Antenna, antenna array and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention provides an antenna, an antenna array and electronic equipment, the antenna comprises a radiation unit and a liquid crystal regulation and control layer, the radiation unit is used for radiating beams, the liquid crystal regulation and control layer is located in a first direction of the radiation unit, the first direction is a propagation direction of the beams, and the liquid crystal regulation and control layer comprises at least one tuning unit, the at least one tuning unit comprises a liquid crystal and a metal layer, the metal layer covers the surface of the at least one tuning unit, the metal layer comprises a metal pattern, and the metal pattern is used for enabling the resonant frequency of the at least one tuning unit during beam conduction to correspond to the working frequency of the antenna; the at least one tuning unit is used for conducting a wave beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the short-axis direction, or the at least one tuning unit is used for blocking the wave beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the long-axis direction. According to the antenna, the radiation efficiency of the radiation unit can be improved, and the situation of signal transmission distortion is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to an antenna, an antenna array, and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Mobile communication coverage scenarios are complex, and different scenarios require different network technology solutions. Reconfigurable antennas can dynamically change their operating modes based on environmental requirements to meet the needs of wireless communication systems. Specifically, pattern-reconfigurable antennas can better meet the capacity and security requirements of communication systems, achieving high-intensity radiation coverage and reducing attenuation zones in wireless communications.

[0003] Currently, pattern reconfigurable antennas are beam reconfigurable antennas based on mechanical switches or beam reconfigurable antennas based on photoelectric (positive intrinsic-negative, PIN) diode switches. However, the structure and control process of the above-mentioned mechanical switches or PIN diode switches are relatively complex, which can easily lead to reduced antenna radiation efficiency or distortion of the transmitted signal. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides an antenna, an antenna array, and an electronic device, which can improve the radiation efficiency of the antenna and reduce the occurrence of signal transmission distortion.

[0005] In a first aspect, an antenna is provided, comprising a radiation unit and a liquid crystal control layer, wherein the radiation unit is used to radiate a beam, the liquid crystal control layer is located in a first direction of the radiation unit, and the first direction is the propagation direction of the beam, the liquid crystal control layer comprises: at least one tuning unit, the at least one tuning unit comprises liquid crystal and a metal layer, the metal layer covers the surface of the at least one tuning unit, the metal layer comprises a metal pattern, and the metal pattern is used to make the resonant frequency of the at least one tuning unit when conducting the beam correspond to the operating frequency of the antenna; the at least one tuning unit is used to conduct the beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, or the at least one tuning unit is used to block the beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the long axis direction.

[0006] Among them, the dielectric constant of liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, which can be understood as the dielectric constant of liquid crystal in ε ⊥ state; the dielectric constant of liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the long axis direction. It can be understood that the dielectric constant of liquid crystal is in ε ∥ state.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, a liquid crystal control layer including a tuning unit is used to replace a traditional mechanical switch or a PIN diode switch to control whether the radiating unit in the antenna participates in radiation. Compared with a traditional mechanical switch, the tuning unit does not require a transmission mechanism, so that the antenna structure is simple and the radiation efficiency is high; compared with a traditional PIN switch, the tuning unit can meet the third-order intermodulation requirements specified by the base station, thereby reducing the occurrence of signal distortion.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the metal pattern includes: a vertically crossed duplex-shaped slot structure, and the horizontal slot length, vertical slot length, and slot width of the duplex-shaped slot structure are preset values.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the at least one tuning unit further includes: at least two glass layers and at least two electrodes.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the vertically intersecting duplex-shaped slot structure of the metal layer of the at least one tuning unit may be replaced by an open resonant ring structure, an Ω structure, or a tree-branch structure.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, a vertically crossed duplex-shaped slot structure is provided in the metal layer of the tuning unit and the geometric shape and layout of the slot are adjusted so that the resonant frequency of the tuning unit when conducting the beam corresponds to the operating frequency of the antenna, thereby improving the control performance of the tuning unit.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the liquid crystal control layer includes: a plurality of tuning units arranged along a second direction and a plurality of tuning units arranged along a third direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the third direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction and the third direction.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present application, by providing a plurality of tuning units arranged along the second direction and a plurality of tuning units arranged along the third direction on the liquid crystal control layer, the size of the liquid crystal control layer is adapted to the size of the antenna, and the liquid crystal control layer is suitable for different radiation scenarios.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the metal layer includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer, and the at least one tuning unit also includes a first glass layer, a second glass layer, a first electrode and a second electrode. The first metal layer, the first glass layer, the liquid crystal, the second glass layer and the second metal layer are arranged in sequence along the first direction. The first electrode is located on a surface of the first glass layer facing the liquid crystal, and the second electrode is located on a surface of the second glass layer facing the liquid crystal.

