Liquid crystal antenna and electronic device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a liquid crystal antenna and an electronic device, and relates to the technical field of liquid crystal antennas, wherein the liquid crystal antenna comprises a phase shifter unit and a power divider unit, and the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit are attached through a first adhesive layer; the phase shifter unit comprises a common potential layer, the common potential layer receives a fixed potential signal, and the common potential layer comprises a first opening, the first opening penetrates the common potential layer along a first direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to a plane in which the liquid crystal antenna is located; the outer contour of the power divider unit in the orthographic projection of the plane in which the liquid crystal antenna is located overlaps the orthographic projection of the first opening in the plane in which the liquid crystal antenna is located, and the first opening is used at least for alignment with the outer contour of the power divider unit. According to the present disclosure, the first opening is used to align the corresponding edges of the phase shifter unit and the outer contour of the power divider unit, and such an arrangement is conducive to improving the alignment accuracy of the relative positions of the power divider unit and the phase shifter unit, thereby improving the coupling efficiency, and thus conducive to improving the performance of the antenna.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of liquid crystal antenna technology, and more particularly to a liquid crystal antenna and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of science and technology, liquid crystal antennas have broad application prospects in satellite receiving antennas, vehicle radar, 5G base station antennas, and other fields. Liquid crystal antennas are a new type of arrayed antenna made by combining conventional patch antennas with liquid crystal phase shifters. Among them, liquid crystal phase shifters, due to their advantages such as low loss and tunability, are often integrated with metal waveguide power dividers to achieve flexible scanning of the antenna beam.

[0003] In related technologies, there is a problem of poor bonding accuracy between liquid crystal phase shifters and metal waveguide power dividers, which affects the coupling efficiency of antenna signal transmission and leads to degraded antenna performance. Therefore, how to improve the above-mentioned problems has become one of the urgent technical issues to be solved at present. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this disclosure provides a liquid crystal antenna and an electronic device to improve the alignment accuracy between the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit in the liquid crystal antenna, thereby improving the performance of the liquid crystal antenna.

[0005] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a liquid crystal antenna, including a phase shifter unit and a power divider unit, wherein the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit are bonded together by a first adhesive layer; The phase shifter unit includes a common potential layer, which receives a fixed potential signal. The common potential layer includes a first opening that penetrates the common potential layer along a first direction, which is perpendicular to the plane where the liquid crystal antenna is located. The outer contour of the power divider unit projected onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna is located overlaps with the projected first opening onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna is located. The first opening is at least used to align with the outer contour of the power divider unit.

[0006] Secondly, based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure provides an electronic device including the liquid crystal antenna described in the first aspect.

[0007] The technical solution provided in this disclosure has the following advantages compared with the prior art: This disclosure provides a liquid crystal antenna and an electronic device. The liquid crystal antenna includes a phase shifter unit and a power divider unit. The common potential layer in the phase shifter unit includes a first opening. The outer contour of the power divider unit projected onto the plane of the liquid crystal antenna overlaps with the projected first opening onto the plane of the liquid crystal antenna. The first opening is used at least for alignment with the outer contour of the power divider unit. The first opening essentially forms a viewing window for observing the position of the power divider unit. This disclosure uses the first opening to align the corresponding edges of the outer contours of the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit. With this configuration, when fitting the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit together, the first opening can be directly used to align the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit, which helps improve the alignment accuracy of the relative positions of the power divider unit and the phase shifter unit, thereby improving coupling efficiency and thus improving antenna performance. Furthermore, the first opening is located in the common potential layer. The first opening can be formed in the same process as the traces in the common potential layer. Compared with the formation of alignment vias in related technologies, the present invention forms the first opening in the common potential layer in the phase shifter unit. This can improve the alignment accuracy of the power divider unit and the phase shifter unit without increasing the manufacturing difficulty. In other words, it is beneficial to reduce the overall structural complexity and processing difficulty of the liquid crystal antenna, and also to improve the alignment accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0009] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0010] Figure 1 The figure shown is a planar schematic diagram of a liquid crystal antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 2 The image shown is a schematic diagram of a film layer of a liquid crystal antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 3 The diagram shown is an alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 4 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 5 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 6 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 7 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 8 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 9 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of another film layer of the liquid crystal antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 10 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 11 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of another film layer of the liquid crystal antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 12 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0011] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this disclosure, the solutions disclosed herein will be further described below. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other.

[0012] Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of this disclosure, but this disclosure may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein; obviously, the embodiments in the specification are only some, and not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0013] The inventors discovered in their research that in liquid crystal antennas, when phase shifter units (e.g., liquid crystal phase shifters) and power divider units (e.g., metal waveguide power dividers) are bonded together, the outer edges of the phase shifter or power divider units are typically used as alignment references. Alignment vias are machined and used as alignment marks for visual or mechanical positioning. However, this method introduces machining tolerances in the shape or features of the alignment vias, resulting in poor alignment accuracy, affecting the coupling efficiency of antenna signal transmission, and even impacting antenna performance. Furthermore, the introduction of alignment vias increases the structural complexity and processing difficulty of the metal waveguide, leading to higher production costs.

