Radio frequency device, feed network and reconfigurable antenna

Abstract

The invention discloses a radio frequency device, a feed network and a reconfigurable antenna. The radio frequency device comprises a first power divider; the first branch circuit and the second branch circuit have the same electric length and are respectively connected with two output ends of the first power divider, at least one of the first branch circuit and the second branch circuit is provided with a first liquid crystal phase shifter, the first liquid crystal phase shifter is configured to control the phase of a radio frequency signal passing through the corresponding branch circuit, and the second liquid crystal phase shifter is configured to control the phase of the radio frequency signal passing through the corresponding branch circuit. The phase difference between the first branch and the second branch is controlled; the two input ends of the coupler are connected with the output ends of the first branch circuit and the second branch circuit respectively, and the coupler is configured to control the power ratio of output signals of the two output ends of the coupler according to the phase difference.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of radio frequency antennas, and in particular to a radio frequency device, a feeding network, and a reconfigurable antenna. Background Art

[0002] Existing wide- and narrow-beam switching solutions are mainly implemented based on a mechanical printed circuit board (PCB) coupling structure or a liquid crystal switch device.

[0003] Mechanical PCB coupling structures can achieve both switching and phase shifting functions, but they are bulky and require long response times for both the phase shifting and switching functions. Liquid crystal switching devices, on the other hand, are compact, but when disconnected, no power passes through the branch controlled by the liquid crystal switch. The corresponding power is absorbed by the corresponding load, causing the antenna element to directly receive part of the input power, resulting in low antenna efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a radio frequency device, a feeding network, a reconfigurable antenna and a control method thereof, to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] In a first aspect, to solve the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a radio frequency device, including:

[0006] a first power divider;

[0007] A first branch and a second branch having the same electrical length are respectively connected to the two output terminals of the first power divider, and at least one of the first branch and the second branch is provided with a first liquid crystal phase shifter, wherein the first liquid crystal phase shifter is configured to control the phase of the radio frequency signal passing through the corresponding branch to control the phase difference between the first branch and the second branch;

[0008] A coupler, wherein two input ends of the coupler are respectively connected to the output ends of the first branch and the second branch, and the coupler is configured to control the power ratio of the output signals of the two output ends of the coupler according to the phase difference.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, the first liquid crystal phase shifter includes:

[0010] a second power divider and a combiner, wherein an input end of the second power divider is connected to an output end of the first power divider, and two output ends of the second power divider correspond to two input ends of the combiner;

[0011] a liquid crystal phase shift structure, the liquid crystal phase shift structure comprising a first signal line and a second signal line arranged in parallel, the first signal line being electrically connected between an output terminal of the second power divider and an input terminal of the combiner, and the second signal line being electrically connected between another output terminal of the second power divider and another input terminal of the combiner, the liquid crystal phase shift structure being configured to change the phase of the corresponding branch radio frequency signal under voltage control;

[0012] A first inverting structure and a second inverting structure, wherein the first inverting structure is connected between the first signal line and an output end of the second power divider, and the second inverting structure is connected between the two signal lines and the other input end of the combiner, and the first inverting structure and the second inverting structure are configured to output the received RF signal in an inverted manner.

[0013] In one possible implementation manner, the liquid crystal phase shift structure further includes:

[0014] A first base substrate and a second base substrate arranged opposite to each other;

[0015] a liquid crystal layer, located between the first substrate and the second substrate;

[0016] a reference electrode, located on a side of the second substrate close to the liquid crystal layer;

[0017] The first signal line and the second signal line are located on a side of the first base substrate close to the liquid crystal layer; the first signal line and the second signal line are comb-shaped, and the comb teeth on the first signal line and the second signal line overlap with the reference electrode.

[0018] In one possible implementation manner, the reference electrode includes a plurality of strip electrodes;

[0019] In the extension direction of the first signal line, the first signal line includes a plurality of first comb teeth extending from the body of the first signal line toward the direction of the second signal line, and the second signal line includes a plurality of second comb teeth extending from the body of the second signal line toward the direction of the first signal line; the plurality of first comb teeth and the plurality of second comb teeth correspond one-to-one to the plurality of strip electrodes, and the first comb teeth and the second comb teeth corresponding to the same strip electrode are arranged opposite to each other, and have the same overlapping area with the corresponding strip electrode.

[0020] In a possible implementation manner, in the arrangement direction of the plurality of strip electrodes, the reference electrode is divided into a middle region and two edge regions located at both ends of the middle region;

[0021] The area of ​​the comb teeth located in the middle region is larger than the area of ​​the comb teeth located in the edge region;

[0022] In a direction from the edge region to the middle region, the area of ​​the comb teeth in the edge region gradually increases.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner, in a direction from the edge region to the middle region, at least one of the length and width of the comb teeth located in the edge region gradually increases; wherein the comb teeth include the first comb teeth and the second comb teeth.

[0024] In a possible implementation manner, the first inverting structure and the second inverting structure are microstrip lines with a meandering structure.

[0025] In a possible implementation manner, in the extending direction of the microstrip line, the crest of the microstrip line with the meandering structure gradually decreases.

[0026] In a possible implementation manner, the coupler includes:

[0027] A first coupling portion and a second coupling portion intersecting at the center, wherein the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion are arranged in different layers;

[0028] In the extending directions of the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion, the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion partially overlap.

[0029] In a possible implementation manner, the radio frequency device further includes:

[0030] a printed circuit board, on which the feed input and feed output of the radio frequency device are arranged, the feed input being connected to the input of the first power divider, and the feed output being electrically connected to an output of the coupler;

[0031] The bonding layer is located between the printed circuit board and the first liquid crystal phase shifter.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the printed circuit board includes:

[0033] substrate layer;

[0034] The conductive layer is located on a side of the substrate layer close to the bonding layer.

[0035] In a possible implementation manner, the radio frequency device further includes:

[0036] The second liquid crystal phase shifter is connected between one of the feed output terminals and an output terminal of the coupler.

[0037] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a feeding network, comprising:

[0038] First-stage power divider;

[0039] At least one RF device according to the first aspect, the RF device comprising a first feed output terminal and a second feed output terminal, the second feed output terminal corresponding to a network feed output terminal of the feed network; when the RF device is in an off state or an on state, the second feed output terminal outputs a RF signal, and when the RF device is in an off state, the first feed output terminal does not output a RF signal;

[0040] A first-level combiner, wherein the second feed output terminal of the radio frequency device is connected to an input terminal of the first-level combiner, and the output terminal of the first-level combiner corresponds to at least one network feed output terminal of the feed network.

[0041] In a possible implementation manner, the feeding network has one RF device, and the output end of the first-stage power splitter that is not connected to the RF device is connected to another input end of the first-stage combiner.

[0042] In a possible implementation manner, the feeding network has two RF devices, and the second feeding output terminals of the two RF devices are respectively connected to the two input terminals of the first-level combiner.

[0043] In a possible implementation manner, the feeding network further includes:

[0044] a plurality of secondary power splitters, each of the first feeding output terminals is connected to an input terminal of the secondary power splitter, and an output terminal of the secondary power splitter corresponds to a network feeding output terminal of the feeding network;

[0045] When the feeding network has one of the radio frequency devices, the output end of the first-level combiner is connected to the input end of another of the second-level power dividers.

[0046] In a possible implementation manner, the feed network further includes:

[0047] a phase shifter, provided at at least one output end of the secondary power splitter connected to the first feed output end;

[0048] The plurality of phase shifters arranged in the feeding network are symmetrically distributed about a center line of the feeding network.

[0049] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a reconfigurable antenna, comprising:

[0050] At least one group of antenna elements arranged along a first direction;

[0051] At least one feeding network as described in the third aspect, one feeding network corresponds to a group of antenna elements, and one network feeding output end of the feeding network corresponds to one antenna element.

