Missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased-array antenna unit

Abstract

The invention provides a missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased-array antenna unit, and belongs to the field of phased-array antenna units. Comprising multiple layers of stacked dielectric substrates, a waveguide metal boundary wall and a feed probe penetrate through the dielectric substrates, a metal strip is arranged between every two adjacent dielectric substrates, a radiation patch is arranged on the top dielectric substrate, and a ground plane is arranged below the bottom dielectric substrate. A grounding hole is formed in the middle of the dielectric substrate, a grounding patch electrically connected with the grounding hole is arranged on the substrate, and the waveguide metal boundary wall is distributed in the circumferential direction of the grounding hole and connected with the radiation patch, the metal strip and the ground plane to define a closed dielectric resonant waveguide cavity. The feed probe vertically penetrates through the dielectric substrate in the thickness direction of the dielectric substrate, and the upper end of the feed probe is electrically connected with the radiation patch, so that energy is transmitted from the feed probe to the radiation patch. The low-profile Ka-band phased-array antenna unit realizes low-profile operation, and has the characteristics of miniaturization, light weight and high gain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of phased array antenna element technology, and in particular to a missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of information technology, satellite communication systems are playing an increasingly important role in fields such as military, aerospace, distance education, and global positioning. Among various communication frequency bands, the Ka band has become the preferred frequency band due to its large bandwidth, low signal attenuation, and strong anti-interference capability.

[0003] Traditional phased array antennas mostly use conventional waveguides or microstrip structures, which generally suffer from large size and heavy weight, making them difficult to fit into the compact installation space of the missile. In addition, their high profile can easily affect the aerodynamic performance of the missile. At the same time, traditional structures have shortcomings in terms of power supply energy transfer efficiency, cavity sealing and grounding reliability. Some designs do not form an efficient and sealed resonant cavity, which leads to increased signal leakage and external interference. Some grounding structures are poorly designed, which can easily cause signal reflection and loss. Insufficient adaptability of the power supply method also leads to low energy transfer efficiency, which further restricts the application effect of the Ka band in missile scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element to solve the problems of large size, heavy weight, high cost, and high power consumption in traditional phased array antenna designs.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna unit, including several layers of stacked dielectric substrates and waveguide metal boundary walls and feed probes disposed through the dielectric substrates. Metal strips are provided between adjacent dielectric substrates, a radiating patch is provided on the top dielectric substrate, and a ground plane is provided below the bottom dielectric substrate.

[0006] A grounding hole is formed in the middle of the dielectric substrate, and a grounding patch is disposed on the substrate. The grounding patch is electrically connected to the grounding hole. The waveguide metal boundary wall is distributed circumferentially along the grounding hole and is connected to the radiating patch, the metal strip and the ground plane to form a closed dielectric resonant waveguide cavity. The feed probe penetrates the dielectric substrate perpendicularly along the thickness direction of the dielectric substrate, and the upper end of the feed probe is electrically connected to the radiating patch to transfer energy from the feed probe to the radiating patch.

[0007] In one exemplary embodiment of this application, the grounding hole is a metallized through hole, and the wall of the grounding hole is provided with a conductive layer that is electrically connected to the grounding patch and the ground plane.

[0008] In one exemplary embodiment of this application, the middle portion of the grounding patch is connected to the grounding hole.

[0009] In one exemplary embodiment of this application, the radiating patch includes an integrally formed strip patch and a U-shaped sheet body, the grounding hole is located in the middle of the U-shaped sheet body, the strip patch extends into the grounding hole and is connected to the upper end of the feed probe.

[0010] In one exemplary embodiment of this application, the metal strip has a U-shaped structure and coincides with the U-shaped sheet of the radiating patch in the vertical projection direction;

[0011] The strip patch has a rectangular segment and a semicircular segment. The rectangular segment is connected to the inner edge of the U-shaped patch and extends toward the center of the grounding hole. The semicircular segment is connected to the extended end of the rectangular segment and is connected to the feed probe. The strip patch is arranged facing the upper end of the feed probe.