[0014] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a liquid crystal antenna and an electronic device to improve the alignment accuracy between the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit in the liquid crystal antenna and improve the performance of the liquid crystal antenna.

[0015] Figure 1The image shown is a planar schematic diagram of a liquid crystal antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of a film layer of a liquid crystal antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Please refer to [the diagram]. Figure 1 and Figure 2 This disclosure provides a liquid crystal antenna 100, including a phase shifter unit 10 and a power divider unit 20, which are bonded together by a first adhesive layer 30. The phase shifter unit 10 includes a common potential layer 11, which receives a fixed potential signal. The common potential layer 11 includes a first opening 111, which penetrates the common potential layer 11 along a first direction F1, which is perpendicular to the plane of the liquid crystal antenna 100. The outer contour of the power divider unit 20 projected onto the plane of the liquid crystal antenna 100 overlaps with the projected first opening 111 onto the plane of the liquid crystal antenna 100. The first opening 111 is used at least to align with the outer contour of the power divider unit 20.

[0016] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The illustration uses only a rectangular liquid crystal antenna as an example, and is not limited thereto. The liquid crystal antenna 100 can also be any other feasible shape, and this disclosure does not impose any specific limitations. This disclosure aims to illustrate how the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 are aligned through the first opening 111 to improve the accuracy of the alignment, and other structures in the liquid crystal antenna 100 are not shown.

[0017] Specifically, this disclosure provides a liquid crystal antenna 100, which includes a phase shifter unit 10 and a power divider unit 20. To clearly explain the liquid crystal antenna 100 provided in this embodiment, the working principle of the liquid crystal antenna 100 will be explained below in conjunction with its structure: Please refer to Figure 2 This disclosure provides an optional embodiment in which the phase shifter unit 10 further includes a first substrate 121, a second substrate 122, a dielectric functional layer 13, and a first wiring layer 14. Specifically: the second substrate 122 and the first substrate 121 are disposed opposite each other along a first direction F1; the dielectric functional layer 13 is located between the first substrate 121 and the second substrate 122; the first wiring layer 14 is located between the first substrate 121 and the dielectric functional layer 13. A common potential layer 11 is located between the second substrate 122 and the dielectric functional layer 13.

[0018] Specifically, the liquid crystal antenna 100 includes a phase shifter unit 10, wherein the phase shifter unit 10 includes a first substrate 121, a first wiring layer 14, a dielectric functional layer 13, a common potential layer 11, and a second substrate 122 stacked together. The first substrate 121 and the second substrate 122 are disposed opposite to each other and bonded together to form a box shape, serving as support and protection. The dielectric functional layer 13 is located between the first substrate 121 and the second substrate 122. When the dielectric functional layer 13 is affected by an electric field, its dielectric constant changes, thereby shifting the phase of the radio frequency signal transmitted by the first wiring layer 14 and changing the phase of the radio frequency signal. Optionally, the dielectric functional layer 13 may include an electrodielectrically variable material, such as liquid crystal. When the dielectric functional layer 13 is liquid crystal, a polyimide layer (not shown in the figure) is disposed on the side of the common potential layer 11 facing the first substrate 121 to achieve initial alignment of the liquid crystal.

[0019] The first wiring layer 14 is located between the first substrate 121 and the dielectric functional layer 13. The first wiring layer 14 is used to transmit radio frequency signals and also to change the electric field applied to the dielectric functional layer 13 according to the change in the bias voltage applied thereto, thereby changing the dielectric constant of the dielectric functional layer 13. The specific wiring method and materials used in the first wiring layer 14 can be set according to actual conditions, and this disclosure does not impose specific limitations. Optionally, the wiring shape of the first wiring layer 14 may include a spiral or serpentine shape, and the material of the first wiring layer 14 may include copper, silver, gold, and any one or more alloys containing the aforementioned materials. Optionally, this disclosure provides a film structure for the first wiring layer 14, comprising a first base layer, a first metal layer, and a first insulating layer, wherein the first metal layer is located between the first base layer and the first insulating layer, the first base layer is located on the side of the first metal layer closer to the first substrate 121, and the first insulating layer is located on the side of the first metal layer closer to the dielectric functional layer 13. It should be noted that the focus of this disclosure is to improve the accuracy of the bonding and alignment by setting the first opening 111. Therefore, the specific structure of the first wiring layer 14 is not shown.

