Antenna array and antenna array

Abstract

The invention discloses an antenna oscillator and an antenna array, belongs to the technical field of communication, and aims to realize the miniaturization design and the integration design of the antenna oscillator and reduce the structural complexity of the antenna oscillator under the condition that the antenna oscillator has a wave trapping function. The antenna array comprises a plurality of antenna units which are arranged at intervals. Each antenna unit comprises a feed structure and a radiation structure arranged on one side of the feed structure. Wherein different antenna units have the same feed structure and the same radiation structure; wherein in the plurality of antenna units, the input ports of the feed structures of at least two antenna units are located on the same straight line.

Description

Antenna elements and antenna arrays Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an antenna element and an antenna array. Background Art

[0002] With the development of antenna technology, the demand for broadband antennas is increasing. For broadband antennas, it is often necessary to avoid interference in certain frequency bands, such as interference in the target frequency band. Related technologies typically reduce the antenna's gain in the target frequency band by connecting a band-stop filter circuit in series with the antenna's feed transmission line or placing a resonant unit near the antenna radiator, thereby achieving notching in the target frequency band. However, adding a band-stop filter circuit or placing a resonant unit increases the antenna's structural complexity, hindering its miniaturization and integration.

[0003] Overview

[0004] Based on the background technology, the present disclosure proposes an antenna element and an antenna array.

[0005] An antenna array comprises a plurality of antenna units arranged at intervals, wherein the antenna units comprise a feed structure and a radiating structure provided on one side of the feed structure; wherein different antenna units have the same feed structure and the same radiating structure;

[0006] Among the plurality of antenna units, the input ports of the feeding structures of at least two antenna units are located on the same straight line.

[0007] Exemplarily, the arrangement of the plurality of antenna units includes any one of a rotationally symmetric arrangement and a translational arrangement.

[0008] Exemplarily, the input ports of the feeding structures in the plurality of antenna units are all located on the diagonal lines of the antenna element.

[0009] Exemplarily, the feeding structure includes at least one first substrate and a feeding unit located on the first substrate close to the radiation structure;

[0010] In which, the antenna array is configured to trap the target frequency band, and the target frequency band satisfies a preset relationship with the thickness and dielectric constant of the first substrate. The preset relationship is: the greater the thickness, the smaller the target frequency band, and the greater the dielectric constant, the smaller the target frequency band.

[0011] Illustratively, the thickness of the first substrate is 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

[0012] Exemplarily, the dielectric constant of the first substrate is 2-10.

[0013] Exemplarily, the transmission line of the feeding structure is bent and routed on the first substrate.

[0014] Exemplarily, the feeding unit includes two sub-feeding units, wherein the feeding phases corresponding to the two sub-feeding units are orthogonal.

[0015] Exemplarily, the plurality of antenna units are arranged in rotational symmetry, and the two feeding units include a first feeding unit and a second feeding unit; wherein:

[0016] In a clockwise direction, the first sub-feeding units differ from each other by a preset angle, and in a counterclockwise direction, the second sub-feeding units differ from each other by the preset angle.

[0017] Exemplarily, both of the two feeding units include an input port and an output port; wherein the output port is covered by the orthographic projection of the radiating structure on the first substrate, and the input port overlaps or does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the radiating structure on the first substrate.

[0018] Exemplarily, the radiation structure includes a radiation patch, and the two feeding subunits each include an input port and an output port, and the output port is contact-fed with the radiation patch; wherein,

[0019] The center point of the radiation patch is orthogonal to the line connecting the two output ports.

[0020] Exemplarily, the transmission lines of the two feeding units in the antenna unit are bent, and the input ports of the two feeding units are located on the same diagonal line of the antenna element.

[0021] Exemplarily, the two feeding subunits each include an output port, which is a coupling slot; wherein the two coupling slots have the same shape and size, and are orthogonal to each other.

[0022] Exemplarily, the output port of the feed subunit is a coupling slot, and a section of the transmission line close to the coupling slot is perpendicular to the coupling slot.

[0023] Exemplarily, the two feeding units are symmetrical in shape.

[0024] Exemplarily, the transmission lines of the two feeding subunits have the same length.

[0025] Among them, an antenna array is also provided, comprising a plurality of antenna elements described in any exemplary embodiment, wherein the plurality of antenna elements are arranged into a periodic structure, and the periodic structure causes surface waves in a target frequency band to be excited between the radiation structure and the feeding structure of the antenna element, so as to trap the target frequency band.

[0026] Exemplarily, the spacing between the antenna elements is no greater than the operating wavelength of the antenna array.

[0027] Exemplarily, the feeding unit of one of the two adjacent antenna elements does not overlap with the other antenna element.

[0028] Exemplarily, the multiple antenna units in each antenna array are arranged in rotational symmetry, and the multiple antenna arrays are translationally arrayed.

[0029] The antenna array provided by the present disclosure may include a plurality of antenna units arranged at intervals, wherein the antenna units include a feed structure and a radiating structure provided on one side of the feed structure; wherein different antenna units have the same feed structure and the same radiating structure; wherein, among the plurality of antenna units, the input ports of the feed structure of at least two of the antenna units are located on the same straight line. In practice, the plurality of antenna arrays provided by the present disclosure can be used to form an array, thereby obtaining an antenna array having a periodic structure. Since the radiating structure and feed structure of each antenna unit in the antenna array are the same, when the antenna array is formed, an antenna array having a periodic structure can be obtained. The periodic structure can facilitate the antenna array to achieve a notching function, thereby eliminating the need to design a complex band-stop filter circuit or resonator to achieve notching, thereby reducing the structural complexity of the antenna array. When applied to a phased array antenna array with strict requirements on the spacing between antenna elements, it basically does not bring about structural design difficulties. It has the advantages of simple structure, easy preparation, and small size. Therefore, it can ensure that the antenna array has a notching function while achieving miniaturization and integration of the antenna array.

[0030] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present disclosure. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present disclosure, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present disclosure are listed below.

[0031] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or related technologies, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or related technologies. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without inventive efforts. It should be noted that the scales in the drawings are for illustration only and do not represent the actual scale.

[0033] FIG1 shows a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an antenna array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG2 is a schematic top view of an antenna array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of an antenna array formed by using the antenna elements of FIG2 ;

[0036] FIG4 shows a schematic top view of an antenna array in which antenna units are arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner.

[0037] 5a-5d respectively show schematic cross-sectional structures of four different antenna units according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] FIG6 shows a schematic diagram of a top view of an antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] FIG7 shows a schematic diagram of a top view of another antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG8 a shows a schematic top plan view of the feeding unit in FIG6 ;

[0041] FIG8 b shows a schematic diagram of a top view of the structure of a coupled-feed antenna unit;

[0042] FIG9 and FIG10 are schematic diagrams respectively showing the rotationally symmetrical array of the antenna units shown in FIG6 ;

[0043] FIG11 shows an exploded view of an antenna unit in antenna element A in Example 1 of the present disclosure;

[0044] FIG12 shows a schematic top plan view of an antenna array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG13 is a schematic top view of an antenna array after the multiple antenna elements shown in FIG9 are arrayed;

[0046] FIG14 shows the normalized gain simulation results of the antenna array A in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG15 is a schematic top plan view of an antenna array B obtained by arranging the antenna units in FIG7 .

