Array antenna and base station system

Abstract

An array antenna (10) and a base station system are provided. The array antenna (10) includes: a reflector floor (11); a plurality of antenna elements (12) positioned on the reflector floor (11) and spaced apart along a first direction; a plurality of isolation structures (13) erected on the reflector floor (11), with at least a portion of one isolation structure (13) located between two adjacent antenna elements (12); and a feed network (14) positioned on the reflector floor (14) and connected to the plurality of antenna elements (12). In this embodiment, the plurality of antenna elements (12) are spaced apart along the first direction, ensuring the beamwidth of the array antenna (10) in a second direction, thereby ensuring the wide coverage characteristics of the array antenna (10) in the second direction, so as to reduce the number of array antennas (10) in a cell. (Figure 1)

Description

Array antennas and base station systems Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to an array antenna and a base station system. Background Technology

[0002] With the deepening development of wireless terminal applications and the increasing demand for wireless communication services, more array antennas are needed to achieve better signal coverage. However, in the process of achieving signal coverage, residents' concerns about radiation safety have made the installation of numerous array antennas in residential areas a pressing issue that needs to be addressed.

[0003] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of this disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an array antenna and a base station system.

[0005] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an array antenna is provided, comprising:

[0006] Reflective flooring;

[0007] Multiple antenna elements are confined on the reflector floor and spaced apart on the reflector floor along a first direction;

[0008] Multiple isolation structures are erected on the reflective floor, and at least a portion of one of the isolation structures is located between two adjacent antenna elements;

[0009] The power supply network is confined to the reflector floor and connected to the plurality of the antenna elements.

[0010] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the isolation structure is a planar structure and includes a plurality of first isolation portions spaced apart along a second direction, the second direction intersecting the first direction.

[0011] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the first isolation section is a rectangular structure or an I-shaped structure.

[0012] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the first isolation section includes a plurality of isolation units;

[0013] The multiple isolation units are all rectangular or I-shaped structures, and the multiple isolation units are spaced apart along the thickness direction of the reflective floor.

[0014] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the isolation structure further includes a second isolation section;

[0015] The second isolation portion has a strip-shaped structure and extends along the second direction, and each of the first isolation portions is connected to the second isolation portion.

[0016] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the isolation structure is a planar structure and includes a plurality of third isolation portions spaced apart along a second direction, each of the third isolation portions having a coupling seam, the second direction intersecting the first direction.

[0017] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the third isolation section is an open resonant ring structure, and the annular gap of the open resonant ring constitutes the coupling seam.

[0018] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, and each of the isolation structures is equidistant from the two adjacent antenna elements.

[0019] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, each pair of adjacent antenna elements has the isolation structure.

[0020] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the isolation structure extends two adjacent antenna elements from both ends in the second direction.

[0021] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the isolation structure is a ring structure, and each antenna element is surrounded by an isolation structure.

[0022] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the isolation structure has a plurality of coupling slots spaced apart along the circumferential direction.

[0023] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the reflector ground includes a first dielectric substrate and a ground metal layer located on one side of the first dielectric substrate, and the antenna element includes a radiating patch;

[0024] The first dielectric substrate is a light-transmitting substrate, and the grounding metal layer and the radiating patch are grid-like metal layers or light-transmitting conductive films.

[0025] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the feed network and the antenna element are offset in a second direction, and the reflector ground plane further includes a metal connecting line located on the other side of the first dielectric substrate;

[0026] The metal connecting wire is a mesh-like metal wire or a light-transmitting conductive wire, and its two ends are respectively connected to the antenna vibrator and the feed network.

[0027] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the array antenna further includes an antenna radome that is fastened to the reflector ground and the plurality of antenna elements.

[0028] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a base station system is provided, including the array antenna described in the above aspect.

[0029] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0031] Figure 1 is a top view of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 2 is a side view of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0033] Figure 3 is a side view of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0034] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a reflective floor provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0035] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a reflective floor provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0036] Figure 6 is a top view of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0037] Figure 7 is a side view of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0038] Figure 8 is a side view of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0039] Figure 9 is a side view of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0040] Figure 10 is a side view of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0041] Figure 11 shows the standing wave curve of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0042] Figure 12 shows the isolation curve of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0043] Figure 13 shows the gain curve of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0044] Figure 14 is an H-plane radiation pattern of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0045] Figure 15 is a V-plane radiation pattern of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0046] Figure 16 shows the isolation curve of another array antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 17 shows the isolation curve of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0048] Reference numerals: 10, array antenna; 11, reflector ground; 12, antenna element; 13, isolation structure; 14, feed network; 15, radome; 111, first dielectric substrate; 112, grounding metal layer; 113, metal connecting wire; 114, first carrier film; 115, second carrier film; 116, adhesive; 121, radiating patch; 122, feed balun; 123, coupling patch; 131, first isolation section; 132, isolation unit; 133, second isolation section; 134, third isolation section; 135, coupling seam. Detailed Implementation

