Liquid crystal phased-array antenna, control method thereof and antenna system

Abstract

The invention discloses a liquid crystal phased-array antenna, a control method of the liquid crystal phased-array antenna and an antenna system. The liquid crystal phased-array antenna comprises a plurality of scanning lines and a plurality of data lines, wherein the scanning lines and the data lines are arranged on different layers; the plurality of antenna arrays are positioned in an area defined by the plurality of data lines and the plurality of scanning lines in a crossing manner; the plurality of control structures are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of antenna arrays; a control electrode of the control structure is connected with the scanning line, a first electrode of the control structure is electrically connected with the antenna array, and a second electrode of the control structure is electrically connected with the corresponding data line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of satellite communication, and in particular, to a liquid crystal phased array antenna, a control method thereof, and an antenna system. Background Art

[0002] With the development in recent years, the liquid crystal phased array technology has gradually broken through the relevant technical limitations and become a potential technology that can be applied to satellite communication ground terminals in the future.

[0003] However, in the existing liquid crystal phased array antennas, feed lines need to be provided for each element, resulting in a large number of feed lines, rapid decline in losses, and limited array surface, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present invention provide a liquid crystal phased array antenna, a control method thereof, and an antenna system to solve the above problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] In a first aspect, to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a liquid crystal phased array antenna, including:

[0006] A plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines arranged crosswise; wherein, the scan lines and the data lines are arranged in different layers;

[0007] A plurality of antenna elements, the antenna elements being located in an area defined by the intersection of the plurality of data lines and the plurality of scan lines;

[0008] A plurality of control structures, corresponding to the plurality of antenna elements one by one; a control pole of the control structure is connected to the scan line, a first pole of the control structure is electrically connected to the antenna element, and a second pole of the control structure is electrically connected to the corresponding data line.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, the plurality of scan lines extend along a first direction and are arranged along a second direction; wherein, the first direction intersects with the second direction;

[0010] The plurality of data lines extend along the second direction and are arranged along the first direction.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the plurality of scan lines are arc lines with the same center of the circle, and are arranged along the direction from the center of the circle to the scan lines; wherein, on a ray from the center of the circle to the scan line, each scan line has an opening;

[0012] The plurality of data lines form ray segments from the center of the circle to the scan lines, the plurality of data lines overlap with each scan line, and the plurality of data lines do not intersect each other.

[0013] In a possible implementation, among the antenna elements in the same column, the control structures electrically connecting adjacent two antenna elements are connected to different data lines.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the control structure includes a transistor;

[0015] The transistor includes a gate, a source, and a drain; the gate serves as the control electrode, the source serves as the first electrode, the drain serves as the second electrode, and the patterns of the source and the drain are formed by continuous splicing of multiple M shapes.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the channel ratio of the transistor is at least 550 / 4.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the antenna element includes:

[0018] A power divider with a balun structure, configured to divide the received feeding signal into two differential signals with the same amplitude and a phase difference of 180°;

[0019] A liquid crystal phase shift structure, electrically connected to two differential ends of the power divider, and also electrically connected to the first electrode. The liquid crystal phase shift structure is configured to generate electromagnetic waves according to the differential signals and control the phase of the electromagnetic waves according to the signals provided by the control structure;

[0020] A radiation structure, configured to radiate the electromagnetic waves externally.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the power divider includes:

[0022] An input part and a first branch and a second branch connected to one end of the input part; the length of the first branch is less than the length of the second branch;

[0023] One end of the input part away from the first branch serves as the input end of the power divider, and one ends of the first branch and the second branch away from the input part serve as the two differential ends;

[0024] The input part is a broken line, the figure formed by the first branch and the second branch is a rectangle, and the width of the rectangle is 1 / 4 times the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the impedance value ranges of the input end and the differential ends are 60 - 100 Ω.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the liquid crystal phase shift structure includes:

[0027] A first substrate and a second substrate arranged oppositely, and a liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate;

[0028] The first substrate includes a first substrate base and a first microstrip line having a comb structure, and the first microstrip line is located on a surface of the first substrate base away from the second substrate base;

[0029] The second substrate includes a second substrate base and a second microstrip line having a comb structure, and the second microstrip line is located on a surface of the second substrate base away from the first substrate base; the first microstrip line and the second microstrip line are electrically connected to the two differential terminals respectively;

[0030] The bodies of the first microstrip line and the second microstrip line are broken lines, and the combs on the first microstrip line and the combs on the second microstrip line overlap in the orthographic projection on the first substrate base.

