Wide-angle scanning phased-array antenna based on embedded decoupling structure and communication equipment thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a wide-angle scanning phased-array antenna based on embedded decoupling structures and a communication device thereof, the wide-angle scanning phased-array antenna comprises a microstrip antenna array and at least two embedded decoupling structures, the microstrip antenna array comprises at least two radiation patches, each embedded decoupling structure comprises a short-circuit mushroom element and an air gap, and the short-circuit mushroom element is connected with the air gap. The short-circuit mushroom element is embedded in the edge of the radiation patch, the air gap is etched in the outer contour, corresponding to the short-circuit mushroom element, of the radiation patch, and the embedded decoupling structure is used for short-circuit coupling current so as to suppress coupling electric field interference. The short-circuit mushroom element of the decoupling structure is embedded along the radiation edge of the microstrip antenna, the coupling electric field interference can be inhibited, the edge radiation characteristic of the microstrip antenna can be recovered, the whole antenna does not occupy the space outside an antenna unit, the structure is simple, the processing cost is low, the expandability is high, and the antenna can be widely applied to the technical field of antennas.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure and communication equipment thereof. Background Art

[0002] Reducing the spacing between antenna elements helps phased array antennas achieve higher directivity and low sidelobe characteristics, thus enabling the array to achieve a wide-angle scanning range. Traditional phased array antennas are typically spaced less than half the operating wavelength. In such a compact design, strong electromagnetic coupling is prevalent between array antennas, causing electromagnetic interference between elements. This directly leads to active reflection coefficient mismatch during wide-angle beam scanning, while also destroying the phased array's high gain characteristics, thus compromising the phased array's beam coverage and radiation efficiency. To address these issues, current decoupling techniques for designing wide-angle scanning phased arrays primarily include adding matching layers, metal pillars and walls, electromagnetic bandgap structures, decoupling surfaces, mode cancellation methods, and microstrip decoupling networks. These decoupling techniques all provide decoupling strategies for designing wide-beam scanning phased array antennas, but they also occupy dimensions outside the antenna itself, inevitably affecting the layout of the phased array antenna, hindering compact array layout and wide-angle scanning performance. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the above technical problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure and a communication device thereof, which can occupy no space outside the antenna unit.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, one aspect of an embodiment of the present application proposes a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure, comprising a microstrip antenna array and at least two embedded decoupling structures, wherein the microstrip antenna array comprises at least two radiating patches, and each of the embedded decoupling structures comprises a short-circuit mushroom element and an air gap, wherein the short-circuit mushroom element is embedded in the edge of the radiating patch, and the radiating patch is etched with the air gap corresponding to the outer contour of the short-circuit mushroom element, and the embedded decoupling structure is used to short-circuit the coupling current to suppress the coupling electric field interference.

[0005] In some embodiments, the microstrip antenna array further includes a dielectric plate and a floor from top to bottom, and each of the radiation patches is arranged on the upper surface of the dielectric plate.

[0006] In some embodiments, the short-circuit mushroom element includes a mushroom disk and a short-circuit metal column, the mushroom disk is embedded in the edge of the radiation patch, the radiation patch is etched with the air gap corresponding to the outer contour of the mushroom disk, and the short-circuit metal column is arranged on the lower surface of the mushroom disk and passes through the dielectric plate.

[0007] In some embodiments, a feeding probe is disposed on the lower surface of each of the radiation patches. The feeding probe penetrates through the dielectric substrate, and a capacitive annular gap is etched around the feeding probe. The capacitive annular gap is used to compensate for the equivalent inductance of the inner conductor of the SMA connector.

[0008] In some embodiments, the mushroom disk is a metal patch. The shape of the mushroom disk includes a circle, a rectangle, a polygon, or an interdigitated structure. The air gap corresponding to the mushroom disk is one of an annular shape, a frame shape, a multi-sided annular shape, or a distributed finger-shaped gap.

[0009] In some embodiments, the microstrip antenna array includes two of the radiation patches. The two radiation patches are arranged symmetrically, and the embedded decoupling structure is embedded on both of the two radiation patches. The short-circuit mushroom element in the embedded decoupling structure is embedded in the adjacent sides of the two radiation patches.