[0052] In a possible implementation, the feed network has a radio frequency device, the reconfigurable antenna has an even number of antenna elements, every two groups of antenna elements are arranged along the first direction, and the antenna elements with the highest power in every two groups of antenna elements are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0053] In a possible implementation manner, the feed network has two radio frequency devices, and the reconfigurable antenna has multiple groups of antenna elements. The multiple groups of antenna elements are arranged along a second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0054] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a base station, which includes a reconfigurable antenna as described in the third aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] Figure 1 An exploded diagram of a mechanical PCB coupling structure;

[0056] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the coupling line break state;

[0057] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an antenna feeding network using a liquid crystal switching device;

[0058] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0059] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a first liquid crystal phase shifter provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0060] Figure 6 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 5 Cross-section along the AA' direction;

[0061] Figure 7 A top view of a liquid crystal phase shift structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0062] Figure 8 A top view of another liquid crystal phase shift structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0063] Figure 9 A schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0064] Figure 10 A schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0065] Figure 11 A schematic structural diagram of a coupler provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0066] Figure 12A schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0067] Figure 13 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 11 Cross-section along the middle BB' direction;

[0068] Figure 14 A schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0069] Figure 15 A top view of another radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0070] Figure 16 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 14 Cross-section in CC' direction;

[0071] Figure 17 A schematic structural diagram of a printed circuit board provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0072] Figure 18 A schematic structural diagram of a feed network provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0073] Figure 19 A schematic structural diagram of another feeding network provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0074] Figure 20 and Figure 21 A schematic structural diagram of another feeding network provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0075] Figure 22-23 A schematic structural diagram of another feeding network provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0076] Figure 24-25 A schematic structural diagram of a reconfigurable antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0077] Figure 26 and Figure 27 A schematic structural diagram of another reconfigurable antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0078] Figure 28 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 26 and Figure 27 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of a corresponding set of antenna elements;

[0079] Figure 29 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 28 The corresponding reconfigurable antenna generates a wide beam pattern;

[0080] Figure 30 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 28The corresponding reconfigurable antenna generates a narrow beam pattern;

[0081] Figure 31 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 28 The corresponding beam pattern generated by the reconfigurable antenna;

[0082] Figure 32 A schematic structural diagram of another reconfigurable antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0083] Figure 33 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 32 Schematic diagram of the distribution of the antenna array;

[0084] Figure 34 A schematic diagram of the distribution of antenna elements in another reconfigurable antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0085] Figure 35 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 34 The directional pattern of the narrow beam generated by the corresponding reconfigurable antenna;

[0086] Figure 36 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 26 The directivity pattern of the wide beam generated by the corresponding reconfigurable antenna;

[0087] Figure 37 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 34 The corresponding reconfigurable antenna produces a narrow beam pattern;

[0088] Figure 38 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 34 The corresponding reconfigurable antenna produces a wide-beam pattern;

[0089] Figure 39 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 34 The corresponding reconfigurable antenna generates a beam pattern;

[0090] Figure 40 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of antenna elements in another reusable antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0091] Figure 41 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 40 The directivity pattern of the wide beam generated by the corresponding reconfigurable antenna;

[0092] Figure 42 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 40 Corresponding to the narrow beam pattern produced by the reconfigurable antenna. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0093] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a radio frequency device, a feeding network, and a reconfigurable antenna to solve the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0094] It should be understood that the specific structural and functional details disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely representative and are for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many alternative forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to only the embodiments set forth herein.

[0095] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center", "lateral", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present disclosure. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more. In addition, the term "include" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0096] In the description of this disclosure, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this disclosure based on the specific circumstances.

[0097] The terms used in this disclosure are intended only to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", "an item" used herein are also intended to include the plural. It should also be understood that the terms "comprise" and / or "include" used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, units and / or components, and do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, units, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0098] The term "and / or" in the embodiments of the present disclosure is simply a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0099] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious and easy to understand, the present disclosure will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. However, the example embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be understood as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concepts of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same figure marks in the figures represent the same or similar structures, and their repeated descriptions will be omitted. The words expressing position and direction described in the present disclosure are all explained with reference to the accompanying drawings as examples, but changes can be made as needed, and all changes are included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. The drawings of the present disclosure are only used to illustrate relative position relationships and do not represent true proportions.

[0100] It should be noted that specific details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in a variety of ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations without violating the connotation of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below. The subsequent description of the specification is a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, but the description is for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of protection of the present disclosure shall be as defined by the appended claims.

[0101] See Figure 1 This is an exploded view of a mechanical PCB coupling structure. The coupling circuits of the mechanical PCB coupling structure are etched on different printed circuit boards (PCBs). The coupling circuits include a switch slide 1' and a switch coupling plate 2'. The coupling circuits can achieve two functions:

[0102] 1) When the switch slider 1' and the switch coupling plate 2' slide relative to each other, the length of the coupling line that overlaps between them changes, that is, the length of the path the signal passes through changes, and the signal phase changes, acting as a phase shifter;

[0103] 2) When the switch slide 1' and the switch coupling piece 2' are pulled apart and misaligned, there is no coupling line overlap, forming a broken state, playing the role of a switch. Figure 2 The figure shows the coupling line broken state.

[0104] See Figure 3Schematic diagram of an antenna feeding network using a liquid crystal switch device. The antenna feeding network includes a liquid crystal switch device 3', a one-to-three power splitter 4', a one-to-two power splitter 5', an antenna element 6', and a matching load 7'.

[0105] When the liquid crystal switch device 3' is in the on state, the three power branches of the one-to-three power divider 4' evenly distribute the input power; when the liquid crystal switch device 3' is in the off state, no power passes through the two power branches where the liquid crystal switch device 3' is installed, and the power is absorbed by the matching load 7' in the two power branches. The middle antenna element only receives 1 / 3 of the input power, and the remaining 2 / 3 of the power is lost, resulting in low antenna efficiency.

[0106] It can be seen that although the mechanical PCB coupling structure can realize the switching and phase shifting functions simultaneously, the coupling structure is bulky and the response time of the phase shifting and switching functions is long. Although the liquid crystal switch device 3' is small in size, when it is in the off state, no power passes through the branch controlled by the liquid crystal switch, resulting in low antenna efficiency.

[0107] To solve the above problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a radio frequency device, a feeding network, and a reconfigurable antenna, which are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0108] See Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the radio frequency device comprising:

[0109] The first power divider 1 is a power divider that is divided into two parts. The input end of the first power divider 1 is used as the input end of the radio frequency device. For ease of identification, the feed input end of the radio frequency device is recorded as Port1;

[0110] The first branch 2 and the second branch 3 having the same electrical length are connected to the two output ends of the first power divider 1 respectively. At least one of the first branch 2 and the second branch 3 is provided with a first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 ( Figure 4 (not shown), the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is configured to control the phase of the radio frequency signal passing through the corresponding branch to control the phase difference between the first branch 2 and the second branch 3; for example, the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 can be set in the first branch 2, and the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 can also be set in the second branch 3, or the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 can be set in the first branch 2 and the second branch 3 at the same time, as long as the electrical lengths of the first branch 2 and the second branch 3 are the same.

[0111] Coupler 4 has two input terminals connected to the output terminals of the first branch 2 and the second branch 3, respectively. Coupler 4 is configured to control the power ratio of the output signals of the two output terminals of coupler 4 based on the phase difference. The two output terminals of coupler 4 serve as the two output terminals of the RF device. For ease of identification, the two feed output terminals of the RF device are denoted as Poret2 (first feed output terminal) and Port3 (second feed output terminal), respectively.

[0112] Since the RF signal with power P input from Port 1 is divided into two RF signals with the same power and phase (power P / 2) by the first power divider 1, the RF signals input to the first branch 2 and the second branch 3 with power P / 2 have the same phase, assuming that the phase is 0.

[0113] If only the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is provided on the first branch 2, the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 adjusts the phase of the radio frequency signal P / 2 received by the first branch 2 to 90°, and the radio frequency signal P / 2 output by the first branch 2 has a phase of 90°. Since the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is not provided on the second branch 3, the phase of the radio frequency signal P / 2 output by the second branch 3 is 0°. In this way, the first branch 2 and the second branch 3 output radio frequency signals P / 2 with a phase difference of 90°. The coupler 4 receives the two P / 2 radio frequency signals with a phase difference of 90°, and then controls only the output end corresponding to Port 3 to output the radio frequency signal with a power of P. At this time, the power ratio of Port 2 and Port 3 is 0:1, that is, the radio frequency signal input from Port 1 is fully output by Port 3, and the working state of the radio frequency device is considered to be disconnected.

