that the gain of the wireless signal may be improved. At the same time, with Figure 7b and Figure 7c Differently, according to an embodiment, the resonator (e.g., resonator 751a, resonator 751b, resonator 751c, resonator 755a, resonator 755b, and resonator 755c) may be disposed only on a layer lower than the radiator 740. For example, the resonator may be pre-located inside the first substrate 730. When the first substrate 730 is manufactured, the resonator is pre-designed so that the process error can be reduced. The signal gain can be improved by the radiator 740 and the resonator disposed on the first substrate 730. Due to the low process error, high performance (e.g., bandwidth extension, gain improvement) can be provided. In other words, by the resonator disposed inside the first substrate 730, the required gain and the required bandwidth of the radiator 740 of the first substrate can be met.
[0086] exist Figure 7a , Figure 7b and Figure 7c In FIG. 1 , it is shown that the resonator and the radiator are formed on different layers, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. In other words, Figure 5a The embodiments shown and Figure 6 The illustrated embodiments may be combined. According to an embodiment, in the antenna substrate, at least one of the resonators may be provided on the same layer as the radiator, and at least another one of the resonators may be located on a layer adjacent to the layer of the radiator.
[0087] exist Figure 7a , Figure 7b and Figure 7c In the embodiment, it is described that all resonators are arranged with the same size and the same spacing, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the size of a resonator relatively adjacent to a radiator may be larger than the size of a resonator relatively far from the radiator. For another example, the spacing between a radiator and a resonator adjacent to the radiator or the spacing between radiators adjacent to the radiator may be wider than the spacing between resonators relatively far from the radiator.
[0088] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of an array antenna according to an embodiment.
[0089] refer to Figure 8 , the array antenna 800 may be disposed on a RU board (e.g., RU board 215) of a RU module (e.g., RU module 220). The RU board 215 may be referred to as a main board, a power board, a motherboard, a package board, or a filter board. According to an embodiment, a plurality of PCBs (e.g., six PCBs) of the array antenna 800 may be disposed on the RU board 215. Each of the plurality of PCBs may correspond to a first substrate (e.g., a first substrate 530, a first substrate 630, a first substrate 730, hereinafter referred to as a first substrate 730). Figures 5a to 7c The first substrate shown is used to explain the stacked structure. According to an embodiment, the first substrate 730 may include a plurality of radiators and a plurality of resonators. Hereinafter, a sub-array included in the first substrate 730 will be described.
[0090] The array antenna 800 may include a first subarray 810, a second subarray 820, a third subarray 830, and a fourth subarray 840. The first subarray 810, the second subarray 820, the third subarray 830, and the fourth subarray 840 may be disposed on a first substrate 730. The first subarray 810 may include four radiation regions (e.g., radiation region 811a, radiation region 811b, radiation region 811c, and radiation region 811d). Each radiation region in the first subarray 810 may include one or more radiators (e.g., four radiators). The second subarray 820 may include four radiation regions (e.g., radiation region 821a, radiation region 821b, radiation region 821c, and radiation region 821d). Each radiation region in the second subarray 820 may include one or more radiators (e.g., four radiators). The third subarray 830 may include four radiation regions (e.g., radiation region 831a, radiation region 831b, radiation region 831c, and radiation region 831d). Each radiation area in the third sub-array 830 may include one or more radiators (e.g., four radiators). The fourth sub-array 840 may include four radiation areas (e.g., radiation area 841a, radiation area 841b, radiation area 841c, and radiation area 841d). Each radiation area in the fourth sub-array 840 may include one or more radiators (e.g., four radiators).
[0091] According to an embodiment, among the layers of the first substrate 730, the layer on which the resonator is disposed and the layer on which the radiation region is disposed may be different from each other. For example, at least a portion of the resonator may be disposed on a layer (e.g., L1) higher than the layer (e.g., L2) of the radiator in the antenna substrate. For example, at least a portion of the resonator may be disposed on a layer (e.g., L2) lower than the layer (e.g., L1) of the radiator in the antenna substrate. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. In an embodiment, at least a portion of the resonator may be disposed on the same layer as the radiator.