[0010] In some embodiments, the microstrip antenna array includes n of the radiation patches. Each of the radiation patches is arranged in a translational manner, and the embedded decoupling structure is embedded on each of the radiation patches. The short-circuit mushroom element in the embedded decoupling structure is embedded in the same side of each of the radiation patches, where n is a natural number and n≥2.

[0011] In some embodiments, the microstrip antenna array includes m×n of the radiation patches. The radiation patches are arranged in an m-row and n-column manner, and the embedded decoupling structure is embedded on each of the radiation patches. The short-circuit mushroom element in the embedded decoupling structure is embedded in the same side of each of the radiation patches, where m and n are both natural numbers, and m≥1, n≥2.

[0012] In some embodiments, the microstrip antenna array includes m×n of the radiation patches. The radiation patches are arranged in an m-row and n-column manner, and two of the embedded decoupling structures are embedded on each of the radiation patches. The short-circuit mushroom element in the embedded decoupling structure is embedded in the two same sides of each of the radiation patches, where m and n are both natural numbers, and m≥1, n≥2.

[0013] To achieve the above object, on the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including the wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on the embedded decoupling structure as described above.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: A wide-angle scanning phased array antenna and its communication device based on an embedded decoupling structure according to the present invention include a microstrip antenna array and at least two embedded decoupling structures. The microstrip antenna array includes at least two radiation patches. Each embedded decoupling structure includes a short-circuit mushroom element and an air gap. The short-circuit mushroom element is embedded at the edge of the radiation patch, and an air gap is etched in the radiation patch corresponding to the outer contour of the short-circuit mushroom element. The embedded decoupling structure is used for short-circuit coupling current to suppress the interference of the coupled electric field. In the present invention, the short-circuit mushroom element of the embedded decoupling structure is embedded along the radiation edge of the microstrip antenna and forms together with the naturally formed air gap. Its structural function is similar to that of an LC series resonator, which has a low-impedance characteristic during resonance, can efficiently short-circuit couple current, thereby suppressing the interference of the coupled electric field and restoring the edge radiation characteristic of the microstrip antenna. It is easy to be integrated into the microstrip antenna and the array without increasing the overall size and profile, can make the antenna array layout spacing compact, the structure is simple, the processing cost is low, and the scalability is strong. Description of the Drawings

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following introduces the drawings required to be used in the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the drawings introduced below only conveniently and clearly illustrate some embodiments of the technical solutions in the present invention. For those skilled in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0016] Figure 1 It is a top view of a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 It is an overall schematic diagram of a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 It is a side view of a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 It is an equivalent circuit schematic diagram of an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 It is a side view of a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on a rectangular embedded coupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7The surface current vector distribution diagram of the two - element mirror - arranged microstrip antenna based on the embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 8 The spatial electric field comparison diagram of the traditional mirror - arranged antenna and the two - element mirror - arranged microstrip antenna proposed by the embodiment of the present invention provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 9 The performance comparison diagram of the traditional mirror - arranged antenna and the two - element mirror - arranged microstrip antenna proposed by the embodiment of the present invention provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 10 The top view of the two - element translation - arranged microstrip antenna based on the embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 11 The side view of the two - element translation - arranged microstrip antenna based on the embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 12 The performance comparison diagram of the traditional translation - arranged antenna and the two - element translation - arranged antenna proposed by the embodiment of the present invention provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 13 The top view of the 1×4 phased - array antenna based on the embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure ı4 The top view of the 1×8 phased - array antenna based on the embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 15 The active S - parameter comparison diagram of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th units in the 1×8 traditional microstrip phased - array antenna and the 1×8 phased - array antenna proposed by the embodiment of the present invention provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 16 The normalized beam scanning direction diagram of the 1×8 phased - array antenna simulation provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 17 The top view of the 4×4 phased - array antenna based on the embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 18 The top view of the dual - polarization 2×2 array based on the embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 19The top view of a single-polarization 2×2 array based on an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Reference numerals: 10, radiation patch; 20, dielectric substrate; 30, ground plane; 101, mushroom disc; 102, shorting metal post; 201, feeding probe. Detailed implementation manners

[0036] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The implementation manners described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementation manners consistent with the embodiments of the present application. They are only examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the embodiments of the present application detailed in the appended claims.

