Feed network and antenna

Abstract

The invention provides a feed network and an antenna, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The feed network disclosed by the invention comprises a first phase adjustment unit and at least one coupler, wherein the first phase adjusting unit is provided with a first input end and a plurality of first output ends; the coupler is provided with a second input end, a third input end, a second output end and a third output end; wherein the second input end and the third input end of the coupler are respectively connected with the two different first output ends of the first phase adjusting unit.

Description

Feed network and antenna Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure belongs to the field of communication technology, specifically relating to a power supply network and antenna. Background Technology

[0002] For wireless communication systems, useless signals are interference signals. The presence of interference signals reduces system capacity. With the deployment of more and more wireless communication networks and the use of wireless LANs and personal hotspots, the wireless network environment is becoming increasingly complex, and interference is becoming increasingly serious. For base station antennas, in order to prevent interference between antennas during use, beam tilting is required in the antenna design. When the upper sidelobe suppression of the base station antenna is insufficient, it will cause cross-cell interference to neighboring cells. Therefore, upper sidelobe suppression of base station antennas is very important. For electrically tunable antennas, which are now widely used, the feed network determines the adjustable range of the antenna sidelobe level. For general electrically tunable antennas, when the feed network and the amplitude of the antenna element feed are determined, antenna shaping and sidelobe reduction can only be achieved by changing the phase.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and to provide a power supply network and antenna.

[0005] This disclosure provides a power supply network including a first phase adjustment unit and at least one coupler; wherein the first phase adjustment unit has a first input terminal and a plurality of first output terminals; the coupler has a second input terminal, a third input terminal, a second output terminal, and a third output terminal; wherein...

[0006] The second input terminal and the third input terminal of the coupler are respectively connected to two different first input terminals of the first phase adjustment unit.

[0007] In some examples, the power supply network further includes a plurality of second phase adjustment units, and at least one of the second output terminal and the output terminal of the coupler is connected to the second phase adjustment unit.

[0008] In some examples, the second phase adjustment unit includes a switched linear phase shifter or a liquid crystal phase shifter.

[0009] In some examples, the first phase adjustment unit includes a fan-shaped phase shifter;

[0010] The sector-shaped phase shifter includes a substrate, a first transmission line, a rotating arm, and multiple second transmission lines disposed on the substrate.

[0011] Each of the plurality of second transmission lines includes a first connecting segment and a second connecting segment, as well as an arc segment connecting the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment; at least a portion of the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment of the second transmission lines are respectively connected to the corresponding couplers;

[0012] The rotating arm includes a main body and a plurality of coupling parts connected to the main body; one of the coupling parts and one of the arc segments have an orthographic projection on the substrate; the main body is rotatably connected to the first transmission line.

[0013] In some examples, the curvature of the coupling portion and the arc segment that overlaps with its orthographic projection onto the substrate is the same.

[0014] In some examples, for two second transmission lines connecting the same coupler, namely the i-th second transmission line and the (i+1)-th second transmission line; the length of the arc segment of the (i+1)-th second transmission line is a, the length of the arc segment of the i-th second transmission line is b, the length of the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment of the (i+1)-th second transmission line are both c, and the length of the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment of the i-th second transmission line are both d; dc = (ab) / 2; and i is a positive integer.

[0015] In some examples, at least part of the arc segment is a line in the form of a slow wave line.

[0016] In some examples, the one with the longest arc segment among multiple second transmission lines adopts a slow wave line form.

[0017] In some examples, the sector phase shifter also includes a T-type power divider;

[0018] The input terminal of the T-type power divider is multiplexed with the first transmission line. One branch of the T-type power divider is connected to the rotating arm connection, and the other branch is used as one of the first output terminals of the sector phase shifter.

[0019] In some examples, the coupler includes a first dielectric substrate, a reference electrode layer disposed on the first dielectric substrate, and four sequentially connected side edges disposed on the side of the first dielectric substrate opposite to the reference electrode layer.

[0020] The four side plates are connected to form a first vertex, a second vertex, a third vertex, and a fourth vertex arranged clockwise; the first vertex is connected to the second input terminal, the second vertex is connected to the third input terminal, the third vertex is connected to the third output terminal, and the fourth vertex is connected to the fourth output terminal.

[0021] In some examples, the first dielectric substrate is reused with the substrate substrate.

[0022] In some examples, the coupler includes a first dielectric substrate, a second dielectric substrate, a first stub, a second stub, and a reference electrode layer;

[0023] The first branch and the reference electrode layer are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the first dielectric substrate along its thickness direction; the second dielectric substrate is disposed on the side of the first branch away from the first dielectric substrate; the second branch is disposed on the side of the second dielectric substrate away from the first dielectric substrate.

[0024] The first branch includes a first end and a second end, and a first signal line connected between the first end and the second end; the second branch includes a third end and a fourth end, and a second signal line connected between the third end and the fourth end;

[0025] The first signal line and the second signal line are arranged intersecting on the first dielectric substrate by their orthogonal projections. The first end and the second end of the first branch are respectively used as the second input terminal and the second output terminal of the coupler. The third end and the fourth end of the second branch are respectively used as the third input terminal and the third output terminal of the coupler.

[0026] In some examples, the thickness of the first dielectric substrate is not less than the thickness of the second dielectric substrate.

[0027] In some examples, the first signal line and the second signal line are microstrip lines.

