Wide-beam patch antenna

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of communication antennas, and provides a wide-beam patch antenna which comprises a radiation patch, a grounding plate, a feed structure, a dielectric substrate and at least one group of grounding metal coupling columns. The grounding metal coupling column is located in a current belly area of a main current mode of the radiation patch, forms strong coupling with a main mode current, excites and establishes a secondary current path perpendicular to a horizontal plane direction, and enhances a low elevation angle component of antenna radiation and a beam width in a polarization direction; by establishing a four-coupling-column structure of an orthogonal mode cooperative enhancement mechanism, the half-power beam width in two orthogonal polarization directions can be effectively expanded, and wide-beam circular polarization radiation of the antenna is further realized; in addition, a single-layer dielectric substrate structure is adopted, the antenna is light and low in cost, wide beam performance is guaranteed, meanwhile, cost control and manufacturing reliability are considered, and the antenna has good feasibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of communication antennas, relates to patch antennas, and particularly relates to a patch antenna with a wide beam and high performance. Background Art

[0002] As a core component of modern wireless communication systems, patch antennas have been widely used in many fields due to their unique structural advantages. This type of antenna adopts a flattened structure design and consists of a radiation patch, a dielectric substrate, and a ground plane to form a typical sandwich structure. Its overall thickness is usually less than one-tenth of the operating wavelength, and this ultra-thin characteristic enables it to exhibit significant advantages in mobile terminals, satellite navigation, and intelligent transportation systems. The manufacturing technology of microstrip antennas based on lithography technology has good compatibility with printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing technology, and can achieve large-scale production through metal thin film deposition and electroplating processes. Dozens or even hundreds of antenna units can be fabricated in a single processing, significantly reducing the unit production cost.

[0003] In engineering applications, the radiation characteristics of traditional half-wavelength microstrip patch antennas (length ≈ 0.5λ, λ is the wavelength of electromagnetic waves in the dielectric substrate) have obvious limitations. Its half-power beam width is usually limited within 100°. In dynamic reception scenarios, the narrow beam characteristic is prone to cause signal stability problems. For example, in vehicle-mounted satellite positioning systems, the low elevation angle signal reception requirements caused by the urban canyon effect conflict with the limited beam coverage ability of the antenna; in high-speed mobile environments, multipath effects and beam misalignment further weaken communication reliability.

[0004] To achieve wide beam coverage, existing technologies reconstruct the current distribution by changing the patch geometry (circular / ring-shaped patches or asymmetric chamfer design), and suppress the backward radiation by combining structures such as defected ground planes and U-shaped ground planes; use low dielectric constant thick substrates or air layer filling to reduce the Q value, and cooperate with multi-layer stacked patches and cross-feed to broaden the bandwidth; introduce parasitic patches to regulate the near field, etc. However, these methods generally rely on complex multi-layer structures or special substrate materials, resulting in an increase in the manufacturing cost of the antenna, and facing defects such as a sharp drop in gain and high process complexity. Therefore, it is urgent to study a high-performance, low-cost, wide-beam patch antenna. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a wide-beam patch antenna based on a single-layer radiation patch and reasonably introducing grounded metal coupling posts. Through the electromagnetic coupling regulation mechanism, as well as the reconstruction of the electromagnetic environment at the boundary of the radiation patch and the guidance of the auxiliary current path, the beam width and radiation direction of the patch antenna are effectively expanded, aiming to break through the limitations of traditional single-layer patch antennas in terms of beam width and directivity, and achieve high-performance radiation control under a lightweight architecture.

[0006] The object of the present invention can be achieved by the following technical solutions.