[0037] It can be understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. used in the present application may be used in this document to describe various concepts, but unless otherwise specified, these concepts are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one concept from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the words "if", "when" used herein may be interpreted as "when...", "when...", or "in response to determining".

[0038] The terms "at least one", "a plurality of", "each", "any one", etc. used in the present application, at least one includes one, two or more than two, a plurality of includes two or more than two, each refers to each of the corresponding plurality, and any one refers to any one of the plurality.

[0039] Before elaborating on the embodiments of the present application in detail, some nouns and terms involved in the embodiments of the present application will be described first. The nouns and terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are applicable to the following explanations.

[0040] Phased array antenna: Since the beam direction of a traditional antenna is fixed, it is difficult to simultaneously achieve signal coverage over a large range and a long distance, and its application scenarios are easily limited. To solve this problem, a phased array antenna can precisely adjust the phase of each excitation signal, and can achieve fast beam scanning without moving the array. This characteristic enables it to have flexible beam steering ability and dynamic tracking effect, and can be easily integrated into communication systems, and is widely used in fields such as base stations, satellite communications, vehicle-mounted radars, and military.

[0041] Wide-angle scanning: Traditional phased array antennas have limited beam coverage. To achieve a larger beam scanning angle, a phased array antenna with wide-angle scanning capability is required.

[0042] Reducing the spacing between antenna elements helps phased array antennas achieve higher directivity and low sidelobe characteristics, enabling the array to achieve a wide-angle scanning range. Traditional phased array antennas are typically spaced less than half an operating wavelength apart. In this compact design, strong electromagnetic coupling is prevalent between array antennas, causing electromagnetic interference between elements. This directly leads to active reflection coefficient mismatch during wide-angle beam scanning, while also destroying the phased array's high gain characteristics, which in turn affects the beam coverage and radiation efficiency of the phased array antenna.

[0043] To address the above issues, the current decoupling technologies for designing wide-angle scanning phased arrays mainly include: adding matching layers, metal pillars and metal walls, electromagnetic bandgap structures, decoupling surfaces, mode cancellation methods, microstrip line decoupling networks, and other methods. With the rapid development of communication equipment, the design space left for antennas is becoming increasingly limited. The above-mentioned decoupling technologies all provide decoupling strategies for designing wide-beam scanning phased array antennas, but they also occupy dimensions outside the antenna, inevitably affecting the layout of the phased array antenna, which is not conducive to the compact arrangement and wide-angle scanning characteristics of the array.

[0044] The use of matching layers significantly increases the antenna array's profile and module size. Metal walls and metal pillars have limited decoupling capabilities, often requiring other methods to expand the phased array's scanning angle. The electromagnetic bandgap structure and decoupling surface are large, requiring ample space for their layout. Furthermore, when the decoupling structure and antenna are placed on separate layers, a certain degree of antenna cross-section is sacrificed, which can severely impact performance such as cross-polarization. Furthermore, the use of decoupling surfaces in millimeter-wave and even higher frequency bands presents significant fabrication challenges. Mode cancellation methods and microstrip decoupling networks are challenging to design and require more space for proper layout, making close proximity of elements difficult and hindering array beam scanning over a wider range. In summary, most traditional decoupling structures or methods inevitably occupy space outside the antenna, hindering the reduction of element spacing and limiting the potential for increasing the phased array's scanning range. Furthermore, these technologies are inherently complex and challenging to design, making their practical implementation challenging. Designing an efficient decoupling technology for wide-angle scanning phased array antennas without affecting the size and layout of the array remains a tough challenge.