[0092] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment, it is described that all resonators are arranged with the same size and the same spacing, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the size of a resonator relatively adjacent to a radiator may be larger than the size of a resonator relatively far from the radiator. For another example, the spacing between a radiator and a resonator adjacent to the radiator or the spacing between radiators adjacent to the radiator may be wider than the spacing between resonators relatively far from the radiator. For another example, the spacing between resonators between subarrays or the area of each resonator may be different. For yet another example, the spacing between resonators or the area of each resonator may vary based on the frequency band supported by the antenna module.
[0093] Figure 9a , Figure 9b and Fig.9c is a diagram illustrating an example of a radiation region including a radiator and a resonator according to an embodiment.
[0094] refer to Figure 9a , a perspective view 900 of a radiation region of an antenna module (eg, antenna module 213 ) is shown. The radiation region may include a radiator 910 and a resonator 920 .
[0095] refer to Figure 9b , the radiation area may include a radiation pattern 935. The radiation pattern 935 may include a plurality of resonators and a plurality of radiators. For example, the radiation pattern 933 of the antenna module may include a grid array formed in an area other than the area on which the 16 radiators are disposed in the antenna substrate (e.g., the first substrate 530, the first substrate 630, and the first substrate 730). A partial area 931 of the radiation pattern 935 may include a radiator 910 of a circular patch and a resonator 920 of a quadrilateral shape.
[0096] refer to Fig.9c , region 950 of radiation pattern 935 may include radiator 960 and resonator 970. According to an embodiment, resonators (e.g., resonator 970) may be disposed around radiator 960. For example, the resonators may be disposed to form a grid array around radiator 960. According to an embodiment, among the resonators, except for the resonator in contact with radiator 960, other resonators may be disposed at uniform intervals.
[0097] exist Figure 9a , Figure 9b and Fig.9c In the embodiment, the resonators arranged at uniform intervals are described, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. According to the embodiment, the interval between the resonators may vary depending on the degree of adjacent radiators. For example, the interval between the first resonator and the radiator relatively close to the radiator may be formed to be longer than the interval between the second resonator and the first radiator relatively far from the radiator. For another example, the interval between the first resonator and the radiator may be formed to be shorter than the interval between the second resonator and the first radiator.
[0098] Figure 9d is a graph showing an example of performance according to a size of an antenna board according to an embodiment. The antenna board (eg, the first substrate 530 , the first substrate 630 , and the first substrate 730 ) may include a radiator and a resonator.
[0099] Graph 980 represents the relationship between the gain according to the size of the resonator. The horizontal axis 981 of the graph 980 represents the frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis 982 represents the gain (unit: decibel (dB)). The lines can be distinguished based on the size of the resonator. The first line represents the gain of each frequency when the size of the resonator is about 1.2 mm. The second line represents the gain of each frequency when the size of the resonator is about 1.6 mm. The third line represents the gain of each frequency when the size of the resonator is about 2 mm. The fourth line represents the gain of each frequency when the size of the resonator is about 2.4 mm. It can be confirmed that as the size of the resonator becomes smaller, the gain increases.
[0100] Fig.10a Included are graphs showing examples of radiation with or without the presence of a resonator according to an embodiment.
[0101] refer to Fig.10a , the first radiation surface 1001 represents a surface of the antenna substrate including only a radiator without an additional resonator. The second radiation surface 1003 represents a surface of the antenna substrate (e.g., the first substrate 530, the first substrate 630, and the first substrate 730) on which the additional resonator and the radiator are disposed. Figure 10b to Figure 10c A metric that describes the performance improvement based on the presence or absence of additional resonators.
[0102] Fig.10b is a graph showing an example of reflection loss according to the presence or absence of a resonator according to the embodiment.