[0015] In the second aspect, an antenna array is provided, which includes multiple radiation units and a liquid crystal control layer. The multiple radiation units are used to radiate multiple beams. The liquid crystal control layer is located in a first direction of the multiple radiation units, and the first direction is the propagation direction of the beam. The liquid crystal control layer includes multiple control layer modules; the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block the multiple beams, or the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block some of the multiple beams.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present application, a control layer module is included to replace the traditional mechanical switch or PIN diode switch to control whether multiple radiating units in the antenna array participate in radiation in whole or in part. Compared with the traditional mechanical switch, the control layer module does not require a transmission mechanism, so that the antenna array structure is simple and the radiation efficiency is high; compared with the traditional PIN switch, the liquid crystal tuning unit can meet the third-order intermodulation requirements specified by the base station, thereby reducing the occurrence of signal distortion.

[0017] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the multiple control layer modules include at least one tuning unit, the at least one tuning unit includes liquid crystal and a metal layer, the metal layer covers the surface of the at least one tuning unit, and the metal layer includes a metal pattern, and the metal pattern is used to make the resonant frequency of the at least one tuning unit when conducting part of the multiple beams correspond to the operating frequency of the antenna array; the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block the multiple beams, or the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block part of the multiple beams, including: the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct the multiple beams when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, or the multiple control layer modules are used to block the multiple beams when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the long axis direction.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the fact that the multiple control layer modules include at least one tuning unit can be understood as: each of the multiple control layer modules includes at least one tuning unit.

[0019] In a possible implementation, a specific voltage may be applied so that the dielectric constant of at least one tuning unit in each of the multiple control layer modules is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction or the dielectric constant in the long axis direction.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present application, by controlling the dielectric constant state of the liquid crystal in multiple control layer modules, it is possible to control whether the multiple beams radiated by multiple radiation units in the antenna array are turned on. In this way, the radiation efficiency of the antenna array can be improved and the occurrence of signal transmission distortion can be reduced.

[0021] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the multiple control layer modules include at least one tuning unit, the at least one tuning unit includes liquid crystal and a metal layer, the metal layer covers the surface of the at least one tuning unit, the metal layer includes a metal pattern, and the metal pattern is used to make the resonant frequency of the at least one tuning unit when conducting part of the multiple beams correspond to the operating frequency of the antenna array, the multiple radiating units include: a first radiating unit, the first radiating unit is used to radiate a first beam, the multiple control layer modules include a first control layer module, the first control layer module corresponds to the first radiating unit; the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block the multiple beams, or the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block part of the multiple beams, including: the first control layer module is used to conduct the first beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of at least one tuning unit in the first control layer module is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, or the first control layer module is used to block the first beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of at least one tuning unit in the first control layer module is the dielectric constant in the long axis direction.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of at least one tuning unit in the first regulation layer module is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction or the long axis direction, which can be understood as: when the first regulation layer module includes one tuning unit, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of this tuning unit is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction or the long axis direction; when the first regulation layer module includes multiple tuning units, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of the multiple tuning units is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction or the long axis direction.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present application, by controlling the dielectric constant state of the liquid crystal of the tuning unit in the control layer module, the beams radiated by some of the multiple radiation units can be controlled to be turned on or blocked. In this way, the beam width radiated through the liquid crystal control layer can be changed, making the antenna array suitable for different radiation scenarios.

[0024] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the multiple radiation units and the multiple regulation layer modules are arranged along a second direction, the multiple regulation layer modules include multiple tuning units, and the multiple tuning units are arranged along a third direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the third direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction and the third direction.

[0025] In a possible implementation, multiple control layer modules correspond to multiple radiation units. That is, a control layer module may be provided above each radiation unit, and each control layer module includes multiple tuning units.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the second direction may also form a specific angle with the third direction.

[0027] In an embodiment of the present application, multiple control layer modules are arranged above multiple radiation units, and multiple tuning units in the multiple control layer modules are arranged along a third direction. In this way, the multiple control layer modules can be adapted to the sizes of the multiple radiation units, thereby avoiding the situation where the multiple control layer modules are unable to block the propagation of multiple beams due to their small size.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the multiple regulation layer modules include: multiple tuning units arranged along the second direction and multiple tuning units arranged along the third direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the third direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction and the third direction.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present application, by providing a plurality of tuning units arranged along the second direction and a plurality of tuning units arranged along the third direction on the liquid crystal control layer, the size of the liquid crystal control layer is adapted to the size of the antenna, and the liquid crystal control layer is suitable for different radiation scenarios.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the metal pattern includes: a vertically crossed duplex-shaped slot structure, and the horizontal slot length, vertical slot length, and slot width of the duplex-shaped slot structure are preset values.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the at least one tuning unit further includes: at least two glass layers and at least two electrodes.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the vertically intersecting duplex-shaped slot structure of the metal layer of the at least one tuning unit may be replaced by an open resonant ring structure, an Ω structure, or a tree-branch structure.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present application, a vertically crossed duplex-shaped slot structure is provided on the surface of the tuning unit and the geometric shape and layout of the slot are adjusted so that the resonant frequency of the tuning unit when conducting the beam corresponds to the operating frequency of the antenna, thereby improving the control performance of the tuning unit.

