Antenna device and electronic device

Abstract

The invention provides antenna equipment and electronic equipment, belongs to the technical field of antennas, and can solve the problems that an existing antenna is small in scanning range and not high enough in gain. The antenna equipment comprises a reflecting plate which is provided with a first surface and a second surface which are oppositely arranged; the antenna array is arranged on the first surface side of the reflecting plate; the antenna array comprises a plurality of antenna modules which are arranged side by side along a second direction; each antenna module comprises a plurality of sub-arrays which are arranged side by side along a first direction; each subarray comprises a plurality of oscillators; wherein at least one side of the antenna module along the second direction is provided with a metasurface structure; the plane where the metasurface structure is located intersects with the plane where the reflecting plate is located. The antenna equipment disclosed by the invention can realize a wider scanning range and has the characteristic of high gain.

Description

Antenna equipment and electronic equipment

[0001] This disclosure belongs to the field of antenna technology, specifically relating to an antenna device and an electronic device.

[0002] Base stations play a crucial role in the construction of mobile communication networks, and for base stations, the antenna is the core component for signal transmission and reception. With the development of communication technology, users have increasingly higher requirements for communication quality and signal capacity. Therefore, dual-polarized base station antennas, which offer advantages such as multi-channel operation, high gain, and wide scanning angle, have become a research focus in related fields.

[0003] Currently, 4-transmit 4-receive (4TR) antennas or 8-transmit 8-receive (8TR) antennas are commonly used in 5G base stations. A 4TR antenna has four transmit antennas and eight receive antennas, while an 8TR antenna has eight transmit antennas and eight receive antennas. Compared to 4TR antennas, 8TR antennas can further increase the system's transmission and reception capacity. However, both 4TR and 8TR antennas suffer from lower gain and smaller coverage areas, making them increasingly difficult to meet the high-capacity coverage requirements of base stations.

[0004] To meet the demand for high-capacity coverage, massive MIMO technology is commonly used, requiring a large-scale antenna array. As the antenna size increases, the construction cost of the base station system also rises. In urban scenarios with high capacity demands and dense coverage, this can absorb the increased construction costs of traditional three-sector base station systems. However, in sparsely populated rural areas, the spacing between sites is greater than in cities. Continuing to use urban site design schemes would lead to a significant increase in costs. Therefore, for rural scenarios, base station systems have higher requirements for wide coverage capabilities.

[0005]

[0006] The present invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. In one aspect, it provides an antenna device, comprising: a reflector having a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to each other; an antenna array disposed on the first surface side of the reflector; the antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna modules arranged side by side along a second direction; each antenna module comprising a plurality of subarrays arranged side by side along a first direction; each subarray comprising a plurality of vibrators; wherein a metasurface structure is disposed on at least one side of the antenna module along the second direction; the plane of the metasurface structure intersects with the plane of the reflector.

[0007] In some examples, the metasurface structure is provided on both sides of the antenna module along the second direction.

[0008] In some examples, the metasurface structure includes a first dielectric substrate and a plurality of metasurface units disposed on the first dielectric substrate; the plurality of metasurface units are closer to the oscillator than the first dielectric substrate.

[0009] In some examples, the antenna device further includes a support structure disposed on both sides of the antenna array along the second direction; the support structure includes a first base plate and a first side plate connected to the first base plate; the first base plate is mounted on the reflector, and the metasurface structure is mounted on the first side plate by a first fastener.

[0010] In some examples, the supporting structure is made of metal.

[0011] In some examples, the first dielectric substrate includes a main body and a connecting portion connected to one side of the main body; the metasurface unit is disposed on the main body; the reflector has a limiting portion that at least partially penetrates along its thickness direction; and the connecting portion is correspondingly connected to the limiting portion.

[0012] In some examples, the metasurface unit includes a stacked second dielectric substrate, a first conductive pattern, and a third dielectric substrate, as well as a first reference electrode located on the side of the second dielectric substrate opposite to the first conductive pattern and a second reference electrode located on the side of the third dielectric substrate opposite to the first conductive pattern; the first reference electrode is connected to the first dielectric substrate.

[0013] In some examples, the antenna device also includes a plurality of isolation walls mounted on the reflector; the orthographic projection of one of the isolation walls on the reflector lies between the orthographic projections of two adjacent elements on the reflector.

[0014] In some examples, the subarray includes: a fourth dielectric substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface disposed opposite to each other, wherein the fourth surface is closer to the reflector than the third surface; a first feed network and a second feed network disposed on the fourth surface side; wherein the polarization directions of the radio frequency signals excited by the first feed network and the second feed network are different; wherein the first feed network includes a plurality of first feed lines corresponding one-to-one with the oscillator, and the second feed network includes a plurality of second feed lines corresponding one-to-one with the oscillator.

[0015] In some examples, the fourth dielectric substrate is mounted on the first surface of the reflector by a second fastener.

[0016] In some examples, the oscillator includes: a third feed line and a fourth feed line, wherein the polarization directions of the radio frequency signals excited by the third feed line and the fourth feed line are different; a second end of the third feed line is connected to a first feed line, and a second end of the fourth feed line is connected to a second feed line; a third reference electrode is disposed on the fourth surface side, and the orthographic projection of the third reference electrode on the third surface covers the orthographic projections of the third feed line and the fourth feed line on the third surface; a radiation unit is disposed on the third surface side; and the radiation unit is electrically connected to the first ends of the third feed line and the fourth feed line.