[0045] To this end, an embodiment of the present invention proposes a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure, which includes a microstrip antenna array and at least two embedded decoupling structures. The microstrip antenna array includes at least two radiation patches. Each embedded decoupling structure includes a short-circuited mushroom element and an air gap. The short-circuited mushroom element is embedded at the edge of the radiation patch, and an air gap is etched on the radiation patch corresponding to the outer contour of the short-circuited mushroom element. The embedded decoupling structure is used for short-circuit coupling current to suppress the interference of the coupled electric field. In the present invention, the short-circuited mushroom element of the embedded decoupling structure is embedded along the radiation edge of the microstrip antenna and forms together with the naturally formed air gap. Its structural function is similar to that of an LC series resonator, which has a low impedance characteristic at resonance and can efficiently short-circuit and couple current, thereby suppressing the interference of the coupled electric field and restoring the edge radiation characteristic of the microstrip antenna. It is easy to be integrated into the microstrip antenna and array without increasing the overall size and profile, can make the antenna array layout spacing compact, the structure is simple, the processing cost is low, and the scalability is strong.

[0046] Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 FIG. [X] is a top view of a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention. An embodiment of the present invention proposes a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure, which includes a microstrip antenna array and at least two embedded decoupling structures. The microstrip antenna array includes at least two radiation patches. Each embedded decoupling structure includes a short-circuited mushroom element and an air gap. The short-circuited mushroom element is embedded at the edge of the radiation patch, and an air gap is etched on the radiation patch corresponding to the outer contour of the short-circuited mushroom element. The embedded decoupling structure is used for short-circuit coupling current to suppress the interference of the coupled electric field.

[0047] Specifically, in order to suppress the strong coupling caused by the compact arrangement of the microstrip antenna array, an embodiment of the present invention proposes an embedded mushroom element decoupling structure for designing a wide-angle scanning microstrip phased array antenna. The overall schematic diagram of the wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on the embedded decoupling structure is shown in Figure 2 FIG. [X]. After the mushroom element is embedded along the radiation edge of the microstrip antenna, it forms the proposed embedded decoupling structure together with the naturally formed annular air gap. The decoupling structure functions similar to an LC series resonator, which has a low impedance characteristic at resonance and can efficiently short-circuit and couple current, thereby suppressing the interference of the coupled electric field and restoring the edge radiation characteristic of the microstrip antenna. The designed multi-element phased array antenna has a simple structure and a compact layout spacing, and the gain change is small during the process of realizing wide-angle beam scanning.

[0048] It should be noted that the decoupling structure proposed in the embodiments of the present invention has an embedded property, so it will not change the size and shape of the traditional microstrip antenna. After decoupling, the operating frequency, operating bandwidth, radiation efficiency, and gain of the antenna are not affected. Moreover, this decoupling structure is not limited to whether the array is symmetrically arranged or translationally arranged, and has strong scalability. The phased array antenna proposed in the embodiments of the present invention has great application potential in the fields of satellite, terminal device, and base station communication, etc.

[0049] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 3 , Figure 3 FIG. is a side view of a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Further, as an optional implementation manner, the microstrip antenna array further includes a dielectric board and a ground plane from top to bottom, and each radiation patch is disposed on the upper surface of the dielectric board.

[0050] Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 4 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Further, as an optional implementation manner, the short-circuit mushroom element includes a mushroom disk and a short-circuit metal post. The mushroom disk is embedded in the edge of the radiation patch, and an air gap is etched on the radiation patch corresponding to the outer contour of the mushroom disk. The short-circuit metal post is disposed on the lower surface of the mushroom disk and penetrates through the dielectric board.

[0051] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 3 , further, as an optional implementation manner, a feeding probe is disposed on the lower surface of each radiation patch. The feeding probe penetrates through the dielectric board, and a capacitive annular gap is etched around the feeding probe. The capacitive annular gap is used to compensate for the equivalent inductance of the inner conductor of the SMA connector.

[0052] Further, as an optional implementation manner, the mushroom disk is a metal patch, and the shape of the mushroom disk includes a circle, a rectangle, a polygon, or an interdigitated structure. The air gap corresponding to the mushroom disk is one of an annular shape, a frame shape, a multi-sided annular shape, or a distributed finger-shaped gap.