[0049] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and therefore detailed descriptions of them will be omitted. Furthermore, the drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0050] Although relative terms such as "up" and "down" are used in this specification to describe the relative relationship of one component of an icon to another, these terms are used only for convenience, such as according to the orientation of the examples shown in the accompanying drawings. It is understood that if the device of the icon is flipped upside down, the component described as "up" will become the component described as "down." When a structure is "up" of another structure, it may mean that the structure is integrally formed on the other structure, or that the structure is "directly" mounted on the other structure, or that the structure is "indirectly" mounted on the other structure through another structure.

[0051] The terms “a,” “one,” “the,” “the,” and “at least one” are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements / components / etc.; the terms “including” and “having” are used to indicate an open-ended inclusion and to mean that there may be other elements / components / etc. in addition to the listed elements / components / etc.; the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc., are used only as markers and are not a limitation on the number of objects.

[0052] This disclosure provides a schematic diagram of the structure of an array antenna 10. As shown in FIG1, the array antenna 10 includes: a reflector 11, a plurality of antenna elements 12, a plurality of isolation structures 13, and a feed network 14; the plurality of antenna elements 12 are positioned on the reflector 11 and are spaced apart along a first direction; the plurality of isolation structures 13 are erected on the reflector 11, and at least a portion of one isolation structure 13 is located between two adjacent antenna elements 12; the feed network 14 is positioned on the reflector 11 and is connected to the plurality of antenna elements 12.

[0053] In this embodiment, multiple antenna elements 12 are spaced apart along the first direction, thereby avoiding the influence of electromagnetic waves radiated by the array antenna 10 on the second direction, thus ensuring the beamwidth of the array antenna 10 in the second direction and thus ensuring the wide coverage characteristics of the array antenna 10 in the second direction, so as to reduce the number of array antennas 10 in the cell. In addition, based on the isolation structure 13 between two adjacent antenna elements 12 in the first direction, the isolation between the two antenna elements 12 on both sides of the isolation structure 13 is realized, thereby facilitating the improvement of the gain of a single antenna element 12, that is, realizing the high gain of the array antenna 10, and at the same time facilitating the improvement of the beamwidth of the array antenna 10 in the first direction, so as to further ensure the wide coverage characteristics of the array antenna 10 in the first direction.

[0054] The antenna element 12 includes a radiating patch 121, which can be a microstrip patch, a dipole patch, etc., and correspondingly, the antenna element 12 can be a microstrip antenna or a polarized antenna. Taking a single dipole patch 121 as an example, the antenna element 12 can be a single-polarized antenna (vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, +45 degree polarization, or -45 degree polarization); taking a dual dipole patch 121 as an example, the antenna element 12 can be a dual-polarized antenna (vertical / horizontal polarization or ±45 degree polarization). Of course, the radiating patch 121 can also be other types of patches, and correspondingly, the antenna element 12 can be other types of antennas. This disclosure does not limit this aspect.

[0055] Taking a dual-polarized antenna as an example, as shown in Figure 2, the antenna element 12 includes a pair of orthogonally distributed feed baluns 122, a pair of coupling patches 123 coupled to each feed balun 122, and a dipole patch formed by connecting to each pair of coupling patches 123. The feed baluns 122 and coupling patches 123 are both erected on the reflector ground plane 11. The feed baluns 122 are connected to the feed network 14, and the dipole patches are arranged parallel to the reflector ground plane 11.

[0056] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3, the array antenna 10 further includes an antenna cover 15, which is attached to the reflector ground 11 and the plurality of antenna elements 12. In this way, the array antenna 10 can be protected from the influence of the external environment by the antenna cover 15, thereby extending the service life of the array antenna 10.

[0057] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4, the reflective floor 11 includes a first dielectric substrate 111 and a grounding metal layer 112 located on one side of the first dielectric substrate 111.

[0058] The first dielectric substrate 111 can be a commonly used PCB insulating material such as a polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber substrate, a phenolic paper layer substrate, or a phenolic glass cloth layer substrate, or it can be a rigid material such as quartz or glass with low microwave loss. In addition, the first dielectric substrate 111 can be a single-layer board structure or a multi-layer composite board structure.