[0007] A wide-beam patch antenna includes a radiation patch, a ground plane, a feeding structure, and a dielectric substrate. Among them, the radiation patch is a single-layer patch, the dielectric substrate is disposed between the radiation patch and the ground plane, the inner conductor of the feeding structure is electrically connected to the radiation patch, and the outer conductor is welded and fixed to the ground plane. At least one set of grounding metal coupling posts is disposed on the dielectric substrate near the edge of the radiation patch. The lower end of the grounding metal coupling post is connected to the ground plane, and the upper end is capacitively loaded and suspended. The feeding structure and the grounding metal coupling post act together to excite and control the polarization direction of the main current mode of the radiation patch. The grounding metal coupling post is located in the current belly region of the main current mode of the radiation patch. By forming a strong coupling with the main current, a secondary current path perpendicular to the horizontal plane direction is excited and established, enhancing the low elevation angle component of the antenna radiation and the beam width in the polarization direction, and achieving omnidirectional wide-beam coverage of the antenna.

[0008] As a further solution of the present invention, the radiation patch specifically adopts a rectangular structure or a circular structure.

[0009] Preferably, one set of grounding metal coupling posts is selected and symmetrically disposed on both sides of the central axis of the radiation patch. By adjusting and optimizing the distance between the grounding metal coupling post and the edge of the radiation patch, the performance of the electromagnetic coupling between the grounding metal coupling post and the current belly is optimized.

[0010] Further explanation, the feeding structure and the grounding metal coupling post are jointly disposed on the central axis of the radiation patch, and the excited main mode current is distributed along the direction of the central axis.

[0011] Further explanation, by adjusting the offset position of the feeding structure on the surface of the radiation patch, the electric field strength of the current excited by the radiation patch and the impedance matching can be jointly optimized.

[0012] Preferably, two sets of grounding metal coupling posts are selected, and the four grounding metal coupling posts are symmetrically disposed on two orthogonal central axes of the radiation patch respectively to form a cross-coupling structure. By respectively adjusting and optimizing the distances between the two sets of grounding metal coupling posts and the edge of the radiation patch, the performance of the electromagnetic coupling between the grounding metal coupling posts and the current bellies of two orthogonal polarizations is optimized.

[0013] Further explanation, by controlling the side length parameters of the radiation patch, the frequencies determined by the two orthogonal polarization currents are respectively distributed on both sides of the target center frequency of the antenna, and by adjusting the difference between the two frequencies, a 90-degree phase difference is formed at the target center frequency of the antenna, forming circular polarization radiation.

[0014] Furthermore, the feeding structure is located in the diagonal region of the radiation patch, simultaneously exciting two orthogonal modes on the orthogonal central axis, and adjusting the amplitude ratio and phase difference of the two modes by fine-tuning the position of the feeding structure to achieve optimal control of the circular polarization axial ratio and impedance matching performance.

[0015] As a further aspect of the present invention, the size of the ground plane is larger than that of the radiation patch, providing a voltage zero point and forming a reflecting surface to enhance the directivity and gain of the antenna, thus constituting a directive antenna.

[0016] As a further aspect of the present invention, the radiation patch can also adopt an annular or polygonal structure, as well as a special-shaped patch including multi-sided slot openings, loaded slots or periodic defect structures.

[0017] As a further aspect of the present invention, the thickness and dielectric constant of the dielectric substrate can be adaptively adjusted.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present invention: The wide-beam patch antenna provided by the present invention adopts a single-layer dielectric substrate structure, which has the characteristics of being light and low-cost. Without relying on multi-layer stacking or complex geometric loading, by only loading symmetrically arranged grounding metal coupling posts in the single-layer dielectric substrate structure, it always covers the current abdomen area of the main current mode of the radiation chip, forms a strong coupling with the main mode current, introduces an additional radiation component in the vertical horizontal plane direction, significantly enhances the low elevation angle component of the antenna radiation and the beam width in the polarization direction; it also supports a four-coupling post structure that establishes an orthogonal mode collaborative enhancement mechanism, effectively expanding the half-power beam width in two orthogonal polarization directions, further realizing the wide-beam circular polarization radiation of the antenna, and significantly improving the radiation performance of the antenna. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the wide-beam patch antenna in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a side view of the wide-beam patch antenna in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 It is a top view of the wide-beam patch antenna in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the current mode distribution of the wide-beam patch antenna in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the wide-beam patch antenna in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 It is a top view of the wide-beam patch antenna in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the current mode distribution of the wide-beam patch antenna in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of the circular patch antenna in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the single-layer special-shaped patch provided by the present invention.