[0048] Detailed description

[0049] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0050] In related technologies, to achieve the notching function of broadband antennas, a band-stop filter circuit is generally connected in series with the feed transmission line inside the antenna. By introducing a filter circuit or placing a resonant unit near the antenna radiator, the matching of the feed port in the target frequency band is degraded, and energy cannot be effectively fed into the antenna, resulting in a reduction in the antenna gain in the target frequency band to achieve notching. Introducing an additional notch structure in a broadband antenna increases the complexity of the antenna structure and is not conducive to antenna miniaturization and integration. This is especially true in phased array antennas, which have strict requirements on the spacing between antenna elements. The large physical size of traditional notch antennas makes the overall layout very compact.

[0051] In light of this, the inventors of the present disclosure have proposed a novel concept for achieving broadband antenna trapping. This concept involves using the periodic structure of the antenna array to excite surface waves. By utilizing the exponential decay of the electric field amplitude of surface waves as they move away from the interface with the medium, electromagnetic waves in the target frequency band cannot effectively radiate in the direction perpendicular to the array plane, thereby achieving the antenna's trapping function within the target frequency band. Using this principle, an antenna array has been designed. By arranging multiple antenna elements to form a periodic structure, no additional band-stop filter circuits or resonators are required. The periodic structure can be formed simply by periodically arranging the antenna units. This allows for miniaturization and integration of the antenna array, reducing structural complexity.

[0052] Based on this concept, the present disclosure first proposes an antenna array 200, which includes a plurality of antenna units 300 arranged in an array, and the antenna unit includes a feeding structure 31 and a radiation structure 32 arranged on one side of the feeding structure 31; wherein different antenna units have the same feeding structure and the same radiation structure. In this way, by arranging multiple antenna arrays, a periodic antenna array can be formed to excite surface waves through the periodic structure, thereby achieving notching in the target frequency band.

[0053] Specifically, referring to Figures 1 and 2, Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of an antenna array, and Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a top-down plan view of an antenna array. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, it includes multiple antenna units 300 arranged in an array, and the antenna unit 300 includes a feeding structure 31 and a radiation structure 31 arranged on one side of the feeding structure; wherein different antenna units have the same feeding structure and the same radiation structure; and, among the multiple antenna units, the input ports 40 of the feeding structures of at least two antenna units are on the same straight line.

[0054] The antenna unit may be a linearly polarized antenna unit for radiating and receiving linearly polarized waves, or the antenna unit may be a circularly polarized antenna unit for radiating and receiving circularly polarized waves.

[0055] The antenna unit includes a feeding structure 31 and a radiating structure 32 arranged on one side of the feeding structure 31. The feeding structure 31 is used to feed power to the radiating structure 32, and the radiating structure 32 is used to radiate electromagnetic waves outward according to the fed electrical signal.

[0056] Specifically, the radiating structure 32 of each antenna unit can be consistent. This consistency can include consistent size, consistent radiating components, consistent materials, and consistent shapes. Similarly, the feeding structure 31 of each antenna unit can also be consistent. This consistency can also include consistent size, consistent feeding components, consistent materials, and consistent shapes. Thus, the antenna array can be viewed as a periodic arrangement of multiple antenna units with consistent structure and size.

[0057] Of course, in some examples, it is not strictly required that the radiation structure 32 of each antenna unit is completely consistent, and it can be close to the same. It is also not strictly required that the feeding structure 31 of each antenna unit is consistent, and it can be close to the same, and slight differences in shape may be allowed.

[0058] Specifically, multiple antenna units in the antenna array can be arranged in rows and columns to form an array layout. In this case, the multiple antenna units in the antenna array can be arranged in a rectangular layout. The rectangular layout means that the multiple antenna units do not have an angular offset with each other. As shown in Figure 2, one antenna unit can be regarded as another antenna unit that is translated in one direction. In this case, the rotation angle between the antenna units is not changed in the antenna array. Of course, in some other examples, the multiple antenna units in the antenna array can have an angular offset, such as one antenna can be regarded as another antenna unit that is rotated by a certain angle. In this way, the required circularly polarized wave can be obtained by rotating the antenna unit.

[0059] In this example, the input ports of the feeding structures of at least two antenna units among the multiple antenna units are on the same straight line. The input port can be understood as the feeding port of the feeding structure, wherein the feeding structure may include an input port and an output port, the input port and the output port are connected by a transmission line, the output port is coupled to the radiation structure, and the input port serves as a feeding port for feeding in external electrical signals.

[0060] Specifically, the input ports of the feeding structures of each antenna unit in the multiple antenna units can all be on the same straight line. For example, when the multiple antenna units are arranged in a row or a column, the input ports of the feeding structures of each antenna unit can all be on the same straight line; or, the input ports of the feeding structures of some antenna units in the multiple antenna units can be on the same straight line. For example, when the multiple antenna units are arranged crosswise in rows and columns, the input ports of the feeding structures of the antenna units in the same row can be on the same straight line, or the input ports of the feeding structures of the antenna units in the same column can be on the same straight line; or, the input ports of the feeding structures in the multiple antenna units can be on a straight line parallel to the diagonal of the antenna array, that is, the input ports of the feeding structures of each antenna unit in the oblique direction are on the same straight line.

[0061] It should be noted that in an antenna array, multiple antenna units can be grouped together, with the input ports of the feed structures of the antenna units in the group located on the same straight feed line L. The feed lines L between groups can be parallel to each other. As shown in Figure 2, the input ports of the feed structures of the two antenna units in the first column are located on the same straight line L1, and the input ports of the feed structures of the two antenna units in the second column are located on the same straight line L2, where straight lines L1 and L2 are parallel. This allows the feed lines in the antenna array to be parallel to each other, thereby reducing crosstalk between the feed lines.

[0062] Among them, since the input port of the feeding structure needs to feed an external electrical signal, in practice, a feeding line needs to be laid in the antenna array. The feeding line is connected to the input port of each feeding structure to input an electrical signal to the feeding structure. The input electrical signal is transmitted to the output port through the transmission line of the feeding structure and finally coupled to the radiation structure. When the input ports of the feeding structures of at least two antenna units among multiple antenna units are on the same straight line, the routing of the feeding line in the antenna array can be facilitated. In particular, when the antenna array adopts a liquid crystal antenna, if a liquid crystal phase shifter is used to modulate the phase of the antenna array, the feeding line can be routed in a straight line in the antenna array, thereby reducing the probability of the feeding line being bent in the antenna array, thereby avoiding the problem of large electrical signal loss and electrical crosstalk caused by bending routing, and reducing the routing difficulty and improving the manufacturing efficiency of the antenna array.

[0063] In practice, the antenna elements can be used to form an antenna array, thereby realizing an antenna array with a trapping function. Specifically, referring to FIG3 , a schematic diagram of an antenna array formed using the antenna elements of FIG2 is shown. As shown in FIG3 , the antenna array after formation includes multiple antenna elements, and the multiple antenna elements are arranged in a periodic structure. The periodic structure promotes the excitation of surface waves in a target frequency band between the radiating structure and the feeding structure of the antenna elements, thereby trapping the target frequency band.

