An h-plane horn antenna of a millimeter wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide and a communication device

Abstract

This application relates to the field of microwave antenna technology, specifically providing a millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide H-plane horn antenna and communication device. The millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide H-plane horn antenna includes: a flexible substrate layer, including a transition section dielectric substrate and a flexible dielectric substrate; the transition section dielectric substrate includes an upper surface end and a lower surface end; a plurality of first metal strip groups, uniformly spaced on the upper surface end and the lower surface end; and a plurality of second metal strips, uniformly spaced on the upper surface end and the lower surface end; the first metal strip groups and the second metal strips are spaced apart. This allows the electromagnetic wave to form a multi-stage impedance transition path during its propagation from the flexible dielectric substrate to the transition section dielectric substrate and further radiating into free space, thereby avoiding the bandwidth limitation problem caused by traditional substrate integrated waveguide H-plane horn antennas relying solely on a single geometric gradient for impedance transformation, and effectively broadening the impedance matching bandwidth.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of microwave antenna technology, and in particular to an H-plane horn antenna and communication device based on a millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide. Background Technology

[0002] Substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) horn antennas typically consist of a linear SIW-fed waveguide and a gradually expanding H-plane horn radiating aperture. Its sidewalls are formed by two rows of periodic metallized vias, creating an equivalent electric wall. The top and bottom surfaces are covered with metallic cladding to confine electromagnetic wave propagation within the substrate. In traditional structures, a linear or single-form gradually expanding structure is often used between the SIW waveguide and the horn aperture, resulting in a relatively simple horn aperture profile and transition region structure.

[0003] However, since the equivalent sidewalls of SIW are essentially discrete via structures, their equivalent electrical wall characteristics vary significantly with frequency, especially in the millimeter-wave band. Simultaneously, the traditional horn transition region has a simple structural form, making it difficult to achieve a continuous and smooth impedance transition over a wide frequency range. This easily leads to reflections within the operating frequency band, thus limiting the antenna's impedance matching bandwidth. Particularly when a thin substrate much smaller than the operating wavelength is chosen for integration and conformal design considerations, the effective electrical size and radiating conductance of the horn are drastically reduced. Furthermore, the horn's ability to adjust impedance based on the horn's angle is limited, resulting in a sharp increase in the antenna's Q-value and a dramatic worsening of the impedance mismatch problem. Therefore, there is still room for further improvement in the impedance matching bandwidth of traditional substrate-integrated waveguide H-plane horn antennas.

[0004] Therefore, existing technologies have defects and shortcomings, and need further improvement and development. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of this application is to provide an H-plane horn antenna and communication device based on a millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide, which aims to solve the problem of low impedance matching bandwidth of H-plane horn antennas based on substrate integrated waveguides in the prior art.

[0006] The technical solution adopted in this application to solve the technical problem is as follows: A millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide H-plane horn antenna for communication equipment, comprising: A flexible substrate layer, the flexible substrate layer comprising a transition dielectric substrate and a flexible dielectric substrate; the transition dielectric substrate comprising an upper surface end and a lower surface end; A plurality of first metal strip groups are evenly spaced on the upper surface end and the lower surface end; A plurality of second metal strips are evenly spaced on the upper and lower surface ends; the first metal strip group is spaced apart from the second metal strips.

[0007] Optionally, the first metal strip group includes wide strips and narrow strips; The width of the wide strip is 4mm~5mm, and the length of the wide strip is 6~9mm; The width of the narrow strip is 3~5mm, and the length of the narrow strip is 7~9mm; The gap between the wide strip and the narrow strip is 0~1mm; The first metal strip groups are set to 2 to 4 groups, and the spacing between adjacent first metal strip groups is set to 0.1 to 1 mm.

[0008] Optionally, a plurality of second metal strips are configured as 1 to 3 groups, the length of the second metal strip is 28 to 32 mm, the width of the second metal strip is 0.1 to 1.2 mm, and the spacing between adjacent second metal strips is 0.1 to 1 mm; The second metal strip is perpendicular to the wide strip and the narrow strip; the wide strip and the narrow strip are arranged parallel to each other.