[0053] Referring to Figure 1 , further, as an optional implementation manner, the microstrip antenna array includes two radiation patches. The two radiation patches are symmetrically arranged, and an embedded decoupling structure is embedded on both of the two radiation patches. The short-circuit mushroom element in the embedded decoupling structure is embedded in the adjacent sides of the two radiation patches.

[0054] The following describes the specific implementation principle of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0055] Exemplarily, as Figure 3Shows the configuration of the proposed two - element mirror - arranged microstrip antenna with high isolation. Two square radiating patches are mounted on an F4BM220 dielectric substrate (ε r = 2.2, tanδ = 0.001). Considering the symmetry of the antenna structure, two short - circuit mushroom elements are respectively embedded into two adjacent radiating edges of the microstrip antenna, and together with the air gaps at their edges, they form an embedded decoupling structure. In addition, in order to achieve better impedance matching of the antenna, capacitive annular gaps are etched around the feeding positions of each square patch, thus balancing the equivalent inductance of the inner conductor of the SMA connector. After decoupling, the antenna has a full and symmetric edge - directed radiation pattern.

[0056] The annular slot in the embedded decoupling structure can be equivalent to a distributed capacitor C m , while the mushroom disk and the short - circuit metal post are respectively equivalent to distributed inductances L m1 and L m2 . Among them, the magnitude of the capacitor C m is inversely proportional to the width g1 of the annular slot, as shown in the following formula:

[0057]

[0058] The equivalent inductance L m increases as the mushroom disk increases and the short - circuit metal post becomes thinner. Correspondingly, after combining the above - mentioned mushroom elements and capacitive air gaps, they can be equivalent to an LC series decoupler as shown in Figure 5 . The operating frequency f LC is as shown in the following formula. This LC decoupler has a low - impedance characteristic at resonance and can effectively short - circuit the coupling current, thus achieving the decoupling of the antenna without affecting the external space of the antenna unit:

[0059]

[0060] It should be noted that the shape of the mushroom disk is not limited to circular, rectangular, polygonal or inter - digitized structures. Correspondingly, the shape of the air gap is not limited to annular. Configurations such as rectangular, polygonal, inter - digitized structures, etc. that can form capacitive gaps can all effectively decouple. Exemplarily, as shown in Figure 6 is the top view of a wide - angle scanning phased - array antenna based on a rectangular embedded coupling structure.

[0061] The following combines the attached drawings to illustrate the decoupling effect of the two - element mirror - arranged microstrip antenna:

[0062] The surface current vector distribution of the elements of the two - element mirror - arranged microstrip antenna when only antenna 1 is excited and antenna 2 is connected to a 50 - ohm load is as shown in Figure 7 . It can be seen from Figure 7 that the current is effectively short - circuited in the two embedded decouplers, and there is basically no coupling current at port 2. As shown inFigure 8 Shown is a comparison diagram of the spatial electric field between a traditional mirror-arranged antenna and a two-element mirror-arranged antenna proposed in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 In (a) is the spatial electric field distribution diagram of the traditional mirror-arranged antenna. Figure 8 In (b) is the spatial electric field distribution diagram of the two-element mirror-arranged antenna proposed in an embodiment of the present invention. It can be Figure 8 observed that the coupling energy is captured in the embedded decoupling structure proposed in an embodiment of the present invention, and a decoupled state is achieved at port 2. The above results demonstrate that the embedded decoupling structure proposed in an embodiment of the present invention has good decoupling effects and capabilities. As Figure 9 shown is a performance comparison diagram between the traditional mirror-arranged antenna and the two-element mirror-arranged antenna proposed in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 In (a) is the comparison diagram of the active S parameters before and after decoupling. Figure 9 In (b) is the comparison diagram of the radiation patterns before and after decoupling. It can be Figure 9 seen that for the two-element mirror-arranged antenna proposed in an embodiment of the present invention, while maintaining the original operating bandwidth of 2.62 - 2.78 GHz (6%), the in-band isolation is lower than 26 dB, and the lowest point exceeds 50 dB, which is 15 dB higher than that before decoupling. It can be seen that the embedded decoupling structure proposed in an embodiment of the present invention has excellent decoupling effects, and the antenna restores the edge radiation characteristics.