[0028] Figure 10 It is the simulation result of the radiation pattern of the linear polarization patch of the present invention in the H plane (horizontal plane).

[0029] Figure 11 It is the simulation result of the radiation pattern of the circular polarization patch of the present invention in the H plane (horizontal plane).

[0030] Figure 12 It is the simulation result of the radiation pattern of the circular polarization patch of the present invention in the E plane (vertical plane). Detailed implementation manners

[0031] Next, the technical solutions in the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. The terms used in the specification of the present invention herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0033] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0034] It should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0035] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0036] The present invention provides a wide-beam patch antenna with more excellent radiation performance and structural engineering adaptability, aiming to break through the limitations of traditional single-layer patch antennas in beam width and directivity, and achieve high-performance radiation control under a lightweight architecture. This structure is based on a single-layer radiation patch, reasonably introducing grounded metal coupling posts, and realizing the regulation of the radiation pattern through an electromagnetic coupling mechanism. At the same time, it takes into account the miniaturization of the antenna and the control of manufacturing costs, providing strong support for multi-scenario wireless communication applications.

[0037] Embodiment 1.

[0038] This embodiment specifically provides a linearly polarized wide-beam patch antenna. Referring to Figures 1-4 , it specifically includes a radiation patch 101, a ground plane 100, a feeding structure 102, a dielectric substrate 103, a first grounded metal coupling post 104a, and a second grounded metal coupling post 104b.

[0039] Among them, the radiation patch 101 adopts a rectangular structure, and the length and width parameters a and b are optimized to meet the resonance conditions of the target frequency band and ensure the stable excitation of the main mode TM10 or TM01 current mode. The dielectric substrate 103 is disposed between the radiation patch 101 and the ground plane 100, and its thickness determines the distance between the radiation patch 101 and the ground plane 100, that is, the antenna height. The dielectric substrate 103 is preferably made of a low-loss and low-dielectric constant material, which can effectively reduce the antenna Q value while ensuring the structural rigidity, and improve its working bandwidth and beam width. The size of the ground plane 100 is preferably larger than that of the radiation patch 101, providing a voltage zero point and forming a reflecting surface to enhance the directivity and gain of the antenna, constituting a directive antenna. However, the resulting beam width is relatively narrow.

[0040] By Figure 4As shown, the radiation patch 101 includes four sides, namely the first side, the second side, the third side and the fourth side. The first ground metal coupling post 104a and the second ground metal coupling post 104b are respectively arranged near the fourth side and the second side of the radiation patch 101, and the distance from their edges is set as c. This parameter c is optimized through electromagnetic simulation so that the ground metal coupling post 104a and the ground metal coupling post 104b are near the current abdomen of the main mode current (mainly distributed along the y-axis) of the radiation patch 101 to ensure the realization of the maximum electromagnetic coupling effect. The first ground metal coupling post 104a and the second ground metal coupling post 104b are symmetrically arranged along the y-axis direction and are located on the central axis of the radiation patch 101, presenting a capacitor-loading form with the lower end connected to the ground plane 100 and the upper end suspended. This structure of "suspended post + ground plane" forms a resonant branch similar to a short-circuit end load, which essentially constructs a vertical current path along the z direction. During the operation of the antenna, the horizontal current (mainly distributed along the y direction) excited by the radiation patch 101 excites the resonant response of the vertical ground metal coupling post through electromagnetic coupling, thereby generating a secondary current path in the z direction. This additional path effectively enhances the low elevation angle component in the original patch-dominated directional radiation pattern, making the overall radiation field form a radiation pattern with a circular or omnidirectional distribution characteristic.