[0103] refer to Fig.10b , a graph 1010 represents a reflection loss according to a frequency. A horizontal axis 1011 of the graph 1010 represents a frequency (unit: GHz), and a vertical axis 1013 represents a reflection loss (unit: decibel (dB)). A first line 1020 represents a reflection loss according to an antenna substrate on which a metal SUS is mounted. A second line 1025 represents a reflection loss according to an antenna substrate including a resonator (e.g., the first substrate 530, the first substrate 630, and the first substrate 730). It can be confirmed that the RU module 220 provides bandwidth extension by extending a region where a gain of a certain size (e.g., -5 dB) or more is provided, compared to an RU module including an existing metal SUS.
[0104] Fig.10c is a graph showing an example of a gain according to the presence or absence of a resonator according to an embodiment.
[0105] refer to Fig.10c, a graph 1030 represents a gain according to a frequency. A horizontal axis 1031 of the graph 1030 represents a frequency (unit: GHz), and a vertical axis 1033 represents a gain (unit: dB). A first line 1040 represents a gain according to an antenna substrate on which a metal SUS is mounted. A second line 1045 represents a gain according to an antenna substrate including a resonator (e.g., the first substrate 530, the first substrate 630, and the first substrate 730). Through the graph 1030, it can be confirmed that the RU module 220 provides a gain improvement compared to an RU module including an existing metal SUS.
[0106] Fig.11 Included are diagrams and graphs showing examples of performance of an RU module including a resonator according to an embodiment.
[0107] refer to Fig.11 , the antenna module of the RU module (e.g., RU module 220) may include a plurality of radiators and a plurality of resonators. For example, one region 1100 of the antenna module may include a grid array formed in regions other than the region on which the 16 radiators are disposed in the antenna substrate (e.g., the first substrate 530, the first substrate 630, and the first substrate 730).
[0108] Graph 1120 represents directivity and gain according to frequency. A horizontal axis 1121 of graph 1120 represents frequency (unit: GHz), and a vertical axis 1123 represents directivity or gain (unit: dB). A first line 1131a represents directivity. A second line 1131b represents gain. Compared to an RU module including an existing metal SUS, RU module 220 can provide gain improvement and high efficiency through an antenna substrate including a radiator and a resonator.
[0109] Graph 1140 represents cross-polarization ratio (CPR) performance according to frequency. A horizontal axis 1141 of graph 1140 represents frequency (unit: GHz), and a vertical axis 1143 represents gain (unit: dB). A first line 1151a represents a cross-polarization (X-pol) component, and a second line 1151b represents a co-polarization (co-pol) component. Compared to an RU module including an existing metal SUS, the RU module 220 can provide CPR improvement through an antenna substrate including a radiator and a resonator.
[0110] Fig.12 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an RU module including a resonator according to an embodiment. Fig.12 For the configuration of the RU module (e.g. RU module 220), please refer to Figure 4. The separation distance between the antennas can be confirmed in an area 1200 of the RU module 220. An antenna substrate for a first frequency band (e.g., a 28 GHz band) and an antenna substrate for a second frequency band (e.g., a 39 GHz band) can be mounted together on the RU module 220. Due to problems with the assembly of existing antenna substrates and the assembly of metal pillars (e.g., metal SUS), in the design of the RU module, the physical separation distance between the antenna substrates needs to be equal to or greater than a reference value. However, the RU module 220 according to the embodiment can send wireless signals through a single substrate (e.g., a first substrate 530, a first substrate 630, a first substrate 730) including a radiator and a resonator, without the need for an antenna design using a metal pillar and an FPCB.
[0111] refer to Fig.12 , the separation distances between antennas (e.g., first separation distance 1201, second separation distance 1203, third separation distance 1205, and fourth separation distance 1207) can be confirmed in one area 1200 of the RU module 220. Due to the reduction in separation distance, the implementation of the antenna module design including the resonator of the present disclosure can be confirmed.
[0112] Fig.13 1 is a diagram showing an example functional configuration of an electronic device including an RU module according to an embodiment. The base station 110 is shown as an electronic device, but it goes without saying that it can also be applied to the terminal 120. According to an embodiment, the base station 110 may be a base station device supporting mmWave communication (for example, frequency range 2 of 3GPP). Figures 1 to 12 The antenna module itself mentioned, and an electronic device including the antenna module is also included in various embodiments of the present disclosure. The electronic device 1110 may include an RF device in which a resonator is disposed on a layer adjacent to a radiator for obtaining an additional radiation effect.