[0064] That is to say, by using the multiple antenna arrays provided in the above example, multiple antenna arrays can be arrayed to form an antenna array with a periodic structure. Accordingly, the periodic structure can specifically refer to: in the antenna array, the structure and size of each antenna unit are consistent, but the arrangement of all antenna units on the array surface presents periodic changes, which can be understood as the state of the same antenna unit at different positions presents periodic changes. As a result, the antenna device can present a regular structure, thereby constructing a structural foundation for it to excite surface waves.

[0065] Among them, since different antenna units in the antenna array have the same radiation structure and feeding structure, the periodic structure can enable the antenna array to excite surface waves in the target frequency band, but not in other frequency bands. Since the surface wave has the characteristic that its electric field amplitude decays exponentially as it moves away from the medium interface, the electric field amplitude of the electromagnetic wave in the target frequency band decays exponentially. Therefore, the antenna array cannot form effective radiation in the target frequency band, thereby avoiding the interference of electromagnetic waves in the target frequency band and realizing the trapping function.

[0066] Among them, the surface wave is mainly formed at the interface between the feeding structure 31 and the radiating structure 32. As shown in Figure 1, the position area1 where the thick line is located is the position where the surface wave is excited. Specifically, the target frequency band for exciting the surface wave can be related to the material and size of the feeding structure 31 and the material and size of the radiating structure 32. The size can refer to the thickness of the feeding structure 31 and the thickness of the radiating structure 32. The material determines the dielectric constant of the feeding structure 31 and the dielectric constant of the radiating structure 32. In this way, the antenna array can excite surface waves in the required target frequency band, but not in other frequency bands, so that the antenna array can excite surface waves in a targeted manner.

[0067] It should be noted that the normal direction of the interface (the normal direction of the antenna array's array face) can be understood as the stacking direction of the feed structure 31 and the radiating structure 32. For example, if the feed structure 31 and the radiating structure 32 are stacked vertically, the normal direction is the vertical direction; for another example, if the feed structure 31 and the radiating structure 32 are stacked horizontally, the normal direction is the horizontal direction. The attenuation of the surface waves excited by the interface can be exponentially attenuated in the normal direction of the antenna array's array face, thereby preventing the antenna array from radiating electromagnetic waves in the normal direction, thereby trapping electromagnetic waves in the target frequency band.

[0068] The surface wave modes may include TM mode, TE mode, and TEM mode. The TM mode is a mode in which the magnetic field of the electromagnetic wave is perpendicular to the propagation direction, the TE mode is a mode in which the electric field of the electromagnetic wave is perpendicular to the propagation direction, and the TEM mode is a mode in which both the electric field and the magnetic field of the electromagnetic wave are perpendicular to the propagation direction. Specifically, the mode of the excited surface wave may depend on the material and size of the corresponding components in the antenna unit, such as the components of the feed structure 31. For details, please refer to the detailed description of the following example.

[0069] When surface waves are excited, strong coupling can be formed between the antenna elements, which can also prevent the antenna elements from forming effective radiation in the direction perpendicular to the interface.

[0070] By adopting the technical solution of this embodiment, the condition for the antenna array to realize the notching function is that multiple antenna arrays are arranged into a periodic structure. Therefore, there is no need to design complex band-stop filter circuits or resonators to realize notching, thereby reducing the structural complexity of the antenna array. When it is applied to a phased array antenna array with strict requirements on the spacing between antenna elements, it basically does not bring structural design difficulties. It has the advantages of simple structure, easy preparation, and small size. Therefore, it can not only ensure that the antenna array has the notching function, but also realize the miniaturization and integration of the antenna array.

[0071] Below, the specific structure of the antenna element of this example is first exemplified.

[0072] In one example, the arrangement of multiple antenna units in an antenna array may include either a rotationally symmetric arrangement or a translational arrangement, wherein FIG2 shows a rotationally symmetric arrangement, and the translational arrangement means that each antenna unit in the antenna array can be obtained by translating other antenna units up, down, left, and right. As shown in FIG4 , a rotationally symmetric arrangement is also shown, and FIG4 shows a schematic top view of an antenna array, wherein multiple antenna units are arranged in a rotationally symmetric manner. In this manner, adjacent antenna units can be rotated by a certain angle, and the angles between each two adjacent antenna units can be consistent. As shown in FIG4 , four antenna units are included, and in the clockwise direction, the angles between each two adjacent antenna units in the four antenna units can differ by 90 degrees, thereby enabling the antenna array to receive and radiate circularly polarized waves.

[0073] It should be noted that, as shown in FIG4 , in this case, the feeding structures in the four antenna units are still on the same straight line, which can facilitate the straight routing of the feed lines.

[0074] In some other examples, as shown in FIG4 , the input ports of the feed structures of the antenna elements in the antenna array can be routed on the diagonal lines of the antenna array. That is, for each antenna element, the input ports of the feed structure of the antenna element are all on the diagonal lines of the antenna array. In this way, when routing the feed lines, they can be routed straight along the diagonals of the antenna array, thereby reducing routing difficulty. Specifically, in order to ensure that the input ports of the feed structures of multiple antenna elements are all on the diagonals of the antenna array, the transmission lines of the feed structures in the antenna elements can be bent and routed so that the input ports are all on the diagonals of the antenna array.

[0075] In some examples, the feeding structure 31 and the radiating structure 32 in the present disclosure are described.

[0076] The feeding structure 31 may include at least one first substrate 311 and a feeding unit 313 located on the first substrate close to the radiating structure 32; the radiating structure 32 may include at least one second substrate 321 and a radiating patch 323 located on the side of the second substrate away from the first substrate; wherein the radiating patch and the feeding unit are fed by contact or coupling.

[0077] Specifically, referring to Figures 5a-5d, schematic cross-sectional structures of several different antenna units are shown. As shown in Figures 5a-5d, for the feeding structure 31, it may include one first substrate or two first substrates. When it includes one first substrate, the transmission line of its feeding unit may be a microstrip line. When it includes two first substrates 311, the transmission line of the feeding unit may be a strip line. The feeding unit may be located on the side of the first substrate close to the radiation structure 32; for the radiation structure 32, it may include one second substrate 321 or two second substrates 321. When it includes one second substrate, its radiation patch may be located on the side surface of the second substrate facing away from the first substrate. When it includes two second substrates, a radiation patch is provided on the side surface of each of the two second substrates facing away from the first substrate. In this case, the orthographic projections of the two radiation patches on the first substrate may overlap, and the overlap may refer to partial overlap or full overlap.

[0078] Any of the above-mentioned feeding structures 31 can be combined with a radiation structure 32 of a corresponding structure, thereby realizing antenna units of various structures.