[0059] The grounding metal layer 112 can be located on the side of the first dielectric substrate 111 closest to the antenna element 12, or on the side of the first dielectric substrate 111 away from the antenna element 12. The grounding metal layer 112 can be made of low-resistance, low-loss metal materials such as copper, gold, or silver, and can be fabricated by methods such as magnetron sputtering, thermal evaporation, or electroplating. Alternatively, the grounding metal layer 112 can be directly fabricated on the first dielectric substrate 111, that is, the grounding metal layer 112 can be fabricated using the first dielectric substrate 111 as a carrier, directly obtaining the reflective ground plane 11; or the grounding metal layer 112 can be fabricated using the first carrier film 114 (such as a plastic film, conductive film, etc.) as a carrier, and then the first carrier film 114 can be bonded to the first dielectric substrate 111 using an adhesive 116, resulting in the reflective ground plane 11 as shown in Figure 4.

[0060] In this embodiment, the feeding network 14 is mainly used to feed electromagnetic signals to the multiple antenna elements 12 of the array antenna 10, so as to excite the multiple antenna elements 12 to radiate electromagnetic waves. The feeding network 14 can be a one-to-many equal-amplitude in-phase power divider network, or a Chebyshev distribution or Taylor distribution non-equal-amplitude power divider network, etc., as long as it can simultaneously feed electromagnetic signals to the multiple antenna elements 12 to excite the multiple antenna elements 12 to radiate electromagnetic waves.

[0061] The specific structure of the feed network 14 can be determined in conjunction with the type of antenna element 12. The antenna element 12 can be a microstrip antenna, a monopole antenna, a dipole antenna, etc. Taking a microstrip antenna or a monopole antenna as an example, the antenna element 12 has one feed port. In this case, the array antenna 10 includes one feed network 14 connected to the feed ports of multiple antenna elements 12. Taking a dipole antenna as an example, the antenna element 12 has two feed ports. Correspondingly, the array antenna 10 includes two feed networks 14 connected to the two feed ports of multiple antenna elements 12 respectively.

[0062] For example, as shown in Figure 1, the array antenna 10 includes five antenna elements 12 spaced apart in a first direction. All five antenna elements 12 are dual dipole antennas. In this case, the array antenna 10 includes two equal-amplitude and in-phase power divider networks that are respectively connected to the two feed ports of the five antenna elements 12.

[0063] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, the feed network 14 and the antenna element 12 are offset in the second direction. In this case, the reflective ground plane 11 also includes a metal connecting line 113 located on the other side of the dielectric substrate. The two ends of the metal connecting line 113 are connected to the antenna element 12 and the feed network 14, respectively. In this way, the connection between the feed network 14 and the antenna element 12 is simplified by the arrangement of the metal connecting line 113.

[0064] The two ends of the metal connecting line 113 are connected to the feed port of the feed network 14 and the feed port of the antenna element 12, respectively. The number of metal connecting lines 113 is the same as the total number of feed ports of the multiple antenna elements 12, and each feed port is connected to a feed port of the feed network 14 through a metal connecting line 113.

[0065] Furthermore, the metal connection line 113 and the ground metal layer 112 are located on different sides of the dielectric substrate to avoid mutual interference between the metal connection line 113 and the ground metal layer 112; the fabrication of the metal connection line 113 on the dielectric substrate can refer to the fabrication of the ground metal layer 112 on the dielectric substrate described above. For example, the metal connection line 113 is fabricated using a second carrier film 115 (such as a plastic film, conductive film, etc.) as a carrier, and then the second carrier film 115 is bonded to the dielectric substrate with an adhesive 116 to obtain the reflective ground plane 11 as shown in FIG5.

[0066] The feed network 14 can be located on the side of the reflector 11 close to the antenna element 12. In this case, the metal connecting line 113 can also be located on the side of the first dielectric substrate 111 close to the antenna element 12. Both ends of the metal connecting line 113 can be directly connected to the feed port of the antenna element 12 and the feed output port of the feed network 14. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3, the feed network 14 can be located on the side of the reflector 11 away from the antenna element 12. In this case, the metal connecting line 113 can be located on the side of the first dielectric substrate 111 close to the antenna element 12. One end of the metal connecting line 113 can be directly connected to the feed port of the antenna element 12, and the other end can be connected to the feed output port of the feed network 14 through a via.

[0067] Furthermore, when the power supply network 14 and the metal connection line 113 are located on the same side of the first dielectric substrate 111, the power supply network 14 can be fabricated using the first dielectric substrate 111 as a carrier, that is, the power supply network 14 is a power supply metal layer directly formed on the reflective ground plane 11; alternatively, the power supply network 14 can be pre-fabricated using the second dielectric substrate as a carrier, that is, the power supply network 14 includes the second dielectric substrate and the power supply metal layer located on the second dielectric substrate, and then the fabricated power supply network 14 is bonded to the first dielectric substrate 111. When the power supply network 14 and the metal connection line 113 are located on different sides of the first dielectric substrate 111, in order to avoid interference between the power supply network 14 and the ground metal layer 112, the power supply network 14 can be pre-fabricated using the second dielectric substrate as a carrier, that is, the power supply network 14 includes the second dielectric substrate and the power supply metal layer located on the second dielectric substrate, and then the fabricated power supply network 14 (one side of the second dielectric substrate) is bonded to the ground metal layer 112.