[0028] In some examples, the first dielectric substrate is reused with the substrate substrate.

[0029] In some examples, the rotating arm is disposed on the same layer as the second stub, and the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment of the second transmission line are respectively coupled to the third end of the corresponding second stub.

[0030] This disclosure provides an antenna that includes any of the feeding networks described above.

[0031] In some examples, the antenna also includes elements connected to the outputs of the feed network. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 is a framework diagram of an exemplary power supply network in this embodiment.

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the coupler structure according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0034] Figure 3 is a framework diagram of another exemplary power supply network in this embodiment.

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary switching phase shifter according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0036] Figure 5 is a top view of an exemplary liquid crystal phase shifter according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0037] Figure 6 is a top view of the phase adjustment structure of the liquid crystal phase shifter shown in Figure 5.

[0038] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of A-A' in Figure 6.

[0039] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the power distribution module of the first example of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sector phase shifter in the power divider module of the first example of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 10a is a simulation diagram of the output amplitude of each output terminal of the power divider module in the first example when the rotating arm rotates 0°.

[0042] Figure 10b is a simulation diagram of the output amplitude of each output terminal of the power divider module in the first example when the rotating arm rotates 35°.

[0043] Figure 11a shows the radiation pattern of the power divider module applied to the antenna in the first example when the rotating arm is rotated 0°.

[0044] Figure 11b shows the radiation pattern of the power divider module applied to the antenna in the first example when the rotating arm is rotated 35°.

[0045] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sector phase shifter in the power divider module of the second example of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the power distribution module in a third example of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0047] Figure 14 is a perspective view of the coupler in the power distribution module of a third example of an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0048] Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of the coupler in the power distribution module of a third example of an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0049] Figure 16a is a simulation diagram of the output amplitude of each output terminal of the power divider module in the third example when the rotating arm rotates 0°.

[0050] Figure 16b is a simulation diagram of the output amplitude of each output terminal of the power divider module in the third example when the rotating arm rotates 35°.

[0051] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a sector phase shifter in a power divider module of a fourth example of the present disclosure.

[0052] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of another sector phase shifter in the power divider module of the fourth example of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0053] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0054] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0055] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure should be understood in their ordinary sense by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Similarly, terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or objects.

[0056] As used herein, “parallel” and “perpendicular” include the described situation and situations that are similar to the described situation, within an acceptable range of deviation, which is determined by those skilled in the art taking into account the measurement under discussion and the error associated with the measurement of a particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system). For example, “parallel” includes absolute parallelism and approximate parallelism, where an acceptable range of deviation for approximate parallelism may be, for example, within 5°; “perpendicular” includes absolute perpendicularity and approximate perpendicularity, where an acceptable range of deviation for approximate perpendicularity may also be, for example, within 5°.

[0057] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this disclosure.

[0058] Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this disclosure according to the specific circumstances.

[0059] This disclosure provides a power supply network including a first phase adjustment unit and at least one coupler. The first phase adjustment unit has one input terminal and multiple output terminals, and the coupler includes two input terminals and two output terminals. For ease of description, the input terminal of the first phase adjustment unit is referred to as the first input terminal, and the output terminal of the first phase adjustment unit is referred to as the first output terminal; the two input terminals of the coupler are referred to as the second input terminal and the third input terminal, respectively, and the two output terminals of the coupler are referred to as the second output terminal and the third output terminal, respectively.

[0060] The feeding network in this embodiment is used to feed the antenna array in the antenna device. The feeding network consists of a first phase adjustment unit and a coupler. The first phase adjustment unit can adjust the phase of the radio frequency signal received at its first input terminal, and the second and third input terminals of the coupler redistribute the power of the received radio frequency signal, thereby realizing the adjustable amplitude of the radio frequency signal.

[0061] Figure 1 is a framework diagram of an exemplary power supply network according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the power supply network includes at least one first phase adjustment unit 1 and two couplers 2. For ease of description, the two couplers 2 are referred to as the first coupler 21 and the second coupler 22, respectively. The first phase adjustment unit 1 includes a first input terminal and five first output terminals; the five first output ports are respectively represented by port1, port2, port3, port4, and port5, wherein port3 is used as a through terminal, port1 and port2 are respectively connected to the second input terminal and the third input terminal of the first coupler 21, and port4 and port5 are respectively connected to the second input terminal and the third input terminal of the second coupler 22.

[0062] Further, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the coupler 2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; as shown in Figure 2, the coupler 2 according to the present disclosure includes four ports, namely port 1, port 2, port 3 and port 4, wherein port 1 and port 2 serve as the input ports of the coupler 2, that is, the second input terminal and the third input terminal mentioned above, and port 3 and port 4 serve as the output ports of the coupler 2, that is, the second output terminal and the third output terminal mentioned above. The coupler 2 in the present disclosure can be a 90° directional coupler 2, that is, the first coupler 21 and the second coupler 22 are both 90° directional couplers 2. When the phase difference between the signals input to ports 1 and 2 of the 90° directional coupler 2 is 90°, there is no output at port 3, and all signals are output from port 4; when the phase difference between the signals input to ports 1 and 2 of the 90° directional coupler 2 is -90°, all signals are output from port 3, and there is no output at port 4; when the phases of the input signals to ports 1 and 2 are the same or opposite, the signals are equally distributed and output from ports 3 and 4.

