GNSS and LoRa combined antenna

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of antennas, and particularly relates to a GNSS and LoRa combined antenna, which comprises a reflecting plate, a dielectric substrate, a GNSS antenna and a LoRa antenna, and is characterized in that the reflecting plate is located at the lowermost part, the dielectric substrate, the GNSS antenna and the LoRa antenna form an antenna substrate, and the overall shape of the antenna substrate is of a convex structure; the GNSS antenna is electroplated on the middle layer of the inverted-T-shaped structure of the dielectric substrate, the LoRa antenna is electroplated on the upper layer of the inverted-T-shaped structure of the dielectric substrate, the dielectric substrate is fixed on the reflecting plate through four metal screws and nuts matched with the metal screws, and the screws and the nuts are in conductive connection with each other and are in insulated connection with the GNSS antenna and the LoRa antenna. The GNSS antenna and the LoRa antenna are integrated on the same dielectric substrate, two substrates do not need to be independently configured, the overall size of the antenna is greatly reduced, the integration level is improved, the production and installation cost is reduced, the L1 and L2 frequency band radiation units of the GNSS antenna adopt differentiated electroplating structural design, and electromagnetic interference between frequency bands is effectively reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of antenna technology, and in particular relates to a GNSS and LoRa combined antenna. Background Technology

[0002] In existing technologies, GNSS antennas and LoRa antennas are usually designed independently. This independent, separate structure has two major problems: First, two substrates need to be fixed separately during installation, and the presence of multiple substrates may cause signal interference between antennas, affecting transmission stability. Second, the independent substrates make the overall antenna assembly process cumbersome, increasing production and installation costs. Third, the separate design is also prone to positional deviations during installation, further affecting the consistency of antenna performance. In addition, the multi-substrate structure will occupy more internal space of the device, which is not conducive to the miniaturization and lightweight design of the device, limiting its application in compact IoT devices.

[0003] To address the aforementioned issues, there is an urgent need to design an integrated structure that integrates the two types of antennas by sharing a common substrate, thereby reducing space requirements, simplifying the assembly process, and lowering the risk of interference. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of traditional separate antenna designs mentioned in the background art, including interference between antennas and cumbersome assembly, by providing an integrated structure that integrates two types of antennas through a shared substrate. This reduces space occupation, simplifies the assembly process, and lowers the risk of interference in the GNSS and LoRa combined antenna.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: A GNSS and LoRa combined antenna includes a reflector, a dielectric substrate, a GNSS antenna, and a LoRa antenna. The reflector is located at the bottom. The dielectric substrate, GNSS antenna, and LoRa antenna constitute an antenna substrate, and the overall shape of the antenna substrate is a "convex" structure. The GNSS antenna is electroplated on the middle layer of the "convex" structure of the dielectric substrate, and the LoRa antenna is electroplated on the upper layer of the "convex" structure of the dielectric substrate. The dielectric substrate is fixed to the reflector by four metal screws and mating nuts. The screws and nuts are electrically connected to each other and insulated from the GNSS antenna and the LoRa antenna.

[0006] Furthermore, the dielectric substrate has a hollow cavity structure inside.

[0007] Furthermore, the GNSS antenna adopts an inner and outer dielectric surface electroplating method. The GNSS antenna includes an L1 band radiating element and an L2 band radiating element. The L1 band radiating element is electroplated on the inner surface of the dielectric surface and has a cross-shaped and ring-shaped structure. The L2 band radiating element is electroplated on the outer surface of the dielectric surface and has a ring-shaped structure. The L1 band radiating element and the L2 band radiating element are arranged concentrically and are connected by four frequency connection points.

[0008] Furthermore, four GNSS feed probes are disposed through the intermediate layer of the dielectric substrate for feeding the GNSS antenna. The four GNSS feed probes pass through the electroplated layer of the L1 band radiating element and are directly connected to it.

[0009] Furthermore, the GNSS antenna is surrounded by a ring of centrally symmetrically distributed metallized via arrays. The metallized via arrays are connected to the reflector and are insulated from the radiating surface of the GNSS antenna, thereby expanding the GNSS bandwidth and adjusting the GNSS antenna beamwidth.

[0010] Furthermore, to avoid the GNSS antenna's power supply, the LoRa antenna's electroplated layer is centrally symmetrically distributed with four missing corners.

[0011] Furthermore, the LoRa antenna includes a LoRa electroplated area and a LoRa feed probe. The LoRa feed probe is located at the center of the LoRa antenna. The LoRa antenna is a single-feed structure, and its feed starts from the reflector, passes through the middle layer of the dielectric substrate, and connects to the uppermost LoRa electroplated area.

[0012] Furthermore, an antenna extension region 500 is provided around the intermediate layer of the dielectric substrate 200, and other communication antennas are assembled within the antenna extension region 500.