[0031] A possible implementation manner further includes:

[0032] A storage capacitor, which is connected in parallel with the liquid crystal phase shift structure; the storage capacitor has a first electrode and a second electrode arranged oppositely, the first electrode is arranged on the same layer as the gate metal layer, and the second electrode is arranged on the same layer as the source-drain metal layer.

[0033] A possible implementation manner, the radiation structure includes:

[0034] A first dielectric plate, a first radiation sheet and a second radiation sheet respectively located on two sides of the first dielectric plate; wherein, the first radiation sheet and the second radiation sheet have the same shape, and the area of the first radiation sheet is smaller than the area of the second radiation sheet;

[0035] A second dielectric plate, which is located on a side of the second radiation sheet away from the first dielectric plate;

[0036] A ground plane, which is located on a side of the second dielectric plate away from the first dielectric plate; the ground plane has a slot, the slot overlaps with the first radiation sheet and the second radiation sheet, and one end of the slot overlaps with the input part of the power divider and has no overlap with the input end of the power divider.

[0037] A possible implementation manner further includes:

[0038] A connection line, which is connected between the first pole and one end of the first microstrip line or the second microstrip line away from the power divider;

[0039] The width of the connection line is at most 10 um.

[0040] A possible implementation manner, the first microstrip line or the second microstrip line connected to the connection line is arranged on a different layer from the source corresponding metal layer;

[0041] The second pole is connected to the connection line through a connection hole, and the connection line overlaps with the connected first microstrip line or the second microstrip line.

[0042] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a control method for a liquid crystal phased array antenna according to the first aspect, including:

[0043] Providing a scan signal to a scan line to turn on a control structure connected to the scan line;

[0044] Writing a data signal to a plurality of data lines to control the liquid crystal phased array antenna to generate a beam corresponding to the phase of the data signal.

[0045] A possible implementation manner of providing a scan signal to a scan line includes:

[0046] Taking every two adjacent scan lines among a plurality of scan lines as a group;

[0047] Writing the scan signal group by group.

[0048] A possible implementation manner is that the refresh rate of the scan signal is greater than or equal to 1 KHz.

[0049] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna system including the liquid crystal phased array antenna according to the first aspect. Description of the Drawings

[0050] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid crystal phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 2 It is a top view of a scan line and a data line provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 3 It is another top view of a scan line and a data line provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of another liquid crystal phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of a control structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna element provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of a power divider provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 8A top view of a liquid crystal phase shift structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 9 provided by an embodiment of the present invention Figure 8 a sectional view in the AA' direction in;

[0059] Figure 10 a partial schematic diagram of a liquid crystal phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 11 a top view of a radiation structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 12 provided by an embodiment of the present invention Figure 11 a sectional view in the BB' direction in;

[0062] Figure 13 a structural schematic diagram of another liquid crystal phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0063] Figure 14 a flowchart of a control method for a liquid crystal phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0064] Figure 15 a scanning signal schematic diagram in a liquid crystal phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] Reference numerals:

[0066] First direction X, second direction Y, scanning line 1, data line 2, antenna element 3, control structure 4, gate 41, source 42, drain 43, power divider 31, liquid crystal phase shift structure 32, radiation structure 33, input part 311, first branch 312, second branch 313, first substrate 321, second substrate 322, liquid crystal layer 323, first substrate substrate 3211, first microstrip line 3212, second substrate substrate 3221, second microstrip line 3222, connection line 5, first dielectric plate 331, first radiation sheet 332, second radiation sheet 333, second dielectric plate 334, ground plane 335, slot K. Detailed implementation manners

[0067] An embodiment of the present invention provides a liquid crystal phased array antenna, its control method, and an antenna system to solve the above problems existing in the prior art.