[0068] Of course, in this embodiment, in addition to the feeding network 14 and the antenna element 12 being misaligned in the second direction, the feeding network 14 and the antenna element 12 may also have an overlapping area in the thickness direction of the reflector 11. Specifically, the feed port of the feeding network 14 and the feed port of the antenna element 12 may have an overlapping area in the thickness direction of the reflector 11. In this case, the connection between the feeding network 14 and the antenna element 12 can be directly realized, thereby simplifying the structure of the reflector 11.

[0069] In some embodiments, the first dielectric substrate 111 is a light-transmitting substrate, and the ground metal layer 112 and the radiating patch 121 are grid-shaped metal layers (such as grid-shaped copper metal layers) or light-transmitting conductive films (such as ITO indium tin oxide film).

[0070] In this way, the reflective floor 11 and the antenna vibrator 12 can achieve high light transmittance, thereby achieving high light transmittance of the array antenna 10, so as to facilitate the concealed installation of the array antenna 10, thereby eliminating residents' panic and resistance to radiation safety.

[0071] The light-transmitting substrate can be a polymer substrate with light-transmitting properties, such as a polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber substrate or a phenolic glass cloth substrate, or a rigid substrate with low microwave loss, such as quartz or glass. Additionally, taking the grounding metal layer 112 and the dielectric substrate including a carrier film and an adhesive 116 as an example, the carrier film can be a PET film with light-transmitting properties, and the adhesive 116 can be a light-transmitting adhesive.

[0072] In addition, the feeding metal layer included in the feeding network 14 can refer to the grounding metal layer 112 described above. That is, the feeding metal layer can be a mesh-like metal layer or a light-transmitting conductive film, etc., to further improve the light transmission effect of the array antenna 10. When the feeding network 14 includes a second dielectric substrate, the second dielectric substrate can refer to the first dielectric substrate 111 described above. That is, the second dielectric substrate can be a light-transmitting substrate, such as a polymer substrate or a glass substrate with light-transmitting properties.

[0073] Furthermore, in the case where the reflective ground 11 described in the above embodiments includes a metal connecting wire 113, the metal connecting wire 113 can be a mesh-like metal wire (such as a mesh-like copper metal wire) or a light-transmitting conductive wire (such as an ITO indium tin oxide trace), etc., to further improve the light transmission effect of the array antenna 10. In the case where the array antenna 10 includes an radome 15 described above, the radome 15 has a structure made of a light-transmitting material to ensure the light transmission characteristics of the array antenna 10.

[0074] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the isolation structure 13 is erected on the reflector floor 11 to achieve isolation between two adjacent antenna elements 12.

[0075] The isolation structure 13 can be a light-transmitting structure, etc. For example, the isolation structure 13 includes a light-transmitting carrier substrate and a light-transmitting isolation portion located on the carrier substrate. The light-transmitting isolation portion can be a mesh-like metal, etc.; or, the isolation structure 13 can be a mesh-like metal obtained by die casting, etc. For the method of fabricating the light-transmitting isolation portion on the carrier substrate, the fabrication process of the ground metal layer 112 on the first dielectric substrate 111 described above can be referred to.

[0076] Furthermore, the isolation structure 13 can be a planar structure as shown in Figure 1, or a ring-shaped structure as shown in Figure 6, etc. The following explanation will use a planar structure as an example.

[0077] The isolation structure 13 included in the array antenna 10 can be partially between two adjacent antenna elements 12, or it can be as shown in Figure 1, where every two adjacent antenna elements 12 are separated by an isolation structure 13. When every two adjacent antenna elements 12 are separated by an isolation structure 13, isolation of each antenna element 12 can be achieved, thereby facilitating the improvement of the gain of each antenna element 12 to achieve high gain of the array antenna 10, and also facilitating the improvement of the beamwidth of the array antenna 10 in the first direction.

[0078] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG1, the isolation structure 13 extends from both ends of two adjacent antenna elements 12 in the second direction.

[0079] Thus, the isolation structure 13 is configured to extend from both ends of the second direction adjacent to the antenna element 12 to ensure the isolation effect of the isolation structure 13 between the two antenna elements 12.