[0041] More critically, this omnidirectional radiation characteristic introduced by the ground metal coupling post is complementary to the radiation pattern in the main lobe direction of the original radiation patch in space. The original main lobe of the radiation patch is concentrated in the θ = 0° direction, with strong directivity but narrow beamwidth, while the circular radiation energy introduced by the ground metal coupling post fills the airspace in the ±θ directions, thus forming a wider coverage range in the total radiation pattern. Measured or simulated data shows that under the action of the ground metal coupling post, the half-power beamwidth of the antenna in the H plane (horizontal plane) can be significantly extended from about 90° of the traditional patch to 120° or even higher, effectively alleviating the link interruption problem caused by the change of the user's azimuth or the disturbance of the terminal's attitude.

[0042] In addition, this structure has good feasibility in processing and engineering implementation. The ground metal coupling post can be integrally formed by through-hole electroplating or welding methods without introducing additional multi-layer substrates or special-shaped conductive structures, which is convenient for mass production on a standard printed circuit board (PCB) or ceramic substrate process platform. This optimized design takes into account cost control and manufacturing reliability while ensuring the wide-beam performance, fully reflecting the engineering design concept of "simple structure - performance gain".

[0043] In this embodiment, the feeding structure 102 not only undertakes the basic functions of radio frequency signal transmission and impedance matching, but also realizes the precise control of the antenna polarization direction and current mode through its collaborative layout with the grounding metal coupling posts 104a and 104b, demonstrating a high degree of functional integration and polarization flexibility.

[0044] First, the feeding structure 102 can adopt probe feeding or coaxial feeding methods. Among them, probe feeding is suitable for traditional microstrip layer structures, while coaxial feeding is particularly suitable for the integrated design of this type of single-layer patch antenna due to its compact structure and good electromagnetic compatibility. The typical configuration is that the inner conductor of the coaxial cable is electrically connected to the radiation patch 101, and the outer conductor is welded and fixed to the ground plane 100 to form clear reference potential and electric field boundary conditions. In addition, to improve the anti-interference performance and adapt to different frequency bands, coupling feeding, offset-fed coupling slot feeding and other forms can also be adopted to meet the multi-frequency working requirements in more complex environments.

[0045] In terms of structural layout, the position of the feeding structure 102 plays a crucial role in this solution: the relative relationship between it and the grounding metal coupling posts 104a and 104b not only determines the directionality of the excited mode (horizontal or vertical), but also directly affects the regulation of the antenna polarization mode and the main radiation direction. As Figure 4 shown, when the feeding structure 102, the grounding metal coupling post 104a and the grounding metal coupling post 104b are jointly arranged on the horizontal central axis (along the y-axis) of the radiation patch 101, the excited main current is distributed along the y-axis direction, corresponding to the horizontal polarization mode. This layout is suitable for working scenarios mainly with horizontal polarization such as ground communication and vehicle-mounted terminals. On the contrary, if the feeding structure 102, the grounding metal coupling post 104a and the grounding metal coupling post 104b are arranged on the vertical central axis (along the x-axis) of the radiation patch 101, the main current distribution direction changes to the x-axis, corresponding to vertical polarization, which is suitable for occasions such as low elevation angle satellite communication and three-dimensional reception in unmanned systems.

[0046] It should be emphasized that by adjusting the specific offset positions (Δx, Δy) of the feeding structure 102 on the surface of the radiation patch 101, the joint optimization of the electric field strength and impedance matching of the excited mode can be further realized. Theoretical and simulation results show that appropriate feeding offset can optimize the input reflection coefficient (S11) of the antenna to below -15 dB without affecting the polarization direction, while controlling the axial ratio and gain to remain at a relatively high level, thus taking into account both the frequency bandwidth and the radiation performance.