[0063] Referring to Figure 1, the signal is input from the input terminal In of the first phase adjustment unit 1, i.e., the first input terminal, and output from the five first output terminals of the first phase adjustment unit 1, i.e., port1, port2, port3, port4, and port5. When the phase of the input signal is adjusted by the first phase adjustment unit 1, a certain phase difference exists between the outputs of port 1 and port 2, and a certain phase difference exists between the outputs of port 4 and port 5. At the same time, port 1 and port 2 are connected to the second and third input terminals of the first coupler 21, respectively, and port 4 and port 5 are connected to the second and third input terminals of the second coupler 22, respectively. Based on the working principle of the 90° directional coupler 2, when the phase difference between the outputs of port 1 and port 2, and the phase difference between the outputs of port 4 and port 5, changes from -90° to 90°, the output power ratio of the second and third output terminals of the first coupler 21 changes from 0 to 1, and the output power ratio of the second and third output terminals of the second coupler 22 also changes from 0 to 1. At this time, the outputs of each output terminal of the power supply network in this embodiment of the present disclosure achieve adjustable power ratios.

[0064] In some examples, Figure 3 is a framework diagram of another exemplary feed network in this embodiment; as shown in Figure 3; based on the above feed network, a second phase adjustment unit can also be connected to the two output terminals of the coupler 2, namely the second output terminal and the third output terminal, for adjusting the phase of the signal output by the coupler 2, and then sending the phase-adjusted signal to the connected antenna array. In this case, the amplitude and phase of the signal output on each branch of the feed network can be adjusted, which can better control the beam tilt angle of the antenna array and improve the sidelobes, and achieve better beamforming.

[0065] Furthermore, the second phase adjustment unit in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to, a switching phase shifter and a liquid crystal phase shifter. This embodiment will be described using an switching phase shifter and a liquid crystal phase shifter as examples of second phase adjustment units.

[0066] When the second phase adjustment unit uses a switching phase shifter, the switching phase shifter consists of a single-pole multi-throw switch and multiple transmission lines of different electrical lengths. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary switching phase shifter according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the switching phase shifter consists of two single-pole four-throw switches 31 and four transmission lines 32 of different electrical lengths. The four transmission lines 32 of different electrical lengths are connected to the two single-pole four-throw switches 31. By controlling the switching state of each branch of the single-pole four-throw switch 31, different transmission lines 32 are selected as signal transmission paths, thereby achieving different phase shift amounts.

[0067] When the second phase adjustment unit uses a liquid crystal phase shifter, this liquid crystal phase shifter can specifically be a differential phase shifter. The main characteristic of a differential liquid crystal phase shifter is that it operates in differential mode and has higher phase shifting efficiency compared to a single-line phase shifter. However, in order to provide a differential mode signal, balun components need to be configured at the input and output ends of the phase adjustment structure to complete the unbalanced-balanced-unbalanced signal conversion.

[0068] Specifically, Figure 5 is a top view of an exemplary liquid crystal phase shifter according to an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 6 is a top view of the phase adjustment structure of the liquid crystal phase shifter shown in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A' in Figure 6; as shown in Figures 5-7, the liquid crystal phase shifter includes a first balun component 301, a second balun component 302, and a phase adjustment structure 303 connected between the first balun component 301 and the second balun component 302. Both the first balun component 301 and the second balun component 302 include a main path, a first branch path, and a second branch path, and both the first and second branches path are connected to the main path. The lengths of the first and second branches path of the first balun component 301 are unequal, and the lengths of the first and second branches path of the second balun component 302 are unequal, and the difference in length between the first and second branches path of the first balun component 301 is equal to the difference in length between the second and first branches path of the second balun component 302. In both the first balun component 301 and the second balun component 302, the difference in line length between the first branch and the second branch determines the phase difference between the radio frequency signals transmitted by the first branch and the second branch. For example, the radio frequency signal transmitted by the first branch of the first balun component 301 is 180° out of phase with the radio frequency signal transmitted by its second branch. Correspondingly, the radio frequency signal transmitted by the second branch of the second balun component 302 is 180° out of phase with the radio frequency signal transmitted by its first branch.

[0069] Referring again to Figures 6 and 7, the phase adjustment structure 20 includes a first substrate 20 and a second substrate 30 disposed opposite to each other, a first main line 3031, a second main line 3032, a plurality of spaced-apart patch electrodes 3033, a liquid crystal layer 40, and a reference ground 50. The two ends of the first main line 3031 are respectively connected to the first branch of the first balun assembly and the first branch of the second eight-way assembly, and the two ends of the second main line 3032 are respectively connected to the first branch of the second balun assembly and the first branch of the second eight-way assembly.