[0080] The second direction intersects the first direction, and the angle formed by the second direction and the first direction is greater than or equal to 80 degrees and less than or equal to 90 degrees. For example, the angle formed by the second direction and the first direction can be 80 degrees, 82 degrees, 84 degrees, 86 degrees, 88 degrees, 90 degrees, etc. Furthermore, the lengths of the two ends of the isolation structure 13 extending beyond the antenna element 12 in the second direction can be the same or different. When the lengths of the two ends of the isolation structure 13 extending beyond the antenna element 12 in the second direction are the same, it helps to ensure the symmetry of the beam radiated by the antenna element 12 in the second direction under the influence of the isolation structure 13, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the beam coverage of the array antenna 10 in the second direction.

[0081] In some embodiments, the length of the end of the isolation structure 13 extending beyond the adjacent antenna element 12 in the second direction is less than or equal to 0.2λ. In this way, while ensuring the isolation effect of the isolation structure 13 on the two adjacent antenna elements 12, the miniaturization design of the array antenna 10 is also guaranteed.

[0082] Wherein, λ refers to the wavelength corresponding to the operating frequency of the array antenna 10. The operating frequency band of the array antenna 10 can be either low frequency (1.7–2.1 GHz) or high frequency (2.2–2.7 GHz). For example, the length of the end of the isolation structure 13 extending beyond the adjacent antenna element 12 in the second direction is 0.01λ, 0.03λ, 0.05λ, 0.07λ, 0.1λ, 0.12λ, 0.14λ, 0.16λ, 0.18λ, 0.2λ, etc.

[0083] In some implementations, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, and each isolation structure 13 is equidistant from the two adjacent antenna elements 12.

[0084] In this way, the isolation effect of each isolation structure 13 on the two adjacent antenna elements 12 in the first direction can be guaranteed, thereby ensuring the consistency of the beams radiated by the multiple antenna elements 12 in the first direction, and thus ensuring the uniformity of the beam coverage of the array antenna 10 in the first direction.

[0085] In some embodiments, the distance from the isolation structure 13 to the adjacent antenna element 12 in the first direction is greater than or equal to 0.04λ and less than or equal to 0.18λ. In this way, while ensuring the isolation effect of the isolation structure 13 on the two adjacent antenna elements 12, the miniaturization design of the array antenna 10 is also guaranteed.

[0086] For example, the distance from the isolation structure 13 to the adjacent antenna element 12 in the first direction is 0.04λ, 0.08λ, 0.1λ, 0.12λ, 0.14λ, 0.16λ, 0.18λ, etc.

[0087] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2 or FIG3, the isolation structure 13 includes a plurality of first isolation portions 131 spaced apart along a second direction.

[0088] Each first isolation section 131 can form an electromagnetic coupling with an adjacent antenna element 12, and the phase sum of the electromagnetic waves coupled by the first isolation section 131 and the electromagnetic waves coupled between the two adjacent antenna elements 12 is less than or equal to a reference degree. Thus, the electromagnetic waves coupled by multiple first isolation sections 131 with adjacent antenna elements 12 can cancel each other out with the electromagnetic waves coupled between the two adjacent antenna elements 12, thereby achieving effective isolation between the two adjacent antenna elements 12.

[0089] Optionally, the phase sum of the electromagnetic waves coupled by the first isolation section 131 and the electromagnetic waves coupled between the two adjacent antenna elements 12 is less than or equal to 10 degrees. For example, the phase sum of the electromagnetic waves coupled by the first isolation section 131 and the electromagnetic waves coupled between the two adjacent antenna elements 12 is 0 degrees, 2 degrees, 4 degrees, 6 degrees, 8 degrees, 10 degrees, etc.

[0090] When the phase sum of the electromagnetic waves coupled by the first isolation section 131 and the electromagnetic waves coupled between the two adjacent antenna elements 12 is 0 degrees, the electromagnetic waves coupled between the two adjacent antenna elements 12 can be approximately completely canceled based on the electromagnetic waves coupled by the multiple first isolation sections 131 and the adjacent antenna elements 12, so as to ensure the isolation effect between the two adjacent antenna elements 12.

[0091] Furthermore, the spacing between two adjacent first isolation portions 131 in the second direction is greater than or equal to 0.02λ and less than or equal to 0.15λ. For example, the spacing between two adjacent first isolation portions 131 in the second direction is 0.02λ, 0.04λ, 0.06λ, 0.08λ, 0.1λ, 0.12λ, 0.14λ, 0.15λ, etc.

[0092] In some embodiments, the dimension of the first isolation portion 131 in the thickness direction of the reflective ground plane 11 is greater than or equal to 0.04λ and less than or equal to 0.14λ. In this way, while ensuring the isolation effect between two adjacent antenna elements 12, the beamwidth of the beam radiated by the antenna element 12 in the first direction is also guaranteed.

[0093] For example, the dimensions of the first isolation section 131 in the thickness direction of the reflective floor 11 are 0.04λ, 0.06λ, 0.07λ, 0.08λ, 0.1λ, 0.12λ, 0.14λ, etc.