[0047] To meet the requirement of antenna size compression, the dielectric substrate 103 can be made of a high dielectric constant material (such as ceramic dielectric, with a typical dielectric constant εr in the range of 9 - 20), so as to shorten the wavelength of electromagnetic waves in the dielectric and effectively reduce the size of the antenna structure relative to the free space wavelength. This strategy is applicable to scenarios with limited space or strict packaging constraints, such as portable terminal devices, chip - level packaged antennas (AiP), etc. However, high dielectric constant materials will simultaneously bring problems such as an increase in Q value and an increase in electric field concentration, thus weakening the antenna radiation efficiency, increasing losses, and narrowing the frequency band. In scenarios pursuing high performance, it is preferred to use low dielectric constant materials (such as PTFE, foam plastics, polypropylene, etc., with a dielectric constant εr ≈ 1.05 - 2.5), or even use air as the filling material. Low dielectric constant materials can reduce the standing - wave ratio, improve the bandwidth and radiation efficiency, and are also beneficial for suppressing the interference of dielectric mode resonance on the radiation pattern. In particular, in high - frequency band (such as millimeter - wave) applications, using "equivalent medium" materials such as air or low - density foam to form the dielectric layer not only reduces the overall weight of the antenna, but also reduces the perturbation of the material to the electromagnetic field, improving the directivity and polarization purity of the antenna.

[0048] In summary, without introducing a multi - layer structure or special materials, this embodiment realizes the balanced unity of beam broadening, polarization control, and gain maintenance by reconstructing the electromagnetic environment at the boundary of the radiation patch and guiding the auxiliary current path. This structure has the advantages of simple structure, easy manufacturing, and excellent radiation performance, and is particularly suitable for wireless communication scenarios that require both wide coverage and high directivity, such as UAV navigation, vehicle - mounted satellite communication, Internet of Things base stations, and the new generation of 6G terminals, with significant engineering application value and industrial promotion prospects.

[0049] Embodiment 2.

[0050] This embodiment specifically provides a circularly polarized wide - beam patch antenna. Refer to Figures 5-7As shown in the figure, the wide-beam patch antenna includes: a radiation patch 101, a ground plane 100, a dielectric substrate 103, a feeding structure 202, and four grounding metal coupling posts 204a, 204b, 204c, and 204d, which are respectively distributed on both sides of the horizontal (y-axis) and vertical (x-axis) central axes of the radiation patch 101 to form a symmetric arrangement. The first grounding metal coupling post 204a and the second grounding metal coupling post 204b are arranged along the y-axis direction, corresponding to the enhanced region of the horizontal polarization current mode (Eh). Their positions are at a distance e from the edge of the radiation patch and are optimized to maximize the electromagnetic coupling with the current abdomen along the y-axis. The third grounding metal coupling post 204c and the fourth grounding metal coupling post 204d are arranged along the x-axis direction to enhance the vertical polarization current mode (Ev) and couple with the resonance region of the x-axis current abdomen. Their positions are at a distance d from the edge of the radiation patch. The four grounding metal coupling posts form a cross-coupling structure, which, while ensuring symmetry, effectively expands the half-power beam width in two orthogonal polarization directions, realizing the omnidirectional beam expansion of the patch antenna.

[0051] As shown by Figure 7 As shown in the figure, the distribution of the internal current mode of the radiation patch 101 indicates that this structure supports two basic orthogonal modes: the horizontal mode frequency f1 determined by the current along the y-axis direction and the vertical mode frequency f2 determined by the current along the x-axis direction. By precisely controlling the side length parameters of the radiation patch, f1 and f2 are distributed on both sides of the target center frequency f0 (such as f0 = 1.575 GHz), and their frequency interval Δf = |f1 - f2| is set to satisfy a 90° phase difference at f0. This differential frequency tuning strategy provides the basis for realizing high-quality circular polarization (CP) radiation. In fact, at the f0 frequency point, the complex electric field vector after the superposition of the two modes rotates in space to form right-handed or left-handed circular polarization, with strong polarization direction consistency and excellent axial ratio.