[0009] Optionally, the flexible dielectric substrate includes an upper side and a lower side disposed opposite to each other, the upper side being provided with a first metal layer and the lower side being provided with a second metal layer; A central metallized array is disposed on the flexible dielectric substrate, the central metallized array including a standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section and a horn transition section; The standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section includes two rows of first metallized via arrays that are symmetrically arranged on the left and right; the horn transition section includes two rows of second metallized via arrays that are symmetrically arranged on the left and right and gradually expand at an angle.

[0010] Optionally, the diameter of the first metallized through hole and the second metallized through hole is 0.3mm~0.5mm; the distance between the centers of two adjacent first metallized through holes is 1.2mm~1.5mm; and the distance between the centers of two adjacent second metallized through holes is 1.2mm~1.5mm.

[0011] Optionally, the angle of the horn transition section is set to 36.13~37 degrees.

[0012] Optionally, the upper side surface is provided with symmetrical strip-shaped parallelogram slits, which are symmetrically arranged about the central axis of the flexible substrate layer; The upper end of the strip-shaped parallelogram slit is 9mm~10mm away from the central axis, the lower end is 4.8mm~4.9mm away from the central axis, the bottom edge width of the strip-shaped parallelogram slit is 0.3mm~0.5mm, and the length of the strip-shaped parallelogram slit is 9mm~10mm.

[0013] Optionally, a microstrip power input terminal is provided on the first metal layer and the second metal layer; the microstrip power input terminal includes a long strip segment and a trapezoidal segment; The length of the long strip is set to 3.5mm~4mm, and the width of the long strip is set to 0.2mm~0.5mm; The upper base of the trapezoidal segment is set to 2mm~2.5mm, the lower base of the trapezoidal segment is set to 3.5mm~3.9mm, and the height of the trapezoidal segment is set to 4mm~5mm.

[0014] Optionally, the flexible dielectric substrate is provided with a central metallized through-hole near the speaker transition section; The central metallized via is located on the right side of the central axis. The center of the central metallized via is 0.7mm to 0.9mm away from the central axis, and the distance between the center of the central metallized via and the microstrip power input port is 18mm to 20mm.

[0015] The technical solution adopted by this application to solve the technical problem is as follows: a communication device, which includes an H-plane horn antenna of millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide as described above, wherein the H-plane horn antenna of millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide can be applied to twin-tub washing machines or multi-tub washing machines.

[0016] Beneficial effects: This application provides an H-plane horn antenna and communication device based on a millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide. The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide further achieves this by simultaneously setting a flexible dielectric substrate and a transition section dielectric substrate in a flexible substrate layer, and uniformly setting a plurality of first metal strip groups and a plurality of second metal strips at intervals on the upper and lower surfaces of the transition section dielectric substrate, with the first metal strip groups and the second metal strips being spaced apart. This allows the electromagnetic wave to form a multi-level impedance transition path during the propagation from the flexible dielectric substrate to the transition section dielectric substrate and further radiating into free space. This avoids the bandwidth limitation problem caused by the traditional substrate integrated waveguide H-plane horn antenna relying solely on a single geometric gradient for impedance transformation, thereby effectively broadening the impedance matching bandwidth. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide provided in this application; Figure 2 This is a front view of the H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide provided in this application; Figure 3 This is a rear view of the H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide provided in this application; Figure 4This is the reflection coefficient curve of the H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide provided in this application.

[0018] Figure 5 This is the radiation efficiency curve of the H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide provided in this application.

[0019] Figure 6 This is the peak gain curve of the H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide provided in this application.

[0020] Figure 7 The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide provided in this application operates within a frequency band of 32 GHz.