[0034] In a third aspect, an electronic device is provided, which includes an antenna according to any one of the implementations of the first aspect, or an antenna array according to any one of the implementations of the second aspect.

[0035] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the electronic device is a terminal device or a network device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an antenna layout provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a mechanical sliding switch provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a liquid crystal tuning unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a comparison chart of the return loss and transmission loss of the liquid crystal tuning unit under different dielectric constants provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a structure in which a liquid crystal control layer is added above an antenna array, as provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 6 This is a side view of adding a liquid crystal control layer above the antenna array provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 7 This is a vertical plane pattern of an antenna array provided by an embodiment of the present application when the liquid crystal control layer is in different dielectric constant states;

[0043] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another structure in which a liquid crystal control layer is added above the antenna array, provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 9 This is a side view of another embodiment of the present application in which a liquid crystal control layer is added above the antenna array;

[0045] Figure 10 This is a vertical plane pattern of another antenna array provided in an embodiment of the present application when the liquid crystal control layer is in different dielectric constant states;

[0046] Figure 11 This is a three-dimensional directional pattern of another antenna array provided in an embodiment of the present application when the liquid crystal control layer is in different dielectric constant states. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0049] In the embodiments of this application, prefixes such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different description objects and have no limiting effect on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the described objects. The use of prefixes such as ordinal numbers in the embodiments of this application to distinguish description objects does not constitute a limitation on the described objects. For a statement of the described objects, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and the use of such prefixes should not constitute an unnecessary limitation.

[0050] Mobile communication coverage scenarios are complex, and different scenarios require different network technology solutions. Reconfigurable antennas can dynamically change their operating modes based on environmental requirements to meet the needs of wireless communication systems. For example, they can alter the operating frequency band, polarization, or radiation direction of the antenna. This effectively solves the problem of deploying multiple antennas in a single communication system and reduces electromagnetic compatibility issues between antennas. Specifically, antennas with reconfigurable patterns can better meet the capacity and security requirements of communication systems, achieving higher-intensity radiation coverage and reducing attenuation zones in wireless communications.

[0051] Currently, pattern reconfigurable antennas can be beam reconfigurable antennas based on mechanical switches or beam reconfigurable antennas based on PIN diode switches. They can change the number of excitation array elements by adding switches to the antenna's feed network, thereby achieving a radiation pattern with switchable vertical beam width.

[0052] For example, Figure 1As shown, the antenna array consists of module A and module B. Module A includes two modular units, unit #1 and unit #2, connected via a one-to-two power splitter. Module B includes two modular units, unit #3 and unit #4, also connected via a one-to-two power splitter. A switch (i.e., switches 1 to 4) is provided in one branch of the one-to-two power splitter. These switches can be PIN diode switches or mechanical switches. Closing or opening these switches changes the number of excitation elements. The antenna array's antenna elements are dual-polarized with a ±45° angle. When the antenna element is at +45°, the polarized power input ports are P1 and P2. When the antenna element is at -45°, the polarized power input ports are P3 and P4.

[0053] when Figure 1 When the switch shown is a mechanical switch, the structure of the mechanical switch can be as follows Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 (a) is the exploded view of the mechanical switch structure. Figure 2 (b) in the figure is a schematic diagram of a mechanical switch in a broken state.

[0054] from Figure 2 As can be seen, the coupling circuits of this mechanical switch are etched onto different printed circuit boards (PCBs), namely the switch slider and the switch coupling plate. When the switch slider and the switch coupling plate are pulled apart and misaligned, the mechanical switch will be in a broken state, acting as a disconnect switch. This mechanical switch supports two application scenarios. One application scenario is: when the switch slider and the switch coupling plate are connected, all the modules in the antenna array work together to form a narrow horizontal beam. Another application scenario is: when the switch slider is moved to a certain position, half of the module units in the antenna array (for example, unit #1 and unit #4) do not participate in radiation, while the other half of the radiating units (for example, unit #2 and unit #3) participate in radiation, ultimately forming a wide horizontal beam.