[0052] On this basis, the feeding structure 202 is further optimized and preferably set in the diagonal region of the radiation patch 101, such as the center offset point in the third quadrant, specifically as Figure 6 As shown in the figure, this position can simultaneously excite two orthogonal modes and is convenient for adjusting the amplitude ratio and phase difference of the two modes by finely tuning the position of the feeding structure 202, thereby realizing the optimal control of the circular polarization axial ratio and good impedance matching performance (S11 < -15 dB@f0). This design idea unifies and improves the excitation efficiency and polarization characteristics by virtue of the coupling characteristics of the feeding structure to the current abdomen.

[0053] Combined with Figures 1-7The wide-beam patch antenna structure shown and the corresponding current mode analysis. The wide-beam patch antenna proposed by the present invention exhibits the following systematic innovative features, which are significantly superior to traditional microstrip patch antenna solutions in terms of electromagnetic performance, structural design, and polarization control.

[0054] (1) The single-layer dielectric substrate structure achieves a beam width of ≥120°, combining low cost and manufacturing adaptability.

[0055] The present invention breaks through the bottleneck of the limited beam width of traditional patch antennas (generally 80°–100°). Without relying on multi-layer stacking or complex geometric loading, by introducing an electromagnetic coupling regulation mechanism in the single-layer dielectric substrate structure, the half-power beam width in the H-plane and E-plane directions reaches or exceeds 120°. This structural simplification significantly improves the manufacturing process compatibility of the antenna, which can be directly applied to existing PCB or LTCC production lines, greatly reducing the batch manufacturing cost, and is particularly suitable for mobile terminals, vehicle-mounted systems, and miniaturized array platforms.

[0056] (2) The dual-coupling post structure realizes the enhancement of the linearly polarized beam, improving the pattern symmetry and low elevation angle coverage ability.

[0057] In Figures 1-4 In the wide-beam patch antenna structure shown, by loading two symmetrically arranged grounded metal coupling posts (104a and 104b), which act on the y-axis (or x-axis) central axis of the radiating patch respectively, the grounded metal coupling posts form a strong coupling with the main-mode current (TM10 or TM01 mode), introducing an additional radiation component in the direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane (z-direction), compensating for the problem of insufficient radiation energy at low elevation angles of traditional patch antennas. This mechanism significantly expands the half-power beam width in the linearly polarized mode, improves the fullness and symmetry of the main lobe pattern shape, and adapts to multi-directional signal incidence scenarios.

[0058] (3) The four-coupling post structure constructs an orthogonal mode collaborative enhancement mechanism to achieve wide-beam circular polarization radiation.

[0059] In Figures 5-7 In the wide-beam patch antenna structure shown, by symmetrically arranging four grounded metal coupling posts (204a, 204b, 204c, 204d) on two orthogonal central axes of the radiating patch, the vertical radiation fluxes of both the horizontal and vertical current modes are enhanced simultaneously. With the optimized frequency deviation design (f1 ≠ f2) and diagonal feeding strategy, this structure achieves a 90° phase difference between two orthogonal electric field vectors at the center frequency, generating a wide-beam circular polarization beam with excellent axial ratio. Compared with the traditional complex scheme for generating circular polarization by multiple feeding points or external phase shift networks, the solution of the present invention achieves a high degree of coordination between structural simplicity and polarization performance.

[0060] Example 3.

[0061] This embodiment further expands the application scope of the ground metal coupling post enhanced radiation mechanism, and proposes a wide-beam patch antenna based on a circular radiation patch structure. This embodiment not only inherits the core idea of enhancing the beam width in the polarization direction by symmetrically loading ground metal coupling posts in Embodiment 2 above, but also combines the geometric symmetry and multi-modal resonance characteristics of the circular patch structure itself to achieve flexible switching of polarization modes and comprehensive optimization of beam performance.

[0062] Specifically, as Figure 8 shown, the circular patch antenna provided in this embodiment uses a single disk radiation patch with extremely strong structural symmetry, and symmetrically arranges two groups of ground metal coupling posts along the horizontal central axis (y-axis) and the vertical central axis (x-axis). The arrangement of the ground metal coupling posts follows the current coupling principle similar to that of the rectangular patch, but by virtue of the naturally existing equivalent multi-pole mode current distribution on the circular patch, the coupling efficiency for different direction modes is higher, and the beamwidth broadening effect is more balanced and stable.