[0070] The liquid crystal layer 40 is formed between the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30. The first main line 3031 and the second main line 3032 extend in the same direction, and both are disposed on the side of the first substrate 20 closest to the liquid crystal layer 40. A plurality of spaced-apart patch electrodes 3033 are arranged side-by-side along the extension direction of the first main line 3031, and are also disposed on the side of the first substrate 30 closest to the liquid crystal layer 40. The orthographic projections of the two opposite ends of the patch electrodes 3033 along their extension direction onto the first substrate 20 overlap with the orthographic projections of the first main line 3031 and the second main line 3032 onto the first substrate 20, respectively. In this case, the overlapping areas of the first main line 3031 and the second main line 3032 with the patch electrode 3033 form a capacitor region. By applying different DC bias voltages to the first main line 3031, the second main line 3032, and the patch electrode 3033, an electric field is formed in the overlapping areas of the first main line 3031 and the patch electrode 3033, and also in the overlapping areas of the second main line 3032 and the patch electrode 3033. This changes the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal molecules in the overlapping areas of the first main line 3031 and the patch electrode 3033 and the second main line 3032 and the patch electrode 3033, thereby achieving phase shifting of the microwave signal. Furthermore, in this embodiment, for ease of control, each patch electrode 3033 can be connected together by a connecting electrode 3034, facilitating the application of a DC bias voltage to each patch electrode 3033.

[0071] As previously described, in the power supply network of this embodiment, the first phase adjustment unit 1 and coupler 2 cooperate to achieve arbitrary power division ratio output of the input signal from different ports. That is, the first phase adjustment unit 1 and coupler 2 constitute a multi-port output power divider module, realizing adjustable output power division ratio. The second phase adjustment unit in the power supply network adjusts the phase of the output signal of each channel of the power divider module, thereby achieving adjustable signal phase. In summary, the power supply network of this embodiment can achieve adjustable amplitude and phase of multi-port output signals, better control of beam tilt angle and improvement of sidelobes, and better beamforming.

[0072] The foregoing description provides two exemplary architectures for the second phase adjustment unit in the power supply network of this disclosure embodiment. However, this does not constitute a limitation on the second phase adjustment unit in this disclosure embodiment. Any phase shifter that can adjust the phase of the signal can be used as the second phase adjustment unit in this disclosure embodiment, and will not be listed one by one here. The power divider module composed of the first phase adjustment unit 1 and the coupler 2 in the power supply network of this disclosure embodiment will be described below with reference to specific examples.

[0073] First Example: Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the power divider module of the first example of this disclosure; Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the sector-shaped phase shifter in the power divider module of the first example of this disclosure; as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the first phase adjustment unit 1 in the power divider module adopts a sector-shaped phase shifter, and the coupler 2 adopts a 3dB branch line directional coupler 2. The power divider module is a 1-to-5 power divider with adjustable power ratio, that is, it has 5 output ports, namely ports 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 shown in Figure 8. Specifically, the power divider module includes two couplers 2, referred to as the first coupler 21 and the second coupler 22 respectively. The sector-shaped phase shifter includes a substrate 10, a first transmission line 11, a rotating arm 12, and two second transmission lines 13 disposed on the substrate 10. The first transmission line 11 and the second transmission line 13 are arranged in layers. In this embodiment of the disclosure, the second transmission line 13 is arranged closer to the substrate 10 than the first transmission line 11, which is an example.

[0074] The first transmission line 11 is split into two paths by a first-stage T-shaped power divider 14. One output branch of the T-shaped power divider 14 serves as a direct-through terminal, acting as one output terminal of the sector phase shifter (i.e., the first output terminal of the first phase adjustment unit 1). The other output branch of the T-shaped power divider 14 is rotatably connected to the rotating arm 12 via a rotating shaft, allowing the rotating arm 12 to rotate around the shaft. In this example, the input terminals of the first transmission line 11 and the T-shaped power divider 14 can also be shared, in which case the input terminal of the T-shaped power divider 14 serves as the input terminal In of the power supply network. The rotating arm 12 includes a main body 121 and a plurality of coupling sections 122 connected and spaced apart along the extension direction of the main body 121. The second transmission line 13 is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the coupling sections 122. The second transmission line 13 includes a first connecting segment 131 and a second connecting segment 132, as well as an arc segment 133 between the first connecting segment 131 and the second connecting segment 132. For the correspondingly configured second transmission line 13 and coupling section 122, the arc segment 133 of the second transmission line 13 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the coupling section 122 on the substrate 10. In this way, signals transmitted via the coupling section can be coupled to the second transmission line 13. Both the first connecting segment 131 and the second connecting segment 132 of the second transmission line 13 include a first end and a second end. The first end is connected to the arc segment 133, and the second ends of both the first connecting segment 131 and the second connecting segment 132 serve as the output terminals of the sector phase shifter (the first output terminal of the first phase adjustment unit 1). It can be understood that the second ends of the first connecting segments 131 and 132 of the two second transmission lines 13, and the through-hole of the T-type power divider 14, these five output terminals constitute the five output ports of the sector phase shifter.

[0075] Furthermore, referring to Figure 9, for the correspondingly provided second transmission line 13 and coupling part 122, the curvature of the arc segment 133 of the second transmission line 13 and the coupling part 122 are the same. In this way, it can be ensured that when the main body 121 of the rotating arm 12 rotates around the rotation axis at any angle, the coupling part 122 connected to the main body 121 can overlap with the orthographic projection of the arc segment 133 of the second transmission line 13 on the substrate 10. That is, the signal transmitted by the coupling part 122 can be coupled to the second transmission line 13.

[0076] Furthermore, the curvatures of the multiple coupling portions 122 connected to the main body 121 are equal, and correspondingly, the curvatures of the arc segments 133 of each second transmission line 13 are also equal. In this way, when the main body 121 of the rotating arm 12 rotates at any angle around the rotation axis, the coupling portion 122 can overlap with the orthographic projection of the corresponding arc segment 133 of the second transmission line 13 on the substrate 10, ensuring that the signal on the coupling portion 122 can be coupled to the second transmission line 13. Moreover, this structural design helps to achieve miniaturization of the power supply network.