[0055] However, when the above-mentioned switch is a mechanical switch, the structure of the mechanical switch requires the remote control unit (RCU) to cooperate with the transmission mechanism to pull the switch rod to realize the on and off of the switch, which makes the structure and control process of the mechanical switch relatively complicated. On the other hand, when a one-to-two power splitter is inserted into the mechanical switch and the mechanical switch is in a broken state, it is equivalent to the power branch being in an open circuit state. Since the open circuit state is prone to generate reflected signals, the impedance of the other impedance branch of the one-to-two power splitter is mismatched, resulting in a reduction in the radiation efficiency of the antenna. When the above-mentioned switch is a PIN switch, since the third-order intermodulation of the PIN switch is no more than -85dBm, it does not meet the base station antenna's requirement that the third-order intermodulation of the device is no higher than -107dBm, which may cause distortion of the base station antenna transmission signal, thereby affecting the performance of the base station antenna.

[0056] An embodiment of the present application provides an antenna and an antenna array, in which a liquid crystal control layer including a tuning unit is used instead of a traditional mechanical switch and a PIN diode switch to control whether the radiating unit in the antenna or antenna array participates in radiation, thereby improving the radiation efficiency of the antenna and reducing the occurrence of signal transmission distortion.

[0057] In one embodiment, the antenna includes: a radiation unit and a liquid crystal control layer, the radiation unit is used to radiate a beam, the liquid crystal control layer is located in a first direction of the radiation unit, and the first direction is the propagation direction of the beam, the liquid crystal control layer includes: at least one tuning unit, the at least one tuning unit includes liquid crystal and a metal layer, the metal layer covers the surface of the at least one tuning unit, the metal layer includes a metal pattern, and the metal pattern is used to make the resonant frequency of the at least one tuning unit when conducting the beam correspond to the operating frequency of the antenna; at least one tuning unit is used to conduct the beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, or at least one tuning unit is used to block the beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the long axis direction.

[0058] Among them, the dielectric constant of liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, which can be understood as the dielectric constant of liquid crystal in ε ⊥ state; the dielectric constant of liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the long axis direction. It can be understood that the dielectric constant of liquid crystal is in ε ∥ state.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present application, a liquid crystal control layer including a tuning unit is used to replace a traditional mechanical switch or a PIN diode switch to control whether the radiating unit in the antenna participates in radiation. Compared with a traditional mechanical switch, the tuning unit does not require a transmission mechanism, so that the antenna structure is simple and the radiation efficiency is high; compared with a traditional PIN switch, the tuning unit can meet the third-order intermodulation requirements specified by the base station, thereby reducing the occurrence of signal distortion.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the metal pattern includes a vertically intersecting duplex slot structure, with the horizontal and vertical slot lengths and widths of the duplex slot structure set to preset values. By adjusting the slot geometry and layout, the resonant frequency of the tuning unit when conducting a beam corresponds to the antenna's operating frequency, thereby improving the tuning unit's controllability.

[0061] Optionally, the at least one tuning unit further includes: at least two glass layers and at least two electrodes.

[0062] Alternatively, the vertically crossed duplex-shaped slot structure of the metal layer of the at least one tuning unit may be replaced by an open resonant ring structure, an Ω structure, or a tree-branch structure.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the metal layer includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer, and the at least one tuning unit also includes a first glass layer, a second glass layer, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The first metal layer, the first glass layer, the liquid crystal, the second glass layer, and the second metal layer are arranged in sequence along a first direction. The first electrode is located on a surface of the first glass layer facing the liquid crystal, and the second electrode is located on a surface of the second glass layer facing the liquid crystal.

[0064] Below is Figure 3 and Figure 4 The structure and performance of the at least one tuning unit are specifically described by taking it as an example.

[0065] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a liquid crystal tuning unit provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein: Figure 3 (a) is a top view of the liquid crystal tuning unit. Figure 3 (b) is a side view of the liquid crystal tuning unit.

[0066] like Figure 3 As shown, the tuning unit may be composed of two copper layers, two glass layers, two electrodes and a liquid crystal layer. A metal pattern of a certain thickness (for example, 0.005 mm) may be provided on the copper layer. The metal pattern may be Figure 3 The vertical cross duplex gap structure shown in (a) is shown in FIG. The thickness of the glass layer can be 0.5 mm, and the relative dielectric constant ε r can be 4.61, and the loss tangent tanδ can be 0.0027. The thickness of the electrode can be 0.005 mm, and the parameters of the liquid crystal layer can be: the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is 0.7 mm; ε ∥ =10.2,ε ⊥ =2.2, Δε=8.0.