[0068] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. However, the exemplary embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present invention more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same or similar structures, and thus repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted. The words expressing positions and directions described in the present invention are illustrative with reference to the drawings, but can be changed as needed, and all changes are included within the protection scope of the present invention. The drawings of the present invention are only used to illustrate the relative positional relationship and do not represent the actual proportion.

[0069] It should be noted that specific details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations without departing from the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below. The subsequent description in the specification is a preferred embodiment for implementing the present application, but the description is for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. The protection scope of the present application shall be determined by the scope defined by the appended claims.

[0070] The following specifically describes a liquid crystal phased array antenna, a control method thereof, and an antenna system provided by an embodiment of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0071] Please refer to Figure 1 which is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid crystal phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The liquid crystal phased array antenna includes:

[0072] A plurality of scan lines 1 and a plurality of data lines 2 arranged crosswise; wherein, the scan lines 1 and the data lines 2 are arranged on different layers;

[0073] A plurality of antenna elements 3, and the antenna elements 3 are located in an area in an array defined by the intersection of the plurality of data lines 2 and the plurality of scan lines 1;

[0074] A plurality of control structures 4, corresponding to the plurality of antenna elements 3 one by one. The control electrode of the control structure 4 is connected to the scan line 1, the first electrode of the control structure 4 is electrically connected to the antenna element 3, and the second electrode of the control structure 4 is electrically connected to the corresponding data line 2.

[0075] As Figure 1The shown liquid crystal phased array antenna includes 5×4 antenna elements 3. If the solution of arranging an independent feeder for each antenna element 3 in the prior art is adopted, 20 feeders need to be arranged. In the present invention, by arranging an independent control structure 4 for each antenna element 3, and connecting the second poles of the control structures 4 of the antenna elements 3 in the same column to a data line 2, and connecting the first poles to the corresponding antenna elements 3, and connecting the control poles of the control structures 4 of the antenna elements 3 in the same row to a scan line 1, the entire liquid crystal phased array antenna only needs to arrange 4 scan lines 1 and 5 data lines 2, thereby greatly reducing the wiring quantity in the liquid crystal phased array antenna, and eliminating the problems of loss reduction and array surface limitation caused by a large number of feeders in the prior art.

[0076] In the embodiment provided by the present invention, by arranging a plurality of scan lines 1 and a plurality of data lines 2 which are arranged crosswise; the antenna elements 3 are located in an area defined by the intersection, and at the same time, a control structure 4 corresponding to each of the plurality of antenna elements 3 is arranged, the control poles of the control structures 4 in the same row are connected to the same scan line 1, at least part of the second poles of the control structures 4 in the same column are connected to the same data line 2, and the second poles of the control structures 4 are connected to the corresponding antenna elements 3, so that the quantity of feeders in the liquid crystal phased array antenna can be effectively reduced, and the problems of loss reduction and array surface limitation caused by a large number of feeders in the prior art are eliminated.

[0077] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 2 is a top view of a scan line and a data line provided by an embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of scan lines 1 extend along a first direction X and are arranged along a second direction Y; wherein, the first direction X intersects with the second direction Y; a plurality of data lines 2 extend along the second direction Y and are arranged along the first direction X.

[0078] As Figure 1 shown, a plurality of antenna elements 3 can form a matrix, at this time the first direction X is perpendicular to the second direction Y; a plurality of antenna elements 3 can also form a diamond array, as Figure 2 shown, at this time the first direction X intersects with the second direction Y to form an acute angle.