[0020] A common potential layer 11 is located between the second substrate 122 and the dielectric functional layer 13, and a fixed potential signal is electrically applied to the common potential layer 11. The common potential layer 11 provides a stable reference potential for the dielectric functional layer 13 in the liquid crystal antenna 100. Optionally, the fixed potential signal received by the common potential layer 11 is a DC ground potential or a constant DC bias voltage, and the material of the common potential layer 11 may include any one or more of copper, silver, gold, and alloys containing the aforementioned materials. The large-area equipotential characteristic of the common potential layer 11 helps to ensure the uniformity of the electric field in the working area of ​​the dielectric functional layer 13, thereby helping to avoid phase errors caused by local field distortion and improving phase shift accuracy. An electric field is formed between the common potential layer 11 and the first trace layer 14 to change the dielectric constant of the dielectric functional layer 13. Optionally, this disclosure provides a film structure for a common potential layer 11, which includes a second base layer, a second metal layer, and a second insulating layer. The second metal layer is located between the second base layer and the second insulating layer. The second base layer is located on the side of the second metal layer closest to the second substrate 122, and the second insulating layer is located on the side of the second metal layer closest to the dielectric functional layer 13. It should be noted that the focus of this disclosure is on improving the accuracy of the bonding alignment by providing the first opening 111; therefore, the specific structure of the common potential layer 11 is not shown.

[0021] The liquid crystal antenna 100 also includes a power divider unit 20. The power divider unit 20 receives the radio frequency (RF) signal and couples the RF signal to the first trace layer 14 in the corresponding phase shifter unit 10, thereby creating an electric field between the first trace layer 14 and the common potential layer 11. This electric field can drive the material in the dielectric functional layer 13, for example, drive the liquid crystal molecules to deflect, thereby changing the dielectric constant of the dielectric functional layer 13. Due to the change in the dielectric constant of the dielectric functional layer 13, the RF signal transmitted through the first trace layer 14 will undergo phase shifting, thereby realizing the phase shifting function of the RF signal. The phase-shifted RF signal is then transmitted outward and received by the receiver.

[0022] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 2 In one optional embodiment provided in this disclosure, the first substrate 121 and the second substrate 122 are transparent substrates. For example, the first substrate 121 and the second substrate 122 can be glass substrates. Since the transparent substrate has good light transmittance, it is beneficial to realize the alignment of the first substrate 121 and the second substrate 122 into a cell. On the other hand, it is beneficial to the bonding and alignment of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, thereby improving the bonding and alignment accuracy of the two.

[0023] The phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 are bonded together by a first adhesive layer 30 to form a stacked structure. Optionally, the first adhesive layer 30 is an optically transparent adhesive or other low-loss dielectric adhesive. While physically fixing the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, the first adhesive layer 30 can also serve as a dielectric layer or coupling layer for high-frequency signal propagation.

[0024] It should be noted that in related technologies, there is a misalignment issue between the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, which severely impacts the performance of the liquid crystal antenna. For example, the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 typically use non-contact electromagnetic coupling (such as slot coupling or proximity coupling) to transmit energy. The coupling structure design relies on the precise alignment of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 in three-dimensional space. When misalignment occurs between the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 during the bonding stage, the effective overlap area of ​​the coupling window decreases, the coupling strength of the electric and magnetic fields decreases, and energy cannot completely enter the phase shifter unit 10 from the power divider unit 20. A large amount of energy is reflected or trapped within the power divider unit 20, leading to a significant increase in insertion loss, a decrease in antenna radiation efficiency, and a decrease in overall gain. Therefore, the misalignment issue between the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 severely affects the performance of the liquid crystal antenna 100.

[0025] To improve the alignment accuracy of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, this embodiment of the present disclosure provides a first opening 111 in the common potential layer 11 of the phase shifter unit 10, which is equivalent to forming a viewing window for observing the position of the power divider unit 20. Through the first opening 111, the corresponding edges of the outer contours of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 are aligned. When the outer contour of the power divider unit 20 falls within the viewing window formed by the first opening 111, it is considered that the power divider unit 20 has entered the target area. With this configuration, when fitting the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 together, the first opening 111 can be used directly to align the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, which helps improve the alignment accuracy of the relative positions of the power divider unit 20 and the phase shifter unit 10, thereby improving coupling efficiency and thus improving antenna performance. Furthermore, the first opening 111 is disposed on the common potential layer 11. The first opening 111 can be formed in the same process as the traces of the common potential layer 11. Compared with the formation of alignment vias in related technologies, the present invention forms the first opening 111 in the common potential layer 11 of the phase shifter unit 10. This can improve the alignment accuracy of the power divider unit 20 and the phase shifter unit 10 without increasing the manufacturing difficulty. In other words, it is beneficial to reduce the overall structural complexity and processing difficulty of the liquid crystal antenna, and also to improve the alignment accuracy.