[0067] It should be understood that the reason for selecting liquid crystal materials to regulate the radiation state of the antenna is that since the liquid crystal molecules have a long rod-like structure, they exhibit different dielectric constants in the long and short axis directions of the molecules. When an external bias field is applied to the liquid crystal material, the liquid crystal molecules will undergo corresponding deflection, thereby changing the effective dielectric constant and refractive index of the microwave signal transmission channel, and ultimately achieving effective and continuous regulation of the microwave signal.

[0068] Figure 4 This is a comparison chart of the return loss and transmission loss of the liquid crystal tuning unit under different dielectric constants provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0069] from Figure 4 As can be seen from (a), the antenna operating frequency is 3.5 GHz and the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε ⊥ =2.2, the return loss of the liquid crystal is large, that is, the tuning unit has a lower reflection power, and the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε ∥ =10.2, the return loss of the liquid crystal is small, that is, the tuning unit has a higher reflection power. Figure 4 As can be seen from (b), the antenna operates at a frequency of 3.5 GHz and the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε ⊥ =2.2, the transmission loss of the liquid crystal is small, that is, -0.01dB. At this time, placing the liquid crystal control layer above the antenna radiation unit is equivalent to the on-state of the switch. When the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε ∥ =10.2, the liquid crystal's transmission loss is relatively high, reaching -15.0dB, equivalent to a transmittance of 3%. At this point, placing the liquid crystal tuning layer above the antenna's radiating element is equivalent to an off-switch state. Therefore, by manipulating the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal in the tuning element, the radiating element's radiation beam can be controlled to be either conducted or blocked.

[0070] It should be understood that Figure 3 and Figure 4 The structure and performance of the above-mentioned tuning unit are merely exemplary descriptions. Those skilled in the art may make corresponding changes to the structure of the above-mentioned tuning unit based on the actual application of the tuning unit. For example, Figure 3 For example, the copper layer in the liquid crystal display can be replaced with other metal materials, or the specific value of the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal can be changed.

[0071] In one possible implementation, the liquid crystal control layer includes: a plurality of tuning units arranged along a second direction and a plurality of tuning units arranged along a third direction. The second direction may be perpendicular to the third direction, and the first direction may be perpendicular to both the second and third directions. This allows the size of the liquid crystal control layer to be adapted to the size of the antenna and adapted to different radiation scenarios.

[0072] In one embodiment, the antenna array includes multiple radiation units and a liquid crystal control layer, the multiple radiation units are used to radiate multiple beams, the liquid crystal control layer is located in a first direction of the multiple radiation units, the first direction is the propagation direction of the beam, and the liquid crystal control layer includes multiple control layer modules; the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block multiple beams, or the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block part of the multiple beams.

[0073] In an embodiment of the present application, a control layer module is used to replace the traditional mechanical switch or PIN diode switch to control whether multiple radiating units in the antenna array participate in radiation in whole or in part. Compared with the traditional mechanical switch, the control layer module does not require a transmission mechanism, so that the antenna array structure is simple and the radiation efficiency is high; compared with the traditional PIN switch, the liquid crystal tuning unit can meet the third-order intermodulation requirements specified by the base station, thereby reducing the occurrence of signal distortion.

[0074] In one possible implementation, multiple control layer modules include at least one tuning unit, the at least one tuning unit includes liquid crystal and a metal layer, the metal layer covers the surface of the at least one tuning unit, the metal layer includes a metal pattern, and the metal pattern is used to make the resonant frequency of the at least one tuning unit when conducting a portion of the multiple beams correspond to the operating frequency of the antenna array; the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block the multiple beams, or the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block a portion of the multiple beams, including: multiple control layer modules for conducting the multiple beams when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, or multiple control layer modules for blocking the multiple beams when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the long axis direction. In this way, by controlling the dielectric constant state of the liquid crystal in the multiple control layer modules, the multiple beams radiated by the multiple radiating units in the antenna array can be controlled to be conducted or blocked. In this way, the radiation efficiency of the antenna array can be improved and the occurrence of signal transmission distortion can be reduced.

[0075] Optionally, the fact that the multiple control layer modules include at least one tuning unit can be understood as: each of the multiple control layer modules includes at least one tuning unit.

[0076] Optionally, a specific voltage may be applied so that the dielectric constant of at least one tuning unit in each of the multiple control layer modules is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction or the dielectric constant in the long axis direction.