[0012] In one exemplary embodiment of this application, the waveguide metal boundary wall is connected to the inner edge of a plurality of metal strips, the upper end of the waveguide metal boundary wall is connected to the radiating patch, and the lower end of the waveguide metal boundary wall is connected to the ground plane.

[0013] In one exemplary embodiment of this application, the grounding hole, the waveguide metal boundary wall, and the feed probe are all disposed perpendicular to the surface of the dielectric substrate.

[0014] In one exemplary embodiment of this application, the grounding patch is a rectangular sheet-like conductive structure.

[0015] In one exemplary embodiment of this application, the power supply probe is a cylindrical conductive structure.

[0016] In one exemplary embodiment of this application, the strip patch extends radially along the dielectric resonant waveguide cavity.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element provided in this application embodiment are as follows: When energy is input from the feed probe, it is transferred to the radiating patch through the electrical connection between the feed probe and the radiating patch. The closed dielectric resonant waveguide cavity plays a resonant role in the energy transfer process. The cooperation between the grounding hole and the grounding patch ensures the stability of the electrical connection. The connection between the waveguide metal boundary wall and each component ensures the cavity sealing. The multi-layer stacked structure realizes the low-profile design to adapt to the compact space of the missile body. The closed dielectric resonant waveguide cavity reduces signal leakage and enhances anti-interference capability. The direct electrical connection between the feed probe and the radiating patch improves the energy transfer efficiency, solving the problems of large volume, high profile, poor anti-interference and low feed efficiency of traditional structures.

[0018] This antenna element adopts a compact and lightweight design, achieving the goals of reducing size and weight, lowering costs, and improving the ease of installation and deployment. Through the low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element of this invention, low-profile operation is achieved, featuring miniaturization, lightweight design, and high gain. It has broad application prospects in satellite communication and detection countermeasures, and possesses significant application value and commercial significance. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a front view of the outer side of the missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the wiring hole provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0023] Among them: 1. Feed probe, 2. Radiation patch, 21. Strip patch, 211. Rectangular segment, 212. Semicircular segment, 22. U-shaped plate, 3. Grounding hole, 4. Grounding patch, 5. Waveguide metal boundary wall, 6. Metal strip, 7. Ground plane, 8. Dielectric substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this solution, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this solution will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this solution, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this solution, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of this solution.

[0025] The term "comprising" and any other variations thereof in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention mean "including but not limited to," and are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, not limited to the examples listed herein. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second," etc., are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order.

[0026] The implementation of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the specific accompanying drawings:

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element provided in an embodiment of this application. (Refer to...) Figure 1 This missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna unit includes several stacked dielectric substrates 8, waveguide metal boundary walls 5 and feed probes 1 penetrating the dielectric substrates 8, metal strips 6 between adjacent dielectric substrates 8, a radiating patch 2 on the top dielectric substrate 8, and a ground plane 7 below the bottom dielectric substrate 8; a grounding hole 3 is opened in the middle of the dielectric substrate 8, and a grounding patch 4 is disposed on the substrate, which is electrically connected to the grounding hole 3; the waveguide metal boundary walls 5 are distributed circumferentially along the grounding hole 3 and are connected to the radiating patch 2, the metal strips 6 and the ground plane 7 to form a closed dielectric resonant waveguide cavity; the feed probe 1 penetrates the dielectric substrate 8 perpendicularly along the thickness direction of the dielectric substrate 8, and the upper end of the feed probe 1 is electrically connected to the radiating patch 2 to transfer energy from the feed probe 1 to the radiating patch 2.

[0028] The radiating patch 2 and the metal strip 6 each have a through circular hole, so that several circumferentially spaced circular rods can be installed on the inner wall of the circular hole to form the waveguide metal boundary wall 5.