[0079] The feed unit includes a transmission line, and an output port and an input port located at both ends of the transmission line. The input port is electrically connected to the transmission line. Depending on the feeding method between the feed unit and the radiating structure 32, the output port can be a port made of a metal material or a coupling slot. Either method can achieve feeding between the radiating structure 32. The transmission line can be made of a low-resistance, low-loss metal such as copper, gold, or silver, and can be prepared by methods such as magnetron sputtering, thermal evaporation, and electroplating.

[0080] For example, as shown in Figure 5a, the feeding unit includes a first substrate 311, and a feeding unit 313 is arranged on one side of the first substrate. The transmission line of the feeding unit is set as a microstrip line, which is routed on the first substrate. The input port and the output port are both located on the first substrate. The input port is used to access external electrical signals, and the output port can be a metal port formed on the first substrate or a coupling slot opened on the first substrate; the radiation structure 32 can include a second substrate 321, and a radiation patch 323 is arranged on the side of the second substrate facing away from the first substrate. Thus, the entire antenna unit can include two substrates, thereby reducing the cross-sectional height of the entire antenna unit, thereby achieving a low-profile design.

[0081] [Corrected 06.02.2024 in accordance with Rule 91] For example, as shown in Figure 5b, the feed unit includes two opposing first substrates 311, the radiating structure 32 includes a second substrate 321, and the transmission line is configured as a stripline, running between the first and second substrates. The input port is located on the first substrate facing away from the second substrate, as shown in Figure 5b, and can be located on the lower first substrate 311. The output port can be located on the first substrate 311 closer to the second substrate, as shown in Figure 5b. Specifically, it can be a coupling slot 51 provided in the first substrate or a metal port located on the side of the first substrate closer to the second substrate, as shown in Figure 5b. The radiating patch is located on the side of the second substrate facing away from the first substrate, and its orthographic projection on the first substrate can cover the output port. Using this design for the feed structure 31, the stripline feeding method allows for more concentrated feeding energy, thereby optimizing antenna array performance.

[0082] For example, as shown in Figure 5c, the feeding unit includes a first substrate, the radiation structure 32 includes two second substrates 321 arranged opposite to each other, the transmission line of the feeding unit is set as a microstrip line, which is routed on the first substrate, and the input port and the output port are both located on the first substrate, the input port is used to access the external electrical signal, and the output port can be a metal port formed on the first substrate, or a coupling slot opened on the first substrate; wherein, each second substrate in the radiation structure 32 is formed with a radiation patch on the side facing away from the first substrate, and there is an overlapping part between the radiation patch 323 on the second substrate 321 on the upper layer and the radiation patch 324 on the second substrate 321 on the lower layer, that is, the orthographic projections of the two radiation patches on the first substrate can overlap or overlap, the radiation patch on the second substrate on the upper layer is called a parasitic patch 324, and the radiation patch 323 on the second substrate on the lower layer can radiate the signal fed by the feeding unit and radiate to the radiation patch 324 on the second substrate on the upper layer.

[0083] Compared with the radiation structure 32 in FIG. 5 a and FIG. 5 b , this radiation structure 32 includes two layers of radiation patches, and its bandwidth is relatively wide.

[0084] For example, as shown in Figure 5d, the feeding unit includes two first substrates arranged opposite to each other, the radiating structure 32 includes two second substrates arranged opposite to each other, the transmission line of the feeding unit is set as a strip line, the specific structure of the feeding structure 31 can refer to the structure of Figure 5b, and the specific structure of the radiating structure 32 can refer to the structure of Figure 5c.

[0085] The radiation patch and the feeding unit are coupled and fed or contact-fed, and a surface wave in the target frequency band is formed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

[0086] As shown in Figures 5a to 5d, the feed structure 31 also includes a grounding metal 314. This grounding metal can be disposed on the first substrate and serves as a ground line for the feed unit to ensure signal quality. Specifically, the grounding metal 314 can be a low-resistance, low-loss metal such as copper, gold, or silver, and can be produced by methods such as magnetron sputtering, thermal evaporation, and electroplating.

[0087] In some examples, the feeding method between the feed unit and the radiating patch can be contact feeding, specifically, the feed unit can be contact-fed with the radiating patch via a probe; or the feeding method between the feed unit and the radiating patch can be coupled feeding, specifically, the feed unit can be coupled-fed with the radiating patch via a coupling slot. As shown in Figure 5a, the output port of the feed unit is contact-fed with the radiating patch via a probe. The metal material of the probe can be copper, aluminum, or other metal materials. When using probe feeding, the energy fed into the radiating patch can be more concentrated, thereby optimizing the performance of the antenna array.

[0088] As shown in Figure 5b, the output port of the feeding unit is a coupling slot 51, which can couple and feed the radiation patch through the coupling slot. The shape of the coupling slot includes any one of a rectangle and an H shape. The size of the coupling slot can be set according to requirements and will not be elaborated here.

[0089] In some examples, the shape of the radiation patch includes any one of a circle, a rectangle, and a regular polygon, but is not limited to the above shapes. As shown in FIG3 , the radiation patch is shown to be a circle, and as shown in FIG12 , the radiation patch is shown to be a regular hexagon.

[0090] Regardless of which antenna unit in the above examples is used, after the antenna elements are assembled to form an antenna array, the target frequency band of the surface waves excited by the antenna array is strongly correlated with the size and material of the first substrate in the feed structure 31. Therefore, the desired frequency band can be notched by designing the size and material of the first substrate. The size of the first substrate may include its thickness, and the material of the first substrate determines its dielectric constant. Therefore, the thickness and dielectric constant of the first substrate can have a strong correlation with the frequency band of the surface waves excited.

[0091] Specifically, the target frequency band satisfies a preset relationship with the thickness and dielectric constant of the first substrate, and the preset relationship is: the larger the thickness, the smaller the target frequency band, and the larger the dielectric constant, the smaller the target frequency band.

[0092] In this embodiment, the target frequency band is related to the thickness and dielectric constant of the first substrate. This preset relationship may vary slightly depending on the electromagnetic wave mode. However, in general, the greater the thickness, the lower the target frequency band. The antenna array formed by the arrayed antenna elements can achieve a trapping function for lower-frequency electromagnetic waves. The smaller the thickness, the higher the target frequency band. The antenna array formed by the arrayed antenna elements can achieve a trapping function for higher-frequency electromagnetic waves. Similarly, the greater the dielectric constant, the smaller the target frequency band. The antenna array formed by the arrayed antenna elements can achieve a trapping function for lower-frequency electromagnetic waves. The smaller the dielectric constant, the higher the target frequency band. The antenna array formed by the arrayed antenna elements can achieve a trapping function for higher-frequency electromagnetic waves.

[0093] In practice, if the dielectric constant is constant, that is, if the material of the first substrate is determined, the target frequency band can be fine-tuned by designing the thickness of the first substrate. Similarly, if the thickness is constant, such as if the required cross-sectional height of the antenna array is constant, the target frequency band can be fine-tuned by selecting a first substrate of a corresponding material.