[0021] Figure 8 The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide provided in this application operates within a frequency band of 38 GHz. Figure 9 This is a comparison of the reflection coefficient curves of the H-plane horn antenna with millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide provided in this application and a conventional horn SIW antenna.

[0022] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 10. H-plane horn antenna with millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide; 11. Flexible substrate layer; 12. Transition section dielectric substrate; 121. Upper surface end; 122. Lower surface end; 13. Flexible dielectric substrate; 131. Upper side surface; 1311. First metal layer; 1313. Strip parallelogram slot; 132. Lower side surface; 1321. Second metal layer; 133. Central metallized array; 1331. Standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section; 1332. Horn transition section; 1333. First metallized via; 1334. Second metallized via; 134. Microstrip feed input terminal; 1341. Long strip; 1342. Trapezoidal section; 135. Central metallized via; 14. First metal strip group; 141. Wide strip; 142. Narrow strip; 15. Second metal strip. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer and more explicit, the following detailed description of this application is provided with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0024] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not 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 on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0025] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" 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 application based on the specific circumstances.

[0026] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3The first embodiment of this application provides an H-plane horn antenna 10 of millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide for use in communication equipment. The H-plane horn antenna 10 of millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide is composed of a flexible substrate layer 11, a first metal strip group 14, a second metal strip 15, and a central metallization array 133 disposed on a flexible dielectric substrate 13. The flexible substrate layer 11 includes a flexible dielectric substrate 13 and a transition dielectric substrate 12. The flexible dielectric substrate 13 is a Rogers RO4003 substrate with a thickness of 1.524 mm, a length of 30 mm, a width of 26 mm, a relative permittivity of 3.55, and a loss angle of 0.0027. The transition dielectric substrate 12 is the same Rogers RO4003 substrate as the flexible dielectric substrate 13, with a thickness of 1.524 mm, a length of 30 mm, and a width of 12.22 mm. By using the Rogers RO4003 flexible dielectric substrate 13 as the main body, the antenna can be bent and attached to the curved surface of the carrier, greatly expanding the application scenarios. The flexible dielectric substrate 13 is used to form a substrate integrated waveguide transmission structure, and the transition section dielectric substrate 12 is used to form an H-plane horn radiation structure coupled to free space, thereby achieving effective transmission and radiation in the millimeter wave band while ensuring the conformal capability of the antenna.

[0027] A central metallized array 133 is disposed on the flexible dielectric substrate 13. The central metallized array 133 includes a standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section 1331 and a horn transition section 1332. The standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section 1331 is composed of two rows of first metallized vias 1333 arranged symmetrically on both sides. The standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section 1331 is used to form an equivalent electric wall inside the flexible dielectric substrate 13 to confine the propagation of electromagnetic waves along the propagation direction. The horn transition section 1332 is composed of two rows of second metallized vias 1334 arranged symmetrically on both sides with gradually widening angles, so that the equivalent lateral dimension of the substrate integrated waveguide gradually increases along the propagation direction, thereby realizing the transition from a confined transmission state to a radiation state. Through the continuous arrangement of the above structure, the input impedance gradually changes along the propagation direction, reducing the reflection introduced by traditional abrupt structures in the millimeter-wave band.

[0028] Furthermore, a central metallized via 135 is provided on the flexible dielectric substrate 13 near the horn transition section 1332, and the central metallized via 135 is offset relative to the central axis of the flexible substrate layer 11. The central metallized via 135 modulates the equivalent input impedance of the substrate integrated waveguide at different frequencies by changing the current distribution path and local equivalent electrical length inside the horn transition section 1332, thereby introducing an additional impedance compensation channel in the millimeter-wave band and suppressing the reflection peaks that are prone to occur in a single transition structure over a wide frequency range.