[0063] As a further illustration of the solution of the present invention, the beam broadening and polarization control mechanism centered on the ground metal coupling post in the present invention is extended and applied to radiation patch structures of any shape to achieve a wider range of electromagnetic function adaptation and structural design freedom. This not only reflects the evolution from a rectangular patch with a single function to a modular design suitable for multi-scene and multi-target applications, but also has extremely high scalability and system compatibility.

[0064] The radiation patch in the present invention is no longer limited to axisymmetric graphic structures such as rectangles or circles with two orthogonal axes of symmetry, but can be extended to any polygon contour such as hexagons, rings, triangles, etc., and can even be a special-shaped patch structure including multi-sided slot openings, loaded slots or periodic defect structures for further regulating the current path and resonance characteristics. Specifically, as Figure 9 shown, such special-shaped patch designs not only help to achieve size compression and frequency bandwidth expansion, but also facilitate fitting to irregular terminal housings or array edge structures, and have stronger shape compatibility in engineering applications.

[0065] To ensure that the present invention still achieves effective beam expansion under the above special-shaped radiation patches, the present invention proposes a design strategy centered on "coupling column matrix reconfiguration", that is, according to the current mode distribution characteristics of the special-shaped radiation patch, the ground metal coupling column array is flexibly arranged so that it always covers the current abdominal area of the main current mode to ensure the strongest electromagnetic coupling efficiency. This local loading method can not only establish an auxiliary radiation path in the z direction, continuing the design logic of expanding the beam by vertical current coupling in the above embodiment, but also avoid the adverse perturbation of the ground metal coupling post to the edge mode, ensuring the direction pattern symmetry and sidelobe suppression effect.

[0066] In addition, to achieve performance consistency of the shaped radiation patch at different frequency bands, the present invention adaptively adjusts the parameters of the thickness h and relative permittivity εr of the dielectric substrate. A thicker or lower relative permittivity dielectric substrate is suitable for increasing the bandwidth and improving the radiation efficiency; while in application scenarios with limited size or high spectral density, a thin or high relative permittivity dielectric substrate can be selected to achieve structural compactness at the resonance frequency.

[0067] Figures 10-12 This is the radiation pattern simulation result of the wide-beam patch antenna in the embodiment of the present invention. The simulation data is based on accurate full-wave electromagnetic field analysis and uses a high-precision finite element method to ensure the reliability and engineering reference value of the results, comprehensively verifying the superiority of the wide-beam patch antenna of the present invention in terms of beam width and radiation performance.

[0068] Figure 10 Specifically, it is the radiation pattern simulation result of the linearly polarized patch antenna in Example 1 in the H-plane (horizontal plane). In the simulation design, a single-layer dielectric substrate with a thickness of 4 mm (the relative permittivity is optimized for low-loss characteristics) is used. Comparing the half-power beam width in the H-plane of the traditional 4-mm thick patch antenna (only 90°), through the innovatively introduced grounded metal coupling post structure, the HPBW in the H-plane is significantly broadened to 145.5°, an increase of 61%. This breakthrough benefits from the precise control of the surface current distribution of the radiation patch by the grounded metal coupling post, effectively optimizing the wide-angle characteristics of the radiation pattern, while maintaining high gain and low sidelobe levels, demonstrating the excellent adaptability of this design in dynamic reception scenarios.