[0114] If the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 in the first branch 2 does not change the phase of the received P / 2 RF signal, the first branch 2 and the second branch 3 output P / 2 RF signals with the same phase (i.e., the phase difference is 0), and the coupler 4 receives two P / 2 RF signals with a phase difference of 0°, and then controls the output ends corresponding to Port2 and Port3 to output the same RF signal (power is P / 2). At this time, the power ratio of Port2 and Port3 is 1:1, that is, the RF signal input from Port1 is output by Port2 and Port3 in a ratio of 1:1, and the working state of the RF device is considered to be on.

[0115] If the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 adjusts the phase of the RF signal P / 2 received by the first branch 2 to 30°, the first branch 2 and the second branch 3 output P / 2 RF signals with a phase difference of 30°, and the coupler 4 receives two P / 2 RF signals with a phase difference of 30°, and then controls the output ends corresponding to Port2 and Port3 to output RF signals according to a power ratio of 1:2. That is, the RF signal input from Port1 outputs a P / 3 RF signal from Port2, and the RF signal from Port3 outputs a 2P / 3 RF signal. The working state of the RF device is considered to be a partially conductive state.

[0116] Similarly, if only the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is provided in the second branch 3 , the control method of the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is similar to this, which will not be described in detail here.

[0117] If first liquid crystal phase shifters 5 are provided on both the first branch 2 and the second branch 3, when controlling the phase difference between the RF signals output by the first branch 2 and the second branch 3, the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 on only one of the branches can be controlled, or the first liquid crystal phase shifters 5 on both branches can be controlled. When controlling the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 on one of the branches, the control method is similar to the aforementioned method of providing the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 only on the first branch 2. When controlling the first liquid crystal phase shifters 5 on both branches, if the phase difference between the outputs of the two branches is controlled to be 90°, the phase of the RF signal output by the first branch 2 can be adjusted to 30°, and the phase of the RF signal output by the second branch 3 can be adjusted to 120°.

[0118] In the embodiments provided herein, a radio frequency signal is split by a first power divider 1 into two radio frequency signals of equal power and phase. A first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is provided in at least one of the first branch 2 and the second branch 3, respectively connected to the two output terminals of the first power divider 1. The first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is capable of adjusting the phase of the radio frequency signal passing through the corresponding branch, thereby changing the phase of the branch in which the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is located. Furthermore, the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is capable of controlling the phase difference between the radio frequency signals passing through the first branch 2 and the second branch 3. Thus, after the radio frequency signals output from the first branch 2 and the second branch 3, which have the same electrical length, pass through the coupler 4, the coupler 4 is capable of controlling the power ratio of the two output terminals based on the phase difference, thereby enabling the radio frequency device to perform both phase shifting and power distribution functions. Due to the small size of the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5, the radio frequency device can also be smaller. When applied to a feed network, the power of antennas connected to different output terminals can be controlled according to the power ratio while reducing the size of the feed network, thereby improving antenna efficiency.

[0119] See Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of a first liquid crystal phase shifter provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 includes:

[0120] The second power divider 51 and the combiner 52, the input end of the second power divider 51 is connected to an output end of the first power divider 1, and the two output ends of the second power divider 51 correspond to the two input ends of the combiner 52; the first power divider 1 is a one-to-two power divider, and the combiner 52 is a two-in-one combiner 52, the input end of the first power divider 1 serves as the input end of the corresponding branch, and the output end of the combiner 52 serves as the output end of the corresponding branch.

[0121] The liquid crystal phase shift structure 53 includes a first signal line 531 and a second signal line 532 arranged in parallel. The first signal line 531 is electrically connected between an output end of the second power divider 51 and an input end of the combiner 52, and the second signal line 532 is electrically connected between the other output end of the second power divider 51 and the other input end of the combiner 52. The liquid crystal phase shift structure 53 is configured to change the phase of the corresponding branch RF signal under voltage control; the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532 are arranged on the same layer.

[0122] The first inverting structure 54 and the second inverting structure 55 are connected between the first signal line 531 and one output end of the second power divider 51, and the second inverting structure 55 is connected between the second signal line and the other input end of the combiner 52. The first inverting structure 54 and the second inverting structure 55 are configured to output the received RF signal in an inverted manner. Figure 5 As shown, the first inverting structure 54 and the second inverting structure 55 are microstrip lines with a meandering structure. The microstrip line with a meandering structure can be a wavy microstrip line, a serpentine microstrip line, or a zigzag microstrip line, without limitation. By configuring the first inverting structure 54 and the second inverting structure 55 as microstrip lines with a meandering structure, the space occupied by the first inverting structure 54 and the second inverting structure 55 can be reduced, facilitating miniaturization of the first liquid crystal device. In other embodiments, the crest of the microstrip line with a meandering structure gradually decreases along the extension direction of the microstrip line.

[0123] See Figure 6 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 5 The cross-sectional view along the AA' direction shows the liquid crystal phase shift structure 53, which further includes:

[0124] A first base substrate 533 and a second base substrate 534 arranged opposite to each other;

[0125] The liquid crystal layer 535 is located between the first substrate 533 and the second substrate 534;

[0126] The reference electrode 536 is located on a side of the second substrate 534 close to the liquid crystal layer 535;

[0127] The first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532 are located on a side of the first base substrate 533 close to the liquid crystal layer 535 . The first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532 are comb-shaped, and the comb teeth on the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532 overlap with the reference electrode 536 .

[0128] See Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the reference electrode 536 includes a plurality of strip electrodes 5361;

[0129] In the extension direction of the first signal line 531, the first signal line 531 includes a plurality of first comb teeth 5311 extending from the main body of the first signal line 531 toward the second signal line 532, and the second signal line 532 includes a plurality of second comb teeth 5312 extending from the main body of the second signal line 532 toward the first signal line 531; the plurality of first comb teeth 5311 and the plurality of second sub-comb teeth correspond one-to-one to the plurality of strip electrodes 5361, and the first comb teeth 5311 and the second comb teeth 5312 corresponding to the same strip electrode 5361 are arranged opposite to each other, and have the same overlapping area with the corresponding strip electrode 5361.

[0130] like Figure 6As shown, one strip electrode 5361 corresponds to a pair of oppositely arranged first comb teeth 5311 and second comb teeth 5312 , and the orthographic projections of the paired first comb teeth 5311 and second comb teeth 5312 on the second substrate 534 are located on both sides of the corresponding strip electrode 5361 . The area where a strip electrode 5361 overlaps with the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532, and the liquid crystal layer 535 respectively constitute a capacitor structure on the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532; wherein, the strip electrode 5361 and the first comb teeth 5311 constitute two electrodes of the capacitor structure on the first signal line 531, the reference electrode 536 and the second comb teeth 5312 constitute two electrodes of the capacitor structure on the second signal line 532, and the liquid crystal layer 535 constitutes the dielectric layer of the above-mentioned capacitor structure; by applying a DC voltage to the strip electrode 5361, the first signal line 531, and the second signal line 532, a (DC) voltage difference is formed between the strip electrode 5361 and the first signal line 531, and between the reference electrode 536 and the second signal line 532, which can change the liquid crystal. The deflection direction of the molecules in the layer 535 changes the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer 535, and then changes the capacitance of the capacitor structure. The capacitance value of the capacitor structure is changed by periodically loading the above-mentioned (DC) voltage difference or changing the (DC) voltage difference. The capacitor structure is perpendicular to the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532, which is equivalent to the capacitor structure being connected in parallel with the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532. Since the capacitor structure can change the phase shift of the radio frequency signal, the phase of the radio frequency signal passing through the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532 can be adjusted by controlling the loading method of the DC voltage between the reference electrode 536 and the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532, thereby changing the phase of the radio frequency signal flowing through the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532.

[0131] The strip electrodes 5361 can be connected to a constant DC voltage, such as ground, or to a constant DC voltage with a different potential than the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532, without limitation. When the phase of the RF signal needs to be adjusted, the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532 can be connected to a constant DC voltage different from that of the corresponding strip electrodes 5361.

[0132] In some embodiments, the plurality of strip electrodes 5361 may be connected to the same DC voltage or to different DC voltages, without any specific limitation.