[0017] In some examples, the radiating element includes a radiating body and four feed plates; each feed plate includes a first end and a second end disposed opposite to each other, wherein the first end of each feed plate is connected to the radiating body; in one oscillator, the second ends of two of the four feed plates are connected to the first end of a third feed line, and the second ends of the other two are connected to the first end of a fourth feed line.

[0018] In some examples, the oscillator further includes a parasitic radiating element support and a parasitic radiating element located on the side of the radiating element away from the reflector; the parasitic radiating element support is located between the radiating element and the parasitic radiating element.

[0019] In some examples, the first ends of each first feed wire of the first feed network are connected together to form the first input terminal of the first feed network; the first ends of each second feed wire of the second feed network are connected together to form the second input terminal of the second feed network; two adjacent antenna modules constitute an antenna unit, which includes a first antenna module and a second antenna module, each subarray in the first antenna module and each subarray in the second antenna module correspond one-to-one, and two corresponding subarrays form a subarray group; the antenna device also includes an RF backplane corresponding one-to-one with the antenna units and located on the second surface side of the reflector; the RF backplane includes multiple RF channel groups corresponding one-to-one with the subarray groups; each RF channel group includes a third feed network and a fourth feed network; the polarization directions of the RF signals excited by the third feed network and the fourth feed network are different; for any subarray in the subarray group, the first input terminal of the first feed network is electrically connected to the third feed network, and the second input terminal of the second feed network is electrically connected to the fourth feed network.

[0020] In some examples, the radio frequency backplane includes a fifth dielectric substrate; the fifth dielectric substrate has a fifth surface and a sixth surface disposed opposite to each other, wherein the fifth surface is closer to the reflector than the sixth surface; the radio frequency channel group is disposed on the side of the sixth surface.

[0021] In some examples, the RF backplane further includes a phase-shifting module disposed on a sixth surface of the fifth dielectric substrate; the phase-shifting module includes a first switch chip and a second switch chip, and multiple phase delay lines connected between the first switch chip and the second switch chip.

[0022] In some examples, the antenna device also includes an antenna radome fixed to the side of the antenna array opposite to the reflector by an antenna radome support post; the antenna radome support post is disposed on a first surface of the reflector.

[0023] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising the antenna device described in any of the above examples.

[0024] Figure 1A is a top view of the antenna device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 1B is a perspective view of the antenna device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 1C is a side view of an antenna device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 2A is a side view of the metasurface structure in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 2B is a perspective view of the metasurface structure in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0029] Figures 3A and 3B are front views of two other metasurface structures in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 4A is a front view of the load-bearing structure in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 4B is a top view of the load-bearing structure in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 4C is a side view of the load-bearing structure in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0033] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another connection method between the metasurface structure and the reflector in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0034] Figure 6A is a side view of the metasurface unit in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0035] Figure 6B is a front perspective view of the metasurface unit in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0036] Figures 7A-7C are examples of three other first conductive patterns in embodiments of this disclosure.

[0037] Figure 8A is a schematic diagram of the subarray structure in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0038] Figure 8B is an exploded view of the subarray structure in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0039] Figure 8C is a schematic diagram of the second fastener in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0040] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the oscillator in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0041] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the antenna element and subarray group in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0042] Figure 11 is a bottom view of the antenna device in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0043] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the radio frequency channel group in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0044] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the connector in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0045] Figure 14 is a beam scanning pattern of the antenna device disclosed herein.

[0046] Figure 15 shows the radiation pattern gain of the antenna device at the maximum scanning angle.

[0047] Figure 16 shows the input reflection coefficient S11 of the antenna device disclosed in this invention in the 2.5GHz-2.7GHz frequency band.

[0048] Figure 17 is a beamforming diagram of the antenna device disclosed herein.

[0049] Figure 18 shows the radiation gain of the antenna device disclosed herein in the horizontal direction (H-plane).

[0050] Figure 19 shows the radiation gain of the antenna device disclosed herein in the vertical direction (E plane).

[0051] The reference numerals in the attached figures are as follows: 1. Antenna module; 2. Reflector; 3. Antenna radome support column; 4. Metasurface structure; 10. Subarray; 100. Vibrator; 11. Fourth dielectric substrate; 5. Support structure; 51. First base plate; 52. First side plate; 6. First fixing member; 41. First dielectric substrate; 42. Metasurface unit; 43. Main body; 44. Connecting part; 21. Limiting part; 421. Second dielectric substrate; 422. First conductive pattern; 423. Third dielectric substrate; 424. First reference electrode; 425. Second reference electrode; 12. Isolation wall; 101. Third reference electrode; 81. First feed network; 82. Second feed network; 7. Second fixing member; 90. Fifth dielectric substrate; 91. 92. Third feed network; 93. Fourth feed network; 8. Connector; 71. Support column; 102. Radiation unit; 1021. Support plate; 1022. Feed plate; 1023. Radiation body; 103. Parasitic radiation part; 1031. Parasitic radiation part bracket; 20. Antenna unit; 30. Subarray group; 40. RF backplane; 401. RF channel group; 911. Third output terminal; 921. Fourth output terminal; 912. Third input terminal; 922. Fourth input terminal; 93. Phase shift module; 931. First switch chip; 932. Second switch chip; 933. Phase delay line.