[0113] refer to Fig.13 The electronic device may include an antenna unit (eg, including at least one antenna) 1311, a power interface unit (eg, including a power interface circuit) 1312, a radio frequency (RF) processing unit (eg, including a processing circuit) 1313, and a control unit (eg, including a control circuit) 1314.
[0114] The antenna unit 1311 may include a plurality of antennas. The antenna unit 1311 may include an antenna module. The antenna of the antenna module performs the function of sending and receiving signals through a wireless channel. The antenna may include a radiator formed by a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., PCB, PFCB). The antenna may radiate an up-converted signal on a wireless channel, or may obtain a signal radiated by another device. Each antenna may be referred to as an antenna element or an antenna device. In an embodiment, the antenna unit 1311 may include an antenna array in which a plurality of antenna elements form an array. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in addition to a radiator corresponding to an antenna element, the antenna unit 1311 may also include one or more resonators. One or more resonators may be disposed on a substrate on which an antenna element is disposed or disposed inside the substrate. According to an embodiment, one or more resonators may be disposed on the same layer as a layer on which a radiator is disposed. According to an embodiment, one or more resonators may be disposed on a layer adjacent to a layer on which a radiator is disposed. The antenna unit 1311 may be electrically connected to the power interface unit 1312 via an RF signal line. The antenna unit 1311 may provide a received signal to the power interface unit 1312 or may radiate a signal provided from the power interface unit 1312 into the air.
[0115] The power interface device 1312 may include modules and components including various power interface circuits. The power interface unit 1312 may include one or more IFs. The power interface unit 1312 may include one or more LOs. The power interface unit 1312 may include one or more LDOs. The power interface unit 1312 may include one or more DC / DC converters. The power interface unit 1312 may include one or more DFEs. The power interface unit 1312 may include one or more FPGAs. The power interface unit 1312 may include one or more connectors. The power interface unit 1312 may include a power supply.
[0116] According to an embodiment, the power interface device 1312 may include an area for installing one or more antenna modules. For example, the power interface unit 1312 may include multiple antenna modules to support MIMO communication. The antenna module according to the antenna unit 1311 may be installed in the corresponding area. According to an embodiment, the power interface unit 1312 may include a filter. The filter may perform filtering to send a signal of a desired frequency. The power interface unit 1312 may include a filter. The filter may perform a function of selectively identifying a frequency by forming resonance. The power interface unit 1312 may include at least one of a bandpass filter, a low-pass filter, a high-pass filter, or a band-stop filter. In other words, the power interface unit 1312 may include an RF circuit for obtaining a signal of a frequency band for transmission or a frequency band for reception. The power interface unit 1312 according to various embodiments may electrically connect the antenna unit 1311 and the RF processing unit 1313.
[0117] The RF processing unit 1313 may include multiple RF processing chains including various processing circuits. The RF chain may include multiple RF elements. The RF elements may include amplifiers, mixers, oscillators, DACs, ADCs, etc. According to an embodiment, the RF processing chain may be implemented as an RFIC. For example, the RF processing unit 1313 may include an up-converter that up-converts a digital transmission signal of a baseband to a transmission frequency, and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that converts the up-converted digital transmission signal into an analog RF transmission signal. The up-converter and the DAC form part of the transmission path. The transmission path may also include a power amplifier (PA) or a coupler (or combiner). For example, the RF processing unit 1313 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts an analog RF receive signal into a digital receive signal and a down-converter that converts a digital receive signal into a digital receive signal of a baseband. The ADC and the down-converter form part of the receiving path. The receiving path may also include a low noise amplifier (LNA) or a coupler (or divider). The RF components of the RF processing unit may be implemented on a PCB. The base station 110 may include a structure stacked in the order of antenna unit 1311-power interface unit 1312-RF processing unit 1313. Figure 5a As shown, the first substrate 530, the second substrate 510 and the RFA 515 can be stacked in sequence. Without departing from the technical principles of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the antenna, the RF components of the power interface unit and the RFIC can be implemented on a separate PCB, and the filter can be repeatedly fixed between the PCB and the PCB to form multiple layers.