[0029] Reference Figure 2 First, it should be noted that the stacked dielectric substrate 8 and metal strip 6 are pressed together, and a wiring hole is opened in the middle of the dielectric substrate 8. The wiring hole is a through hole, with the upper end connected to the grounding patch and the lower end connected to the ground plane 7. When energy is input from the feed probe 1, it is transferred to the radiating patch 2 through the electrical connection between the feed probe 1 and the radiating patch 2. The closed dielectric resonant waveguide cavity plays a resonant role in the energy transfer process. The cooperation between the grounding hole 3 and the grounding patch 4 ensures the stability of the electrical connection, and the connection between the waveguide metal boundary wall 5 and each component ensures the cavity sealing. The multi-layer stacked structure enables a low profile design to adapt to the compact space of the projectile. The closed dielectric resonant waveguide cavity reduces signal leakage and enhances anti-interference capability. The direct electrical connection between the feed probe 1 and the radiating patch 2 improves the energy transfer efficiency, solving the problems of large volume, high profile, poor anti-interference and low feed efficiency of traditional structures.

[0030] Reference Figure 3Furthermore, the grounding hole 3 is a metallized through-hole, and a conductive layer is provided on the hole wall of the grounding hole 3. This conductive layer is electrically connected to the grounding patch 4 and the ground plane 7 respectively. The conductive layer on the hole wall of the grounding hole 3 forms a continuous and reliable electrical connection path between the grounding hole 3, the grounding patch 4, and the ground plane 7. Specifically, the metallized through-hole and the conductive layer on the hole wall enhance the reliability of the electrical connection between the grounding hole 3 and each conductive component, avoid the signal reflection problem caused by poor connection in traditional grounding structures, further reduce signal loss, and improve the stability of antenna operation.

[0031] Understandably, the middle part of the grounding patch 4 is connected to the grounding hole 3. The grounding current is directly conducted to the grounding hole 3 through the middle part of the grounding patch 4, shortening the conduction path of the grounding current. The way the middle part of the grounding patch 4 is connected to the grounding hole 3 makes the grounding conduction path shorter and more direct, reducing signal attenuation during the grounding process, improving grounding stability, and indirectly ensuring the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0032] Specifically, the radiating patch 2 includes an integrally formed strip patch 21 and a U-shaped sheet 22. A grounding hole 3 is located in the middle of the U-shaped sheet 22. The strip patch 21 extends into the grounding hole 3 and is connected to the upper end of the power supply probe 1. Specifically, the radiating patch 2 adopts an integrally formed structure, consisting of a strip patch 21 and a U-shaped sheet 22. The grounding hole 3 is located in the middle region of the U-shaped sheet 22. The strip patch 21 extends into the grounding hole 3, and its extended end is electrically connected to the upper end of the power supply probe 1. The energy input from the power supply probe 1 is first transferred to the connected strip patch 21, then conducted through the strip patch 21 to the integrally formed U-shaped sheet 22, and finally radiated by the entire radiating patch 2. The position of the grounding hole 3, in conjunction with the strip patch 21, achieves precise power supply. Therefore, the integrated radiating patch 2 structure reduces contact loss during energy transfer, the combination of the strip patch 21 and the U-shaped plate 22 makes the energy distribution more uniform, and the positional matching of the grounding hole 3 and the strip patch 21 improves the power feeding accuracy, further optimizing the radiation effect of the Ka band.

[0033] Secondly, the metal strip 6 adopts a U-shaped structure and completely overlaps with the U-shaped body 22 of the radiating patch 2 in the vertical projection direction. The strip patch 21 is divided into a rectangular segment 211 and a semi-circular segment 212. The rectangular segment 211 is connected to the inner edge of the U-shaped body 22 and extends to the center of the grounding hole 3. The semi-circular segment 212 is connected to the extension end of the rectangular segment 211 and connected to the feed probe 1. The strip patch 21 is arranged facing the upper side of the feed probe 1.

[0034] During operation, the energy from the feed probe 1 is first transferred to the semicircular segment 212, then conducted through the rectangular segment 211 to the U-shaped plate 22. The overlapping projection of the U-shaped metal strip 6 and the U-shaped plate 22 enhances the sealing of the dielectric resonant waveguide cavity, ensuring that the energy is radiated by the radiating patch 2 after stable resonance within the cavity. The overlapping design of the U-shaped metal strip 6 and the U-shaped plate 22 further improves the cavity sealing, reducing external interference and signal leakage. The segmented design of the strip patch 21 makes energy transfer smoother, and the connection between the semicircular segment 212 and the feed probe 1 improves the feed compatibility and enhances the energy transfer efficiency.