[0063] Referring to Figure 10 and Figure 11 , Figure 10 is a top view of a two-element translation-arranged microstrip antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 is a side view of a two-element translation-arranged microstrip antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Further, as an optional implementation manner, the microstrip antenna array includes n radiation patches, the radiation patches are arranged in translation, and each radiation patch is embedded with an embedded decoupling structure. The short-circuit mushroom elements in the embedded decoupling structure are embedded on the same side of each radiation patch. Here, n is a natural number and n ≥ 2.

[0064] It should be noted that the microstrip antenna array in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to translation arrangement or symmetric arrangement, has strong scalability, does not occupy the space outside the array elements, and can achieve large-scale arraying at a low cost.

[0065] Exemplarily, as Figure 10 and Figure 11The top view and side view of a two - element closely - spaced translational - array microstrip antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure are shown. Considering the change in the feeding position, the embedding position of the short - circuit mushroom elements is adjusted, that is, each decoupling structure is embedded along the radiation edge on the same side of each antenna. The type of dielectric substrate used in the design is F4BM220 (ε r r = 2.2, tanδ = 0.001). The center - to - center distance between the antennas is 0.36λ0. As Figure 12 shown, the performance comparison diagram between the traditional translational - array antenna and the two - element translational - array antenna proposed in the embodiment of the present invention is presented. Figure 12 In (a) of Figure 12 , the comparison diagram of the active S - parameters before and after decoupling is shown. As can be seen from (a) of Figure 12 , after using the embedded decoupling structure proposed in the embodiment of the present invention, the size of the antenna remains unchanged, and its operating frequency is also basically the same as that before decoupling. In addition, the end - isolation of the antenna is improved from 9.8 dB to 20.6 dB. Figure 12 In (b) of , the comparison diagram of the radiation patterns before and after decoupling is shown. As can be seen from (b) of

[0066] , due to the excellent decoupling performance of the embedded decoupling structure proposed in the embodiment of the present invention, the antenna restores its edge - radiation characteristics. Figure 13 Figure 14 Furthermore, it can be further extended based on the above - mentioned two - element translational - array antenna to obtain a 1×4 phased - array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure as shown in Figure 14 , or a 1×8 phased - array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure as shown in . In the 1×8 phased - array antenna of