[0094] In some examples, the preset relationship may differ slightly depending on the mode of the electromagnetic wave. For example, the preset relationship may include a first preset relationship in the TM mode and a second preset relationship in the TE mode, where the first preset relationship may be as shown in the following formula (1):

[0095] n=0,1,2,3 formula (1);

[0096] The second preset relationship can be expressed as the following formula (2):

[0097] n=0,1,2,3 formula (2)

[0098] In the above formulas (1) and (2), c is the speed of light in vacuum, ε e is the equivalent relative dielectric constant of the first substrate, and d is the thickness of the first substrate. It can be seen that the thicker the first substrate is and the higher the dielectric constant is, the more surface wave modes can be excited, and the lower the cutoff frequency of the antenna array formed after the antenna elements are arrayed, that is, the lower the target frequency band.

[0099] From the above formulas (1) and (2), it can be seen that when sampling the first substrate of the same thickness and material, the frequency of the TE mode surface wave excited is lower than the frequency of the TM mode surface wave. In other words, the antenna array formed by the array of antenna elements will trap the higher-frequency TM mode electromagnetic waves and trap the lower-frequency TE mode electromagnetic waves.

[0100] In some examples, the thickness of the first substrate is 0.1 mm to 1 mm, and / or the dielectric constant of the first substrate is 2 to 10.

[0101] In this example, the thickness of the first substrate can be 0.1 mm, 1 mm, or any value between 0.1 mm and 1 mm, such as 0.5 mm, 0.4 mm, or 0.6 mm. In the case of including two first substrates, the thicknesses of the two first substrates can be the same or different.

[0102] In this example, the dielectric constant of the first substrate may be 2, 10, or any value between 2 and 10, such as 3, 4, 5, or 8. In the case of including two first substrates, the dielectric constants of the two first substrates may be equivalent dielectric constants of the two first substrates.

[0103] Specifically, the thickness and material of the first substrate can be determined according to the frequency band of the notch required by the antenna array according to the above formulas (1) and (2), and will not be elaborated here.

[0104] In some examples, the first substrate includes any of the following materials: polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber, a phenolic paper layer, a phenolic glass cloth layer, quartz, and glass.

[0105] Among the above materials, polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber, phenolic paper layer, phenolic glass cloth layer, etc. are commonly used PCB insulation materials, and quartz and glass have low microwave loss. Of course, in the case of including two first substrates, the materials of the two first substrates can be the same or different.

[0106] Correspondingly, the second substrate may also include any of the following materials: polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber, phenolic paper layer, phenolic glass cloth layer, quartz, and glass. The second substrate may be made of the same material as the first substrate or a different material from the first substrate.

[0107] As described above, in some embodiments, the antenna units in the antenna array may be linearly polarized units, and the linearly polarized antenna units may be rotationally symmetrically arranged so that the antenna array can radiate circularly polarized waves; of course, the multiple linearly polarized antenna units in the antenna array may be translationally transformed, thereby allowing the antenna array to still radiate linearly polarized waves.

[0108] In some examples, a single antenna unit can radiate circularly polarized waves. In such examples, the feed unit 313 in the antenna unit can include two feeding sub-units, and the feeding phases of the two feeding sub-units are orthogonal. Thus, the orthogonal feeding phases enable the antenna unit to radiate circularly polarized waves.

[0109] Since a single antenna unit can radiate circularly polarized waves, there are two ways to achieve orthogonal feeding phases of the two feeding sub-units.

[0110] The first one, as shown in Figure 6, shows a schematic diagram of the top view structure of an antenna unit. As shown in Figure 5, the radiation structure 32 includes a radiation patch, and the feeding unit may include an input port 40 and an output port 50; wherein the output port 50 and the radiation patch 323 are fed through contact; wherein the line connecting the output ports 50 of the two feeding units and the center points of the radiation patch 323 is orthogonal.

[0111] In this orthogonally fed antenna unit, contact feeding is performed between the output port of the feed subunit and the radiating patch. This contact feeding may involve connecting the output port to the radiating patch via a probe. When contact feeding is performed using a probe, the radiation beam shaping effect is improved. Of course, other contact feeding methods may also be used in practice, and this is not particularly limited here.

[0112] Among them, the radiation patch can be a circular radiation patch or a regular polygonal radiation patch. For the radiation patch, it has a center point, which can be the geometric center point of the radiation patch. For example, the center point of the circular radiation patch is the center of the radiation patch, and the center point of the rectangular radiation patch is the intersection of the diagonals.

[0113] As shown in FIG6 , to achieve orthogonal feeding phases, the line connecting the output port 50 of one feeder unit 313a and the center point of the orthographic projection of the radiating patch on the first substrate is orthogonal to the line connecting the output port 50 of another feeder unit 313b and the center point of the orthographic projection of the radiating patch on the first substrate. The input port can be separated from the output port by a certain distance. It should be noted that the output port and the input port are connected by a transmission line, such as the output port 50 and the input port 40 of the feeder unit 313a are connected by a transmission line 60, and the output port 50 and the input port 40 of the feeder unit 313b are connected by a transmission line 60. The transmission line can be a microstrip line or a stripline.

[0114] With this type of feeding unit, the output port of the feeding sub-unit is contact-fed with the radiation patch, so that energy can be effectively fed into the radiation patch, reducing losses and thus improving the performance of the antenna. Moreover, since the lines connecting the two output ports and the center of the radiation patch are orthogonal, a single antenna unit can radiate circularly polarized waves, so that the antenna array can be used in circularly polarized wave scenarios.

[0115] The second type, as shown in FIG7 , illustrates a schematic top-down view of another antenna unit. As shown in FIG7 , similarly, the radiating structure 32 includes a radiating patch, and the feed unit may include an output port and an output port; wherein the output port 50 is a coupling slot 51. In this case, the feed unit couples and feeds power between the coupling slot 51 and the radiating patch 324. Specifically, the orthographic projection of the radiating patch on the first substrate may overlap the coupling slot. To achieve orthogonal feeding phases, in this antenna unit, the two coupling slots are orthogonal, that is, one coupling slot is obtained by rotating the other coupling slot 90 degrees on the array plane.

[0116] As shown in FIG7 , in this example, two coupling slots are spaced a certain distance apart on the first substrate. Orthogonality means that one of the two coupling slots is a 90-degree rotation of the other. As mentioned above, the coupling slots can be H-shaped, rectangular, or other shapes. FIG7 illustrates an H-shaped coupling slot. It can be seen that the output port (coupling slot 51) of one feeding unit is orthogonal to the output port (coupling slot 51) of the other feeding unit. This results in a 90-degree phase difference between the electromagnetic waves fed into the radiating patch, thereby forming a circularly polarized wave.

[0117] The antenna unit adopts this structure, because it is fed through the coupling slot, can achieve broadband performance and multi-band performance on the antenna, while also reducing the electromagnetic radiation and coupling loss between the transmission line and the antenna.

[0118] In some examples, for an antenna unit with orthogonal feeding phases, the lengths of the transmission lines of its two feeding sub-units may be the same.

[0119] In this example, whether it is the coupled feeding shown in Figure 7 or the contact feeding shown in Figure 6, in one antenna unit, the length of the transmission line of the two feeding sub-units can be the same, that is, the length of the transmission line connecting the input port to the output port is the same. When the length is the same, the signal loss is consistent. Therefore, the antenna unit can generate two signals with the same amplitude and a phase difference of 90°. After coupling to the radiation patch, a circularly polarized wave with good signal quality can be generated.