[0079] Please refer to Figure 3 is another top view of a scan line and a data line provided by an embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of scan lines 1 are arc lines with the same center of the circle, and are arranged along the direction from the center of the circle to the scan lines 1; wherein, on a ray from the center of the circle to a scan line 1, each scan line 1 has an opening;

[0080] A plurality of data lines 2 form ray segments from the center of the circle to the scan lines 1, a plurality of data lines 2 overlap with each scan line 1, and a plurality of data lines 2 do not intersect with each other.

[0081] In the embodiments provided by the present invention, by arranging a plurality of scan lines 1 as concentric circles with the same center and arranging them along the ray direction pointing from the center to the scan lines 1, and setting the data lines 2 as ray segments pointing from the center to the scan lines 1, the formed liquid crystal phased array antenna can have an approximately circular array surface.

[0082] Please refer to Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of another liquid crystal phased array antenna provided in the embodiments of the present invention. In this liquid crystal phased array antenna, among the antenna elements 3 in the same column, the control structures 4 electrically connected to adjacent two antenna elements 3 are connected to different data lines 2.

[0083] Such as Figure 4 In the first column of antenna elements 3, the first antenna element 3 and the third antenna element 3 are connected to the data line 2 on the left, and the second antenna element 3 and the fourth antenna element 3 are connected to the data line 2 on the right.

[0084] Please refer to Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of a control structure provided in the embodiments of the present invention. The control structure 4 includes a transistor;

[0085] The transistor includes a gate 41, a source 42 and a drain 43; the gate 41 serves as a control electrode, the source 42 serves as a first electrode, the drain 43 serves as a second electrode, and the patterns of the source 42 and the drain 43 are formed by continuous splicing of a plurality of M shapes.

[0086] In the embodiments provided by the present invention, by setting the source 42 and the drain 43 in the transistor as patterns formed by continuous splicing of a plurality of M shapes, the energy dissipation at the microstrip line in the liquid crystal phase shift structure 32 can be reduced, damage can be reduced, and thus the performance impact of the transistor on the liquid crystal phase shift structure 32 can be reduced.

[0087] Please continue to refer to Figure 5 The length of the transistor is L, the width is M, and the channel ratio of the transistor is L / M.

[0088] In some embodiments, the channel ratio (L / M) of the transistor is at least 550 / 4.

[0089] In the embodiments provided by the present invention, by setting the channel ratio (L / M) of the transistor to be at least 550 / 4, the charging rate of the liquid crystal phase shift structure 32 can be increased, and even if the load capacitance of the liquid crystal phase shift structure 32 is large (10 - 30 pF), the liquid crystal phase shift structure 32 can still be driven.

[0090] Please refer to Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna element provided in the embodiments of the present invention. The antenna element 3 includes:

[0091] The power divider 31 with a balun structure is used to divide the received feeding signal into two differential signals with the same amplitude and a phase difference of 180°;

[0092] The liquid crystal phase shifter structure 32 is electrically connected to the two differential terminals of the power divider 31. The liquid crystal phase shifter structure 32 is also electrically connected to the first pole. The liquid crystal phase shifter structure 32 is used to generate electromagnetic waves according to the differential signals and control the phase of the electromagnetic waves according to the signals provided by the control structure 4;

[0093] The radiation structure 33 is used to radiate the electromagnetic waves externally.

[0094] Please refer to Figure 7 which is a schematic structural diagram of a power divider provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0095] The power divider 31 includes:

[0096] An input part 311 and a first branch 312 and a second branch 313 connected to one end of the input part 311; the length of the first branch 312 is less than the length of the second branch 313;

[0097] One end of the input part 311 away from the first branch 312 is used as the input end of the power divider 31, and one ends of the first branch 312 and the second branch 313 away from the input part 311 are used as the two differential terminals;

[0098] The input part 311 is a broken line, and the figure formed by the first branch 312 and the second branch 313 is a rectangle, and the width W' of the rectangle is 1 / 4 times the wavelength (λ) of the electromagnetic wave (i.e., W' = λ / 4).