[0133] See Figure 7 A top view of a liquid crystal phase shift structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure shows that, in the arrangement direction of the plurality of strip electrodes 5361 , the reference electrode 536 is divided into a middle region and two edge regions located at both ends of the middle region;

[0134] The area of ​​the comb teeth in the middle region is greater than the area of ​​the comb teeth in the edge region. The area of ​​the comb teeth is the overlapping area between the comb teeth and the corresponding strip electrodes 5361. For example, if the comb tooth is the first comb tooth 5311, the overlapping area between the first comb tooth 5311 and the corresponding strip electrode 5361 is the area of ​​the first comb tooth 5311.

[0135] In the direction from the edge region to the middle region, the area of ​​the comb teeth in the edge region gradually increases.

[0136] Since the area of ​​the comb teeth in the edge region gradually increases in the direction from the edge region to the middle region, the capacitance values ​​of multiple capacitor structures connected to the same signal line can gradually increase and the impedance can be successively reduced, thereby achieving impedance matching.

[0137] Please continue to see Figure 7 ,as well as Figure 8 A top view of another liquid crystal phase shifter structure provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure shows that at least one of the length L and width W of the comb teeth located in the edge area gradually increases in the direction from the edge area to the middle area; wherein the comb teeth include a first comb tooth 5311 and a second comb tooth 5312.

[0138] like Figure 7 As shown, the width W of the second comb teeth 5312 is the same, and the length L of the second comb teeth 5312 gradually increases in the direction from the edge region to the middle region, so that the area of ​​the second comb teeth 5312 in the edge region gradually increases in the direction from the edge region to the middle region; Figure 8 As shown, the length L of the second comb teeth 5312 is the same, and the width W of the second comb teeth 5312 gradually increases in the direction from the edge area to the middle area, so that the area of ​​the second comb teeth 5312 in the edge area gradually increases in the direction from the edge area to the middle area.

[0139] Similarly, the changing pattern of the plurality of first comb teeth 5311 in the edge region is the same.

[0140] In the embodiment provided in the present disclosure, by setting the area of ​​the comb teeth in the middle region to be the same and gradually increasing the area of ​​the comb teeth in the edge region in the direction pointing to the middle region, impedance matching of the two signal lines in the liquid crystal phase shift structure 53 can be achieved.

[0141] In the embodiment provided in the present disclosure, the liquid crystal phase shift structure 53 is set to include a first signal line 531 and a second signal line 532 arranged in parallel, and the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532 are comb-shaped, and their comb teeth overlap with the reference electrode 536. In this way, the liquid crystal layer 535 and the reference electrode 536 between the first signal line 531, the second signal line 532 and the reference electrode 536 together constitute a capacitor structure connected in parallel with the corresponding signal line. By controlling the voltage difference between the first signal line 531 and the reference electrode 536, and the voltage difference between the second signal line 532 and the reference electrode 536, the capacitance value of the parallel capacitor on the corresponding signal line is controlled, and then the phase shift amount of the radio frequency signal passing through the corresponding signal line is controlled, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the phase of the radio frequency signal.

[0142] Please continue to see Figure 5 , a branch of the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is provided, and the 1 / 2 power RF signal output by the first power divider 1 is received through the input end of the second power divider 51 (assuming the phase is 0°), and the second power divider 51 divides the half-power RF signal into two 1 / 4 power RF signals with the same phase and power, one of which is inverted by the first inverting structure 54 and the phase becomes 180°. Then, it is assumed that the 1 / 4 power RF signal with a phase of 180° is shifted by 90° through the first signal line 531, so that the output phase of the first signal line 531 is 2 A 1 / 4 power RF signal with a phase of 70° is given to the first input end of the combiner 52; the other 1 / 4 power RF signal is assumed to be phase-shifted by 90° through the second signal line 532, and the second signal line 532 outputs a 1 / 4 power RF signal with a phase of 90° to the second inverting structure 55. The second inverting structure 55 outputs a 1 / 4 power RF signal with a phase of 270° to the other input end of the combiner 52. The second combiner 52 combines the two 1 / 4 power RF signals with a phase of 270° into a 1 / 2 power RF signal with a phase of 270°.

[0143] It should be understood that the power in the above example is the power ratio under ideal conditions. In actual applications, due to the certain power loss of the RF signal during line transmission, the power of the RF signal received at the input end of the second power divider 51 is not strictly equal to the power of the RF signal output by the combiner 52. Usually, the power of the RF signal output by the combiner 52 is less than the power of the RF signal received at the input end of the second power divider 51, and greater than the power of the RF signal on the single signal line received by the combiner 52.

[0144] In the embodiment provided by the present disclosure, since a first inverting structure 54 is provided in front of the first signal line 531 and no inverting structure is provided in front of the second signal line 532, the phases of the radio frequency signals received by the two signal lines in the liquid crystal phase shift structure 53 are opposite, so that the electromagnetic waves generated by the first signal line 531 and the second signal line 532 can cancel each other out, preventing electromagnetic wave radiation from being generated in the film layer where the reference electrode 536 is located; and a second inverting structure 55 is provided at the output end of the second signal line 532, and no inverting structure is provided at the output end of the first output line, so that the phases of the two radio frequency signals received by the combiner 52 remain consistent, thereby being able to combine the two radio frequency signals into a radio frequency signal with higher power.

[0145] When one of the first branch 2 and the second branch 3 is provided with the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 and the other branch is not provided with the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5, the branch without the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is composed of a microstrip line with the same electrical length as the branch with the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5. The microstrip line can be a zigzag structure, or can be the same structure as the line structure formed by the first signal line 531, the second signal line 532 combiner 52, the second power divider 51, and the first inverting structure 54 and the second inverting structure 55 (that is, the same structure as the line structure after the liquid crystal layer 535 and the reference electrode 536 are removed from the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5). Figure 9 , which is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0146] When the first phase shifter is provided in both the first branch 2 and the second branch 3, the structural diagram of the radio frequency device is as follows: Figure 10 shown.

[0147] See Figure 11 and Figure 12 , Figure 11 A schematic structural diagram of a coupler provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 12 This is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The coupler 4 in the radio frequency device includes:

[0148] A first coupling portion 41 and a second coupling portion 42 intersecting the center, wherein the first coupling portion 41 and the second coupling portion 42 are arranged in different layers;

[0149] In the extending direction of the first coupling portion 41 and the second coupling portion 42, the first coupling portion 41 and the second coupling portion 42 partially overlap. Figure 12 As shown, the first coupling portion 41 is connected between the first signal line 531 and an output port (Port3) of the RF device, and the second coupling portion 42 is connected between the second inverting structure 55 and another output port (Port2) of the RF device.

[0150] See Figure 13Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 11 In the cross-sectional view along the BB' direction, the second coupling portion 42 is located on the side of the first base substrate 533 facing the second base substrate 534, and the first coupling portion 41 is located on the side of the second base substrate 534 facing the first base substrate 533. Figure 11 As can be seen in the figure, the cross-sections at the central intersection of the first coupling portion 41 and the second coupling portion 42 completely overlap, and the cross-sections on both sides of the central intersection partially overlap. In this way, when the coupler 4 receives two RF signals with a phase difference of 90°, the RF signal on the second coupling portion 42 is coupled to the first coupling portion 41, so that the output end (Port3) corresponding to the first coupling portion 41 outputs a full-power RF signal; when the coupler 4 receives two RF signals with a phase difference of 0°, the first coupling portion 41 and the second coupling portion 42 respectively output their respective received RF signals; if the phase difference between the two RF signals received by the coupler 4 is within a phase shift between 0° and 90°, the output ends corresponding to the first coupling portion 41 and the second coupling portion 42 output RF signals in phase with the RF signal received by the first power divider 1 according to a certain power ratio.

[0151] If the phase difference between the two RF signals received by the coupler 4 is 270° (i.e. -90°), the power of the RF signal output by the output end (Port3) of the coupler 4 is approximately the same as the power of the RF signal received by the first power divider 1, but the phase is opposite; if the phase difference between the two RF signals received by the coupler 4 is 180° (i.e. -0°), the power of the RF signal output by the two output ends of the coupler 4 is approximately half the power of the RF signal received by the first power divider 1, but the phase is opposite; if the phase difference between the two RF signals received by the coupler 4 is within a phase shift between -90° and 0°, the output ends corresponding to the first coupling part 41 and the second coupling part 42 output a RF signal with a phase opposite to that of the RF signal received by the first power divider 1 according to a certain power ratio.