[0120] In some examples, since two feeding units are included, the feeding unit of the antenna unit may have the following structural features:

[0121] In one structural feature 1, the transmission line of at least one feeding sub-unit in the feeding unit of the antenna unit is bent and routed on the first substrate.

[0122] Referring to Figures 8a and 8b, Figure 8a shows a top plan schematic diagram of the feeding unit in Figure 6, and Figure 8b shows a top structural schematic diagram of the coupled-fed antenna unit. As shown in Figures 8a and 8b, in this structural feature 1, there may be a transmission line 60 of a feeding unit in each feeding unit that is bent and routed on the first substrate, and the feeding unit of the bent route may be any one of the two feeding units; or, both feeding units in each feeding unit are bent and routed on the first substrate, as shown in Figures 8a and 8b, which show the case where the transmission lines of both feeding units are bent and routed on the first substrate.

[0123] Specifically, when zigzagging, the transmission lines of the two feeder units can have the same length, but their routing methods can be different. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8b, the transmission line of one feeder unit starts from the right side of the radiating patch and runs downward, then bends to the left and connects to the output port. The transmission line of the other feeder unit starts from the right side and runs upward, then to the left, and finally to the upper side and connects to the output port.

[0124] Of course, in some examples, the routing of the two feeding subunits can also be the same, as shown in Figure 8a. The two feeding subunits shown in Figure 8a constitute a 3dB bridge feeding structure 31. In other words, the feeding unit can adopt a 3dB bridge.

[0125] When the transmission line of the feed unit in the antenna unit is bent and routed, the space occupied by the transmission line of the feed unit can be reduced, thereby realizing a miniaturized design of the antenna unit and improving the integration of the antenna array.

[0126] Accordingly, in a further example of structural feature 1, the output port of the feeding unit of the antenna unit can be a coupling slot, then one end of the transmission line is the input port, and the other end is the coupling slot, wherein the routing of the transmission line near the output port after bending can be perpendicular to the coupling slot.

[0127] After the transmission line is bent, it can be divided into multiple segments. The transmission line can then be considered a meandering line formed by connecting multiple segments according to a certain connection relationship. As shown in Figure 7, when the output port of the feed unit is a coupling slot, the transmission line segment connected to the coupling slot can be orthogonal to the coupling slot. In this case, the uniformity of the energy fed from the transmission line to the coupling slot can be improved, thereby improving the uniformity of the energy fed from the coupling slot to the antenna unit and optimizing the performance of the antenna unit.

[0128] In one structural feature 2, the shapes of the two feeding units are symmetrical to each other. In this example, the overall shape of the two feeding units can be symmetrical, as shown in Figure 6, thereby forming a symmetrical feeding unit. The symmetrical feeding unit can enhance the structural periodicity of the antenna unit in the antenna array and improve the trapping capability. It can not only divide an input signal into two signals with equal amplitude and a 90° phase difference, but also improve the utilization rate of the output signal.

[0129] In one structural feature 3, since the feeding unit includes an input port and an output port, the positions of the input port and the output port can be designed to reduce the complexity of the feeding structure 31 of the antenna array. For example, the antenna array can be a rectangle, which can be understood as an external rectangular frame of the antenna unit, wherein the transmission lines of the two feeding units of each antenna unit can be bent and routed, and the input ports of the two feeding units are located on the same diagonal line of the antenna array, and the input ports of the feeding structures of multiple antenna units can be located on the same straight line.

[0130] In this example, whether it is a coupled-feed antenna unit as shown in FIG7 or a contact-feed antenna unit as shown in FIG6, when multiple antenna units are arrayed, when the input ports of each antenna unit are located on the same diagonal line of the antenna array, it can facilitate the setting of the feed ports of the antenna array. For example, referring to FIG9, a schematic top view of an antenna array obtained by the antenna unit array described in FIG6 is shown. As shown in FIG9, multiple antenna units are arrayed in rotational symmetry. The antenna array includes four antenna units, which are arranged in an array and arranged closely together. The transmission line of each antenna unit is arranged in a zigzag manner, and the two input ports are both located on the diagonal line of the antenna unit. Specifically, the input ports of the two feed sub-units of each antenna unit are located on the same diagonal line of the antenna array, and the four input ports of the two antenna units on the diagonal line are also located on the same diagonal line of the antenna array. In this way, not only the input ports within the antenna unit are located on the same diagonal line of the antenna array, but also the input ports of different antenna units are located on the same diagonal line of the antenna array. As shown in FIG9 , when feeding power to each antenna unit in the antenna array, the input port 40 of each feeding unit can be set on the diagonal line of the array, thereby optimizing the routing layout of the feed line and reducing the routing difficulty of the feed line.

[0131] It should be noted that when the antenna elements shown in FIG9 are used to form a periodic structure, multiple antenna elements can be translated and arrayed to form an antenna array, thereby making the states of all antenna units on the array surface periodic, thereby forming a periodic structure.

[0132] When multiple antenna units are rotated to form an array using this method, such as four antenna units are rotated symmetrically to form an array, the input ports of the feed subunits in the four antenna units are all located on the diagonal lines of the antenna array, making the setting of the feed ports of the entire antenna array simpler.

[0133] In one structural feature 4, the output port of the feed unit overlaps with the radiation patch, while the input port may or may not overlap with the orthographic projection of the radiation structure on the first substrate. The output port may be covered by the orthographic projection of the radiation patch on the first substrate to ensure sufficient signal input. The overlap of the input port and the orthographic projection of the radiation structure on the first substrate may include: the input port is covered by the orthographic projection of the radiation structure on the first substrate, or the input port and the orthographic projection of the radiation structure on the first substrate partially overlap. Of course, in the absence of overlap, interference between the radiation patch and the external signal can be avoided, thereby improving the antenna radiation performance.

[0134] Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the input port of the feed unit overlaps with the radiating patch, while Figure 7 shows the case where there is no overlap between the input port of the feed unit and the radiating patch. In this structural feature 4, the input port is used to receive signals. When the input port overlaps with the orthographic projection of the radiating structure 32 on the first substrate, the transmission line in the feed unit can bend and route, and the bent area can be close to the orthographic projection of the radiating structure 32 on the first substrate, making the structure of the feed unit more compact and improving the miniaturization design of the antenna unit.

[0135] Specifically, in the case where an antenna element includes two feeding units with orthogonal feeding phases, the two feeding units may include a first feeding unit 313a and a second feeding unit 313b. If the antenna units are arranged in rotational symmetry, then in the clockwise direction of the antenna element, the first feeding units differ by a preset angle, and the second feeding units differ by an angle of 180 degrees from the preset angle. That is, in the counterclockwise direction, the second feeding units also differ by a preset angle.