[0118] The control unit 1314 may include various processing and / or control circuits and control the overall operation of the electronic device. The control unit 1314 may include various modules for performing communication. The control unit 1314 may include at least one processor, such as a modem. The control unit 1314 may include a module for digital signal processing. For example, the control unit 1314 may include a modem. When sending data, the control unit 1314 generates complex symbols by encoding and modulating the transmitted bit string. For example, when receiving data, the control unit 1314 recovers the received bit string by demodulating and decoding the baseband signal. The control unit 1314 may perform the functions of the protocol stack required by the communication standard.
[0119] exist Fig.13 In the present invention, the functional configuration of the electronic device has been described as a device in which the antenna module of the present disclosure can be utilized. However, Fig.13 The examples shown are merely based on Figures 1 to 12 The example configurations of the antenna module including the radiator and the resonator of various embodiments of the present disclosure are described, and the various embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to Fig.13 Thus, other antenna devices including radiators and resonators, communications devices of different configurations, and antenna structures themselves may also be understood to be included in the various embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0120] In various example embodiments, a module for wireless communication may include: a radiator, a plurality of resonators, a first substrate on which the radiator and the plurality of resonators are disposed, and a second substrate including a power supply. The first substrate may include a plurality of first layers. The second substrate may include a plurality of second layers. The radiator may be disposed on a radiating layer among the plurality of first layers of the first substrate. The plurality of resonators may be disposed on a resonating layer among the plurality of first layers of the first substrate. At least a portion of the plurality of resonators in the resonating layer may be disposed in an area that is different from (e.g., does not overlap) an area in the radiating layer where the radiator is disposed.
[0121] According to example embodiments, the first substrate may include a printed circuit board (PCB).The first substrate and the second substrate may be electrically connected through a ball grid array (BGA).
[0122] According to example embodiments, a resonant layer of the plurality of resonators on which the first substrate is disposed may be different from a radiation layer of the radiator on which the first substrate is disposed.
[0123] According to example embodiments, a plurality of resonators may be disposed at uniform intervals in the resonance layer of the first substrate.
[0124] According to example embodiments, a plurality of resonators may be disposed to form a grid array in a region of the resonance layer different from a region on which a radiator is disposed.
[0125] According to example embodiments, the plurality of resonators may include a first resonator and a second resonator. A distance between the radiator and the first resonator may be longer than a distance between the radiator and the second resonator. A size of the first resonator may be greater than a size of the second resonator.
[0126] According to example embodiments, the module may further include a plurality of additional resonators. A layer on which the plurality of additional resonators are disposed among the plurality of first layers of the first substrate may be different from the resonant layer.
[0127] According to example embodiments, the first substrate may include a feeder configured to supply a signal received from the second substrate to the radiator.
[0128] The feed line may be disposed on a feed layer among the plurality of first layers of the first substrate. The feed layer may be disposed closer to the second substrate than the radiation layer and the resonance layer.
[0129] According to example embodiments, the second substrate may be electrically connected to a radio frequency (RF) module including a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC). The second substrate may include a through hole and a feed line configured to transmit a signal received from the RF module to the first substrate. The through hole may be formed through at least a portion of the plurality of second layers of the second substrate.
[0130] According to example embodiments, the first substrate may include a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). The first substrate may be electrically connected by an adhesive member. The resonant layer on which the plurality of resonators of the first substrate are disposed may be the same layer as the radiating layer on which the radiator of the first substrate is disposed. The first substrate may include a plurality of radiators. The plurality of resonators may be disposed to form a grid array in a region of the first substrate different from a region on which the plurality of radiators are disposed.