[0029] Meanwhile, on the upper surface 131 of the flexible dielectric substrate 13, there are strip-shaped parallelogram slots 1313 symmetrically distributed about the central axis of the flexible dielectric substrate 13. These strip-shaped parallelogram slots 1313, by forming symmetrical openings on the first metal layer 1311, alter the surface current path near the horn aperture surface and introduce additional equivalent capacitance effects at different frequencies. The strip-shaped parallelogram slots 1313, together with the central metallized via 135 and the horn transition section 1332, enable electromagnetic waves to form a multi-path propagation and multi-frequency response mechanism in the transition region, thereby improving the overall impedance matching characteristics.

[0030] At the horn aperture surface, the flexible dielectric substrate 13 is directly connected to the transition section dielectric substrate 12. The upper surface end 121 and lower surface end 122 of the transition section dielectric substrate 12 are uniformly spaced with a plurality of first metal strip groups 14 and a plurality of second metal strips 15, with the first metal strip groups 14 and second metal strips 15 spaced apart. The first metal strip groups 14 include wide strips 141 and narrow strips 142 arranged parallel to each other. Multiple groups of first metal strip groups 14 are periodically arranged along a direction perpendicular to the horn radiation direction, forming multiple mutually coupled resonant units on the transition section dielectric substrate 12.

[0031] Since the number of periods, the width, length, and spacing of the wide stripe 141 and the narrow stripe 142 are all set within the millimeter-wave scale, different first metal stripe groups 14 correspond to different resonant frequencies within the operating frequency band. The superposition and merging of the frequency responses of each resonant frequency point enable the antenna to form a multi-resonant coupling operating state within the millimeter-wave Ka band, thereby effectively expanding the overall impedance matching bandwidth. At the same time, the first metal stripe group 14 forms an equivalent impedance gradient layer perpendicular to the radiation direction, so that the impedance between the horn radiation structure and free space gradually transitions from the substrate integrated waveguide impedance to the free space impedance, smoothing the impedance abrupt change process and reducing the reflection loss when radiating from the antenna into free space.

[0032] Furthermore, the second metal strip 15 extends along the horn radiation direction and is perpendicular to the wide strip 141 and the narrow strip 142. The second metal strip 15 guides and redistributes the near-field current distribution near the horn aperture surface, refining the multi-resonant coupling state formed by the first metal strip group 14, making the coupling between different resonant modes smoother, thereby further widening the overall impedance matching bandwidth. Simultaneously, the constraint effect of the second metal strip 15 on the surface current helps improve the current uniformity in the radiation direction, assisting in improving the antenna's radiation characteristics.

[0033] A microstrip feed input terminal 134 is disposed on the first metal layer 1311 and the second metal layer 1321. The microstrip feed input terminal 134 includes a long strip segment 1341 and a trapezoidal segment 1342. The long side of the long strip segment 1341 is connected to the bottom of the trapezoidal segment 1342 to form a complete feed input structure. Through the continuous transition between the long strip segment 1341 and the trapezoidal segment 1342, the characteristic impedance of the microstrip transmission structure gradually transitions to the standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission segment 1331, realizing efficient coupling of feed energy to the central metallized array 133, and ensuring that the input energy can be stably transmitted to the horn radiating structure in a wide frequency range. Furthermore, the H-plane horn antenna 10 of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide introduces a composite modulation structure of a central metallized via 135 and a strip-shaped parallelogram slot 1313 in the horn transition region, and sets multiple sets of first metal strip groups 14 and second metal strips 15 on the dielectric substrate 12 of the transition section to construct a working mechanism that combines multi-resonant coupling and impedance gradient, so that the electromagnetic wave can achieve continuous and smooth impedance changes during transmission, transition and radiation, thereby effectively solving the problem of low impedance matching bandwidth of existing substrate integrated waveguide H-plane horn antennas.