[0099] In the embodiment provided by the present invention, by setting the power divider 31 to be composed of an input part 311 and a first branch 312 and a second branch 313 connected to one end of the input part 311, and making the length of the first branch 312 less than the length of the second branch 313, so that the image maintained by the first branch 312 and the second branch 313 is a rectangle, and the width of the rectangle is 1 / 4 times the wavelength (λ) of the electromagnetic wave, the power divider 31 can have a heat preservation structure, thereby realizing the conversion from the ordinary transmission line mode to the differential transmission line mode through the 1 / 4 wavelength transmission line, and further exciting the liquid crystal phase shifter structure 32.

[0100] In some embodiments, the impedance values of the input end and the differential terminals of the power divider 31 range from 60 to 100 Ω, which is convenient for coupling with the slot in the radiation structure 33.

[0101] Please refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 , Figure 8 which is a top view of a liquid crystal phase shifter structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 9 which is provided by an embodiment of the present invention Figure 8Cross-sectional view of the boundary in the AA' direction, the liquid crystal phase shifter structure 32 includes:

[0102] The first substrate 321 and the second substrate 322 which are oppositely arranged, and the liquid crystal layer 323 located between the first substrate 321 and the second substrate 322;

[0103] The first substrate 321 includes the first substrate substrate 3211 and the first microstrip line 3212 with a comb structure, and the first microstrip line 3212 is located on the side of the first substrate substrate 3211 away from the second substrate substrate 3221;

[0104] The second substrate 322 includes the second substrate substrate 3221 and the second microstrip line 3222 with a comb structure, and the second microstrip line 3222 is located on the side of the second substrate substrate 3221 away from the first substrate substrate 3211; the first microstrip line 3212 and the second microstrip line 3222 are respectively electrically connected to two differential terminals;

[0105] The main bodies of the first microstrip line 3212 and the second microstrip line 3222 are broken lines, and the projections of the combs on the first microstrip line 3212 and the combs on the second microstrip line 3222 on the first substrate substrate 3211 coincide.

[0106] One of the first microstrip line 3212 and the second microstrip line 3222 can be electrically connected to the first pole of the transistor, and the other is grounded. When a low-frequency voltage is applied to the first microstrip line 3212 through the transistor, it will cause the liquid crystal molecules between the combs of the first microstrip line 3212 and the combs of the second microstrip line 3222 to deflect, thereby changing the phase of the electromagnetic wave generated by the high-frequency feed signal input through the input end of the power divider 31 on the first microstrip line 3212 and the second microstrip line 3222.

[0107] The main bodies of the first microstrip line 3212 and the second microstrip line 3222 can be straight lines or broken lines as shown in Figure 8 When the main bodies of the first microstrip line 3212 and the second microstrip line 3222 are broken lines, the size of the phase shift region corresponding to the liquid crystal phase shifter structure 32 can be reduced.

[0108] In the embodiment provided by the present invention, by arranging the first microstrip line 3212 and the second microstrip line 3222 with comb structures and broken lines on both sides of the liquid crystal layer 323, and making the combs of the first microstrip line 3212 and the combs of the second microstrip line 3222 coincide, an electromagnetic wave can be generated by applying a high-frequency feed signal while applying a low-frequency voltage to the first microstrip line 3212 and the second microstrip line 3222 at the same time, and the phase of the electromagnetic wave can be changed by controlling the deflection of the liquid crystal molecules with the low-frequency voltage. Moreover, the size of the phase shift region corresponding to the liquid crystal phase shifter structure 32 is reduced by setting the main bodies of the first microstrip line 3212 and the second microstrip line 3222 as broken lines.

[0109] In some embodiments, the liquid crystal phased array antenna further includes a storage capacitor, which is connected in parallel with the liquid crystal phase shifter structure 32; the storage capacitor has a first electrode and a second electrode arranged oppositely, the first electrode is arranged on the same layer as the gate 41 metal layer, and the second electrode is arranged on the same layer as the source-drain 43 metal layer.