[0067] , since the proposed decoupling method is embedded in the microstrip antenna, the size of the antenna is not affected at all. The array layout is compact, and the center - to - center distance is 0.40λ0. In the array, in order to obtain higher isolation, the air - gap size around the short - circuit mushroom elements is larger. Correspondingly, the physical size of the antenna in the E - plane (yoz - plane) is small, and the operating frequency of the decoupled array will be slightly higher. By introducing a matching ring to compensate for this problem, the operating frequency of the array loaded with the embedded decoupling structure is adjusted to be the same as that before decoupling. The combination of these two structures enables the phased - array antenna to have wide - angle scanning ability while keeping its operating frequency unchanged. Compared with the traditional method of improving the beam - scanning angle, the proposed scheme has the characteristics of high flexibility, strong integration - friendliness, and strong compatibility. Figure 15 Figure 15 To concisely describe the performance of the 1×8 phased - array antenna, as Figure 15 shown, the comparison diagram of the active S - parameters of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th elements between the 1×8 traditional microstrip phased - array antenna and the 1×8 phased - array antenna proposed in the embodiment of the present invention is presented. Figure 15Figure (a) in it is a schematic diagram of the active S-parameters of a 1×8 traditional microstrip phased array antenna before and after decoupling. Figure 15 Figure (b) in it is a schematic diagram of the active S-parameters of the 1×8 phased array antenna proposed in the embodiment of the invention before and after decoupling. Among them, Figure 15 As can be seen from Figures (a) and (b) in it, when the beam points to the broadside direction (0°), both arrays operate at a center operating frequency of 3 GHz, and the -10 dB matching bandwidth is 2.92 - 3.17 GHz (8.2%). However, after scanning, due to the influence of electromagnetic coupling, the active S-parameters of the traditional antenna deteriorate severely. It not only fails to meet the matching requirement, but also the center resonance point moves towards a higher frequency point. This will cause a significant reduction in the gain of the array within the 3 GHz or even the entire frequency band during the beam scanning process, directly resulting in a reduction in the scanning range of the phased array antenna. During the scanning process, the active S-parameters need to be lower than -6 dB. As Figure 15 can be seen from Figure (a) in it, when the traditional array scans to -70°, the active S-parameters of several antennas shown do not meet this requirement, which also reflects its limitations in wide-angle scanning applications. In contrast, as Figure 15 can be seen from Figure (b) in it, the 1×8 phased array antenna proposed in the embodiment of the invention can still maintain good matching when scanning to 0°, still maintain good operating characteristics when scanning to -70°, and basically meet -6 dB within the bandwidth. This state also provides a certain radiation efficiency and directivity for the 1×8 array proposed in the embodiment of the invention. As Figure 16 shown is the normalized beam scanning direction pattern of the 1×8 phased array antenna simulated in the embodiment of the invention. As Figure 16 can be seen, the array in the simulation realizes a scanning range from -72° to 70°. During this process, the gain change is less than 3 dBi, and it has a low side lobe level (basically lower than -10 dBi), indicating that the embodiment of the invention realizes the wide-angle scanning function.

[0068] Refer to Figure 17 , Figure 17 is the top view of a 4×4 phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Further as an optional implementation manner, the microstrip antenna array includes m×n radiation patches, and the radiation patches are arranged in an m-row and n-column manner. Each radiation patch is embedded with an embedded decoupling structure, and the short-circuit mushroom elements in the embedded decoupling structure are embedded on the same side of each radiation patch. Among them, m and n are both natural numbers, and m≥1, n≥2.

[0069] Refer to Figure 18 and Figure 19 , Figure 18 is the top view of a dual-polarized 2×2 array based on an embedded decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 19An embodiment of the present invention provides a top view of a single-polarization 2×2 array based on an embedded decoupling structure. Further as an optional implementation, the microstrip antenna array includes m×n radiating patches, and the radiating patches are arranged in m rows and n columns. Two embedded decoupling structures are embedded on each radiating patch, and the short-circuit mushroom elements in the embedded decoupling structure are embedded on two same sides of each radiating patch, wherein m and n are both natural numbers, and m≥1, n≥2.

[0070] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embedded decoupling structure proposed in the embodiment of the present invention can also be extended to apply to an m×n array structure, for example Figure 17 The 4×4 phased array antenna shown, Figure 18 The dual polarized 2×2 array shown and Figure 19 It should be noted that there is a small error in the original text where "ı4" in line 13 should probably be "Figure 14". This has been corrected in the translation. The single-polarized 2×2 array shown, or other 5×5 phased array antennas, 4×9 phased array antennas, 9×9 arrays, dual-polarized 4×4 arrays, etc., these similar structures can also achieve corresponding functions.

[0071] The above describes the structure and operating principle of the wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on the embedded decoupling structure according to the embodiment of the present invention. It can be seen that the embodiment of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0072] 1. The short-circuit mushroom element of the embedded decoupling structure is embedded along the radiating edge of the microstrip antenna and forms a natural air gap. Its structure and function are similar to those of an LC series resonator. It has low impedance characteristics when resonating, can effectively short-circuit the coupled current, thereby suppressing the coupled electric field interference and restoring the edge radiation characteristics of the microstrip antenna. It can be easily integrated into the microstrip antenna and array without increasing the overall size and profile, which can make the antenna array layout compact, the structure simple, and the processing cost low.