[0131] In various example embodiments, an electronic device in a wireless communication system may include: an antenna cover, a radio unit (RU) housing, and an RU module. The RU module may include an RU board, the RU board including an antenna board on which an antenna module is disposed, and a power supply. The antenna module in the antenna module may include a plurality of radiators, a plurality of resonators, and an antenna board on which the radiator and the plurality of resonators are disposed. The antenna board may include a plurality of first layers. The RU board may include a plurality of second layers. The radiator may be disposed on a radiating layer among the plurality of first layers of the antenna board. The plurality of resonators may be disposed on a resonating layer among the plurality of first layers of the antenna board. At least a portion of the plurality of resonators in the resonating layer may be disposed in an area that is different from (e.g., does not overlap) an area in which the radiator is disposed in the radiating layer.
[0132] According to example embodiments, the antenna board may include a printed circuit board (PCB). The antenna board and the RU board may be electrically connected through a ball grid array (BGA).
[0133] According to example embodiments, a resonant layer of a plurality of resonators on which the antenna board is disposed may be different from a radiation layer of a radiator on which the antenna board is disposed.
[0134] According to example embodiments, a plurality of resonators may be disposed at uniform intervals in a resonance layer of an antenna board.
[0135] According to example embodiments, the plurality of resonators may be disposed to form a grid array in a region of the resonance layer different from a region on which the plurality of radiators are disposed.
[0136] According to example embodiments, the plurality of resonators may include a first resonator and a second resonator. A distance between the radiator and the first resonator may be longer than a distance between the radiator and the second resonator. A size of the first resonator may be greater than a size of the second resonator.
[0137] According to example embodiments, the antenna module may further include a plurality of additional resonators. A layer on which the plurality of additional resonators are disposed among the plurality of first layers of the antenna board may be different from the resonant layer.
[0138] According to example embodiments, the antenna board may include a feeder configured to supply a signal received from the RU board to the radiator. The feeder may be disposed on a feed layer among the plurality of first layers of the antenna board. The feed layer may be disposed closer to the RU board than the radiation layer and the resonance layer.
[0139] According to example embodiments, the RU board may be electrically connected to a radio frequency (RF) module (or RF device) including a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC). The RU board may include a through hole and a feed line configured to transmit a signal received from the RF module to the antenna board. The through hole may be formed through at least a portion of the plurality of second layers of the RU board.
[0140] According to an example embodiment, the antenna board may include a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). The antenna board may be electrically connected by an adhesive member. The resonant layer on which the plurality of resonators of the antenna board are disposed may be the same layer as the radiating layer on which the radiator of the antenna board is disposed. The antenna board may include a plurality of radiators. The plurality of resonators may be arranged to form a grid array in an area of the antenna board different from an area on which the plurality of radiators are disposed.
[0141] The methods according to various exemplary embodiments described in the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.
[0142] When implemented as software, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs (software modules) may be provided. One or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium are configured to be executed by one or more processors in an electronic device. One or more programs include instructions that cause the electronic device to perform the method according to the embodiments described in the present disclosure.
[0143] Such a program (software module, software) may be stored in random access memory, non-volatile memory, including flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk storage device, compact disk ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other form of optical storage, cassette tape. Alternatively, it may be stored in a memory configured with some or all combinations thereof. Each configuration memory may be included in plural form.
[0144] The program may be stored in an attachable storage device that can be accessed through a communication network, such as the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a storage area network (SAN), or a combination thereof. Such a storage device may be connected to a device that performs an embodiment of the present disclosure through an external port. An independent storage device on the communication network may access the device that performs an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0145] In the above-mentioned example embodiments of the present disclosure, the components included in the present disclosure are expressed in the singular or plural, depending on the example embodiments presented. However, for ease of explanation, singular or plural expression is appropriately selected for the presented situation, and the present disclosure is not limited to singular or plural components, and even if a component is expressed in plural, it can also be configured in the singular, or even if it is expressed in the singular, it can also be configured in the plural.
[0146] Although the present disclosure has been illustrated and described with reference to various exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the various exemplary embodiments are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the full scope of the present disclosure, including the appended claims and their equivalents. It should also be understood that any embodiment described herein may be used in combination with any other embodiment described herein.