[0110] In the embodiments provided by the present invention, by providing a storage capacitor connected in parallel with the liquid crystal phase shifter structure 32, the voltage of the liquid crystal phase shifter structure 32 can be stabilized.

[0111] Please refer to Figure 10 which is a partial schematic diagram of a liquid crystal phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0112] The liquid crystal phased array antenna further includes:

[0113] A connection line 5, which is connected between the first pole of the control structure 4 and one end of the first microstrip line 3212 or the second microstrip line 3222 far from the power divider 31;

[0114] The width d of the connection line 5 is at most 10 μm.

[0115] The connection line 5 can be an indium tin oxide (ITO) line. By setting the width d of the connection line 5 to be less than or equal to 10 μm, it is possible to avoid the coupling between the connection line 5 and the first microstrip line 3212 or the second microstrip line 3222 and reduce the phase shift efficiency.

[0116] In some embodiments, when the microstrip line (the first microstrip line 3212 or the second microstrip line 3222) connected to the connection line 5 is arranged on the same layer as the source-drain 43 layer of the transistor, the connection line 5 can be directly connected to the first pole.

[0117] In some other embodiments, the first microstrip line 3212 or the second microstrip line 3222 connected to the connection line 5 and the corresponding metal layer of the source electrode 42 are arranged on different layers;

[0118] The second pole is connected to the connection line 5 through a via hole, and the connection line 5 overlaps with the connected first microstrip line 3212 or second microstrip line 3222.

[0119] By arranging the microstrip line (the first microstrip line 3212 or the second microstrip line 3222) connected to the connection line 5 and the source-drain 43 layer of the transistor on different layers and connecting the first pole and the connection line 5 with a via hole, the influence of the source-drain 43 metal layer on the liquid crystal layer 323 can be reduced.

[0120] Please refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 which is a top view of a radiation structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 12 which is provided by an embodiment of the present invention Figure 11Cross-sectional view in the BB' direction Figure 13 It is a schematic structural diagram of another liquid crystal phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 13 For Figure 12 It is a diagram after the radiation structure 33 is set to a perspective state at the corresponding position.

[0121] The radiation structure 33 includes:

[0122] A first dielectric plate 331, a first radiation sheet 332 and a second radiation sheet 333 respectively located on both sides of the first dielectric plate 331; wherein, the first radiation sheet 332 and the second radiation sheet 333 have the same shape, and the area of the first radiation sheet 332 is smaller than the area of the second radiation sheet 333;

[0123] A second dielectric plate 334, located on the side of the second radiation sheet 333 away from the first dielectric plate 331;

[0124] A ground plane 335, located on the side of the second dielectric plate 334 away from the first dielectric plate 331; the ground plane 335 has a slot K, the slot K overlaps with the first radiation sheet 332 and the second radiation sheet 333, and one end of the slot K overlaps with the input part 311 of the power divider 31 and has no overlap with the input end of the power divider 31.

[0125] The first dielectric plate 331 and the second dielectric plate 334 can be circuit boards, and the first radiation sheet 332, the second radiation sheet 333, and the ground plane 335 can be metal patterns laid on the surface of the circuit board.

[0126] A high-frequency feeding signal is input through the input end of the power divider 31, and the electromagnetic waves generated by the first microstrip line 3212 and the second microstrip line 3222 are coupled to the first radiation sheet 332 and the second radiation sheet 333 through the slot K on the ground plane 335, and the first radiation sheet 332 and the second radiation sheet 333 are used to radiate electromagnetic waves outward.

[0127] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention provides a control method for a liquid crystal phased array antenna as shown above. Please refer to Figure 14 It is a flowchart of a control method for a liquid crystal phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The control method includes:

[0128] Step 1401: Provide a scanning signal to the scanning line to turn on the control structure connected to the scanning line;

[0129] Step 1402: Write data signals to multiple data lines to control the liquid crystal phased array antenna to generate a beam with a phase corresponding to the data signals.