[0094] In some embodiments, the first isolation portion 131 is a rectangular structure as shown in FIG2 or FIG3, or the first isolation portion 131 is an I-shaped structure as shown in FIG7. In this way, the structure of the first isolation portion 131 can be simplified while ensuring the isolation between two adjacent antenna elements 12, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the isolation structure 13.

[0095] In some other embodiments, the first isolation section 131 includes a plurality of isolation units 132; the plurality of isolation units 132 are all rectangular or I-shaped structures, and the plurality of isolation units 132 are spaced apart along the thickness direction of the reflective floor 11.

[0096] The spacing design of multiple isolation units 132 increases the coupling effect between each first isolation section 131 and the adjacent antenna element 12. This effectively cancels the electromagnetic waves coupled between two adjacent antenna elements 12, thus ensuring the isolation between them. For example, as shown in FIG8, each first isolation section 131 includes two isolation units 132 spaced apart along the thickness direction of the reflective ground plane 11, and both isolation units 132 are I-shaped structures.

[0097] It should be noted that the first isolation portion 131 included in the isolation structure 13 can be in other shapes besides those explained in the two embodiments described above. For example, the first isolation portion 131 can be a sawtooth structure, a cross structure, an L-shaped structure, a U-shaped structure, a C-shaped structure, etc. In addition, the isolation structure 13 can also include a second isolation portion 133 in addition to the first isolation portion 131. The second isolation portion 133 is a strip-shaped structure and extends along the second direction. Each first isolation portion 131 is connected to the second isolation portion 133.

[0098] Thus, by setting the second isolation section 133, multiple first isolation sections 131 and second isolation sections 133 can be integrated into one unit, which not only simplifies the isolation structure 13, but also increases the coupling effect between the isolation structure 13 and the adjacent antenna element 12, thereby effectively ensuring the isolation between two adjacent antenna elements 12.

[0099] The second isolation section 133 can be a strip structure extending in a straight line or a strip structure extending in a curved direction. For example, as shown in FIG2 or FIG3, the isolation structure 13 includes a plurality of first isolation sections 131 and a second isolation section 133 connected to the plurality of first isolation sections 131. The second isolation section 133 is a strip structure extending in a straight line. The plurality of first isolation sections 131 are spaced apart along the extension direction of the second isolation section 133, and each first isolation section 131 is a rectangular structure.

[0100] In other embodiments, as shown in FIG9, the isolation structure 13 is a planar structure and includes a plurality of third isolation portions 134 spaced apart along the second direction, each third isolation portion 134 having a coupling seam 135, the second direction intersecting the first direction.

[0101] Each third isolation section 134 generates an induced current based on the electromagnetic coupling with the adjacent antenna element 12. At the same time, a coupling current can be generated between two adjacent antenna elements 12. Since the induced current and the coupling current flow in opposite directions, they cancel each other out, thereby achieving filtering isolation between two adjacent antenna elements 12 to ensure effective isolation between two adjacent antenna elements 12.

[0102] Optionally, as shown in Figure 9, the third isolation portion 134 is an open-loop resonant ring structure, and the annular gap of the open-loop resonant ring forms a coupling slot 135. In this way, the shape design of the third isolation portion 134 is simplified while ensuring effective isolation between two adjacent antenna elements 12. Of course, besides being an open-loop resonant ring, the third isolation portion 134 can also be a rectangular patch with slots (such as L-shaped slots, U-shaped slots, C-shaped slots, cross-shaped slots, etc.), as long as effective isolation between two adjacent antenna elements 12 can be achieved based on the mutual cancellation between the induced current and the coupling current. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0103] The following explanation will take the ring structure of isolation structure 13 as an example.

[0104] The isolation structure 13 included in the array antenna 10 can be an isolation structure 13 surrounding the periphery of each antenna element 12 in a portion of the antenna elements 12, or it can be an isolation structure 13 surrounding the periphery of each of the multiple antenna elements 12, as shown in Figure 6.

[0105] The isolation structure 13 is located between two adjacent antenna elements 12. When each antenna element 12 is surrounded by the isolation structure 13, the isolation of each antenna element 12 can be achieved, thereby facilitating the improvement of the gain of each antenna element 12 to achieve the high gain of the array antenna 10, and at the same time facilitating the improvement of the beamwidth of the array antenna 10 in the first direction.

[0106] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG10, the isolation structure 13 has a plurality of coupling seams 135 spaced apart along the circumferential direction.

[0107] Thus, while the ring-shaped isolation structure 13 isolates and shields the antenna element 12, the electromagnetic coupling between the coupling seam 135 on the isolation structure 13 and the antenna element 12 forms an induced current. At the same time, a coupling current can be formed between two adjacent antenna elements 12. Based on the opposite flow direction of the induced current and the coupling current, they cancel each other out, thereby achieving filtering isolation between two adjacent antenna elements 12 and ensuring effective isolation between two adjacent antenna elements 12.