[0052] 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.

[0053] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure shall have the ordinary meaning understood 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, the terms “an,” “a,” or “the,” and similar terms do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. The terms “including,” “comprising,” or “containing,” and similar terms mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. The terms “connected,” “linked,” or similar terms are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” and “right,” etc., are used only to indicate relative positional relationships, and these relative positional relationships may change accordingly when the absolute position of the described objects changes.

[0054] 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°.

[0055] It should be understood that when a layer or element is referred to as being on another layer or substrate, it can mean that the layer or element is directly on the other layer or substrate, or that there is an intermediate layer between the layer or element and the other layer or substrate.

[0056] This document describes exemplary embodiments with reference to sectional views and / or plan views, which are idealized exemplary drawings. In the drawings, the thickness of layers and regions is enlarged for clarity. Therefore, variations in shape relative to the drawings are contemplated due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Therefore, exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limited to the shapes of the regions shown herein, but rather include shape deviations due to, for example, manufacturing processes. Thus, the regions shown in the drawings are schematic in nature, and their shapes are not intended to show the actual shapes of the regions of the device, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0057] Traditional base station antennas employ a three-sector antenna architecture, meaning a site comprises three sectors, each covering a 120° horizontal beamwidth, for use in high-capacity hotspot areas. However, three-sector antennas typically suffer from the following problems: difficult site selection, high cost, high load-bearing requirements on towers leading to construction difficulties, and high base station material costs increasing system maintenance costs. Therefore, for areas with wide coverage but relatively low capacity, three-sector antennas are often unnecessary; instead, two-sector antennas with two sectors are recommended. This is because using two-sector antennas reduces the difficulty of site selection and tower maintenance, and reduces material and packaging costs due to the reduced number of antenna sectors. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design an antenna that, while ensuring good communication performance, can achieve the coverage effect of a traditional three-sector antenna using only two sectors—that is, each sector achieving a 180° horizontal beamwidth—to enable green, low-carbon, and high-quality 5G network construction in remote rural areas.

[0058] To address at least one of the technical problems of the prior art, this disclosure provides an antenna device. Figure 1A is a top view of the antenna device according to an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 1B is a perspective view of the antenna device according to an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 1C is a side view of the antenna device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figures 1A-1C, the antenna device provided by this disclosure includes a reflector 2 and an antenna array; wherein the reflector 2 has a first surface and a second surface arranged opposite to each other, and the antenna array is disposed on the first surface side of the reflector 2. Specifically, the antenna array includes a plurality of antenna modules 1 arranged side by side along a second direction, each antenna module 1 including a plurality of subarrays 10 arranged side by side along a first direction, each subarray 10 including a plurality of vibrators 100. Further, as shown in Figure 1B, a metasurface structure 4 is provided on at least one side of the antenna module 1 along the second direction, the plane of which the metasurface structure 4 intersects the plane of the reflector 2 (Figures 1A-1C only take the example of the plane of the metasurface structure 4 being perpendicular to the plane of the reflector 2). The first direction can be the horizontal direction (x-direction), and the second direction can be the vertical direction (y-direction). This article will use the first direction as the x-direction and the second direction as the y-direction as an example for explanation.

[0059] Metasurface structures can control the propagation and radiation characteristics of electromagnetic waves by manipulating their phase and amplitude distribution. Specifically, by setting the structural and material parameters of the metasurface structure, the phase gradient of the electromagnetic wave's refraction or reflection can be changed, thereby altering the radiation direction, beamwidth, and beam shape, thus achieving beam orientation, focusing, or adjustment. In this embodiment, by providing a metasurface structure 4 on at least one side of the antenna module 1 along the second direction, the radiation direction of the electromagnetic waves radiating to the metasurface structure 4 can be deflected, causing the side beams passing through the metasurface structure to deflect to a wider angle, thereby increasing the scanning angle of the antenna device and expanding the coverage area of ​​the base station.

[0060] It should be noted that Figures 1A and 1B only illustrate an antenna array comprising four antenna modules 1 arranged along the vertical direction (y-direction). Correspondingly, each antenna module 1 includes eight subarrays 10 arranged along the horizontal direction (x-direction), and each subarray 10 includes four elements 100 arranged along the vertical direction. That is, the antenna arrays shown in Figures 1A and 1B include 128 elements 100. For example, in the same subarray 10, the spacing between two adjacent elements 100 can be 0.6λ-0.8λ, where λ is the wavelength in free space corresponding to the operating frequency band of the element 100. In the same antenna module 1, the spacing between two adjacent subarrays 10 can be 0.45λ-0.55λ; preferably, the spacing between two adjacent subarrays 10 should not exceed 0.48λ. In conventional antennas, the spacing between two adjacent subarrays is typically 0.5λ. Compared to this, the subarray 10 layout of the embodiments of this disclosure is more compact, which on the one hand helps to achieve antenna miniaturization, and on the other hand can increase the scanning range of the antenna's horizontal beam. Furthermore, the antenna array used in this example is relatively large, which can effectively improve the antenna gain. In some examples, metasurface structures 4 are provided on both sides of the antenna module 1 along the second direction. In this example, by providing metasurface structures 4 on both sides of the antenna module 1 along the y-direction, the radiation direction of electromagnetic waves can be further adjusted, increasing the scanning angle of the antenna device.