[0073] 2. It has reliable decoupling performance and universality, strong scalability, and can be extended to array structures such as two-unit mirror-arranged microstrip antenna, two-unit translational arrangement microstrip antenna, 1×4 phased array antenna, 1×8 phased array antenna, 4×4 phased array antenna, dual-polarized 2×2 array and single-polarized 2×2 array to achieve corresponding functions.

[0074] The present application also provides a communication device, which may include the aforementioned wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure.

[0075] The contents of the above-mentioned wide-angle scanning phased array antenna embodiment based on an embedded decoupling structure are all applicable to the embodiment of this communication device. The functions specifically implemented by this communication device embodiment are the same as those of the above-mentioned wide-angle scanning phased array antenna embodiment based on an embedded decoupling structure, and the beneficial effects achieved are also the same as those achieved by the above-mentioned wide-angle scanning phased array antenna embodiment based on an embedded decoupling structure.

[0076] In the foregoing description of this specification, the descriptions with reference to the terms "one embodiment / example", "another embodiment / example", or "certain embodiments / examples", etc., mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0077] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

[0078] The above is a specific description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Those skilled in the art can also make various equivalent deformations or substitutions without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these equivalent deformations or substitutions are all included in the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure, characterized in that It includes a microstrip antenna array and at least two embedded decoupling structures. The microstrip antenna array includes at least two radiation patches. Each of the embedded decoupling structures includes a short-circuit mushroom element and an air gap. The short-circuit mushroom element is embedded in the edge of the radiation patch, and the air gap is etched on the radiation patch corresponding to the outer contour of the short-circuit mushroom element. The embedded decoupling structure is used for short-circuit coupling current to suppress the interference of the coupling electric field.

2. The wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure according to claim 1, wherein From top to bottom, the microstrip antenna array further includes a dielectric substrate and a ground plane. Each of the radiation patches is disposed on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate.

3. A wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure according to claim 2, wherein The short-circuit mushroom element includes a mushroom disk and a short-circuit metal post. The mushroom disk is embedded in the edge of the radiation patch, and the air gap is etched on the radiation patch corresponding to the outer contour of the mushroom disk. The short-circuit metal post is disposed on the lower surface of the mushroom disk and penetrates through the dielectric substrate.

4. A wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure according to claim 2, wherein, A feeding probe is disposed on the lower surface of each of the radiation patches. The feeding probe penetrates through the dielectric substrate, and a capacitive annular gap is etched around the feeding probe. The capacitive annular gap is used to compensate for the equivalent inductance of the inner conductor of the SMA connector.

5. The wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure according to claim 3, wherein The mushroom disk is a metal patch. The shape of the mushroom disk includes a circle, a rectangle, a polygon, or an interdigitated structure. The air gap corresponding to the mushroom disk is one of an annular shape, a frame shape, a multi-sided annular shape, or a distributed finger-shaped gap.

6. A wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The microstrip antenna array includes two of the radiation patches. The two radiation patches are symmetrically arranged, and the embedded decoupling structures are embedded on both of the radiation patches. The short-circuit mushroom element in the embedded decoupling structure is embedded in the adjacent sides of the two radiation patches.

7. A wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The microstrip antenna array includes n of the radiation patches. Each of the radiation patches is arranged in a translational manner, and the embedded decoupling structures are embedded on each of the radiation patches. The short-circuit mushroom element in the embedded decoupling structure is embedded in the same side of each of the radiation patches, where n is a natural number and n≥2.

8. A wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The microstrip antenna array includes m×n of the radiation patches. The radiation patches are arranged in an m-row and n-column manner, and the embedded decoupling structures are embedded on each of the radiation patches. The short-circuit mushroom element in the embedded decoupling structure is embedded in the same side of each of the radiation patches, where m and n are both natural numbers, and m≥1, n≥2.

9. A wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The microstrip antenna array includes m×n of the radiation patches. The radiation patches are arranged in an m-row and n-column manner, and two of the embedded decoupling structures are embedded on each of the radiation patches. The short-circuit mushroom element in the embedded decoupling structure is embedded in the two same sides of each of the radiation patches, where m and n are both natural numbers, and m≥1, n≥2.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on an embedded decoupling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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