[0035] Reference Figure 1 The waveguide metal boundary wall 5 is connected to the inner edges of multiple metal strips 6. Specifically, the waveguide metal boundary wall 5 includes several metal rods spaced circumferentially, with its upper end fixedly connected to the radiating patch 2 and its lower end connected to the ground plane 7, forming a closed structure that runs vertically through and is linked with the metal strips 6. The connection of the waveguide metal boundary wall 5 to the inner edges of the multiple metal strips 6, combined with its connections to the radiating patch 2 and the ground plane 7, makes the structure of the closed cavity more complete and the energy confinement more stable. The connection method between the waveguide metal boundary wall 5 and the multiple metal strips 6 enhances the structural stability of the closed cavity, avoids the local leakage problem that is prone to occur in traditional cavities, and improves the overall structural strength of the antenna, adapting to the mechanical environment during projectile motion.

[0036] Reference Figure 1 Furthermore, the grounding hole 3, waveguide metal boundary wall 5, and feed probe 1 are all positioned perpendicular to the surface of the dielectric substrate 8, forming a longitudinal structural layout perpendicular to the substrate. The current is transmitted to the radiating patch 2 along the longitudinal direction of the feed probe 1. The longitudinal arrangement of the grounding hole 3 and waveguide metal boundary wall 5 ensures that the current conduction direction matches the energy transfer direction, guaranteeing a more reasonable electromagnetic field distribution during cavity resonance. The perpendicular arrangement of these three elements to the substrate makes the longitudinal structure of the antenna unit more compact, further reducing the profile height and adapting to the aerodynamic performance requirements of the projectile. Simultaneously, the reasonable electromagnetic field distribution improves the antenna's resonance efficiency and radiation stability.

[0037] The grounding patch 4 adopts a rectangular sheet-like conductive structure, which adapts to the layout of the dielectric substrate 8 and achieves electrical connection with the grounding via 3. The rectangular sheet-like grounding patch 4 provides sufficient conductive area, allowing the grounding current to be evenly distributed and conducted to the grounding via 3. The rectangular sheet-like structure facilitates adaptation to the layout of the multilayer dielectric substrate 8, the sufficient conductive area reduces the conduction density of the grounding current, lowers local signal loss, improves grounding reliability, and the rectangular structure is easy to manufacture.

[0038] It should be noted that the feed probe 1 adopts a cylindrical conductive structure. This cylindrical conductive structure penetrates the multilayer dielectric substrate 8 along its thickness direction and is electrically connected to the radiating patch 2. Energy is transferred to the radiating patch 2 axially through the cylindrical conductive structure. The cylindrical shape makes the current distribution on the probe surface more uniform, reducing the skin effect during energy transfer. The cylindrical structure makes the processing precision of the feed probe 1 easier to control. At the same time, the uniform current distribution reduces energy loss caused by the skin effect, improves energy transfer efficiency, and the cylindrical structure facilitates reliable connection through the multilayer dielectric substrate 8.

[0039] Reference Figure 1 The strip patch 21 extends radially along the dielectric resonant waveguide cavity, extending from the inner edge of the U-shaped plate 22 towards the center of the cavity and connecting to the feed probe 1. Energy input from the feed probe 1 is transferred along the radially extending strip patch 21 to the U-shaped plate 22. This radially extending structure allows energy to diffuse quickly and evenly to all areas of the U-shaped plate 22, ensuring consistent energy distribution across the entire radiating patch 2. The radially extending design of the strip patch 21 makes the energy distribution on the radiating patch 2 more uniform, avoiding radiation performance fluctuations caused by localized energy concentration, improving the antenna's radiation directivity and gain, and better adapting to the communication requirements of the Ka-band.