[0152] It is important to understand that Figure 12 The example in which both branches are provided with the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 is used for explanation. When only one of the two branches is provided with the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5, the circuit can still be used. Figure 11 The coupler 4 shown in FIG, ie, the structure of the coupler 4 is not limited to the structures of other components in the radio frequency device.

[0153] In the embodiment provided by the present disclosure, by setting the coupler 4 to have a first coupling portion 41 and a second coupling portion 42 that are centrally crossed and arranged in different layers, and allowing the first coupling portion 41 and the second coupling portion 42 to partially overlap in their extension direction, it is convenient to control the power ratio of the corresponding output ends of the first coupling portion 41 and the second coupling portion 42 according to the phase difference of the two received radio frequency signals.

[0154] See Figure 14 A schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the radio frequency device further includes:

[0155] The second liquid crystal phase shifter 6 is connected between a feed output terminal and an output terminal of the coupler 4. The second liquid crystal phase shifter 6 can have the same structure as the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 or a different structure, which is not particularly limited.

[0156] For example, the structure of the second liquid crystal phase shifter 6 can be any of the possible structures of the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5, as described above with reference to the structure of the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5, and will not be repeated here. The second liquid crystal phase shifter 6 can also be another independent liquid crystal phase shifter. By providing the second liquid crystal phase shifter 6 at one output end of the coupler 4, the phase of the RF signal output from the corresponding feed output end of the RF device can be changed. When the above-mentioned RF device is applied to the control of the feed network, the second liquid crystal phase shifter 6 can be used to create a phase difference between the RF signals output from the two feed output ends of the RF device, thereby controlling beam downtilt, adjusting the beam direction, and further controlling the beam to perform spatial scanning and adjust the beam coverage range.

[0157] See Figure 15 and Figure 16 , Figure 15 A top view of another radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 16 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 15 A cross-sectional view taken along the CC' direction, wherein the RF device further comprises:

[0158] The printed circuit board 7 is provided with a feed input terminal and a feed output terminal of the radio frequency device. The feed input terminal is connected to the input terminal of the first power divider 1, and the feed output terminal is electrically connected to an output terminal of the coupler 4. The printed circuit board is provided with a signal line L1 connected to the feed input terminal (Port1) of the radio frequency device, and a signal line ( Figure 15 Only the signal line L2 connected to Port2 is shown)

[0159] The adhesive layer 8 is located between the printed circuit board 7 and the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5. The printed circuit board 7 and the first substrate 533 in the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5 are bonded together by the adhesive layer 8, making it easier to set other components and wiring of the feed network in the printed circuit board 7.

[0160] See Figure 17 A schematic structural diagram of a printed circuit board provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the printed circuit board 7 includes:

[0161] Base material layer 71;

[0162] The conductive layer 72 is located on the side of the substrate layer 71 close to the adhesive layer 8. The adhesive layer 8 is made of an insulating material, and the feed network wiring is set on the conductive layer 72. The conductive layer 72 can be made of a conductive material, such as copper.

[0163] In the embodiment provided by the present disclosure, by arranging the conductive layer 72 on the side of the base material layer 71 close to the adhesive layer 8, it is convenient to arrange the connection ends of the feed input terminal and the feed output terminal on the side of the base material layer 71 away from the adhesive layer 8, thereby preventing the wiring in the printed circuit board 7 from short-circuiting with the connection ends.

[0164] Based on the same inventive concept, see Figure 18 and Figure 19 , Figure 18 A schematic diagram of a feed network structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 19 A schematic structural diagram of another feeding network provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the feeding network comprising:

[0165] The first-level power splitter 100 is a one-to-two power splitter, and the input end of the first-level power splitter 100 corresponds to the network feed input end Spi of the feed network;

[0166] At least one RF device 200 as shown above, the RF device 200 includes a first feed output terminal Port2 and a second feed output terminal Port3, the first feed output terminal Port2 corresponds to at least one network feed output terminal Spo of the feed network; when the RF device 200 is in the off state or the on state, the second feed output terminal Port3 outputs an RF signal, and when the RF device 200 is in the off state, the first feed output terminal Port2 does not output an RF signal;

[0167] The first-level combiner 300 has a second feed output port Port3 of the RF device 200 connected to an input port of the first-level combiner 300. The output port of the first-level combiner 300 corresponds to a network feed output port Spo of the feed network. The electrical lengths of the two branches corresponding to the two output ports of the first-level power splitter 100 and the two input ports of the first-level combiner 300 are the same. The first-level combiner 300 is a two-in-one combiner 52.

[0168] like Figure 18As shown, the feeding network includes a radio frequency device 200, and the output terminal of the first-level power splitter 100 not connected to the radio frequency device 200 is connected to another input terminal of the first-level combiner 300. Assuming that the power of the radio frequency signal input from the network feed input terminal Port1SpiSpi is P, if the radio frequency device 200 is off, the power of the radio frequency signal output from the corresponding network feed output terminal Spo of the first-level combiner 300 is P; if the radio frequency device 200 is on, the total power of the radio frequency signal output from the corresponding network feed output terminal Spo of the first-level combiner 300 is 3P / 4, and the total power of the radio frequency signal output from the at least one network feed output terminal Spo corresponding to the first feed output terminal Port2 is P / 4.

[0169] like Figure 19 As shown, the feeding network has two RF devices 200. The feed input terminals Port1 of the two RF devices 200 are respectively connected to the two output terminals of the first-level power splitter 100, and the second feed output terminals Port3 of the two RF devices 200 are respectively connected to the two input terminals of the first-level combiner 300. Assuming that the power of the RF signal input from the network feed input terminal Port1SpiSpi is P, if the RF device 200 is in the off state, the total power of the RF signal output from the corresponding network feed output terminal Spo of the first-level combiner 300 is P; if the RF device 200 is in the on state, the total power of the RF signal output from the corresponding network feed output terminal Spo of the first-level combiner 300 is P / 2, and the total power of the RF signal output from the at least one network feed output terminal Spo corresponding to the first feed output terminal Port2 is P / 4.

[0170] In the embodiment provided in the present disclosure, a first-stage power splitter 100 is provided, and the RF device 200 as described above is provided at at least one of the two output ends of the first-stage power splitter 100. The power ratio of the RF signals output from different network feed output ends Spo can be adjusted by controlling the on / off state of the RF device 200, thereby achieving switching between wide and narrow beams. By controlling the RF device 200 to operate in an incompletely turned-on state, the width of the beam can be adjusted.

[0171] See Figure 20 and Figure 21 This is a structural diagram of another feeding network provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The feeding network has two RF devices 200. The second feeding output ports Port3 of the two RF devices 200 are respectively connected to the two input ports of the first-level combiner 300. The feeding network also includes:

[0172] Multiple secondary power splitters 400, each first feed output port Port2 is connected to the input port of a secondary power splitter 400, and one output port of the secondary power splitter 400 corresponds to a network feed output port Spo of the feed network;

[0173] When the feeding network has one radio frequency device 200 , the output end of the first-level combiner 300 is connected to the input end of another second-level power divider 400 .

[0174] The secondary power divider 400 may be as follows Figure 20 The one-to-two power divider shown can also be Figure 21 The one-to-three power splitter shown in the figure may also be a one-to-four power splitter or other power splitters, without specific limitation.

[0175] by Figure 20 For example, assuming that the power of the RF signal input from the network feed input terminal Spi is P, if the RF device 200 is in the off state, the power of the RF signal output from the network feed output terminal Spo corresponding to the first-level combiner 300 is P; if the RF device 200 is in the on state, the total power of the RF signal output from the network feed output terminal Spo corresponding to the first-level combiner 300 is P / 2, and the power of the RF signal output from the two network feed output terminals Spo corresponding to each first feed output terminal Port2 is P / 8 ( Figure 20 The power in FIG. 1 shows the power output by each network feed output terminal Spo when the radio frequency device 200 is in the on state).