[0077] Further referring to Figures 8 and 9, for the two second transmission lines 13 connected to the same coupler 2, namely the i-th second transmission line 13 and the (i+1)-th second transmission line 13, since there are two second transmission lines 13 in this embodiment, i.e., i=1, these two second transmission lines 13 are respectively referred to as the first second transmission line 13 and the second second transmission line 13. Based on the above structure, since the curvature of the arc segments 133 of each spaced second transmission line 13 is equal, but the length of each arc segment 133 is unequal, a certain phase difference exists in the phase of the output signal of each arc segment 133. In order to balance the phase difference of each arc segment 133, the lengths of the first connecting segment 131 and the second connecting segment 132 of the second transmission line 13 need to be designed. In one example, the length of the arc segment 133 of the second transmission line 13 is *a*, the length of the arc segment 133 of the first transmission line 13 is *b*, the lengths of the first connecting segment 131 and the second connecting segment 132 of the second transmission line 13 are equal, both being *c*, and the lengths of the first connecting segment 131 and the second connecting segment 132 of the first transmission line 13 are equal, both being *d*; dc = (ab) / 2. Thus, by adjusting the lengths of the first connecting segment 131 and the second connecting segment 132 of the second transmission lines 13, the lengths of each second transmission line 13 are made equal. In this case, by rotating the main body 121, the distances from the coupling nodes of the signals transmitted by each second transmission line 13 coupled to its corresponding coupling section 122 to the second end of the first connecting segment 131 and the second end of the second connecting segment 132 are controlled, thereby controlling the phase of the signals output from the second ends of the first connecting segments 131 and the second ends of the second connecting segments 132 of the two second transmission lines 13. The outputs of the second ends of the first connecting segments 131 of the last two second transmission lines 13 are respectively used as the inputs of the second and second input terminals of the first coupler 21, and the outputs of the second ends of the second connecting segments 132 of the two second transmission lines 13 are respectively used as the inputs of the second and second input terminals of the second coupler 22. According to the working principle of the coupler 2, the output power ratio of the second and third output terminals of the first coupler 21 can be changed from 0 to 1, and the output power ratio of the second and third output terminals of the second coupler 22 can also be changed from 0 to 1. At this time, the power distribution ratio of the power supply network of this embodiment is adjustable.

[0078] In some examples, the lengths of the first connection segment 131 and the second connection segment 132 of the second transmission line 13 can be equal, and at least some of the first connection segment 131 and the second connection segment 132 of the second transmission line 13 can be routed in a meandering manner, which can effectively reduce the size of the sector phase shifter.

[0079] In some examples, referring to Figure 8, both the first coupler 21 and the second coupler 22 described above employ a 3dB branch-line coupler 2. Specifically, the coupler 2 may include: a first dielectric substrate, a reference electrode layer 300 disposed on the first dielectric substrate, and four sequentially connected side plates on the side of the first dielectric substrate facing away from the reference electrode layer 300, forming an approximately square structure, with each side plate being λ / 4, where λ is the wavelength of the operating frequency. The four side plates are connected to form a first vertex, a second vertex, a third vertex, and a fourth vertex arranged clockwise; the first vertex is connected to the second input terminal, the second vertex is connected to the third input terminal, the third vertex is connected to the third output terminal, and the fourth vertex is connected to the fourth output terminal.

[0080] The output amplitudes of each port of the power divider module are simulated when the main body 121 of the rotating arm 12 rotates 0° and 35°. Figure 10a shows the simulation diagram of the output amplitudes of each output terminal of the power divider module in the first example when the rotating arm rotates 0°; Figure 10b shows the simulation diagram of the output amplitudes of each output terminal of the power divider module in the first example when the rotating arm rotates 35°. As shown in Figures 10a and 10b, when the main body 121 rotates 0°, the amplitude ratio of the outputs of port 1, port 2, and port 3 is 0.34:0.45:0.54. This ratio is determined by the three-stage power divider of the sector phase shifter and can be adjusted according to design requirements. When the main body 121 of the rotating arm 12 deflects 35°, the amplitude ratio of the outputs of port 1, port 2, and port 3 is 0.17:0.46:0.54. It can be seen that the amplitude of port 1 drops to 0.17, effectively controlling the power distribution ratio of each port.

[0081] It should be noted that, since the sector phase shifter has a symmetrical structure, the output amplitude ratios of ports 1 and 5 are the same, and the output amplitude ratios of ports 2 and 4 are the same.

[0082] When the power distribution module is applied to the antenna, the antenna radiation patterns obtained by in-phase feeding with two different power distribution ratios are obtained when the main body 121 of the rotating arm 12 rotates by 0° and 35°. Figure 11a shows the radiation pattern of the first example of the power distribution module applied to the antenna when the rotating arm rotates by 0°; Figure 11b shows the radiation pattern of the first example of the power distribution module applied to the antenna when the rotating arm rotates by 35°. As shown in Figures 11a and 11b, it can be seen that the sidelobes of the antenna are reduced from -3dB to -10dB, which effectively reduces the sidelobes of the antenna.