[0034] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3In some embodiments, the H-plane horn antenna 10 of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide includes a flexible substrate layer 11, a plurality of first metal strip groups 14, and a plurality of second metal strips 15; the flexible substrate layer 11 includes a transition section dielectric substrate 12 and a flexible dielectric substrate 13; the transition section dielectric substrate 12 includes an upper surface end 121 and a lower surface end 122; the plurality of first metal strip groups 14 are uniformly spaced on the upper surface end 121 and the lower surface end 122; the plurality of second metal strips 15 are uniformly spaced on the upper surface end 121 and the lower surface end 122; the first metal strip groups 14 and the second metal strips 15 are spaced apart. Furthermore, by simultaneously setting a flexible dielectric substrate 13 and a transition dielectric substrate 12 in the flexible substrate layer 11, and uniformly setting a plurality of first metal strip groups 14 and a plurality of second metal strips 15 at intervals on the upper surface end 121 and the lower surface end 122 of the transition dielectric substrate 12, and setting the first metal strip groups 14 and the second metal strips 15 at intervals, a multi-level impedance transition path is formed during the process of electromagnetic waves propagating from the flexible dielectric substrate 13 to the transition dielectric substrate 12 and further radiating into free space. This avoids the bandwidth limitation problem caused by the traditional substrate integrated waveguide H-plane horn antenna relying only on a single geometric gradient for impedance transformation, thereby effectively broadening the impedance matching bandwidth.

[0035] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments, the first metal strip group 14 includes a wide strip 141 and a narrow strip 142; the width of the wide strip 141 is 4mm~5mm and the length of the wide strip 141 is 6~9mm; the width of the narrow strip 142 is 3~5mm and the length of the narrow strip 142 is 7~9mm; the gap between the wide strip 141 and the narrow strip 142 is 0~1mm; the plurality of first metal strip groups 14 are configured as 2~4 groups, and the spacing between adjacent first metal strip groups 14 is configured as 0.1~1mm. Furthermore, by setting the first metal strip group 14 as a composite structure including a wide strip 141 and a narrow strip 142, and limiting the width, length and gap between the wide strip 141 and the narrow strip 142, and setting several first metal strip groups 14 into 2 to 4 groups while maintaining the spacing between adjacent first metal strip groups 14, different first metal strip groups 14 correspond to different equivalent resonant states in the operating frequency band. The superposition of each resonant state in the frequency response can form a multi-resonance coupling effect, thereby significantly expanding the overall impedance matching bandwidth of the antenna and improving the problem of rapid impedance changes in the millimeter wave band.

[0036] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3In some embodiments, a plurality of second metal strips 15 are arranged in 1 to 3 groups, the length of the second metal strip 15 is 28 to 32 mm, the width of the second metal strip 15 is 0.1 to 1.2 mm, and the spacing between adjacent second metal strips 15 is 0.1 to 1 mm; In this configuration, the second metal strip 15 is perpendicular to the wide strip 141, and the second metal strip 15 is perpendicular to the narrow strip 142; the wide strip 141 and the narrow strip 142 are arranged parallel and spaced apart. Furthermore, by setting several second metal strips 15 into 1 to 3 groups, and ensuring that the second metal strips 15 are perpendicular to the wide strip 141 and the narrow strip 142 while maintaining the parallel and spaced arrangement of the wide strip 141 and the narrow strip 142, the second metal strips 15 create an electromagnetic coupling modulation effect on the first metal strip group 14 in the horn radiation direction. This guides and redistributes the near-field current distribution, resulting in a smoother spatial transition of the multi-resonance state formed by the first metal strip group 14, further expanding the overall impedance matching bandwidth and reducing reflection loss.

[0037] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments, the flexible dielectric substrate 13 includes an upper side surface 131 and a lower side surface 132 disposed opposite to each other. The upper side surface 131 is provided with a first metal layer 1311, and the lower side surface 132 is provided with a second metal layer 1321. A central metallization array 133 is disposed on the flexible dielectric substrate 13. The central metallization array 133 includes a standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section 1331 and a horn transition section 1332. The standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section 1331 includes two rows of first metallized vias 1333 arranged symmetrically from left to right. The horn transition section 1332 includes two rows of second metallized vias 1334 arranged symmetrically from left to right and gradually widening at an angle. Furthermore, by providing a first metal layer 1311 and a second metal layer 1321 on the upper side 131 and lower side 132 of the flexible dielectric substrate 13, and by providing a central metallized array 133 including a standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section 1331 and a horn transition section 1332 on the flexible dielectric substrate 13, the electromagnetic wave is effectively constrained within the standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section 1331, and gradually transitions to the radiation state through the gradually expanding structure of the second metallized via array 1334 within the horn transition section 1332. This reduces the adverse effect of the equivalent electric wall frequency sensitivity caused by discrete metallized vias on the impedance matching bandwidth.