[0061] Figure 2A is a side view of the metasurface structure 4 in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2B is a perspective view of the metasurface structure 4 in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the metasurface structure 4 includes a first dielectric substrate 41 and a plurality of metasurface units 42 disposed on the first dielectric substrate 41, wherein the plurality of metasurface units 42 are periodically arranged along the y-direction and are closer to the oscillator 100 than the first dielectric substrate 41.

[0062] It should be noted that Figures 2A and 2B are merely examples of metasurface structures, where the metasurface structure 4 in this example only includes one row of metasurface units 42 arranged along the y-direction. Figures 3A and 3B are front views of two other examples of the metasurface structure 4. Similar to Figures 2A and 2B, they include a first dielectric substrate 41 and multiple metasurface units 42 disposed on the first dielectric substrate 41. Unlike Figures 2A and 2B, they may include two rows of metasurface units 42 arranged along the y-direction as shown in Figure 3A, or three rows of metasurface units 42 arranged along the y-direction as shown in Figure 3B. This example, by increasing the number of rows of metasurface units 42, can improve the gain of the antenna device to a certain extent, but at the same time, it will increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the antenna device along the thickness direction, which is not conducive to the miniaturization of the antenna device.

[0063] In some examples, the antenna device also includes a support structure 5 disposed on both sides of the antenna array along the y-direction. Figure 4A is a front view of the support structure 5 in an embodiment of this disclosure, Figure 4B is a top view of the support structure 5 in an embodiment of this disclosure, and Figure 4C is a side view of the support structure 5 in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figures 4A-4C, the support structure 5 includes a first base plate 51 and a first side plate 52 connected to the first base plate 51. The first base plate 51 is mounted on the reflector 2, and the metasurface structure 4 is mounted on the first side plate 52 by a first fastener 6.

[0064] For example, the first base plate 51 can be installed on the reflector plate 2 by rivets. The length of the bearing structure 5 can be equivalent to the length of the reflector plate 2 along the y direction. In this case, the bearing structure 5 installed on the reflector plate 2 not only plays the role of supporting the metasurface structure 4, but also increases the rigidity of the reflector plate 2, preventing the reflector plate 2 from bending and deforming, which would affect the performance of the antenna array and the reliability of the antenna equipment.

[0065] It should be noted that the first side plate 52 has two surfaces arranged opposite to each other along its thickness direction. Figures 4A-4C only show an example where the metasurface structure 4 is located on one of the two surfaces further away from the oscillator 100 (i.e., the first side plate 52 is located between the metasurface structure 4 and the oscillator 100). Those skilled in the art will understand that the metasurface structure 4 can also be located on one of the two surfaces of the first side plate 52 closer to the oscillator 100 (i.e., the metasurface structure 4 is located between the oscillator 100 and the first side plate 52). This disclosure does not limit this. Further, referring to Figure 4A, the height of the portion of the first side plate 52 located on the first surface side of the reflector 2 is h1, and the height of the portion of the metasurface structure 4 located on the first surface side of the reflector 2 is h2. h1 should not be greater than half of h2 to avoid the bearing structure 5 affecting the control performance of the metasurface structure 4.

[0066] In some examples, the supporting structure 5 can be made of metal. In this case, in addition to supporting the metasurface structure 4, the supporting structure 5 also provides the same boundary conditions between the edge oscillators 100 and the middle oscillators 100. Those skilled in the art will understand that the same boundary conditions can ensure that each oscillator has consistent radiation characteristics, thereby reducing the difficulty of debugging and improving the antenna consistency; it can also reduce the impact of external interference on antenna performance and improve the antenna's anti-interference capability and radiation efficiency.

[0067] In some examples, the first fixing member 6 is made of insulating material, such as plastic; a through hole is provided on the first side plate 52, through which the first fixing member 6 can be fixed to the first side plate 52. Optionally, the first fixing member 6 can provide a certain gap between the metasurface structure 4 and the first side plate 52, which can be set to 2mm-7mm. In this example, by using an insulating first fixing member 6 to form a certain gap between the first side plate 52 and the metasurface structure 4, the problem of short circuits and other faults occurring after direct contact between the metal load-bearing structure 5 and the metasurface structure 4 can be effectively avoided, thus preventing the normal operation of the antenna equipment from being affected.

[0068] Figures 4A-4C illustrate one connection method between the metasurface structure 4 and the reflector 2 provided in this embodiment, and Figure 5 illustrates another connection method between the metasurface structure 4 and the reflector 2 provided in this embodiment. Referring to Figure 5, in some examples, the first dielectric substrate 41 includes a main body 43 and a connecting portion 44 connected to one side of the main body 43. The metasurface unit 41 is disposed on the main body 43. The reflector 2 has a limiting portion 21 that at least partially penetrates along its thickness direction, and the connecting portion 44 is correspondingly connected to the limiting portion 21. Exemplarily, the connecting portion 44 can be cross-shaped as shown in Figure 5, but it can also be other structures, which are not limited in this disclosure. Compared with the installation method shown in Figure 4A, this example simplifies the installation steps and reduces the difficulty, while reducing the weight of the antenna device, thus contributing to the lightweighting of the antenna device.