[0083] The second example: Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the sector phase shifter in the power divider module of the second example of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 12, the power divider module in this example has a structure that is roughly the same as the power divider module in the above example, except that at least a portion of the second transmission line 13 in the sector phase shifter in this example adopts a diffuse wave form. This is because the length of the arc segment 133 of the second transmission line 13 in the sector phase shifter determines the maximum phase shift that can be achieved at each output terminal of the sector phase shifter, thereby affecting the phase difference between the signals at the second input terminal and the third input terminal of the coupler 2. When the required phase difference of the coupler 2 is -90° to 90°, adopting a slow wave form for the arc segment 133 of the second transmission line 13 will reduce the size of the sector phase shifter, thereby reducing the weight of the power supply network.

[0084] In some examples, the arc segments 133 of each second transmission line 13 in the sector phase shifter can all adopt a diffuse wave configuration. This can minimize the size of the sector phase shifter and reduce the weight of the feed network. Of course, in other examples, since the arc segments 133 of the second transmission line 13 corresponding to the coupling portion 122 furthest from the axis of rotation are longer, only the arc segments 133 of the second transmission line 13 corresponding to the coupling portion 122 furthest from the axis of rotation can be designed as slow wave configurations. That is, the arc segment 133 of the second second transmission line 13 shown in the figure adopts a slow wave configuration, while the arc segment 133 of the first second transmission line 13 still adopts the same arc configuration as in the first example. In this way, the second second transmission line 13 achieves a larger phase shift with the same radius as in the first example. Furthermore, based on the aforementioned structure, the radius ratio of the arc segment 133 of the first second transmission line 13 to the arc segment 133 of the second second transmission line 13 can be increased, so that a larger phase difference can be achieved when the two second transmission lines 13 are connected to the output end of the same coupler 2.

[0085] The third example: Figure 13 is a structural schematic diagram of the power divider module of the third example of the present disclosure; Figure 14 is a perspective view of the coupler 2 in the power divider module of the third example of the present disclosure; Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of the coupler 2 in the power divider module of the third example of the present disclosure; As shown in Figures 13-15, the first phase adjustment unit 1 in the power divider module of this example can adopt the fan-shaped phase shifter of the first example or the second example. The two couplers 2 in this power divider module, namely the first coupler 21 and the second coupler 22, are different from the above structure. The coupler 2 in the first example is a 3dB branch line coupler 2. The 3dB branch line coupler 2 is approximately square, and the side length of each side is λ / 4. When the 3dB branch line coupler 2 is integrated on a dielectric substrate with a dielectric constant of 3 at a working frequency of 0.96GHz, the side length of each side is λ / 4, which is 50mm, which is relatively large. In this example, coupler 2 is a wide-side coupler 2, which is a non-planar structure and has a smaller size.

[0086] Specifically, referring to Figures 14 and 15, the wide-side coupler 2 includes a first dielectric substrate 100, a second dielectric substrate 200, a reference electrode layer 300, a first branch 23, and a second branch 24. The reference electrode layer 300 and the first branch 23 are respectively disposed on two opposing sides of the first dielectric substrate 100 along its thickness direction. The second dielectric substrate 200 is disposed on the side of the first branch 23 facing away from the first dielectric substrate 100, and the second branch 24 is disposed on the side of the second dielectric substrate 200 facing away from the first branch 23. The first branch 23 includes a first end 231 and a second end 232, and a first signal line 233 between the first end 231 and the second end 232. The second branch 24 includes a third end 241 and a fourth end 242, and a second signal line 243 connecting the third end 241 and the fourth end 242. The first signal line 233 and the second signal line 243 are intersecting each other on the first dielectric substrate 100.

[0087] Furthermore, referring to Figure 14, the first end 231 and the second end 232 of the first branch 23 extend in the same direction but are opposite to each other, and the third end 241 and the fourth end 242 of the second branch 24 extend in the same direction but are opposite to each other. Even further, the first end 231 of the first branch 23 and the third end 241 of the second branch 24 are located on the same side, and the second end 232 of the first branch 23 and the fourth end 242 of the second branch 24 are located on the same side. Wherein, when the first end 231 of the first branch 23 is used as the second input terminal of the coupler 2, and the second end 232 of the first branch 23 is used as the second output terminal of the coupler 2, the second end 232 of the first branch 23 is used as the third input terminal of the coupler 2, and the fourth end 242 of the second branch 24 is used as the third output terminal of the coupler 2. This facilitates the connection of the second and third input terminals of the coupler 2 to the corresponding output terminals of the sector phase shifter.

[0088] Furthermore, referring to FIG15, both the first dielectric substrate 100 and the second dielectric substrate 200 can be PCB substrates. In this case, the first branch 23 and the reference electrode layer 300 are printed on two opposite sides of the first dielectric substrate 100 along its thickness direction, and the second branch 24 is printed on the second dielectric substrate 200. The first dielectric substrate 100 with the first branch 23 and the reference electrode layer 300 printed on it is bonded together with the second dielectric substrate 200 with the second branch 24 printed on it to form the coupler 2 of this embodiment. Since the number of film layers integrated on the first dielectric substrate 100 is greater than that on the second dielectric substrate 200, the thickness of the first dielectric substrate 100 is greater than that of the second dielectric substrate 200 to provide better support for the film layers thereon. Furthermore, the first signal line 233 in the first branch 23 and the second signal line 243 in the second branch 24 are made of thinner microstrip lines. Their orthographic projections on the first dielectric substrate 100 intersect, and the orthographic projections of the first signal line 233 and the second signal line 243 on the first dielectric substrate 100 overlap. Therefore, the first branch 23 and the second branch 24 can achieve a strong coupling effect of 3dB. In one example, the first end 231 and the second end 232 of the first branch 23, and the third end 241 and the fourth end 242 of the second branch 24 are made of 50Ω microstrip lines.