[0130] Such as for control Figure 1Taking the liquid crystal phased array antenna shown as an example, scanning signals are provided to the scanning lines line by line, so that the control structure of the corresponding row is turned on, and data signals (low-frequency voltage) are written to multiple data lines, thereby controlling the phase of the electromagnetic waves generated by the antenna elements of the corresponding row. After scanning all the scanning lines, the liquid crystal phased array antenna will generate a beam with a phase corresponding to the data signal.

[0131] In the embodiment provided by the present invention, a scanning signal is provided to the scanning line to start the control structure connected to the scanning line; and a data signal is written to multiple data lines to control the liquid crystal phased array antenna to generate a beam with a phase corresponding to the data signal. It can be achieved that the phase of the beam generated by the liquid crystal phased array antenna can be arbitrarily controlled by the voltage corresponding to the data signal, and it has the characteristics of being light, small and low in power consumption.

[0132] If the liquid crystal phased array antenna adopts Figure 4 When the structure is shown, see Figure 15 A schematic diagram of scanning signals in a liquid crystal phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 15 The radiating structure is not shown.

[0133] Providing scanning signals to the scanning lines can be achieved in the following ways:

[0134] Every two adjacent scanning lines among the plurality of scanning lines are regarded as a group; and scanning signals are written group by group.

[0135] like Figure 15 As shown, scan line G1 and scan line G2 are a group, and scan line G3 and scan line G4 are a group. Scan signals are provided to scan line G1 and scan line G2 at the same time, and data signals are written to multiple data lines to complete the control of the row antenna arrays corresponding to scan lines G1 and G2; thereafter, scan signals are provided to scan line G3 and scan line G4 at the same time, and data signals are written to multiple data lines to complete the control of the row antenna arrays corresponding to scan lines G3 and G4. The control methods of the remaining antenna arrays are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0136] In the embodiment provided by the present invention, by connecting two adjacent antenna arrays in the same column to different data lines and allowing two adjacent scan lines to receive the same scan signal at the same time, the charging time of the liquid crystal phase shifter structure can be increased, thereby improving the load-carrying capacity of the liquid crystal phase shifter structure, so that the liquid crystal phase shifter structure can drive a load of up to 10-30pF.

[0137] In some embodiments, the refresh rate of the scan signal is greater than or equal to 1 KHz.

[0138] By setting the refresh rate of the scanning signal to be greater than or equal to 1KHz, the liquid crystal phased array antenna can be applied to the field of satellite communications where the beam switching angle time is less than 1ms.

[0139] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention provides an antenna system, including the liquid crystal phased array antenna as described above.

[0140] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art can make additional changes and modifications to these embodiments once they know the basic creative concept. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be construed to include the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the present invention.

[0141] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalent technologies, the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal phased array antenna, characterized in that, Including: Multiple scan lines and multiple data lines that are cross - arranged; among them, the scan lines and the data lines are arranged on different layers; Multiple antenna elements, and the antenna elements are located in an area defined by the intersection of the multiple data lines and the multiple scan lines; Multiple control structures, corresponding to the multiple antenna elements one by one; the control electrode of the control structure is connected to the scan line, the first electrode of the control structure is electrically connected to the antenna element, and the second electrode of the control structure is electrically connected to the corresponding data line.

2. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that The multiple scan lines extend along a first direction and are arranged along a second direction; among them, the first direction intersects the second direction; The multiple data lines extend along the second direction and are arranged along the first direction.

3. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 1, wherein The multiple scan lines are arc lines with the same center of the circle, and are arranged along the direction from the center of the circle to the scan lines; among them, on a ray from the center of the circle to the scan line, each scan line has an opening; The multiple data lines form ray segments from the center of the circle to the scan lines, the multiple data lines overlap with each scan line, and the multiple data lines do not intersect each other.

4. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Among the antenna elements in the same column, the control structures to which adjacent two antenna elements are electrically connected are connected to different data lines.

5. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that The control structure includes a transistor; The transistor includes a gate, a source, and a drain; the gate serves as the control electrode, the source serves as the first electrode, the drain serves as the second electrode, and the patterns of the source and the drain are formed by multiple M - shapes continuously spliced.

6. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 5, wherein, The channel ratio of the transistor is at least 550 / 4.

7. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 5, wherein The antenna element includes: A power divider with a balun structure, which is used to divide the received feeding signal into two differential signals with the same amplitude and a phase difference of 180°; A liquid - crystal phase - shifting structure, which is electrically connected to the two differential terminals of the power divider, and the liquid - crystal phase - shifting structure is also electrically connected to the first electrode. The liquid - crystal phase - shifting structure is used to generate electromagnetic waves according to the differential signals and control the phase of the electromagnetic waves according to the signals provided by the control structure; A radiation structure, which is used to radiate the electromagnetic waves externally.

8. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 7, wherein, The power divider includes: An input part and a first branch and a second branch connected to one end of the input part; the length of the first branch is less than the length of the second branch; One end of the input part far from the first branch serves as the input end of the power divider, and one ends of the first branch and the second branch far from the input part serve as the two differential terminals; The input part is a broken line, the figure formed by the first branch and the second branch is a rectangle, and the width of the rectangle is 1 / 4 times the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

9. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 8, wherein, The impedance value range of the input end and the differential terminals is 60 - 100Ω.

10. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 7, wherein The liquid - crystal phase - shifting structure includes: A first substrate and a second substrate arranged oppositely, and a liquid - crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate; The first substrate includes a first substrate and a first microstrip line with a comb - tooth structure, and the first microstrip line is located on the side of the first substrate far from the second substrate; The second substrate includes a second substrate base and a second microstrip line having a comb structure, and the second microstrip line is located on a side of the second substrate base away from the first substrate base; the first microstrip line and the second microstrip line are respectively electrically connected to the two differential terminals; The bodies of the first microstrip line and the second microstrip line are broken lines, and the combs on the first microstrip line and the combs on the second microstrip line overlap in the orthographic projection on the first substrate base.

11. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that, Further included are: A storage capacitor, connected in parallel with the liquid crystal phase shift structure; the storage capacitor has a first electrode and a second electrode arranged oppositely, the first electrode is arranged on the same layer as the gate metal layer, and the second electrode is arranged on the same layer as the source-drain metal layer.

12. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 10, wherein The radiation structure includes: A first dielectric plate, a first radiation sheet and a second radiation sheet respectively located on two sides of the first dielectric plate; wherein, the first radiation sheet and the second radiation sheet have the same shape, and the area of the first radiation sheet is smaller than the area of the second radiation sheet; A second dielectric plate, located on a side of the second radiation sheet away from the first dielectric plate; A ground plane, located on a side of the second dielectric plate away from the first dielectric plate; the ground plane has a slot, the slot overlaps with the first radiation sheet and the second radiation sheet, and one end of the slot overlaps with the input part of the power divider and has no overlap with the input end of the power divider.

13. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 10, characterized in that, Further included are: A connection line, connected between the first pole and one end of the first microstrip line or the second microstrip line away from the power divider; The width of the connection line is at most 10 um.

14. The liquid crystal phased array antenna according to claim 13, wherein The first microstrip line or the second microstrip line connected to the connection line is arranged on a different layer from the source corresponding metal layer; The second pole is connected to the connection line through a via hole, and the connection line overlaps with the first microstrip line or the second microstrip line it is connected to.

15. A control method for a liquid crystal phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, Includes: Providing a scan signal to the scan line to turn on the control structure connected to the scan line; Writing a data signal to a plurality of data lines to control the liquid crystal phased array antenna to generate a beam corresponding to the data signal in phase.

16. The control method according to claim 15, wherein, Providing a scan signal to the scan line includes: Taking every two adjacent scan lines among the plurality of scan lines as a group; Writing the scan signal group by group.

17. The control method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The refresh rate of the scan signal is greater than or equal to 1 KHz.

18. An antenna system, characterized in that, Including the liquid crystal phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1-14.

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