[0176] Similarly, in Figure 21 In the feeding network shown, when the RF device 200 is in the on state, the power of the RF signals output by the three network feed output terminals Spo corresponding to the first feed output terminal Port2 is all P / 12, and the power of the RF signals output by the three network feed output terminals Spo corresponding to the output terminal of the first-level combiner 300 is all P / 4; when the RF device 200 is in the off state, the power of the RF signals output by the three network feed output terminals Spo corresponding to the output terminal of the first-level combiner 300 is all P / 3.

[0177] In the embodiment provided in the present disclosure, by providing a secondary power splitter 400 at the first feeding output port Port2 of the RF device 200, the power of the RF signal output by the network feeding ports on both sides of the feeding network can be reduced, thereby facilitating the control of the beam width.

[0178] See Figure 22-23 A schematic structural diagram of another feeding network provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the feeding network further includes:

[0179] The phase shifter 500 is provided at least one output terminal of the secondary power splitter 400 connected to the first feed output terminal Port2;

[0180] The phase shifters 500 arranged in the feeding network are symmetrically distributed about the center line OO' of the feeding network.

[0181] The phase shifter 500 can be a liquid crystal phase shifter 500, which facilitates fabrication of the phase shifter 500 together with the first liquid crystal phase shifter 5005 in the RF device 200, thereby reducing costs. The phase shifter 500 can be used to change the phase of the RF signal in the corresponding branch, so that the network feed output terminals Spo corresponding to different output terminals of the secondary power splitter 400 output RF signals with different phases.

[0182] like Figure 22 As shown, the feeding network is provided with two RF devices 200, and a phase shifter 500 is provided at each output end of the secondary power splitter 400 corresponding to the two first feeding output ends Port2 of the two RF devices 200. The two phase shifters 500 are symmetrically distributed about the center line of the feeding network. Figure 22 The two phase shifters 500 are arranged at the two farthest output ends of the two secondary power dividers 400, or at the two closest output ends.

[0183] like Figure 23 As shown, each output end of each secondary power splitter 400 in the feed network is provided with a phase shifter 500, for a total of four phase shifters 500. These four phase shifters 500 are symmetrically distributed about the center line of the feed network, so that it is convenient to use the above feed network to control the beam to produce symmetrical side lobes. The phase shifters 500 provided at different outputs of the same secondary power splitter can be as follows Figure 23 Place them up and down as shown to reduce the space occupied by the fast feed network.

[0184] In the embodiments provided in the present disclosure, by providing a phase shifter 500 at at least one output end of the secondary power splitter 400 connected to the first feed output end Port2, and symmetrically distributing the multiple phase shifters 500 in the feed network about the center line of the feed network, the network feed output end Spo corresponding to different output ends of the secondary power splitter 400 connected to the first feed output end Port2 can output RF signals with different phases, thereby controlling the beam to generate symmetrical side lobes, thereby facilitating control of the beam width.

[0185] Based on the same inventive concept, the present disclosure also provides a reconfigurable antenna. Figure 24-25 This is a schematic structural diagram of a reconfigurable antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The reconfigurable antenna includes:

[0186] At least one group of antenna elements 600 arranged along a first direction X;

[0187] At least one feeding network 1000 as described above, one feeding network 1000 corresponds to a group of antenna elements 600 , and one network feeding output terminal Spo of the feeding network 1000 corresponds to one antenna element 600 .

[0188] like Figure 24 As shown, the reconfigurable antenna includes a feed network 1000 and a group of antenna elements 600. The feed network 1000 has three network feed output terminals Spo. The corresponding group of antenna elements 600 consists of three antenna elements 600 arranged along a first direction X. When two RF devices 200 in the feed network 1000 are controlled to operate simultaneously in the on state, the three antenna elements 600 operate simultaneously, and the synthesized beam is a narrow beam. When the two RF devices 200 in the feed network 1000 are controlled to operate simultaneously in the off state, only the middle antenna element 600 operates, which can achieve a wide beam. Therefore, by controlling the on and off states of the RF devices 200 in the feed network 1000, switching between narrow and wide beams can be achieved. When the two RF devices 200 in the control feed network 1000 are simultaneously operating in an incomplete conduction state, the three antenna elements 600 are all operating, but the middle antenna element 600 outputs the highest power, while the antenna elements 600 on both sides output the lowest power. This allows the side lobes of the synthesized wave to be adjusted, thereby adjusting the beam width of the narrow beam.

[0189] like Figure 26 and Figure 27 FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another reconfigurable antenna provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. When a phase shifter 500 is provided at the output end of the secondary power splitter 400 of the feeding network 1000, the phase shifter 500 can be used for different network feeding output ends Spo. Figure 5 The five antenna elements 600 shown in the figure are used to create phase differences, so that the phase differences of the five antenna elements 600 are -2θ, -θ, 0, θ, and 2θ in sequence, so that Figure 26 and Figure 27 The reconfigurable antenna shown realizes beam scanning. Figure 26 The radio frequency device 200 has a phase shift function. Figure 27 The RF device 200 in the embodiment may be a RF device 200 with a phase shift function or a RF device 200 without a phase shift function.

[0190] See Figure 28 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 26 and Figure 27 The corresponding arrangement diagram of a group of antenna arrays, when Figure 26 or Figure 27 When the radio frequency devices 200 shown are all working in the disconnected state, only the middle antenna element 600 radiates electromagnetic waves. At this time, the directional pattern of the reconfigurable antenna at 1.9 GHz is as follows: Figure 29 As shown, Figure 29 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 28 The corresponding reconfigurable antenna generates a wide beam pattern, where Figure 29The solid line represents the horizontal plane pattern, the dashed line represents the vertical plane pattern, the dotted line represents the gain, and the scale on the dotted line represents the phase. The marking method of the subsequent patterns is the same. Figure 29 It can be seen that the vertical direction Figure 10 The dB beamwidth is approximately 61.86° in the horizontal direction. Figure 10 The dB beamwidth is approximately 65.49°, the gain is approximately 9.16dB, and it radiates omnidirectionally.

[0191] when Figure 26 or Figure 27 When the RF devices 200 shown are all operating in the on state, the five antenna elements 600 all radiate electromagnetic waves, and the energy ratio of the five antenna elements 600 is 1:1:4:1:1. Assuming that the phase shifter 500 is not controlled to shift, the phase of the RF signal received by the five antenna elements 600 is the same. At this time, the directional pattern of the reconfigurable antenna at 1.9 GHz is as follows: Figure 30 As shown, Figure 30 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 27 The corresponding reconfigurable antenna generates a narrow beam pattern. Figure 30 It can be seen that the vertical direction Figure 10 The dB beamwidth is approximately 61.96° in the horizontal direction. Figure 10 The dB beamwidth is approximately 12.73°, the gain is approximately 16.08dB, and it is directional radiation.

[0192] when Figure 26 or Figure 27 When the RF devices 200 shown are all working in the on state, the five antenna elements 600 all radiate electromagnetic waves, and the energy ratio of the five antenna elements 600 is 1:1:4:1:1. Assuming that the phase shifter 500 is controlled to shift, the phase of the RF signal received by the five antenna elements 600 forms The phase gradient of the antenna can be reconstructed at 1.9 GHz as follows: Figure 31 As shown, Figure 31 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 28 The corresponding beam pattern generated by the reconfigurable antenna. Figure 31 and Figure 30 Compared with the vertical plane pattern, the beam has a 6° downward tilt, corresponding to is 37°, Figure 31 mid-vertical plane direction Figure 10 The dB beamwidth is approximately 62.34° in the horizontal direction. Figure 10 The dB beamwidth is approximately 12.88°, the gain is approximately 15.95dB, and it is directional downtilt radiation.

[0193] It can be seen that by providing a phase shifter 500 in the feed network 1000, or providing a phase shifter 500 in the feed network 1000 and providing a phase shifting function in the RF device 200, it is possible to achieve directional and downtilt radiation of a narrow beam by combining the change in the phase gradient of the RF signal received by a group of antenna elements 600 when the RF device 200 is turned on, thereby changing the scanning direction of the narrow beam.