[0077] In one possible implementation, multiple control layer modules include at least one tuning unit, the at least one tuning unit includes liquid crystal and a metal layer, the metal layer covers the surface of the at least one tuning unit, the metal layer includes a metal pattern, and the metal pattern is used to make the resonant frequency of the at least one tuning unit when conducting part of the multiple beams correspond to the operating frequency of the antenna array, the multiple radiating units include: a first radiating unit, the first radiating unit is used to radiate the first beam, the multiple control layer modules include a first control layer module, the first control layer module corresponds to the first radiating unit; the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block multiple beams, or the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block part of the multiple beams, including: the first control layer module, which is used to conduct the first beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of at least one tuning unit in the first control layer module is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, or the first control layer module, which is used to block the first beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of at least one tuning unit in the first control layer module is the dielectric constant in the long axis direction. In this way, by controlling the dielectric constant state of the tuning unit liquid crystal in the control layer module, the beams radiated by some of the multiple radiating units can be controlled to be turned on or blocked. In this way, the beam width radiated through the liquid crystal control layer can be changed, making the antenna array suitable for different radiation scenarios.

[0078] Optionally, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of at least one tuning unit in the first regulation layer module is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction or the long axis direction, which can be understood as: when the first regulation layer module includes one tuning unit, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of this tuning unit is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction or the long axis direction; when the first regulation layer module includes multiple tuning units, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of the multiple tuning units is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction or the long axis direction.

[0079] Optionally, a specific voltage may be applied to make the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of at least one tuning unit in the first regulating layer the dielectric constant in the short axis direction or the dielectric constant in the long axis direction.

[0080] In one possible implementation, the metal pattern includes a vertically intersecting duplex slot structure, with the horizontal and vertical slot lengths and widths of the duplex slot structure being preset. By adjusting the slot geometry and layout, the resonant frequency of the tuning unit when conducting a beam corresponds to the operating frequency of the antenna, thereby improving the tuning unit's controllability.

[0081] Alternatively, the vertically crossed duplex-shaped slot structure of the metal layer of the at least one tuning unit may be replaced by an open resonant ring structure, an Ω structure, or a tree-branch structure.

[0082] Optionally, the at least one tuning unit further includes: at least two glass layers and at least two electrodes.

[0083] In one possible implementation, the metal layer includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer, and the at least one tuning unit also includes a first glass layer, a second glass layer, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The first metal layer, the first glass layer, the liquid crystal, the second glass layer, and the second metal layer are arranged in sequence along a first direction. The first electrode is located on a surface of the first glass layer facing the liquid crystal, and the second electrode is located on a surface of the second glass layer facing the liquid crystal.

[0084] For example, the structure of the at least one tuning unit can be as follows Figure 3 shown.

[0085] In one possible implementation, the liquid crystal control layer includes a plurality of tuning units arranged along the second direction and a plurality of tuning units arranged along the third direction. This allows the size of the liquid crystal control layer to be adapted to the size of the antenna and to be suitable for different radiation scenarios.

[0086] Below is Figures 5 to 11 The specific method of controlling the radiation signal of the antenna array by the liquid crystal control layer is introduced as an example.

[0087] In one possible implementation, Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, a liquid crystal control layer is added above the antenna array. The liquid crystal control layer may include 8 control layer modules. Each control layer module may be composed of 3 tuning units arranged in the second direction and 3 tuning units arranged in the third direction.

[0088] Optionally, the antenna array may include four radiating units (which may be respectively referred to as radiating units unit1 to unit4), and the control layer modules 1 and 2 may be located directly above the radiating unit unit1 to perform transmittance control on the radiation signal of unit1, that is, on-off control; the control layer modules 3 and 4 may be located directly above the radiating unit unit2 to perform transmittance control on the radiation signal of unit2, that is, on-off control; the control layer modules 5 and 6 may be located directly above the radiating unit unit3 to perform transmittance control on the radiation signal of unit3, that is, on-off control; the control layer modules 7 and 8 are located directly above the radiating unit unit4 to perform transmittance control on the radiation signal of unit4, that is, on-off control.

[0089] For example, Figure 5 The operating mode of the antenna array shown may include the following two states:

[0090] (1) State 1: The dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer in the control layer modules 1 to 8 is set to ε ⊥=2.2, the control layer modules 1 to 8 are equivalent to the on state of the switch for the antenna unit below, and the radiation units unit1 to unit4 all participate in radiation, that is, at this time the above-mentioned control layer modules 1 to 8 are used to conduct the beams radiated by the radiation units unit1 to unit4.

[0091] Alternatively, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer in the control layer modules 1 to 8 can also be set to ε ∥ =10.2, so that the regulation layer modules 1 to 8 are used to block the beams radiated by the radiation units unit1 to unit4.

[0092] (2) State 2: The dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer in the control layer modules 1 to 2 and the control layer modules 7 to 8 is set to ε ∥ =10.2, set the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer in the control layer modules 3 to 6 to ε ⊥ =2.2. Control layer modules 1-2 and 7-8 act as switches in the off state relative to the underlying radiating elements. The radiation signals from radiating elements unit 1 and unit 4 are blocked by the liquid crystal control layer. Control layer modules 3-6 act as switches in the on state relative to array element modules unit 2 and unit 3. Therefore, only unit 2 and unit 3 in the antenna array participate in radiation. This means that some radiating elements in the antenna array can be controlled to participate in radiation. In this operating state, radiating elements unit 1-unit 4 can be the first radiating elements described above.