[0108] The isolation structure 13 can be a square ring structure or a circular ring structure, etc.; the coupling seam 135 on the isolation structure 13 can be an L-shaped seam, a U-shaped seam, a C-shaped seam, a cross seam, etc. For example, as shown in Figures 6 and 10, the isolation structure 13 is a square ring structure, and two symmetrically distributed L-shaped seams are provided on each side wall of the isolation structure 13.

[0109] Example 1, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the array antenna 10 includes: five antenna elements 12 spaced apart on the reflector ground 11 along a first direction, and the antenna elements 12 are dual dipole antennas. Each pair of adjacent antenna elements 12 has an isolation structure 13. The isolation structure 13 includes a second isolation part 133 arranged along a second direction, and a plurality of first isolation parts 131 connected to the second isolation part 133.

[0110] The antenna element 12 has a projection size of 0.34λ*0.34λ on the reflector ground 11, a height of 0.15λ, a spacing of 0.2λ between two adjacent antenna elements 12, a length of 0.7λ for the second isolation part 133, a rectangular first isolation part 131 with an arrangement period of 0.1λ in the second direction, and an overall height of 0.1λ for the first isolation part 131 and the second isolation part 133.

[0111] Simulation tests were performed on the array antenna 10 described above, and the standing wave curves G11 and G12 corresponding to the two feed ports of the antenna element 12 of the array antenna 10, as shown in Figure 11, the isolation curves G21 and G22 corresponding to the feed ports of the antenna element 12 of the array antenna 10, as shown in Figure 12, the gain curves G31 and G32, G33 and G34 corresponding to the two feed ports of the antenna element 12 of the array antenna 10, as shown in Figure 13, the radiation patterns of the array antenna 10 at different frequencies on the H plane, as shown in Figure 14, and the radiation patterns of the array antenna 10 at different frequencies on the V plane, as shown in Figure 15.

[0112] Among them, the standing wave curves G11 and G12, the isolation curve G21, and the gain curves G31 and G32 are the corresponding curves when an isolation structure 13 is set between adjacent antenna elements 12, while the isolation curve G22, the gain curves G33 and G34 are the corresponding curves when no isolation structure 13 is set between adjacent antenna elements 12.

[0113] As shown in Figure 11, the standing wave ratio (SWR) of the array antenna 10 is less than 1.5 in the operating frequency band of 1.7–2.7 GHz, indicating that the array antenna 10 has a superior SWR effect. As shown in Figure 12, after setting the isolation structure 13 between two adjacent antenna elements 12, the isolation of the array antenna 10 is greater than 20 dB, and the isolation of the feed port of the antenna element 12 is significantly improved in some frequency bands, with an improvement of greater than or equal to 3 dB. As shown in Figure 13, after setting the isolation structure 13 between two adjacent antenna elements 12, the gain corresponding to the two feed ports of the antenna element 12 is significantly improved, and the gain of the array antenna 10 for different polarizations is guaranteed to be between 12.7 and 14.8 dB. As shown in Figures 14 and 15, the beamwidth of the array antenna 10 in the H-plane is 12–18 degrees, and the beamwidth in the V-plane is 72–78 degrees. This ensures the wide coverage of the array antenna 10 in the V-plane while maintaining the antenna performance of the array antenna 10.

[0114] Example 2, as shown in Figures 1 and 7, the array antenna 10 includes: five antenna elements 12 spaced apart on the reflector ground 11 along a first direction, and the antenna elements 12 are dual dipole antennas. There is an isolation structure 13 between each two adjacent antenna elements 12. The isolation structure 13 includes a plurality of first isolation parts 131 spaced apart along a second direction.

[0115] The antenna element 12 has a projection size of 0.34λ*0.34λ on the reflector ground 11, a height of 0.15λ, a spacing of 0.2λ between two adjacent antenna elements 12, an I-shaped first isolation section 131 with an arrangement period of 0.15λ in the second direction, and an overall height of 0.07λ.

[0116] Simulation tests were performed on the array antenna 10 described above, yielding isolation curves G23 and G24 at the feed ports of the antenna elements 12, as shown in Figure 16. Isolation curve G23 corresponds to the curve when an isolation structure 13 is provided between adjacent antenna elements 12, while isolation curve G24 corresponds to the curve when no isolation structure 13 is provided between adjacent antenna elements 12. Referring to Figure 16, it can be seen that after providing the isolation structure 13 between two adjacent antenna elements 12, the isolation of the array antenna 10 is greater than 20 dB, and the isolation at the feed ports of the antenna elements 12 is significantly improved in some high-frequency bands, with an improvement greater than or equal to 3 dB.