[0194] like Figure 25 As shown, the reconfigurable antenna includes two feed networks 1000 and two groups of antenna elements 600. The feed networks 1000 have two network feed output terminals Spo, and a corresponding group of antenna elements 600 consists of two antenna elements 600 arranged along a first direction X. When the two RF devices 200 in the two feed networks 1000 are controlled to operate simultaneously in the on state, the four antenna elements 600 operate simultaneously, and the synthesized beam is a narrow beam. When the two RF devices 200 in the two feed networks 1000 are controlled to operate simultaneously in the off state, only the two middle antenna elements 600 operate, and a wide beam can be synthesized. Therefore, switching between narrow and wide beams can be achieved by controlling the on and off states of the RF devices 200 in the two feed networks 1000. When the two RF devices 200 in the two feeding networks 1000 are controlled to operate in an incompletely conducted state at the same time, all four antenna elements 600 are in operation, but the two middle antenna elements 600 output the highest power, while the antenna elements 600 on both sides output the lowest power. This allows the side lobes of the synthesized wave to be adjusted, thereby adjusting the beam width of the narrow beam.

[0195] See Figure 32-Figure 34 , Figure 32 This is a structural diagram of another reconfigurable antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 33 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 32 Schematic diagram of the distribution of antenna arrays in the center. Figure 34 A schematic diagram of the distribution of antenna elements in another reconfigurable antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The feed network 1000 has a radio frequency device 200, and the reconfigurable antenna has an even number of antenna elements 600. Every two groups of antenna elements 600 are arranged along a first direction X, and the antenna elements 600 with the highest power in every two groups of antenna elements 600 are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0196] like Figure 32 and 33 As shown, the reconfigurable antenna includes two groups of antenna elements 600, each group of antenna arrays is composed of 6 antenna elements 600 arranged along a first direction X. The two groups of antenna elements 600 arranged along the first direction X constitute a linear array antenna containing 12 antenna elements 600, and the corresponding two feeding networks 1000 are symmetrically arranged.

[0197] when Figure 32When the two RF devices 200 in the antenna array are working at the same time, the 12 antenna elements 600 work at the same time to radiate electromagnetic waves, generating a narrow beam. At this time, the directional pattern of the linear array antenna at the 2.6 GHz frequency point is as follows: Figure 35 As shown, Figure 35 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 34 Corresponding to the narrow beam pattern generated by the reconfigurable antenna, Figure 35 It can be seen that the narrow beam has a vertical direction pattern ( Figure 35 The 10dB beam width is about 81.35°, and the horizontal plane pattern ( Figure 35 (Shown by the solid line in the middle) The 10dB beamwidth is about 6.73 degrees, the gain is about 17.5dB, and it is directional radiation.

[0198] when Figure 32 When the two RF devices 200 in the antenna are both working in the disconnected state, the six antenna elements 600 in the middle area work simultaneously to radiate electromagnetic waves, generating a wide beam. At this time, the directional pattern of the linear array antenna at the 2.6 GHz frequency point is as follows: Figure 36 As shown, Figure 36 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 26 Corresponding to the wide beam pattern generated by the reconfigurable antenna, Figure 36 It can be seen that the wide beam has a vertical direction pattern ( Figure 36 The 10dB beam width is about 81.64°, and the horizontal plane pattern ( Figure 36 (Shown by the solid line in the middle) The 10dB beamwidth is approximately 14.4 degrees, and the gain is approximately 17.5dB, which is directional radiation.

[0199] When Figure 32 The two feeder grids have the same power input but a phase difference. The RF signal is output from the first feed output port Port2 of the RF device 200 in the left feed network 1000, and all RF devices 200 are set to the on state. The RF signal output from the first feed output port Port2 of the RF device 200 in the right feed network 1000 is phase shifted. In the first direction X, every three antenna elements 600 form a module (including four modules in total), and the phases of the radio frequency signals received by the four modules are By adjusting the phase gradient, beam downtilt can be achieved, and narrow beam spatial scanning can be achieved by allowing four modules to receive RF signals with different phase gradients, thereby achieving adjustable beam coverage and adjustable beam directivity.

[0200] In the embodiments provided in the present disclosure, by controlling the on / off states of the RF device 200 and the phase difference between the two output ends of the RF device 200, the planar array antenna can achieve narrow beam spatial scanning, thereby achieving adjustable beam coverage and adjustable beam directivity.

[0201] like Figure 34 As shown, the reconfigurable antenna includes 6 groups of antenna elements 600, each group of antenna arrays is composed of 6 antenna elements 600 arranged along a first direction X, and every two groups of antenna elements 600 are arranged along the first direction X to form a linear array antenna containing 12 antenna elements 600 (the feed network 1000 used is the same as the feed network 1000). Figure 32 The three linear array antennas are arranged along the second direction Y to form a 12×3 planar array antenna.

[0202] when Figure 34 When all RF devices 200 in the reconfigurable antenna are working in the on state, the 36 antenna elements 600 all radiate electromagnetic waves to form narrow beams. The directional pattern of the array antenna at the 2.6 GHz frequency point is as follows: Figure 37 As shown, Figure 37 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 34 The corresponding reconfigurable antenna produces a narrow beam pattern. Figure 37 It can be seen that the vertical direction Figure 10 The dB beamwidth is about 6.74° in the horizontal direction. Figure 10 The dB beamwidth is approximately 32.93°, the gain is approximately 21.1dB, and it is directional radiation.

[0203] when Figure 34 When all the RF devices 200 in the reconfigurable antenna are working in the disconnected state, only the middle 6×3 antenna elements 600 (i.e., the middle 2×3 modules) radiate electromagnetic waves to form a wide beam. Table 1 shows a working status table of modules in a planar array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, where each square represents a module, and 1 in the square indicates working (i.e., radiating electromagnetic waves) and 0 indicates not working (i.e., not radiating electromagnetic waves).

[0204] Table 1

[0205] 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0

[0206] Figure 34 When all radio frequency devices 200 in the reconfigurable antenna are working in the disconnected state, Figure 34 The corresponding directional pattern of the array antenna at 2.6GHz is as follows Figure 38 As shown, Figure 38 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 34 The corresponding reconfigurable antenna produces a wide beam pattern. Figure 38It can be seen that the vertical direction Figure 10 The dB beamwidth is approximately 14.17° in the horizontal direction. Figure 10 The dB beam width is about 32.94°, the gain is about 18.03dB, and it is directional radiation; Figure 37 Comparing the directivity patterns when all the corresponding oscillator units are working, the radiation beam becomes wider.

[0207] when Figure 34 When the RF devices 200 in the feeding network 1000 corresponding to the first and third rows of antenna elements 600 are disconnected and the RF devices 200 in the feeding network 1000 corresponding to the second row of antenna elements 600 are turned on, the working status of the 4×3 modules in the planar array antenna is shown in Table 2. Table 2 is a working status table of modules in a planar array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0208] Table 2

[0209] 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0

[0210] Figure 34 When the RF devices 200 in the feed network 1000 corresponding to the first and third rows of antenna elements 600 are disconnected and the RF devices 200 in the feed network 1000 corresponding to the second row of antenna elements 600 are turned on, Figure 34 The corresponding directional pattern of the array antenna at 2.6GHz is as follows Figure 39 As shown, Figure 39 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 34 The corresponding reconfigurable antenna generates a beam pattern, Figure 39 The solid line in the middle is the horizontal plane pattern when all antenna elements 600 corresponding to the modules are working, and the dotted line is the upper horizontal plane pattern when the modules are working in the state shown in Table 2. Figure 39 It can be seen that the sidelobe gain is higher when all modules are working, and the sidelobe gain is lower when the modules are working in the state shown in Table 2. Therefore, controlling the antenna array 600 corresponding to the module to work in the state shown in Table 2 can reduce the sidelobe level. Therefore, by performing different controls on the RF devices 200 corresponding to the middle row and edge row antenna arrays 600, the sidelobe level of the antenna can be reduced.

[0211] See Figure 40 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of antenna elements in another reconfigurable antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The feed network 1000 has two RF devices 200, and the reconfigurable antenna has multiple groups of antenna elements 600. The multiple groups of antenna elements 600 are arranged along a second direction Y, and the second direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X.

[0212] Figure 40 By Figure 28The five antenna elements 600 shown in the figure constitute a planar array antenna. The feed network 1000 used by each antenna element 600 is Figure 26 or Figure 27 The feed network 1000 is shown.