[0093] The vertical plane radiation pattern of the antenna array in two working states is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the dotted line is the vertical plane radiation pattern of the antenna array in state 1, and the solid line is the vertical plane radiation pattern of the antenna array in state 2.

[0094] Depend on Figure 7 It can be seen that when the antenna array is in state 1, that is, unit 1 to unit 4 all participate in radiation, the vertical beam width of the antenna array is 6.3°. When the antenna array is in state 2, that is, only unit 2 and unit 3 participate in radiation, the vertical beam width of the antenna array is 12.3°. Therefore, by controlling the number of radiating units participating in radiation in the antenna array, the beam width of the antenna array transmission can be affected, thereby making the antenna array suitable for different communication scenarios.

[0095] In one possible implementation, multiple radiating elements and multiple control layer modules are arranged along a second direction, the multiple control layer modules include multiple tuning elements, and the multiple tuning elements are arranged along a third direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the third direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to both the second and third directions. This allows the multiple control layer modules to adapt to the size of the multiple radiating elements, preventing the multiple control layer modules from being unable to block the propagation of multiple beams due to their smaller size.

[0096] Optionally, multiple control layer modules correspond to multiple radiating elements. That is, a control layer module can be disposed above each radiating element, and each control layer module includes multiple tuning units. Furthermore, optionally, the second direction can also form a specific angle with the third direction, for example, the angle between the second direction and the third direction is 30 degrees or 60 degrees.

[0097] For example, Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the antenna array includes 6 radiating units arranged along the second direction, and a liquid crystal control layer is added above the antenna array. The liquid crystal control layer can include 6 control layer modules arranged along the second direction, and each control layer module can be composed of 3 control layer modules arranged along the third direction. Figure 3 The six control layer modules can be placed directly above the radiation units unit 1 to unit 6 to control the transmittance of the beams radiated by unit 1 to unit 6, that is, to control the on-off behavior.

[0098] For example, Figure 8 The operating mode of the antenna array shown may include the following two states:

[0099] (1) State 1: The dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer in the control layer modules 1 to 6 is ε ⊥ =2.2, the liquid crystal tuning unit is equivalent to the on-state of the switch at 0.78 GHz, and the radiation units unit1 to unit6 all participate in radiation.

[0100] (2) State 2: The dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer in the control layer modules 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 is ε ∥ =10.2, the corresponding control layer is equivalent to the disconnected state of the switch for the radiation unit below, that is, the spatial radiation of the radiation unit is blocked by the liquid crystal control layer. The dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer in the control layer module 4 is ε ⊥ =2.2, the control layer is equivalent to the on-state of the switch for the radiation unit unit4, and only the radiation unit unit4 participates in radiation.

[0101] The vertical plane radiation pattern of the antenna array in two working states is as follows: Figure 10As shown, the dotted line is the vertical plane radiation pattern of the antenna array in state 1, and the solid line is the vertical plane radiation pattern of the antenna array in state 2.

[0102] Depend on Figure 10 It can be seen that when the antenna array is in state 1, that is, unit 1 to unit 6 all participate in radiation, the beam width of the vertical plane of the antenna array is 12.9°. When the antenna array is in state 2, that is, only unit 4 participates in radiation, the beam width of the vertical plane of the antenna array is 86.5°.

[0103] The 3D directional patterns of the antenna array in two working states are as follows: Figure 11 As shown, Figure 11 (a) is the three-dimensional radiation pattern of the antenna array in state 1. Figure 11 (b) in the figure is the three-dimensional radiation pattern of the antenna array in state 2. Figure 11 It can be seen that the beamwidth of the antenna array is narrow in state 1 and wide in state 2. Therefore, by controlling the number of radiating elements in the antenna array, the beamwidth of the antenna array transmission can be affected, thereby making the antenna array suitable for different communication scenarios.

[0104] The present application also provides an electronic device, which includes: the antenna described in the above embodiment, or Figures 5 and 6 The antenna array shown, or Figures 8 and 9 The antenna array shown.

[0105] Optionally, the electronic device may be a terminal device or a network device.