[0038] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3In some embodiments, the apertures of the first metallized via 1333 and the second metallized via 1334 are 0.3mm to 0.5mm; the distance between the centers of two adjacent first metallized vias 1333 is 1.2mm to 1.5mm; and the distance between the centers of two adjacent second metallized vias 1334 is 1.2mm to 1.5mm. By limiting the apertures of the first metallized via 1333 and the second metallized via 1334, as well as the center-to-center distance between adjacent metallized vias, the metallized via array can form more stable equivalent electric wall characteristics in the millimeter-wave band, reducing the impact of via discrete effects on transmission characteristics as frequency changes. This maintains impedance continuity between the standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section 1331 and the horn transition section 1332 over a wider frequency band, improving the overall impedance matching bandwidth.

[0039] In some embodiments, the horn transition section 1332 has an angle of 36.13 to 37 degrees. By setting the angle of the horn transition section 1332 within the range of 36.13 to 37 degrees, the horn transition section 1332 achieves a smoother lateral expansion rate under limited size conditions. This reduces the impact of equivalent electrical size abrupt changes on the input impedance in the millimeter-wave band, avoids reflection enhancement problems caused by excessively small or large angles, and facilitates extending the impedance matching bandwidth of the substrate integrated waveguide H-plane horn antenna under conformal conditions.

[0040] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments, the upper surface 131 is provided with symmetrical strip-shaped parallelogram slots 1313, which are symmetrically arranged about the central axis of the flexible substrate layer 11. The upper end of each strip-shaped parallelogram slot 1313 is 9mm-10mm from the central axis, the lower end is 4.8mm-4.9mm from the central axis, the bottom width of each slot is 0.3mm-0.5mm, and the length is 9mm-10mm. Furthermore, by providing symmetrical strip-shaped parallelogram slots 1313 about the central axis on the upper surface 131 of the flexible dielectric substrate 13, and defining their position and size relative to the central axis, the surface current on the first metal layer 1311 is redistributed near the horn aperture surface, and additional equivalent capacitance modulation is introduced at different frequencies. This improves the impedance continuity of the horn transition region, reduces reflection peaks, and further broadens the impedance matching bandwidth.

[0041] In some embodiments, a microstrip power input terminal 134 is provided on the first metal layer 1311 and the second metal layer 1321; the microstrip power input terminal 134 includes a long strip segment 1341 and a trapezoidal segment 1342; wherein, the length of the long strip segment 1341 is set to 3.5mm~4mm, the width of the long strip segment 1341 is set to 0.2mm~0.5mm; the upper base of the trapezoidal segment 1342 is set to 2mm~2.5mm, the lower base of the trapezoidal segment 1342 is set to 3.5mm~3.9mm, and the height of the trapezoidal segment 1342 is set to 4mm~5mm. Furthermore, by setting a microstrip feed input terminal 134 including a strip segment 1341 and a trapezoidal segment 1342 on the first metal layer 1311 and the second metal layer 1321, and limiting the size of the strip segment 1341 and the trapezoidal segment 1342, the characteristic impedance of the microstrip transmission structure can smoothly transition to the standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission segment 1331, thereby avoiding the reflection problem caused by the sudden change in the feed terminal impedance in the millimeter wave band, and ensuring that energy is effectively coupled into the substrate integrated waveguide structure in a wide frequency range.