[0136] For example, referring to FIG10 , a schematic diagram of the rotationally symmetric array of the antenna units shown in FIG6 is shown. As shown in FIG10 , when the four antenna units are rotationally symmetric, the input ports of the two feed units in each antenna unit are located on the diagonal of the antenna array. As shown in FIG10 , the antenna array includes four antenna units. When the four antenna units are rotationally symmetric, their angles differ by 90°. In this case, the first feed unit 313b can be the feed unit located on the inside, which differs by 90° in the clockwise direction, and the second feed unit 313a can be the feed unit located on the outside, which differs by -90° in the clockwise direction. That is, the second feed unit differs by 90° in the counterclockwise direction.

[0137] Of course, in some other examples, assuming that an antenna array includes 8 antenna units, and the 8 antenna units are arranged in a rotationally symmetrical array, then in the clockwise direction, the first feeding units between adjacent antenna units differ by 45 degrees, and the second feeding units differ by 135 degrees.

[0138] It should be noted that the preset angle difference between the first feed units 313b refers to the rotation difference between two adjacent first feed units 313b. For example, the preset angle difference between two adjacent first feed units 313b means that, of the two first feed units, one first feed unit is rotated clockwise by the preset angle to obtain the shape of the other first feed unit.

[0139] With the antenna array of this embodiment, since each antenna unit in an antenna array can include two feeding sub-units with orthogonal feeding phases, when multiple antenna units are rotated to form an array, one antenna array can achieve radiation and reception of two circularly polarized waves.

[0140] Below, several antenna arrays proposed in this disclosure are exemplarily described:

[0141] Example 1:

[0142] Referring to Figures 11 and 9, Figure 11 shows an exploded view of the antenna unit in the antenna array A in Example 1. As shown in Figures 11 and 9, the antenna array includes four antenna units arranged in an array, and the four antenna units can be arrayed into a square-shaped antenna array. The antenna unit includes a feeding structure 31 and a radiation structure 32 arranged on one side of the feeding structure 31; the radiation structure of each antenna unit is the same, and the feeding structure is also the same; wherein, the arrangement of multiple antenna units in each antenna array is consistent, as shown in Figure 10, and they are all rotationally symmetrically arranged.

[0143] As shown in FIG11 , the feeding structure 31 includes two first substrates 311 arranged opposite to each other, wherein the feeding unit 313 includes two feeding sub-units with orthogonal feeding phases, each feeding sub-unit including a strip transmission line running between the two first substrates, and an input port and an output port located at both ends of the strip transmission line, and the two feeding sub-units are symmetrical in shape; the radiation structure 32 includes two second substrates 321 arranged opposite to each other, wherein each second substrate is provided with a radiation patch 323 and a radiation patch 324, both of which are circular, have the same size, and have their centers on the same vertical line of the second substrate;

[0144] Among them, the output ports of the two feeding units can be orthogonal to the line connecting the center of the positive projection of the radiation patch on the first substrate. For each antenna unit, the input ports of the two feeding units included in each antenna unit are located on the diagonal of the antenna array.

[0145] As shown in Figure 11, the output port of each feeding unit in the antenna unit is electrically connected to the radiation patch on the second substrate located in the lower layer through a probe 33; the transmission line of the feeding unit is bent and routed on the first substrate so that the input port is located on the diagonal line of the antenna array, and the output port of the feeding unit is covered by the radiation patch, and the input port is located at the edge of the positive projection of the radiation patch on the first substrate; wherein, the input ports of the two feeding units are respectively electrically connected to the first feeding port 34 and the second feeding port 35 located on the first substrate 311 located in the lower layer to access external input signals.

[0146] The two first substrates are made of the same size and material. Specifically, the thickness of the first substrate is 0.1 mm to 1 mm, and the dielectric constant of the first substrate is 2 to 10.

[0147] As shown in FIG10 , the antenna units in the antenna array are arranged in rotational symmetry. With the center point of the antenna array as the center of the circle, the feeding units 313 a located in the outer circle are rotated -90 degrees in a clockwise direction, and the feeding units 13 b located in the inner circle are rotated -90 degrees in a counterclockwise direction. In this way, the feeding units 313 a in the outer circle can form left-handed circularly polarized waves, and the feeding units 313 b in the inner circle can form right-handed circularly polarized waves.

[0148] Example 2:

[0149] As shown in Figure 8b, the antenna array includes four antenna units arranged in an array, and the antenna unit includes a feeding structure 31 and a radiation structure 32 arranged on one side of the feeding structure 31; wherein, multiple antenna arrays are arranged in a periodic structure, and the periodic structure prompts the antenna array to excite surface waves in the target frequency band at the interface between the feeding structure 31 and the radiation structure 32, so as to achieve notching in the target frequency band.

[0150] The arrangement of the multiple antenna units in each antenna array is consistent, and they are all rotationally symmetrically arranged. The structure and size of each antenna unit are consistent, or roughly consistent. As shown in Figure 7, the feed structure 31 includes two first substrates arranged opposite to each other, wherein the feed structure 31 includes two feeding sub-units with orthogonal feeding phases, each feeding sub-unit includes a strip transmission line 60 running between the two first substrates, and an input port 40 and an output port 50 located at both ends of the strip transmission line, and the shapes of the two feeding sub-units are symmetrical; the radiation structure 32 includes two second substrates arranged opposite to each other, wherein each second substrate is provided with a radiation patch, both of which are circular, the two radiation patches are the same size, and the centers of the two radiation patches are on the same vertical line of the second substrate.

[0151] In which, the output port of the feeding unit is an H-shaped coupling slot, there is a gap between the coupling slots of the two feeding units, and the two coupling slots are orthogonal; in which, the two coupling slots are both covered by the positive projection of the radiation patch on the first substrate, and the input port and the coupling slot are connected by a transmission line, which is bent and routed on the first substrate, and the section connected to the coupling slot after bending is perpendicular to the coupling slot, as shown in Figure 7. The bending forms of the transmission lines of the two feeding units can be different, such as the length and width of the transmission lines of the two feeding units are consistent; using this antenna element B, the radiation structure 32 and the feeding structure 31 are coupled and fed through the coupling slot.

[0152] Among them, the transmission lines and output ports of the two feeding units can be set asymmetrically. In order to reduce the feeding crosstalk between the antenna elements, the input port can be set close to the radiation patch. That is, the positive projection of the radiation patch on the first substrate can partially overlap with the input port, thereby improving the structural compactness of the antenna element.

[0153] The two first substrates are made of the same size and material. Specifically, the thickness of the first substrate is 0.1 mm to 1 mm, and the dielectric constant of the first substrate is 2 to 10.

[0154] Next, an antenna array formed by combining multiple antenna elements in the above embodiment is exemplarily described.

[0155] Referring to FIG. 12 , a schematic top view of an antenna array is shown. As shown in FIG. 12 , the antenna array 100 may include multiple antenna elements 200 . Each antenna element 200 may include multiple antenna units 300 spaced apart. The antenna units include a feed structure 31 and a radiating structure 32 disposed on one side of the feed structure 31 . Different antenna units have the same feed structure and the same radiating structure, and the multiple antenna elements are arranged in a periodic structure. The periodic structure can encourage the antenna elements to excite surface waves in a target frequency band at the interface between the feed structure 31 and the radiating structure 32 , thereby achieving notching in the target frequency band.