[0089] In some examples, the substrate 10 of the sector phase shifter is shared with the first dielectric substrate 100 of the coupler 2. In this case, the surface of the first dielectric substrate 100 where the first branch 23 is disposed is also provided with a T-type power divider 14 and a second transmission line 13. The first connecting segment 131 and the second connecting segment of the first second transmission line 13 are respectively connected to the first ends 231 of the first branches 23 of the two couplers 2. The rotating arm 12 of the sector phase shifter is disposed on the second dielectric substrate 200. In this case, the first connecting segment 131 and the second connecting segment 132 of the second second transmission line 13 are respectively connected to the third ends 241 of the second branches 24 of the two couplers 2. The connection between the rotating arm 12 and the T-type power divider 14 can be fixed by a tooling structure. In this way, the integration of the power divider module is improved.

[0090] Figure 16a is a simulation diagram of the output amplitude of each output terminal of the power divider module in the third example when the rotating arm rotates 0°; Figure 16b is a simulation diagram of the output amplitude of each output terminal of the power divider module in the third example when the rotating arm rotates 35°. Referring to Figures 16a and 16b, for the power divider module of this embodiment, when the rotating arm rotates 0°, the output amplitude ratio of port 1, port 2 and port 3 is 0.30:0.50:0.51, and when the rotating arm rotates 35°, the output amplitude ratio of port 1, port 2 and port 3 is 0.13:0.50:0.51. It can be seen that when the output amplitude of port 1 is adjusted from 0.3 to 0.13, the same power adjustment function can still be achieved when the size of coupler 2 is reduced.

[0091] The fourth example: Figure 17 is a structural schematic diagram of a sector-shaped phase shifter in the power divider module of the fourth example of the present disclosure; Figure 18 is a structural schematic diagram of another sector-shaped phase shifter in the power divider module of the fourth example of the present disclosure; the structure of the power divider module in this example is roughly the same as the structure of the above examples, the only difference being that the sector-shaped phase shifters in the above examples are all five-port sector-shaped phase shifters, while this example provides a seven-port sector-shaped phase shifter, as shown in Figure 17, and a four-port sector-shaped phase shifter, as shown in Figure 18. Referring to Figure 17, the difference between the seven-port sector-shaped phase shifter in this example and the five-port phase shifter mentioned above is that the number of second transmission lines 13 in this phase shifter is three, and the number of coupling parts 122 on the corresponding rotating arm 12 is also three, the rest of the structure is the same as the five-port sector-shaped phase shifter. Referring to Figure 18, the difference between the four-port sector phase shifter in this example and the five-port sector phase shifter mentioned above is that the sector phase shifter has removed the through end. At this time, it can be rotatably connected to the rotating arm 12 through the first transmission line 11, and the T-type power divider 14 is omitted.

[0092] It should be noted that the above only provides a few exemplary structures of the first phase adjustment unit 1. In actual products, phase shifters with a corresponding number of ports can be designed as the first phase adjustment unit 1 according to requirements, and they will not be listed one by one here.

[0093] This disclosure provides an antenna that may include the aforementioned feed network.

[0094] Embodiments of this disclosure also include a plurality of elements connected to a power supply network for powering the elements.

[0095] The antenna provided in this embodiment further includes a transceiver unit, a radio frequency transceiver, a signal amplifier, a power amplifier, and a filtering unit. The antenna in the antenna system can function as either a transmitting antenna or a receiving antenna. The transceiver unit may include a baseband and a receiving end. The baseband provides signals in at least one frequency band, such as 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G signals, and transmits these signals to the radio frequency transceiver. After receiving the signal, the antenna in the antenna system processes it through the filtering unit, power amplifier, signal amplifier, and radio frequency transceiver before transmitting it to the receiving end in the transmitting unit. The receiving end may be, for example, a smart gateway.

[0096] Furthermore, the RF transceiver is connected to the transceiver unit and is used to modulate the signals transmitted by the transceiver unit, or to demodulate the signals received by the antenna before transmitting them to the transceiver unit. Specifically, the RF transceiver may include a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, a modulation circuit, and a demodulation circuit. After the transmitting circuit receives various types of signals provided by the baseband, the modulation circuit can modulate the various types of signals provided by the baseband and then send them to the antenna. The antenna receives the signals and transmits them to the receiving circuit of the RF transceiver. The receiving circuit then transmits the signals to the demodulation circuit, which demodulates the signals and transmits them to the receiving end.

[0097] Furthermore, the RF transceiver is connected to a signal amplifier and a power amplifier, which are then connected to a filtering unit. The filtering unit is connected to at least one antenna. During signal transmission, the signal amplifier improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the RF transceiver's output signal before transmitting it to the filtering unit; the power amplifier amplifies the power of the RF transceiver's output signal before transmitting it to the filtering unit. The filtering unit may include a duplexer and a filtering circuit. The filtering unit combines the signals output from the signal amplifier and power amplifier, filters out clutter, and transmits them to the antenna, which then radiates the signal. During signal reception, the antenna receives the signal and transmits it to the filtering unit. The filtering unit filters out clutter from the received signal before transmitting it to the signal amplifier and power amplifier. The signal amplifier increases the gain of the received signal, improving the SNR; the power amplifier amplifies the power of the received signal. The received signal is then processed by the power amplifier and signal amplifier before being transmitted to the RF transceiver, which in turn transmits it to the transceiver unit.