[0013] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this GNSS and LoRa combined antenna are: 1. This invention integrates the GNSS antenna and the LoRa antenna on the same dielectric substrate, eliminating the need for two separate substrates. This not only significantly reduces the overall size of the antenna but also greatly improves the system integration, making it particularly suitable for space-constrained drones, vehicle terminals, smart meters, and industrial IoT devices.

[0014] 2. The present invention adopts a differentiated electroplating structure design for the L1 and L2 frequency band radiating elements of the GNSS antenna, and the ring structures of the two frequency bands are arranged concentrically, which effectively reduces electromagnetic interference between frequency bands. At the same time, the feed end is set on the cross structure to ensure the signal receiving sensitivity of the GNSS antenna.

[0015] 3. The combined antenna structure of the present invention is compact and easy to install, and can be widely adapted to miniaturized devices such as Internet of Things devices, with a wide range of applications. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the GNSS and LoRa combined antenna provided by the present invention; Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the GNSS and LoRa combined antenna provided by the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the GNSS and LoRa combined antenna provided by the present invention. Figure 2 ; Figure 4 This is a top view schematic diagram of the GNSS and LoRa combined antenna provided by the present invention; Figure 5 This is a bottom-view schematic diagram of the GNSS and LoRa combined antenna provided by the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the GNSS and LoRa combined antenna with other communication antennas provided by the present invention.

[0017] In the diagram, 100 is a reflector, 200 is a dielectric substrate, 300 is a GNSS antenna, 400 is a LoRa antenna, 301 is an L1 band radiating element, 302 is an L2 band radiating element, 303 is a GNSS feed probe, 304 is a metallized via array, 305 is a frequency connection point, 401 is a LoRa electroplated area, 402 is a LoRa feed probe, 500 is other communication antennas, 600 is a screw, and 700 is a nut. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0019] Reference Figures 1 to 6 A GNSS and LoRa combined antenna includes a reflector 100, a dielectric substrate 200, a GNSS antenna 300, and a LoRa antenna 400. The reflector 100 is located at the bottom. The dielectric substrate 200, GNSS antenna 300, and LoRa antenna 400 form the antenna substrate. The overall shape of the antenna substrate is a "convex" structure, that is, the diameter of the upper structure is larger than the diameter of the lower structure, and it is distributed in a stepped manner. This structural design is not only beneficial to the mechanical stability and heat dissipation of the antenna, but also enables the rational layout of multiple antennas in a limited space, reduces electromagnetic coupling between them, and optimizes the overall center of gravity distribution, making it easier to install stably on the top of the equipment or in a narrow space.

[0020] The GNSS antenna 300 is electroplated on the middle layer of the "convex" shaped structure of the dielectric substrate 200, and the LoRa antenna 400 is electroplated on the upper layer of the "convex" shaped structure of the dielectric substrate 200. The dielectric substrate 200 is fixed to the reflector 100 by four metal screws 600 and their mating nuts 700. The screws 600 and nuts 700 are electrically connected to each other, forming a good mechanical fixation and electrical grounding path. The screws 600 and nuts 700 are insulated from the GNSS antenna 300 and the LoRa antenna 400. The insulation design ensures electrical isolation between the screws 600 and nuts 700 and the GNSS antenna 300 and the LoRa antenna 400, avoiding short circuits or signal leakage. At the same time, it forms a low-impedance radio frequency loop, improving the overall electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance.

[0021] The dielectric substrate 200 has a hollow cavity structure inside. This cavity not only helps to reduce dielectric loss caused by dielectric constant, but also acts as a resonant cavity to adjust the input impedance of the antenna, thereby improving broadband matching characteristics, especially achieving a flatter standing wave ratio (VSWR) response in the L1 / L2 dual-band and Sub-1GHz LoRa band.

[0022] The GNSS antenna 300 employs an inner and outer dielectric surface electroplating method. The GNSS antenna 300 includes an L1 band radiating element 301 and an L2 band radiating element 302. The L1 band radiating element 301 is electroplated on the inner surface of the dielectric surface, and it has a cross-shaped structure combined with a ring structure. The cross structure enhances polarization diversity and improves the suppression capability of multipath signals. The L2 band radiating element 302 is electroplated on the outer surface of the dielectric surface, and it has a ring structure, used to cover the L2 band signal of GNSS. The L1 band radiating element 301 and the L2 band radiating element 302 are arranged concentrically and connected through four frequency connection points 305 to achieve dual-band collaborative operation. It should be noted that these connection points have been optimized through electromagnetic simulation to ensure that the current paths of the two bands are independent and phase-consistent, achieving efficient collaborative operation without mutual cancellation.