[0156] For example, when the antenna elements in multiple antenna arrays are arranged in the same manner, the multiple antenna elements in the antenna arrays can be arranged in a rotationally symmetrical array, such as a rotational array. In this case, after the multiple antenna arrays are translated into an array, the arrangement state of all antenna elements changes regularly, thereby forming a periodic structure. As shown in Figure 12, there are six antenna arrays, and the antenna elements in the six antenna arrays are arranged in the same manner. If they are arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner, in this case, the six antenna arrays are translated into an array, so that all antenna elements also form a periodic structure. Multiple columns of antenna arrays with the same arrangement are arranged adjacently, and the change pattern of the arrangement of the antenna arrays in multiple sub-arrays is consistent. Specifically, when the multiple antenna elements in each antenna array are arranged in the same manner and the multiple antenna arrays are translated into an array, the arrangement of the multiple antenna elements in the antenna array can be a rotationally symmetrical arrangement. As a result, the multiple antenna elements in each antenna array are rotationally symmetrical, so that the antenna array can radiate circularly polarized waves with better performance.

[0157] In some examples, to avoid grating lobes when the antenna elements scan at large angles, the spacing between antenna elements is generally no greater than the operating wavelength. The operating wavelength refers to the dielectric wavelength of the center frequency of the antenna elements. Referring to Figure 13 , a top-down schematic diagram of the antenna elements after the multiple antenna elements shown in Figure 9 are assembled is shown. As shown in Figure 13 , the spacing d1 between the antenna elements is no greater than the operating wavelength λ of the antenna elements. Specifically, the dimensions of the antenna elements in the row direction can be less than or equal to the operating wavelength, and the dimensions in the column direction can also be less than or equal to the operating wavelength.

[0158] In some examples, to avoid mutual interference between feeding units of antenna elements, the feeding unit of one antenna element in two adjacent antenna elements does not extend into the other antenna element.

[0159] In this example, the feeding units in each antenna array are located in the area occupied by the antenna array. For each antenna array, the feeding unit in each antenna unit in the antenna array does not overlap with the orthographic projections of the remaining antenna units on the array surface. This not only reduces the electrical signal crosstalk between antenna arrays, but also reduces the electrical signal crosstalk between antenna units in the antenna array.

[0160] For one antenna array, all feeding units of the antenna array do not extend into the area where another antenna array is located, so as to avoid crosstalk between the feeding units of the antenna array, thereby improving the performance of the antenna array.

[0161] Exemplarily, in combination with the example of the above-mentioned antenna array, an exemplary antenna array is given, as shown in Figure 13, which shows a schematic diagram of the antenna array A after being arrayed using the antenna array A in the above-mentioned example. As shown in Figure 13, the antenna array includes four antenna units, and the four antenna units are rotationally symmetrically arrayed, so that multiple antenna arrays can be translated to form an array, thereby forming a periodic structure.

[0162] The spacing d1 between the antenna elements may be three quarters of the operating wavelength λ, thereby avoiding the occurrence of grating lobes during large-angle scanning.

[0163] 14 , a normalized gain simulation result of the antenna array A is shown. As shown in FIG14 , the antenna array A realizes a notch function at a frequency of 19 Hz.

[0164] Exemplarily, in combination with the example of the above-mentioned antenna array, another exemplary antenna array is given. Referring to Figure 15, a schematic diagram of the antenna array B after being arrayed using the antenna array B in the above-mentioned example is shown. As shown in Figure 15, the antenna array includes four antenna units, and the four antenna units are rotationally symmetrically arrayed. Then, multiple antenna arrays can be translated to form an array, thereby forming a periodic structure.

[0165] For one antenna array, all feeding units of the antenna array do not extend into the area where another antenna array is located, so as to avoid crosstalk between the feeding units of the antenna array, thereby improving the performance of the antenna array.

[0166] The spacing between antenna elements can be three-quarters of the operating wavelength, thereby avoiding the occurrence of grating lobes during large-angle scanning.

[0167] Accordingly, the present disclosure also provides a phased array antenna, which may include the antenna array in any of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments. Specifically, it may include one antenna array or multiple antenna arrays. When multiple antenna arrays are included, multiple antenna elements may be spliced ​​into a larger antenna array.

[0168] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0169] Finally, it should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, commodity, or device that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, commodity, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, commodity, or device that includes the element.

[0170] The above is a detailed introduction to an antenna element and antenna array provided by the present disclosure. Specific examples are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present disclosure. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core idea of ​​the present disclosure. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, based on the ideas of the present disclosure, there may be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scopes. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0171] Other embodiments of the present disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The description and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

[0172] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

[0173] References herein to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or "one or more embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, please note that instances of the phrase "in one embodiment" do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0174] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are described. However, it is understood that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures, and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0175] In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The present disclosure may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third etc. does not indicate any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

[0176] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, rather than to limit them. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An antenna element, characterized in that, It includes a plurality of antenna units arranged at intervals. The antenna unit includes a feeding structure and a radiation structure provided on one side of the feeding structure. Among them, different antenna units have the same feeding structure and the same radiation structure. Among them, among the plurality of antenna units, at least two input ports of the feeding structures of the antenna units are located on the same straight line.

2. The antenna element according to claim 1, wherein The arrangement mode of the plurality of antenna units includes any one of rotational symmetric arrangement and translational arrangement.

3. The antenna element according to claim 1, wherein The input ports of the feeding structures in the plurality of antenna units are all located on the diagonal line of the antenna element.

4. The antenna element according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding structure includes at least one first substrate and a feeding unit located on the first substrate close to the radiation structure. Among them, the antenna element is configured to notch in a target frequency band. The target frequency band and the thickness and dielectric constant of the first substrate satisfy a preset relationship. The preset relationship is: the larger the thickness, the smaller the target frequency band, and the larger the dielectric constant, the smaller the target frequency band.

5. The antenna element according to claim 4, characterized in that The thickness of the first substrate is 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

6. The antenna element according to claim 4, wherein ​ 7. The antenna element according to claim 4, wherein ​ 8. The antenna element according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, ​ 9. The antenna element according to claim 8, wherein ​ ​ 10. The antenna element according to claim 8, characterized in that, ​ 11. The antenna element according to claim 8, wherein ​ ​ 12. The antenna element according to claim 11, wherein ​ 13. The antenna element according to claim 8, wherein ​ 14. The antenna element according to claim 13, wherein ​ 15. The antenna element according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, ​ 16. The antenna element according to claim 8, characterized in that, ​ 17. An antenna array, characterized in that, ​ 18. The antenna array according to claim 17, wherein [[ID=ID=0]]The spacing between the antenna elements is not greater than the operating wavelength of the antenna array.

19. The antenna array according to claim 17, wherein, [[ID=ID=1]]The feeding unit of one of the two adjacent antenna elements has no overlap with the other antenna element.

20. The antenna array according to claim 17, wherein [[ID=ID=2]]The multiple antenna elements in each antenna element are rotationally symmetrically arranged, and the multiple antenna elements are translated to form an array.

Images