[0069] Figure 6A is a side view of the metasurface unit 42 in an embodiment of this disclosure, and Figure 6B is a front perspective view of the metasurface unit 42 in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 6A, the metasurface unit 42 includes a stacked second dielectric substrate 421, a first conductive pattern 422, and a third dielectric substrate 423, as well as a first reference electrode 424 located on the side of the second dielectric substrate 421 opposite to the first conductive pattern 422 and a second reference electrode 425 located on the side of the third dielectric substrate 423 opposite to the first conductive pattern 422. The first reference electrode 424 is connected to the first dielectric substrate 41. The first conductive pattern 422 may be cross-shaped as shown in Figure 6B.

[0070] Figures 7A-7C show three other examples of the first conductive pattern 422. For example, the first conductive pattern 422 can be as shown in Figure 7A, comprising three rectangular patches, wherein the major axis of one rectangular patch is perpendicular to the major axes of the other two rectangular patches. Alternatively, the first conductive pattern 422 can be X-shaped as shown in Figure 7B, comprising two rectangular patches whose major axes intersect, and the major axis of any one of the rectangular patches is parallel to the diagonal of the second dielectric substrate 421. Or, the first conductive pattern 422 can also be as shown in Figure 7C, comprising four rectangular patches, wherein the major axes of two rectangular patches are perpendicular to the major axes of the other two rectangular patches.

[0071] Figure 8A is a three-dimensional structural diagram of subarray 10; Figure 8B is an exploded view of subarray 10. The antenna equipment also includes multiple isolation walls 12 mounted on reflector 2. The positions of the isolation walls 12 can be seen in Figures 8A and 8B, where the orthographic projection of one isolation wall 12 on reflector 2 lies between the orthographic projections of two adjacent elements 100 on reflector 2. For example, the multiple isolation walls 12 are divided into multiple first wall groups arranged side-by-side along the vertical direction, and multiple second wall groups arranged side-by-side along the horizontal direction; each first wall group is arranged side-by-side along the horizontal direction, and each second wall group is arranged side-by-side along the vertical direction. The multiple elements 100 in the antenna array are divided into multiple first element groups arranged side-by-side along the vertical direction, and multiple second element groups arranged side-by-side along the horizontal direction; each first element group is arranged side-by-side along the horizontal direction, and each second element group is arranged side-by-side along the vertical direction. The orthographic projections of the first wall groups and first element groups on the plane of reflector 2 alternate, and the orthographic projections of the second wall groups and second element groups on the plane of reflector 2 alternate.

[0072] In some examples, the isolation wall 12 is made of sheet metal. Referring to Figures 8A and 8B, the isolation wall 12 includes a connecting piece parallel to the reflector 2 and an isolation portion perpendicular to the reflector 2. The connecting piece has multiple mounting holes, and the isolation wall 12 on the reflector 2 has multiple fixing holes. The fixing holes and mounting holes can be fixedly connected by rivets. Exemplarily, the distance d1 between two adjacent isolation walls 12 in the first wall group can be 0.2λ-0.5λ, and the height h3 of the isolation wall 12 can be 0.1λ, typically not exceeding one-quarter of the operating wavelength of the oscillator 100.

[0073] Referring again to Figures 8A and 8B, in some examples, the subarray 10 includes a fourth dielectric substrate 11, a first feed network 81, and a second feed network 82. The fourth dielectric substrate 11 has a third surface and a fourth surface disposed opposite to each other, with the fourth surface closer to the reflector 2 than the third surface. The radio frequency signals excited by the first feed network 81 and the second feed network 82 have different polarization directions; for example, one has a polarization direction of +45°, and the other has a polarization direction of -45°. Both the first feed network 81 and the second feed network 82 are disposed on the fourth surface side of the fourth dielectric substrate 11. The first feed network 81 includes multiple first feed lines corresponding one-to-one with the oscillator 100, and the second feed network 82 includes multiple second feed lines corresponding one-to-one with the oscillator 100. Taking the antenna array shown in Figures 1A-1C as an example, it includes 32 subarrays 10, each subarray 10 having a first feed network 81 and a second feed network 82. The antenna device includes a total of 32 first feed networks 81 and 32 second feed networks 82. Further, each subarray 10 includes four elements 100. Therefore, the first feed network 81 includes four first feed lines, and the second feed network 82 includes four second feed lines. For example, both the first feed network 81 and the second feed network 82 can use a 1-to-4 power divider network to feed the four elements 100 in the subarray 10. It should be noted that the above feeding structure is suitable for dual-polarized elements 100 that can generate or receive two different polarization directions. Those skilled in the art will understand that for a single-polarized element 100, only a 1-to-4 power divider network is needed.

[0074] Referring to Figure 8B, the fourth dielectric substrate 11 is mounted on the first surface of the reflector 2 via the second fastener 7. Figure 8C shows an example of the second fastener 7, which includes two support pillars 71 of a certain height. The second fastener 7 creates a uniform, air-filled gap between the reflector 2 and the fourth dielectric substrate 11, for example, the gap can be 0.2mm-1mm. In some examples, the second fastener 7 can be made of metal. In this example, by forming an air-filled gap between the fourth dielectric substrate 11 and the reflector 2, the first feed network 81 and the second feed network 82 disposed on the fourth dielectric substrate 11 are loaded with air during the feeding process. This feeding method can effectively reduce feeding losses compared to the method of loading using the dielectric substrate. Optionally, the reflector 2 can be made of sheet metal with a thickness of 1mm-3mm; the thickness of the fourth dielectric substrate 11 can be 0.1mm-1.5mm; the number of second fixing members 7 in each subarray 10 can be 8, and the distance between any two adjacent second fixing members 7 is fixed. Of course, the height and number of the second fixing members 7 can be determined according to the specific situation of the antenna equipment, and this disclosure does not limit them.