[0098] In some examples, the signal amplifier may include various types of signal amplifiers, such as low-noise amplifiers, without limitation.

[0099] In some examples, the antenna system provided in this disclosure also includes a power management unit connected to a power amplifier and providing the power amplifier with a voltage for amplifying the signal.

[0100] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary implementations used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A power supply network comprising a first phase adjustment unit and at least one coupler; wherein, The first phase adjustment unit has a first input terminal and multiple first output terminals; the coupler has a second input terminal, a third input terminal, a second output terminal, and a third output terminal; wherein, The second input terminal and the third input terminal of the coupler are respectively connected to two different first input terminals of the first phase adjustment unit.

2. The power supply network according to claim 1, wherein, It also includes multiple second phase adjustment units, and at least one of the second output terminal and the output terminal of the coupler is connected to the second phase adjustment unit.

3. The power supply network according to claim 2, wherein, The second phase adjustment unit includes a switchable linear phase shifter or a liquid crystal phase shifter.

4. The power supply network according to claim 1, wherein, The first phase adjustment unit includes a sector-shaped phase shifter; The sector-shaped phase shifter includes a substrate, a first transmission line, a rotating arm, and multiple second transmission lines disposed on the substrate. Each of the plurality of second transmission lines includes a first connecting segment and a second connecting segment, as well as an arc segment connecting the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment; at least a portion of the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment of the second transmission lines are respectively connected to the corresponding couplers; The rotating arm includes a main body and a plurality of coupling parts connected to the main body; one of the coupling parts and one of the arc segments have an orthographic projection on the substrate; the main body is rotatably connected to the first transmission line.

5. The power supply network according to claim 4, wherein, The curvature of the coupling portion and the arc segment whose orthogonal projection on the substrate overlaps with that portion is the same.

6. The power supply network according to claim 4, wherein, For the two second transmission lines connected to the same coupler, namely the i-th second transmission line and the (i+1)-th second transmission line; the length of the arc segment of the (i+1)-th second transmission line is a, the length of the arc segment of the i-th second transmission line is b, the length of the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment of the (i+1)-th second transmission line are both c, and the length of the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment of the i-th second transmission line are both d; dc = (ab) / 2; where i is a positive integer.

7. The power supply network according to claim 4, wherein, At least some of the arc segments are constructed using a slow-wave line.

8. The power supply network according to claim 7, wherein, The line with the longest arc segment among the multiple second transmission lines is a slow wave line.

9. The power supply network according to claim 4, wherein, The sector-shaped phase shifter also includes a T-type power divider; The input terminal of the T-type power divider is multiplexed with the first transmission line. One branch of the T-type power divider is connected to the rotating arm connection, and the other branch is used as one of the first output terminals of the sector phase shifter.

10. The power supply network according to claim 4, wherein, The coupler includes a first dielectric substrate, a reference electrode layer disposed on the first dielectric substrate, and four sequentially connected side edges disposed on the side of the first dielectric substrate opposite to the reference electrode layer. The four side plates are connected to form a first vertex, a second vertex, a third vertex, and a fourth vertex arranged clockwise; The first vertex is connected to the second input terminal, the second vertex is connected to the third input terminal, the third vertex is connected to the third output terminal, and the fourth vertex is connected to the fourth output terminal.

11. The power supply network according to claim 10, wherein, The first dielectric substrate and the substrate substrate are reused.

12. The power supply network according to claim 4, wherein, The coupler includes a first dielectric substrate, a second dielectric substrate, a first stub, a second stub, and a reference electrode layer; The first branch and the reference electrode layer are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the first dielectric substrate along its thickness direction; The second dielectric substrate is disposed on the side of the first branch away from the first dielectric substrate; the second branch is disposed on the side of the second dielectric substrate away from the first dielectric substrate; The first branch includes a first end and a second end, and a first signal line connected between the first end and the second end; the second branch includes a third end and a fourth end, and a second signal line connected between the third end and the fourth end; The first signal line and the second signal line are arranged intersecting on the first dielectric substrate by their orthogonal projections. The first end and the second end of the first branch are respectively used as the second input terminal and the second output terminal of the coupler. The third end and the fourth end of the second branch are respectively used as the third input terminal and the third output terminal of the coupler.

13. The power supply network according to claim 12, wherein, The thickness of the first dielectric substrate is not less than the thickness of the second dielectric substrate.

14. The power supply network according to claim 12, wherein, The first signal line and the second signal line are microstrip lines.

15. The power supply network according to claim 12, wherein, The first dielectric substrate and the substrate substrate are reused.

16. The power supply network according to claim 15, wherein, The rotating arm is arranged on the same layer as the second branch, and the first connecting segment and the second connecting segment of the second transmission line are respectively coupled to the third end of the corresponding second branch.

17. An antenna comprising the feed network of any one of claims 1-16.

18. The antenna according to claim 17, wherein, It also includes arrays connected to each output terminal of the power supply network.

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