[0117] Example 3, as shown in Figures 1 and 8, the array antenna 10 includes: five antenna elements 12 spaced apart on the reflector ground 11 along a first direction, and the antenna elements 12 are dual dipole antennas. There is an isolation structure 13 between each two adjacent antenna elements 12. The isolation structure 13 includes a plurality of first isolation parts 131 spaced apart along a second direction.

[0118] The antenna element 12 has a projection size of 0.34λ*0.34λ on the reflector ground plane 11, a height of 0.15λ, a spacing of 0.2λ between two adjacent antenna elements 12, a first isolation section 131 including two spaced isolation units 132, both of which are I-shaped, a period of 0.15λ in the second direction, and an overall height of 0.1λ.

[0119] Simulation tests were performed on the array antenna 10 described above, yielding isolation curves G25 and G26 at the feed ports of the antenna elements 12, as shown in Figure 17. Isolation curve G25 corresponds to the curve when an isolation structure 13 is provided between adjacent antenna elements 12, while isolation curve G26 corresponds to the curve when no isolation structure 13 is provided between adjacent antenna elements 12. Referring to Figure 17, it can be seen that after providing the isolation structure 13 between two adjacent antenna elements 12, the isolation of the array antenna 10 is greater than 19 dB, and the isolation at the feed ports of the antenna elements 12 is significantly improved in the high-frequency band, with the maximum improvement approaching 10 dB.

[0120] This disclosure also provides a base station system, which includes the array antenna 10 described in the above embodiments.

[0121] Combined with the array antenna 10 described above, the base station system can achieve wide coverage, thereby reducing the number of base station systems within a cell; in addition, based on the light transmission characteristics of the array antenna 10, it is convenient to set up the base station system within the cell.

[0122] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An array antenna, wherein, include: Reflective flooring; Multiple antenna elements are confined on the reflector floor and spaced apart on the reflector floor along a first direction; Multiple isolation structures are erected on the reflective floor, and at least a portion of one of the isolation structures is located between two adjacent antenna elements; The power supply network is confined to the reflector floor and connected to the plurality of the antenna elements.

2. The array antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The isolation structure is a planar structure and includes a plurality of first isolation portions spaced apart along a second direction, the second direction intersecting the first direction.

3. The array antenna as described in claim 2, wherein, The first isolation section is a rectangular structure or an I-shaped structure.

4. The array antenna as described in claim 2, wherein, The first isolation section includes multiple isolation units; The multiple isolation units are all rectangular or I-shaped structures, and the multiple isolation units are spaced apart along the thickness direction of the reflective floor.

5. The array antenna as described in claim 3, wherein, The isolation structure also includes a second isolation section; The second isolation portion has a strip-shaped structure and extends along the second direction, and each of the first isolation portions is connected to the second isolation portion.

6. The array antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The isolation structure is a planar structure and includes a plurality of third isolation parts spaced apart along the second direction. Each of the third isolation parts has a coupling seam, and the second direction intersects the first direction.

7. The array antenna as claimed in claim 6, wherein, The third isolation section is an open resonant ring structure, and the annular gap of the open resonant ring constitutes the coupling seam.

8. The array antenna as described in any one of claims 2-7, wherein, The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, and each of the isolation structures is equidistant from the two adjacent antenna elements.

9. The array antenna as described in any one of claims 2-7, wherein, Each pair of adjacent antenna elements has the isolation structure.

10. The array antenna as described in any one of claims 2-7, wherein, The isolation structure has two adjacent antenna elements extending from both ends in the second direction.

11. The array antenna as described in any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The isolation structure is a ring structure, and each of the antenna elements is surrounded by an isolation structure.

12. The array antenna as claimed in claim 11, wherein, The isolation structure has multiple coupling seams spaced apart along the circumferential direction.

13. The array antenna as described in any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The reflective floor includes a first dielectric substrate and a grounded metal layer located on one side of the first dielectric substrate, and the antenna vibrator includes a radiating patch. The first dielectric substrate is a light-transmitting substrate, and the grounding metal layer and the radiating patch are grid-like metal layers or light-transmitting conductive films.

14. The array antenna as claimed in claim 13, wherein, The feed network and the antenna vibrator are offset in the second direction, and the reflective ground plane also includes a metal connecting line located on the other side of the first dielectric substrate; The metal connecting wire is a mesh-like metal wire or a light-transmitting conductive wire, and its two ends are respectively connected to the antenna vibrator and the feed network.

15. The array antenna as described in any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The array antenna also includes an antenna radome, which is attached to the reflector ground and the plurality of antenna elements.

16. A base station system, wherein, Includes the array antenna as described in any one of claims 1-15.

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