[0075] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the oscillator 100. In this embodiment, the oscillator 100 operates at a frequency of 2.5 GHz to 2.7 GHz and includes: a third reference electrode 101 (see Figure 8B), a radiating unit 102, a third feed line, and a fourth feed line (not shown). The third and fourth feed lines excite radio frequency signals with different polarization directions; for example, one has a polarization direction of +45°, and the other has a polarization direction of -45°. The second end of the third feed line is connected to a first feed line, and the second end of the fourth feed line is connected to a second feed line. The third reference electrode 101 is disposed on the fourth surface of the fourth dielectric substrate 11, and the orthographic projection of the third reference electrode 101 onto the third surface of the fourth dielectric substrate 11 covers the orthographic projections of the third and fourth feed lines onto the third surface of the fourth dielectric substrate 11. The radiating unit 102 is disposed on the third surface of the fourth dielectric substrate 11, and the radiating unit 102 is electrically connected to the first ends of the third and fourth feed lines.

[0076] Specifically, referring to Figure 9, the radiation unit 102 includes a radiation main body 1023, four feed plates 1022, and four support plates 1021. The first ends of the four support plates 1021 are connected to the radiation main body 1023, and the second ends are welded to a fourth dielectric substrate 11 to support the radiation main body 1023. The four feed plates 1022 are disposed within the receiving space formed by the four support plates 1021. Each feed plate 1022 includes a first end and a second end disposed opposite to each other, and the first end of each feed plate 1022 is connected to the radiation main body 1023. In an oscillator 100, the second ends of two of the four feed plates 1022 are connected to the first end of a third feed wire, and the second ends of the other two are connected to the first end of a fourth feed wire. With this connection, the radiation unit 102 can radiate or receive signals in two polarization directions.

[0077] Referring again to Figure 9, in some examples, the vibrator 100 further includes a parasitic radiating element support 1031 and a parasitic radiating element 103 located on the side of the radiating element 102 away from the reflector 2, wherein the parasitic radiating element support 1031 is located between the radiating element 102 and the parasitic radiating element 103. This example effectively improves the antenna gain by adding a parasitic radiating element 103 to the side of the radiating element 102 away from the reflector 2.

[0078] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of antenna elements and subarray groups. For ease of description, this disclosure refers to two adjacent antenna modules 1 as an antenna element 20, which includes a first antenna module and a second antenna module. Each subarray 10 in the first antenna module and each subarray 10 in the second antenna module correspond one-to-one, and two corresponding subarrays 10 form a subarray group 30. Figure 11 is a bottom view of the antenna device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. As can be seen from Figure 11, the antenna device also includes an RF backplane 40 that corresponds one-to-one with the antenna elements 20 and is located on the second surface side of the reflector 2. Each RF backplane 40 includes a plurality of RF channel groups 401 that correspond one-to-one with the subarray group 30; each RF channel group 401 includes a third feed network 91 and a fourth feed network 92, wherein the polarization directions of the RF signals excited by the third feed network 91 and the fourth feed network 92 are different, for example, one of them has a polarization direction of +45° and the other has a polarization direction of -45°. The first ends of each first feeder wire of the first feeder network 81 are connected together to form the first input terminal of the first feeder network 81; the first ends of each second feeder wire of the second feeder network 82 are connected together to form the second input terminal of the second feeder network 82. For any one subarray 10 in the subarray group 30, the first input terminal of the first feeder network 81 is electrically connected to the third feeder network 91, and the second input terminal of the second feeder network 82 is electrically connected to the fourth feeder network 92.

[0079] Specifically, referring to Figure 8B, the RF backplane 40 further includes a fifth dielectric substrate 90, which has a fifth surface and a sixth surface disposed opposite to each other, wherein the fifth surface is closer to the reflector 2 than the sixth surface. The RF channel group 40 is disposed on the sixth surface side. Optionally, the thickness of the fifth dielectric substrate 90 can be 0.1mm-1.5mm.

[0080] Taking the antenna devices shown in Figures 1A-1C as an example, the structure of the RF backplane 40 and its connection with the subarrays 10 in the above example are introduced. In the antenna devices shown in Figures 1A-1C, the antenna array includes two antenna elements 20 arranged side-by-side in a vertical direction. Each antenna element 20 includes two antenna modules 1 arranged side-by-side in a vertical direction. Each antenna module 1 includes eight subarrays 10 arranged side-by-side in a horizontal direction. The two subarrays 10 corresponding to the two antenna modules 1 in one antenna element 20 constitute a subarray group 30; that is, for each antenna element 20, it includes eight subarray groups 30. For the antenna devices in Figures 1A-1C, it includes two RF backplanes 40 corresponding to each antenna element 20; each RF backplane 40 includes multiple RF channel groups 401 corresponding to each subarray group 30; that is, each RF backplane 40 includes eight RF channel groups 401, and the two RF backplanes 40 have 16 RF channel groups 401.