[0042] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments, a central metallized via 135 is provided on the flexible dielectric substrate 13 near the horn transition section 1332. The central metallized via 135 is located on the right side of the central axis, with its center 0.7mm to 0.9mm from the central axis, and its center 135 is 18mm to 20mm from the microstrip feed input port 134. By providing the central metallized via 135 on the flexible dielectric substrate 13 near the horn transition section 1332 and offset it relative to the central axis, while limiting the distance between the central metallized via 135 and the microstrip feed input port 134, the central metallized via 135 modulates the current path and equivalent electrical length of the horn transition section 1332 at different frequencies, thereby introducing an additional impedance compensation mechanism, suppressing impedance fluctuations over a wide frequency range, and further improving the impedance matching bandwidth.

[0043] The second embodiment of this application provides a communication device including an H-plane horn antenna with a millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide as described above. This H-plane horn antenna with a millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide is applicable to twin-tub or multi-tub washing machines. Furthermore, by incorporating the H-plane horn antenna with a millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide as described above into the communication device, the communication device achieves a wider impedance matching bandwidth and more stable radiation performance in the millimeter-wave frequency band, thereby meeting the application requirements for broadband communication performance under conformal integration conditions.

[0044] Please refer to the following: Figure 4 , Figure 4The reflection coefficient (S-parameter) curve of the H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide described in this embodiment is shown. Figure 4 The millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide antenna described herein has an S11 < -10dB in the 25.80GHz to 40.00GHz frequency band, an absolute bandwidth of 14.2GHz, and a relative bandwidth of 43.16%, completely covering the entire Ka band, demonstrating its excellent broadband characteristics, far exceeding those of similar horn antennas.

[0045] Please refer to the following: Figure 5 , Figure 5 The radiation efficiency curve of the antenna in this embodiment is shown. Figure 5 The millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide antenna described herein has a radiation efficiency of over 77% in the operating bandwidth from 25.80 GHz to 40.00 GHz, with an average of about 85%, indicating good overall radiation efficiency performance of the antenna.

[0046] Please refer to the following: Figure 6 , Figure 6 The peak gain curve of the antenna in this embodiment is shown. The antenna of this application exhibits a peak gain higher than 5.43 dB within its operating bandwidth of 25.80 GHz to 40.00 GHz, with a maximum of 11.66 dB.

[0047] Please refer to the following: Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 The radiation patterns of the antenna in this embodiment at a center frequency of 28 GHz and 38 GHz are shown. Here, phi = 0 degrees is the radiation pattern on the xoz plane; phi = 90 degrees is the radiation pattern on the yoz plane.

[0048] Please refer to the following: Figure 9 , Figure 9 The diagram shows a comparison of the reflection coefficient curves of the antenna in this embodiment with those of a conventional horn SIW antenna without metal strips, slots, and a central metallized through-hole. It can be seen that the bandwidth performance of the antenna in this embodiment is improved by more than 10 GHz.

[0049] In summary, this application provides an H-plane horn antenna and communication device based on a millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide. The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide includes: a flexible substrate layer, the flexible substrate layer including a transition section dielectric substrate and a flexible dielectric substrate; the transition section dielectric substrate includes an upper surface end and a lower surface end; a plurality of first metal strip groups, the plurality of first metal strip groups being uniformly spaced on the upper surface end and the lower surface end; a plurality of second metal strips, the plurality of second metal strips being uniformly spaced on the upper surface end and the lower surface end; the first metal strip groups and the second metal strips are spaced apart. Furthermore, by simultaneously setting a flexible dielectric substrate and a transition dielectric substrate in a flexible substrate layer, and uniformly setting a number of first metal strip groups and a number of second metal strips at intervals on the upper and lower surfaces of the transition dielectric substrate, and setting the first metal strip groups and the second metal strips at intervals, a multi-level impedance transition path is formed during the process of electromagnetic waves propagating from the flexible dielectric substrate to the transition dielectric substrate and further radiating into free space. This avoids the bandwidth limitation problem caused by traditional substrate integrated waveguide H-plane horn antennas relying solely on a single geometric gradient for impedance transformation, thereby effectively broadening the impedance matching bandwidth.