Claims
1. A module for wireless communication, include: Radiator; Multiple resonators; a first substrate on which the radiator and the plurality of resonators are disposed; and The second substrate includes a power source, Wherein, the first substrate comprises a plurality of first layers, Wherein, the second substrate comprises a plurality of second layers, The radiator is arranged on a radiation layer among the plurality of first layers of the first substrate, wherein the plurality of resonators are arranged on a resonant layer among the plurality of first layers of the first substrate, At least a portion of the plurality of resonators in the resonance layer is disposed in a region different from a region in the radiation layer where the radiator is disposed.
2. The module according to claim 1, in, The first substrate comprises a printed circuit board (PCB), and The first substrate and the second substrate are electrically connected via a ball grid array (BGA).
3. The module according to claim 1 or 2, in, The resonant layer on which the plurality of resonators are disposed on the first substrate is different from the radiating layer on which the radiator is disposed on the first substrate.
4. The module according to claim 1 to 3, in, The plurality of resonators are disposed at uniform intervals in the resonance layer of the first substrate.
5. The module according to claims 1 to 4, in, The plurality of resonators are disposed to form a grid array in a region of the resonance layer different from a region on which the radiator is disposed.
6. The module according to claims 1 to 3, in, The plurality of resonators include a first resonator and a second resonator, wherein a distance between the radiator and the first resonator is longer than a distance between the radiator and the second resonator, and The size of the first resonator is larger than the size of the second resonator.
7. The module according to claims 1 to 6, further comprising: include: Multiple additional resonators, The layer on which the plurality of additional resonators are disposed among the plurality of first layers of the first substrate is different from the resonant layer.
8. The module according to claims 1 to 7, in, The first substrate includes a feeder configured to supply a signal received from the second substrate to a radiator, The feed line is arranged on a feed layer in the plurality of first layers of the first substrate, and The feeding layer is arranged closer to the second substrate than the radiation layer and the resonance layer.
9. The module according to claims 1 to 8, in, The second substrate is electrically connected to a radio frequency (RF) module including a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), wherein the second substrate includes a through hole and a feed line configured to transmit a signal received from the RF module to the first substrate, The through hole is formed through at least a portion of the plurality of second layers of the second substrate.
10. The module according to claims 1 to 9, in, The first substrate comprises a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), wherein the first substrate is electrically connected via a bonding member, wherein the resonant layer on which the plurality of resonators of the first substrate are disposed is the same layer as the radiating layer on which the radiator of the first substrate is disposed, wherein the first substrate comprises a plurality of radiators, and The plurality of resonators are arranged to form a grid array in a region of the first substrate that is different from a region on which the plurality of radiators are arranged.
11. An electronic device in a wireless communication system, include: Radome; Radio unit (RU) housing; and RU module, The RU module includes an antenna board on which the antenna module is arranged and an RU board including a power supply. Wherein, the antenna module in the antenna module includes: Multiple radiators; Multiple resonators; an antenna board on which the radiator and the plurality of resonators are disposed; and Wherein, the antenna board includes a plurality of first layers, Wherein, the RU board includes a plurality of second layers, The radiator is arranged on a radiation layer among the plurality of first layers of the antenna board. wherein the plurality of resonators are arranged on a resonant layer among the plurality of first layers of the antenna board, At least a portion of the plurality of resonators in the resonance layer is disposed in a region different from a region in the radiation layer where the radiator is disposed.
12. The electronic device according to claim 11, in, The antenna board includes a printed circuit board (PCB), and The antenna board and the RU board are electrically connected via a ball grid array (BGA).
13. The electronic device according to claim 11 to 12, in, The resonant layer on which the plurality of resonators of the antenna board are disposed is different from the radiating layer on which the radiator of the antenna board is disposed.
14. The electronic device according to claim 11 to 13, in, The plurality of resonators are arranged at uniform intervals in the resonance layer of the antenna board.
15. The electronic device according to claim 11 to 14, in, The plurality of resonators are disposed to form a grid array in a region of the resonance layer different from a region on which the plurality of radiators are disposed.