[0081] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the RF channel group 401. Each RF channel group 401 includes a third feed network 91 and a fourth feed network 92, corresponding to two polarization directions respectively. The third feed network 91 can be a 1-to-2 power divider network, including a third input terminal 912 and two third output terminals 911; the fourth feed network 92 can also be a 1-to-2 power divider network, including a fourth input terminal 922 and two fourth output terminals 921. The third input terminal 912 and the fourth input terminal 922 are connected to the active part in the base station. Continuing from the previous paragraph, the two RF backplanes 40 have 16 RF channel groups 401, each RF channel group 401 has two input terminals (a third input terminal and a fourth input terminal), and the two RF backplanes 40 have a total of 32 input terminals, corresponding to 32 RF channels. For a subarray group 30, it includes two subarrays 10. Each subarray 10 has a first feed network 81 and a second feed network 82, corresponding to two polarization directions respectively. The polarization directions of the first feed network 81 and the third feed network 91 are the same, and the polarization directions of the second feed network 82 and the fourth feed network 92 are the same. That is, a subarray group 30 has two first feed networks 81 and two second feed networks 82. The first input terminals of the two first feed networks 81 are respectively connected to the two third output terminals 911 of the third feed network 91; the second input terminals of the two second feed networks 82 are respectively connected to the two fourth output terminals 921 of the fourth feed network 92.

[0082] Referring again to Figure 12, it can be seen that the RF backplane 40 also includes a phase-shifting module 93 disposed on the sixth surface of the fifth dielectric substrate 90. Specifically, the phase-shifting module 93 includes a first switch chip 931 and a second switch chip 932, and multiple phase delay lines 933 connecting the first switch chip 931 and the second switch chip 932. Compared with conventional lever phase shifters, the phase-shifting module 93 in this example has the advantages of small size, light weight, and fast switching speed.

[0083] For example, the first input terminal of the first power supply network 81 can be connected to the third output terminal 911 of the third power supply network 91 via connector 8, and the second input terminal of the second power supply network 82 can also be connected to the fourth output terminal 921 of the fourth power supply network 92 via connector 8. Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of connector 8, which includes a first end 801 and a second end 802. The first end 801 is connected to the first input terminal of the first power supply network 81 by welding, and the second end 802 is connected to a third output terminal 911 of the third power supply network 91 by welding. In some examples, connector 8 can be made of metal.

[0084] In some examples, as shown in Figures 1A-1C, the antenna device also includes an antenna radome (not shown) and an antenna radome support column 3 disposed on the first surface of the reflector 2, wherein the antenna radome is fixed to the side of the antenna array away from the reflector 2 by the antenna radome support column 3.

[0085] Figures 14-19 are performance simulation test diagrams of the antenna device provided in this disclosure. Specifically, Figure 14 is the beam scanning pattern of the antenna device of this disclosure, and Figure 15 is the gain diagram of the antenna device at the maximum scanning angle. As can be seen from Figures 14 and 15, after adding metasurface structures 4 on both sides of the antenna module 1, the scanning range of the antenna device can be increased to approximately ±68°. Figure 16 shows the input reflection coefficient S11 of the antenna device of this disclosure in the 2.5GHz-2.7GHz frequency band. As can be seen from the figure, the input reflection coefficient S11 of the antenna device of this disclosure is less than -15dB in the operating frequency band; the input reflection coefficient S11 of common antennas is usually less than -10dB. Compared with this, the antenna device of this disclosure has lower return loss and better radiation performance. Figure 17 is the beamforming diagram of the antenna device of this disclosure. As can be seen from the figure, the antenna device of this disclosure has a wider beamforming, that is, the coverage area of ​​the main lobe is larger and the radiated energy distribution is wider. Figure 18 shows the radiation gain of the antenna device of this disclosure in the horizontal direction (H plane), and Figure 19 shows the radiation gain of the antenna device of this disclosure in the vertical direction (E plane). As can be seen from Figure 18, the sidelobes basically reach the level of -20dB, and as can be seen from Figure 19, the sidelobes can almost reach the level of -25dB.

[0086] Secondly, based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this disclosure provide an electronic device that includes the antenna device described in any of the above examples.

[0087] In some examples, the electronic device provided in this disclosure further includes a transceiver unit, a radio frequency transceiver, a signal amplifier, a power amplifier, and a filtering unit. The antenna in the electronic device 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 electronic device can process it through the filtering unit, power amplifier, signal amplifier, and radio frequency transceiver before transmitting it to the receiving end in the transceiver unit. The receiving end may be, for example, a smart gateway.

[0088] 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 these signals before sending 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 before transmitting them to the receiving end.

[0089] 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 by the electronic device, 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 specifically include a duplexer and a filtering circuit. It combines the signals output from the signal amplifier and power amplifier, filters out noise, and transmits the signals to the antenna, which then radiates the signal. During signal reception by the electronic device, the antenna receives the signal and transmits it to the filtering unit. The filtering unit filters out noise 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 signal received by the antenna is processed by the power amplifier and signal amplifier before being transmitted to the RF transceiver, which then transmits it to the transceiver unit.

[0090] In some examples, the signal amplifier may include various types of signal amplifiers, such as low-noise amplifiers, without limitation.

[0091] In some examples, the electronic device 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 signals.