[0050] It should be understood that the application of this application is not limited to the examples above. Those skilled in the art can make improvements or modifications based on the above description, and all such improvements and modifications should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An H-plane horn antenna with a millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide, used in communication equipment, characterized in that, The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide includes: A flexible substrate layer, the flexible substrate layer comprising a transition dielectric substrate and a flexible dielectric substrate; the transition dielectric substrate comprising an upper surface end and a lower surface end; A plurality of first metal strip groups are evenly spaced on the upper surface end and the lower surface end; A plurality of second metal strips are evenly spaced on the upper and lower surface ends; the first metal strip group is spaced apart from the second metal strips.

2. The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first metal strip group includes wide strips and narrow strips; The width of the wide strip is 4mm~5mm, and the length of the wide strip is 6~9mm; The width of the narrow strip is 3~5mm, and the length of the narrow strip is 7~9mm; The gap between the wide strip and the narrow strip is 0~1mm; The first metal strip groups are set to 2 to 4 groups, and the spacing between adjacent first metal strip groups is set to 0.1 to 1 mm.

3. The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second metal strips are arranged in groups of 1 to 3, the length of the second metal strips is 28 to 32 mm, the width of the second metal strips is 0.1 to 1.2 mm, and the spacing between adjacent second metal strips is 0.1 to 1 mm; The second metal strip is perpendicular to the wide strip and the narrow strip; the wide strip and the narrow strip are arranged parallel to each other.

4. The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide according to claim 3, characterized in that, The flexible dielectric substrate includes an upper side and a lower side disposed opposite to each other, the upper side being provided with a first metal layer and the lower side being provided with a second metal layer; A central metallized array is disposed on the flexible dielectric substrate, the central metallized array including a standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section and a horn transition section; The standard substrate integrated waveguide transmission section includes two rows of first metallized via arrays that are symmetrically arranged on the left and right; the horn transition section includes two rows of second metallized via arrays that are symmetrically arranged on the left and right and gradually expand at an angle.

5. The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide according to claim 4, characterized in that, The diameter of the first metallized through hole and the second metallized through hole is 0.3mm~0.5mm; the distance between the centers of two adjacent first metallized through holes is 1.2mm~1.5mm; the distance between the centers of two adjacent second metallized through holes is 1.2mm~1.5mm.

6. The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide according to claim 4, characterized in that, The angle of the horn transition section is set to 36.13~37 degrees.

7. The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide according to claim 6, characterized in that, The upper side surface is provided with symmetrical strip-shaped parallelogram slots, which are symmetrically arranged about the central axis of the flexible substrate layer. The upper end of the strip-shaped parallelogram slit is 9mm~10mm away from the central axis, the lower end is 4.8mm~4.9mm away from the central axis, the bottom edge width of the strip-shaped parallelogram slit is 0.3mm~0.5mm, and the length of the strip-shaped parallelogram slit is 9mm~10mm.

8. The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide according to claim 7, characterized in that, Microstrip power input terminals are provided on the first metal layer and the second metal layer; the microstrip power input terminal includes a long strip segment and a trapezoidal segment; The length of the long strip is set to 3.5mm~4mm, and the width of the long strip is set to 0.2mm~0.5mm; The upper base of the trapezoidal segment is set to 2mm~2.5mm, the lower base of the trapezoidal segment is set to 3.5mm~3.9mm, and the height of the trapezoidal segment is set to 4mm~5mm.

9. The H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide according to claim 8, characterized in that, The flexible dielectric substrate has a central metallized through-hole near the speaker transition section. The central metallized via is located on the right side of the central axis. The center of the central metallized via is 0.7mm to 0.9mm away from the central axis, and the distance between the center of the central metallized via and the microstrip power input terminal is 18mm to 20mm.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, Including the H-plane horn antenna of the millimeter-wave conformal substrate integrated waveguide as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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