[0069] Figure 11 and Figure 12 are respectively the radiation pattern simulation results of the circularly polarized patch antenna in Example 2 in the H-plane (horizontal plane) and E-plane (vertical plane). By loading multiple groups of grounded metal coupling posts (optimized layout to achieve synchronous control of horizontal and vertical current modes), this design achieves an HPBW exceeding 120° in both the E-plane and H-plane, showing a significant beam expansion effect compared to traditional circularly polarized patch antennas (HPBW is usually <100°). Specifically, the HPBW in the E-plane reaches 120.9°, and the HPBW in the H-plane reaches 130.7°, and excellent axial ratio (<3 dB) and circular polarization purity are maintained. This innovative design achieves omnidirectional wide-beam coverage through a single-layer substrate architecture, breaking the dependence of traditional multi-layer circularly polarized antennas on complex structures and high costs, and significantly improving the engineering practicability of the antenna.

[0070] The above is the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and it does not impose any form of limitation on the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art in this technical field, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and refinements can still be made, and these improvements and refinements also fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wide-beam patch antenna, comprising a radiation patch, a ground plane, a feeding structure, and a dielectric substrate, wherein, The radiation patch is a single-layer patch. The dielectric substrate is disposed between the radiation patch and the ground plane. The inner conductor of the feeding structure is electrically connected to the radiation patch, and the outer conductor is fixedly welded to the ground plane. It is characterized in that at least one set of grounding metal coupling posts is further disposed on the dielectric substrate near the edge of the radiation patch. The lower end of the grounding metal coupling post is connected to the ground plane, and the upper end is capacitively loaded and suspended. The feeding structure and the grounding metal coupling post act together to excite and control the polarization direction of the main current mode of the radiation patch. The grounding metal coupling post is located in the current abdomen area of the main current mode of the radiation patch. By forming a strong coupling with the main current, a secondary current path perpendicular to the horizontal plane direction is excited and established.

2. The wide-beam patch antenna according to claim 1, wherein The radiation patch is of a rectangular structure or a circular structure.

3. The wide-beam patch antenna according to claim 2, wherein, One set of the grounding metal coupling posts is selected and symmetrically disposed on both sides of the central axis of the radiation patch. By adjusting and optimizing the distance between the grounding metal coupling post and the edge of the radiation patch, the performance of the electromagnetic coupling between the grounding metal coupling post and the current abdomen is optimized.

4. The wide-beam patch antenna according to claim 3, wherein, The feeding structure and the grounding metal coupling post are jointly disposed on the central axis of the radiation patch, and the excited main mode current is distributed along the central axis direction.

5. The wide-beam patch antenna according to claim 4, wherein By adjusting the offset position of the feeding structure on the surface of the radiation patch, the electric field strength and impedance matching of the excited current of the radiation patch are jointly optimized.

6. The wide-beam patch antenna according to claim 2, wherein Two sets of the grounding metal coupling posts are selected, and the four grounding metal coupling posts are symmetrically disposed on two orthogonal central axes of the radiation patch respectively to form a cross-coupling structure. By respectively adjusting and optimizing the distances between the two sets of grounding metal coupling posts and the edge of the radiation patch, the performance of the electromagnetic coupling between the grounding metal coupling posts and the current abdomens of two orthogonal polarizations is optimized.

7. The wide-beam patch antenna according to claim 6, wherein By controlling the side length parameters of the radiation patch, the frequencies determined by two orthogonal polarization currents are respectively distributed on both sides of the target center frequency of the antenna, and by adjusting the difference between the two frequencies, a 90-degree phase difference is formed at the target center frequency of the antenna to form circular polarization radiation.

8. The wide-beam patch antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that, The feeding structure is located in the diagonal area of the radiation patch, and two orthogonal modes on the orthogonal central axes are excited simultaneously. By finely adjusting the position of the feeding structure, the amplitude ratio and phase difference of the two modes are adjusted to optimize and control the circular polarization axial ratio and impedance matching performance.

9. The wide-beam patch antenna according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The size of the ground plane is larger than that of the radiation patch, providing a voltage zero point and forming a reflecting surface to constitute a directive antenna.

10. The wide-beam patch antenna according to claim 1, wherein, The radiation patch is a special-shaped patch.

11. The wide-beam patch antenna according to claim 10, characterized in that, The thickness and dielectric constant of the dielectric substrate are adaptively regulated.

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