[0106] Among them, the terminal device may refer to user equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device. The terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, a terminal device in a future 6G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0107] A network device may be a device for communicating with a terminal device. The network device may be a device in a radio access network (RAN) that provides wireless communication functions for the terminal device, and is referred to as a RAN device. For example, the network device may be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0108] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0109] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0110] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0111] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0112] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0113] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0114] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. An antenna, characterized in that: The antenna includes a radiation unit and a liquid crystal regulation layer, wherein the radiation unit is used to radiate a beam, the liquid crystal regulation layer is located in a first direction of the radiation unit, and the first direction is the propagation direction of the beam. The liquid crystal regulation layer includes: at least one tuning unit, the at least one tuning unit includes liquid crystal and a metal layer, the metal layer covers the surface of the at least one tuning unit, the metal layer includes a metal pattern, and the metal pattern is used to make the resonant frequency of the at least one tuning unit when conducting the beam correspond to the operating frequency of the antenna; The at least one tuning unit is configured to conduct the beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, or The at least one tuning unit is configured to block the beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the long-axis direction.

2. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein The metal pattern includes a vertically crossed duplex-shaped slot structure, wherein the horizontal slot length, vertical slot length and slot width of the duplex-shaped slot structure are preset values.

3. The antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The liquid crystal regulation layer includes: a plurality of tuning units arranged along a second direction and a plurality of tuning units arranged along a third direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the third direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction and the third direction.

4. The antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The metal layer includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer, and the at least one tuning unit also includes a first glass layer, a second glass layer, a first electrode and a second electrode. The first metal layer, the first glass layer, the liquid crystal, the second glass layer and the second metal layer are arranged in sequence along the first direction. The first electrode is located on a surface of the first glass layer facing the liquid crystal, and the second electrode is located on a surface of the second glass layer facing the liquid crystal.

5. An antenna array, characterized in that: The antenna array includes a plurality of radiation units and a liquid crystal control layer, the plurality of radiation units are used to radiate a plurality of beams, the liquid crystal control layer is located in a first direction of the plurality of radiation units, the first direction is the propagation direction of the beams, and the liquid crystal control layer includes a plurality of control layer modules; The multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block the multiple beams, or the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block some of the multiple beams.

6. The antenna array according to claim 5, wherein: The multiple control layer modules include at least one tuning unit, the at least one tuning unit including liquid crystal and a metal layer, the metal layer covering a surface of the at least one tuning unit, the metal layer including a metal pattern, the metal pattern being configured to enable a resonant frequency of the at least one tuning unit when conducting a portion of the multiple beams to correspond to an operating frequency of the antenna array; The multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block the multiple beams, or the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block some of the multiple beams, including: The multiple control layer modules are used to conduct the multiple beams when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, or The multiple control layer modules are used to block the multiple beams when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is the dielectric constant in the long axis direction.

7. The antenna array according to claim 5, wherein: The multiple control layer modules include at least one tuning unit, the at least one tuning unit includes liquid crystal and a metal layer, the metal layer covers a surface of the at least one tuning unit, the metal layer includes a metal pattern, and the metal pattern is used to make the resonant frequency of the at least one tuning unit when conducting part of the multiple beams correspond to the operating frequency of the antenna array, the multiple radiating units include: a first radiating unit, the first radiating unit is used to radiate a first beam, and the multiple control layer modules include a first control layer module, the first control layer module corresponds to the first radiating unit; The multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block the multiple beams, or the multiple control layer modules are used to conduct or block some of the multiple beams, including: The first regulating layer module is configured to conduct the first beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of at least one tuning unit in the first regulating layer module is the dielectric constant in the short axis direction, or The first regulating layer module is configured to block the first beam when the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal of at least one tuning unit in the first regulating layer module is the dielectric constant in the long-axis direction.

8. The antenna array according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein: The multiple radiation units and the multiple regulation layer modules are arranged along a second direction, the multiple regulation layer modules include multiple tuning units, and the multiple tuning units are arranged along a third direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the third direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction and the third direction.

9. The antenna array according to claims 5 to 7, characterized in that: The multiple regulation layer modules include: multiple tuning units arranged along the second direction and multiple tuning units arranged along the third direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the third direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction and the third direction.

10. The antenna array according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: The metal pattern includes a vertically crossed duplex-shaped slot structure, wherein the horizontal slot length, vertical slot length and slot width of the duplex-shaped slot structure are preset values.

11. The antenna array according to claim 10, wherein: The metal layer includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer, and the at least one tuning unit also includes a first glass layer, a second glass layer, a first electrode and a second electrode. The first metal layer, the first glass layer, the liquid crystal, the second glass layer and the second metal layer are arranged in sequence along the first direction. The first electrode is located on a surface of the first glass layer facing the liquid crystal, and the second electrode is located on a surface of the second glass layer facing the liquid crystal.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises: the antenna according to claims 1 to 4, or the antenna array according to claims 5 to 11.

Images