[0040] In summary, the energy radiation process of the antenna is as follows: energy is fed in through the feed probe 1, first transferred to the radiating patch 2, then the external signal is introduced, and finally a closed loop is formed through the ground patch 4, ground hole 3, dielectric substrate 8, and ground plane 7. Furthermore, this invention utilizes HTCC technology to achieve a Ka-band phased array antenna design, featuring miniaturization, lightweight design, and high gain. The Ka-band is an ultra-high frequency band, requiring extremely high standards for signal transmission loss and dielectric stability. The ceramic dielectric material used in the HTCC process has extremely low dielectric loss (tanδ < 0.001), effectively reducing the attenuation of Ka-band signals inside the antenna; simultaneously, the stable dielectric constant of the ceramic allows for precise control of the antenna's resonant frequency, ensuring the consistency of the electromagnetic response of structures such as the radiating patch 2 and the metal strip 6, ultimately supporting the antenna to achieve high gain characteristics. For example, the dielectric substrate 8 is co-fired from a ceramic green sheet, with a small thickness, which meets the requirements for a low profile; conductive structures such as metal strips 6 and ground planes 7 are printed on the surface and / or inside of the ceramic green sheet with metal paste, and are co-fired with the ceramic substrate as a whole in one go, without the need for additional bonding or welding; the waveguide metal boundary wall 5 can be realized through the vertical interconnection of multi-layer metal structures to form a closed cavity structure, avoiding the volume redundancy caused by traditional assembly processes.

[0041] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element, characterized in that, It includes several layers of stacked dielectric substrates (8) and waveguide metal boundary walls (5) and feed probes (1) that penetrate the dielectric substrates (8). Metal strips (6) are provided between adjacent dielectric substrates (8). A radiating patch (2) is provided on the top dielectric substrate (8). A ground plane (7) is provided below the bottom dielectric substrate (8). A grounding hole (3) is provided in the middle of the dielectric substrate (8). A grounding patch (4) is provided on the substrate (8). The grounding patch (4) is electrically connected to the grounding hole (3). The waveguide metal boundary wall (5) is distributed around the grounding hole (3) and is connected to the radiating patch (2), the metal strip (6) and the ground plane (7). The waveguide metal boundary wall (5) encloses and forms a closed dielectric resonant waveguide cavity. The feed probe (1) penetrates the dielectric substrate (8) perpendicularly along the thickness direction of the dielectric substrate (8). The upper end of the feed probe (1) is electrically connected to the radiating patch (2) so that energy is transferred from the feed probe (1) to the radiating patch (2).

2. The missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The grounding hole (3) is a metallized through hole, and the hole wall of the grounding hole (3) is provided with a conductive layer that is electrically connected to the grounding patch (4) and the ground plane (7).

3. The missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The grounding patch (4) is connected to the grounding hole (3) at its center.

4. The missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The radiation patch (2) includes an integrally formed strip patch (21) and a U-shaped plate body (22). The grounding hole (3) is located in the middle of the U-shaped plate body (22). The strip patch (21) extends into the grounding hole (3) and is connected to the upper end of the power supply probe (1).

5. A missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The metal strip (6) has a U-shaped structure and coincides with the U-shaped piece (22) of the radiation patch (2) in the vertical projection direction; The strip patch (21) has a rectangular segment (211) and a semicircular segment (212). The rectangular segment (211) is connected to the inner edge of the U-shaped plate (22) and extends toward the center of the grounding hole (3). The semicircular segment (212) is connected to the extended end of the rectangular segment (212) and is connected to the power supply probe (1). The strip patch (21) is arranged facing the upper end of the power supply probe (1).

6. The missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The waveguide metal boundary wall (5) is connected to the inner edge of several metal strips (6), the upper end of the waveguide metal boundary wall (5) is connected to the radiating patch (2), and the lower end of the waveguide metal boundary wall (5) is connected to the ground plane (7).

7. A missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The grounding hole (3), the waveguide metal boundary wall (5), and the feed probe (1) are all arranged perpendicular to the surface of the dielectric substrate (8).

8. A missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The grounding patch (4) is a rectangular sheet-shaped conductive structure.

9. A missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The feed probe (1) is a cylindrical conductive structure.

10. A missile-borne low-profile Ka-band phased array antenna element as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The strip patch (21) extends radially along the dielectric resonant waveguide cavity.

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