[0023] Four GNSS feed probes 303 are disposed through the middle layer of the dielectric substrate 200 for feeding the GNSS antenna 300. The four GNSS feed probes 303 pass through the electroplated layer of the L1 band radiating element 301 and are directly connected to it to form an effective feed coupling structure. The probe layout is 90° rotationally symmetrical, supporting right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) radiation, which meets the strict requirements of satellite navigation system for polarization mode.

[0024] The GNSS antenna 300 is surrounded by a ring of centrally symmetrically distributed metallized via array 304. The metallized via array 304 is connected to the reflector 100 and is insulated from the radiating surface of the GNSS antenna 300. The metallized via array is mainly used to extend the operating bandwidth of the GNSS antenna and adjust its radiation beamwidth, thereby improving the antenna's coverage performance and signal stability.

[0025] To avoid feeding the GNSS antenna 300, the LoRa antenna 400 has a centrally symmetrically distributed plating layer with four missing corners. This geometric hollow design maximizes the physical isolation distance without sacrificing radiation efficiency, significantly reducing mutual coupling with the GNSS antenna 300 and minimizing mutual coupling interference.

[0026] The LoRa antenna 400 includes a LoRa electroplated area 401 and a LoRa feed probe 402. The LoRa feed probe 402 is located at the center of the LoRa antenna 400 and adopts a single-feed structure. Its feed starts from the reflector 100, passes through the intermediate layer of the dielectric substrate 200, passes through the intermediate layer space (not connected to the GNSS antenna 300), and finally connects to the uppermost LoRa electroplated area 401. This ensures that the feed path is independent and the impedance is continuous, thereby improving the LoRa link budget and communication distance.

[0027] The dielectric substrate 200 has an antenna extension area 500 around the middle layer. Other communication antennas, such as 4G / 5G cellular antennas, Wi-Fi antennas, or Bluetooth antennas, are combined in the antenna extension area 500 to support multi-mode communication functions. Through reasonable layout and frequency band filtering design, multi-mode communication functions can coexist without interference, meeting the needs of IoT terminals for multi-functionality, miniaturization, and high integration.

[0028] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A GNSS and LoRa combined antenna, comprising a reflector (100), a dielectric substrate (200), a GNSS antenna (300), and a LoRa antenna (400), characterized in that: The reflector (100) is located at the bottom. The dielectric substrate (200), GNSS antenna (300) and LoRa antenna (400) form the antenna substrate. The overall shape of the antenna substrate is a "convex" structure. The GNSS antenna (300) is electroplated on the middle layer of the "convex" shaped structure of the dielectric substrate (200), and the LoRa antenna (400) is electroplated on the upper layer of the "convex" shaped structure of the dielectric substrate (200). The dielectric substrate (200) is fixed to the reflector (100) by four metal screws (600) and nuts (700) that cooperate with them. The screws (600) and nuts (700) are electrically connected to each other and are insulated from the GNSS antenna (300) and the LoRa antenna (400).

2. A GNSS and LoRa combined antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dielectric substrate (200) has a hollow cavity structure inside.

3. A GNSS and LoRa combined antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that, The GNSS antenna (300) is made of inner and outer dielectric surfaces electroplated. The GNSS antenna (300) includes an L1 band radiating element (301) and an L2 band radiating element (302). The L1 band radiating element (301) is electroplated on the inner surface of the dielectric surface. It is a cross-shaped structure combined with a ring structure. The L2 band radiating element (302) is electroplated on the outer surface of the dielectric surface. It is a ring structure. The L1 band radiating element (301) and the L2 band radiating element (302) are arranged concentrically and are connected by four frequency connection points (105).

4. A GNSS and LoRa combined antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that, The intermediate layer of the dielectric substrate (200) is provided with four GNSS feed probes (303) for feeding the GNSS antenna (300). The four GNSS feed probes (303) pass through the electroplated layer of the L1 band radiating element (301) and are directly connected to it.

5. A GNSS and LoRa combined antenna according to claim 4, characterized in that, The GNSS antenna (300) is surrounded by a ring of metallized via arrays (304) that are centrally symmetrically distributed. The metallized via arrays (304) are connected to the reflector (100) and are insulated from the radiating surface of the GNSS antenna (300).

6. A GNSS and LoRa combined antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that, To avoid feeding the GNSS antenna (300), the LoRa antenna (400) has an electroplated layer that is centrally symmetrically distributed with four missing corners.

7. A GNSS and LoRa combined antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that, The LoRa antenna (400) includes a LoRa electroplated area (401) and a LoRa feed probe (402). The LoRa feed probe (402) is located at the center of the LoRa antenna (400). The LoRa antenna (400) is a single-feed structure. Its feed starts from the reflector (100), passes through the middle layer of the dielectric substrate (200), and connects to the uppermost LoRa electroplated area (401).

8. A GNSS and LoRa combined antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that, The intermediate layer of the dielectric substrate (200) is provided with an antenna extension area (500), and other communication antennas are combined in the antenna extension area (500).

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