[0092] 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

An antenna device comprising: A reflector having a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to each other; An antenna array is disposed on the first surface side of the reflector. The antenna array includes multiple antenna modules arranged side by side along a second direction; each antenna module includes multiple subarrays arranged side by side along a first direction; each subarray includes multiple vibrators; wherein, a metasurface structure is provided on at least one side of the antenna module along the second direction; the plane of the metasurface structure intersects with the plane of the reflector. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein, The metasurface structure is provided on both sides of the antenna module along the second direction. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein, The metasurface structure includes a first dielectric substrate and a plurality of metasurface units disposed on the first dielectric substrate; the plurality of metasurface units are closer to the oscillator than the first dielectric substrate. The antenna device according to claim 3, wherein, It also includes a support structure disposed on both sides of the antenna array along the second direction; the support structure includes a first base plate and a first side plate connected to the first base plate; the first base plate is mounted on the reflector plate, and the metasurface structure is mounted on the first side plate by a first fastener. The antenna device according to claim 4, wherein, The supporting structure is made of metal. The antenna device according to claim 3 is characterized in that, The first dielectric substrate includes a main body and a connecting portion connected to one side of the main body; the metasurface unit is disposed on the main body; the reflector has a limiting portion that at least partially penetrates along its thickness direction; the connecting portion is correspondingly connected to the limiting portion. The antenna device according to claim 3, wherein, The metasurface unit includes a stacked second dielectric substrate, a first conductive pattern, and a third dielectric substrate, as well as a first reference electrode located on the side of the second dielectric substrate opposite to the first conductive pattern and a second reference electrode located on the side of the third dielectric substrate opposite to the first conductive pattern. The first reference electrode is connected to the first dielectric substrate. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein, It also includes a plurality of isolation walls mounted on the reflector; the orthographic projection of one of the isolation walls on the reflector is located between the orthographic projections of two adjacent oscillators on the reflector. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein, The subarray includes: a fourth dielectric substrate having a third surface and a fourth surface disposed opposite to each other, wherein the fourth surface is closer to the reflector than the third surface; a first feed network and a second feed network disposed on the fourth surface side; the first feed network and the second feed network excite radio frequency signals with different polarization directions; wherein the first feed network includes a plurality of first feed lines corresponding to each of the oscillators, and the second feed network includes a plurality of second feed lines corresponding to each of the oscillators. The antenna device according to claim 9, wherein, The fourth dielectric substrate is mounted on the first surface of the reflector by a second fastener. The antenna device according to claim 9, wherein, The oscillator includes: a third feed line and a fourth feed line, wherein the polarization directions of the radio frequency signals excited by the third feed line and the fourth feed line are different; a second end of the third feed line is connected to a first feed line, and a second end of the fourth feed line is connected to a second feed line; a third reference electrode is disposed on the fourth surface side, and the orthographic projection of the third reference electrode on the third surface covers the orthographic projections of the third feed line and the fourth feed line on the third surface; a radiation unit is disposed on the third surface side; the radiation unit is electrically connected to the first ends of the third feed line and the fourth feed line. The antenna device according to claim 11, wherein, The radiating unit includes a radiating body and four feed plates; each feed plate includes a first end and a second end disposed opposite to each other; the first end of each feed plate is connected to the radiating body; in one of the oscillators, the second ends of two of the four feed plates are connected to the first end of a third feed line, and the second ends of the other two are connected to the first end of a fourth feed line. The antenna device according to claim 12, wherein, The oscillator also includes a parasitic radiation part support and a parasitic radiation part located on the side of the radiation unit away from the reflector; the parasitic radiation part support is located between the radiation unit and the parasitic radiation part. The antenna device according to claim 9, wherein, The first ends of each of the first feeder wires in the first feeder network are connected together to form the first input terminal of the first feeder network; The first ends of each of the second feed wires of the second feed network are connected together to form the second input terminal of the second feed network; two adjacent antenna modules constitute an antenna unit, which includes a first antenna module and a second antenna module. Each subarray in the first antenna module corresponds one-to-one with each subarray in the second antenna module, and two corresponding subarrays form a subarray group; the antenna device also includes an RF backplane that corresponds one-to-one with the antenna units and is located on the second surface side of the reflector; the RF backplane includes multiple RF channel groups that correspond one-to-one with the subarray groups; each RF channel group includes a third feed network and a fourth feed network; the polarization directions of the RF signals excited by the third feed network and the fourth feed network are different; for any subarray in the subarray group, the first input terminal of the first feed network is electrically connected to the third feed network, and the second input terminal of the second feed network is electrically connected to the fourth feed network. The antenna device according to claim 14, wherein, The radio frequency backplane includes a fifth dielectric substrate; The fifth dielectric substrate has a fifth surface and a sixth surface disposed opposite to each other, wherein the fifth surface is closer to the reflector than the sixth surface; The radio frequency channel group is disposed on the sixth surface side. The antenna device according to claim 15, wherein, The radio frequency backplane also includes a phase shifting module disposed on the sixth surface of the fifth dielectric substrate; the phase shifting module includes a first switch chip and a second switch chip, and multiple phase delay lines connected between the first switch chip and the second switch chip. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein, It also includes an antenna radome fixed to the side of the antenna array away from the reflector by an antenna radome support column; the antenna radome support column is disposed on the first surface of the reflector. An electronic device comprising the antenna device according to any one of claims 1-17.

Images