[0213] when Figure 40 When all the radio frequency devices 200 corresponding to the five groups of antenna elements 600 shown are working in the on state, all 25 antenna elements 600 radiate electromagnetic waves. At this time, the directional pattern of the array antenna at 1.9 GHz is as follows: Figure 41 As shown, Figure 41 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 40 Corresponding to the wide beam pattern generated by the reconfigurable antenna, Figure 41 In the vertical plane radiation pattern shown, the 10dB beam width is approximately 11.27°, the 10dB beam width in the horizontal plane radiation pattern is approximately 12.12°, and the gain is approximately 23.34dB, which is directional radiation.

[0214] when Figure 40 When all the radio frequency devices 200 corresponding to the five groups of antenna elements 600 shown are working in the disconnected state, only the antenna element 600 in the middle of each group of antenna elements 600 radiates electromagnetic waves. At this time, the directional pattern of the array antenna at 1.9 GHz is as follows: Figure 42 As shown, Figure 42 Provided for the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 40 Corresponding to the narrow beam pattern generated by the reconfigurable antenna, Figure 42 The 10dB beam width in the vertical plane pattern is about 11.28°, the 10dB beam width in the horizontal plane pattern is about 61.74°, and the gain is about 16.31dB. The horizontal plane beam width is relatively large. Figure 41 Significantly wider.

[0215] It can be seen that the switching between wide and narrow beams can also be achieved by controlling the on and off of the radio frequency device 200 in the planar array antenna.

[0216] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a base station, which includes the reconfigurable antenna as described above.

[0217] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art may make additional changes and modifications to these embodiments once they have learned the basic creative concepts. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0218] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present disclosure fall within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure and their equivalents, the present disclosure is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A radio frequency device, wherein: include: a first power divider; A first branch and a second branch having the same electrical length are respectively connected to the two output terminals of the first power divider, and at least one of the first branch and the second branch is provided with a first liquid crystal phase shifter, wherein the first liquid crystal phase shifter is configured to control the phase of the radio frequency signal passing through the corresponding branch to control the phase difference between the first branch and the second branch; A coupler, wherein two input ends of the coupler are respectively connected to the output ends of the first branch and the second branch, and the coupler is configured to control the power ratio of the output signals of the two output ends of the coupler according to the phase difference.

2. The radio frequency device according to claim 1, wherein: The first liquid crystal phase shifter includes: a second power divider and a combiner, wherein an input end of the second power divider is connected to an output end of the first power divider, and two output ends of the second power divider correspond to two input ends of the combiner; a liquid crystal phase shift structure, the liquid crystal phase shift structure comprising a first signal line and a second signal line arranged in parallel, the first signal line being electrically connected between an output terminal of the second power divider and an input terminal of the combiner, and the second signal line being electrically connected between another output terminal of the second power divider and another input terminal of the combiner, the liquid crystal phase shift structure being configured to change the phase of the corresponding branch radio frequency signal under voltage control; A first inverting structure and a second inverting structure, wherein the first inverting structure is connected between the first signal line and an output end of the second power divider, and the second inverting structure is connected between the two signal lines and the other input end of the combiner, and the first inverting structure and the second inverting structure are configured to output the received RF signal in an inverted manner.

3. The radio frequency device according to claim 2, wherein: The liquid crystal phase shift structure further includes: A first base substrate and a second base substrate arranged opposite to each other; a liquid crystal layer, located between the first substrate and the second substrate; a reference electrode, located on a side of the second substrate close to the liquid crystal layer; The first signal line and the second signal line are located on a side of the first base substrate close to the liquid crystal layer; the first signal line and the second signal line are comb-shaped, and the comb teeth on the first signal line and the second signal line overlap with the reference electrode.

4. The radio frequency device according to claim 3, wherein: The reference electrode includes a plurality of strip electrodes; In the extension direction of the first signal line, the first signal line includes a plurality of first comb teeth extending from the body of the first signal line toward the direction of the second signal line, and the second signal line includes a plurality of second comb teeth extending from the body of the second signal line toward the direction of the first signal line; the plurality of first comb teeth and the plurality of second comb teeth correspond one-to-one to the plurality of strip electrodes, and the first comb teeth and the second comb teeth corresponding to the same strip electrode are arranged opposite to each other, and have the same overlapping area with the corresponding strip electrode.

5. The radio frequency device according to claim 4, wherein: In the arrangement direction of the plurality of strip electrodes, the reference electrode is divided into a middle area and two edge areas located at both ends of the middle area; The area of ​​the comb teeth located in the middle region is larger than the area of ​​the comb teeth located in the edge region; In a direction from the edge region to the middle region, the area of ​​the comb teeth in the edge region gradually increases.

6. The radio frequency device according to claim 5, wherein: In a direction from the edge area to the middle area, at least one of a length and a width of the comb teeth located in the edge area gradually increases; wherein the comb teeth include the first comb teeth and the second comb teeth.

7. The radio frequency device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein: The first inverting structure and the second inverting structure are microstrip lines with a meandering structure.

8. The radio frequency device according to claim 7, wherein: In the extending direction of the microstrip line, the crest of the microstrip line of the meandering structure gradually decreases.

9. The radio frequency device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The coupler comprises: A first coupling portion and a second coupling portion intersecting at the center, wherein the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion are arranged in different layers; In the extending directions of the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion, the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion partially overlap.

10. The radio frequency device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: Also includes: a printed circuit board, on which the feed input and feed output of the radio frequency device are arranged, the feed input being connected to the input of the first power divider, and the feed output being electrically connected to an output of the coupler; The bonding layer is located between the printed circuit board and the first liquid crystal phase shifter.

11. The radio frequency device according to claim 10, wherein: The printed circuit board comprises: substrate layer; The conductive layer is located on a side of the substrate layer close to the bonding layer.

12. The radio frequency device according to claim 10, wherein: Also includes: The second liquid crystal phase shifter is connected between one of the feed output terminals and an output terminal of the coupler.

13. A feeding network, wherein: include: First-stage power divider; At least one RF device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the RF device comprising a first feed output terminal and a second feed output terminal, the second feed output terminal corresponding to a network feed output terminal of the feed network; when the RF device is in an off state or an on state, the second feed output terminal outputs a RF signal, and when the RF device is in an off state, the first feed output terminal does not output a RF signal; A first-level combiner, wherein the second feed output terminal of the radio frequency device is connected to an input terminal of the first-level combiner, and the output terminal of the first-level combiner corresponds to at least one network feed output terminal of the feed network.

14. The feed network according to claim 13, wherein: The feeding network has one radio frequency device, and the output end of the first-level power divider that is not connected to the radio frequency device is connected to the other input end of the first-level combiner.

15. The feed network according to claim 13, wherein: The feeding network has two radio frequency devices, and the second feeding output terminals of the two radio frequency devices are respectively connected to the two input terminals of the first-level combiner.

16. A feeding network according to claim 14 or 15, wherein: The feed network further comprises: a plurality of secondary power splitters, each of the first feeding output terminals is connected to an input terminal of the secondary power splitter, and an output terminal of the secondary power splitter corresponds to a network feeding output terminal of the feeding network; When the feeding network has one of the radio frequency devices, the output end of the first-level combiner is connected to the input end of another of the second-level power dividers.

17. The feed network according to claim 16, wherein: The feed network further includes: a phase shifter, provided at at least one output end of the secondary power splitter connected to the first feed output end; The plurality of phase shifters arranged in the feeding network are symmetrically distributed about a center line of the feeding network.

18. A reconfigurable antenna, wherein: include: At least one group of antenna elements arranged along a first direction; At least one feeding network according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein one feeding network corresponds to a group of antenna elements, and one network feeding output end of the feeding network corresponds to one antenna element.

19. The reconfigurable antenna according to claim 18, wherein: The feed network has a radio frequency device, the reconfigurable antenna has an even number of antenna elements, every two groups of antenna elements are arranged along the first direction, and the antenna elements with the highest power in every two groups of antenna elements are arranged adjacent to each other.

20. The reconfigurable antenna according to claim 18, wherein: The feeding network has two radio frequency devices, and the reconfigurable antenna has multiple groups of antenna elements. The multiple groups of antenna elements are arranged along a second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

21. A base station, wherein: The invention comprises a reconfigurable antenna as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 20.

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