[0026] It should be noted that when aligning the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, the alignment system of the bonding device can observe the relative positions of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 through the first opening 111, thereby achieving alignment. Optionally, the alignment system of the bonding device includes a CCD camera (Charge-Coupled Device Camera). The CCD camera takes a top-down view along a direction perpendicular to the plane where the liquid crystal antenna 100 is located (i.e., the first direction F1). Its field of view simultaneously covers the first opening 111 on the common potential layer 11 of the phase shifter unit 10 and the outer contour edge or corner of the power divider unit 20 located below, thereby achieving alignment of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20.

[0027] Figure 3 The diagram shown is an alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, a first opening 111 corresponds to one side of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20; the common potential layer 11 includes at least two first openings 111, and any two different first openings 111 are respectively used to align with different sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20.

[0028] It should be noted that in the alignment diagram of the common potential layer of the liquid crystal antenna and the power divider unit provided in this disclosure, the outer contour of the power divider unit 20 is shown with dashed lines, which does not represent the actual structure of the power divider unit 20.

[0029] This embodiment provides a more specific alignment method. Specifically, the common potential layer 11 includes at least two first openings 111, one of which is aligned with one edge of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20. For example, when two first openings 111 are included, they are respectively used to align with two non-parallel edges of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20. Thus, by aligning different first openings 111 with different edges of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20, it is more conducive to achieving precise fitting and alignment, improving the accuracy of fitting and alignment, thereby improving coupling efficiency and further improving antenna performance.

[0030] Figure 4 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. Please refer to [the diagram]. Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 4In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the outer contour shape of the power divider unit 20 projected onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna 100 is located is rectangular; the common potential layer 11 includes four first openings 111, which are respectively used to align with the four sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20.

[0031] This embodiment provides a specific implementation scheme for multi-point alignment. Specifically, in some embodiments, the outer contour edge of the power divider unit 20 is rectangular. For the power divider unit 20 with a rectangular outer contour, this embodiment provides four first openings 111 on the common potential layer 11, corresponding to the four sides of the rectangle. During alignment, each first opening 111 aligns with one side of the rectangular outer contour of the power divider unit 20. This arrangement is equivalent to setting four alignment windows around the power divider unit 20, while constraining the position of the four edges. This further improves the alignment accuracy between the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, facilitates precise alignment, improves the alignment accuracy, thereby enhancing coupling efficiency and further improving antenna performance. In other words, during the alignment process, the four first openings 111 can mutually verify whether the alignment is accurate. For example, if the three first openings 111 can be aligned with the power divider unit 20, but the fourth first opening 111 cannot be aligned, it can be considered that the fourth first opening 111 is abnormal. For example, there may be a processing defect or contaminant at the fourth opening. Therefore, this embodiment is also beneficial to provide abnormal detection of the alignment mechanism, which is more conducive to improving the accuracy and reliability of alignment, and more conducive to improving the performance of the liquid crystal antenna 100.

[0032] Figure 5 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 5 In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, a first opening 111 corresponds to two sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20; the common potential layer 11 includes at least one first opening 111, which is used to align with two adjacent sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20.

[0033] In this embodiment, at least one first opening 111 in the common potential layer 11 is configured to simultaneously align with two adjacent sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20. That is, two adjacent sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20 can be observed through one first opening 111; i.e., one first opening 111 can simultaneously constrain two adjacent sides of the power divider unit 20. For example, the outer contour of the power divider unit 20 is a polygon, and a corner region of the power divider unit 20 can be observed through the first opening 111. Therefore, the position of the power divider unit 20 can be constrained from at least two directions, which helps reduce positional deviations caused by alignment, thereby improving the alignment accuracy of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, thus improving coupling efficiency and further enhancing antenna performance. Simultaneously, the alignment between the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 can be achieved by observing the relative position of one first opening 111 and the power divider unit 20, which also helps improve the fitting and alignment efficiency. Furthermore, this embodiment also helps to reduce the number of required first openings 111, thereby simplifying the graphic complexity of the common potential layer 11, reducing the signal resonance effect caused by the first openings 111, and thus also helping to improve the performance of the liquid crystal antenna.

[0034] Figure 6 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. Please refer to [the diagram]. Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 6 Furthermore, this disclosure provides an optional implementation in which the outer contour shape of the power divider unit 20 projected onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna 100 is located is rectangular; the common potential layer 11 includes two first openings 111, which are respectively used at the diagonal of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20.

[0035] Specifically, for the embodiment where the outer contour of the power divider unit 20 is rectangular, in order to further improve the fitting and alignment accuracy between the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, two first openings 111 are provided in the common potential layer 11. The line connecting the two first openings 111 overlaps with the diagonal formed by the outer contour shape of the power divider unit 20. That is, the two first openings 111 can be aligned with the four sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20, which further improves the fitting and alignment accuracy between the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, thereby improving the coupling efficiency and further improving antenna performance. For example, the orthographic projection of the first opening 111 onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna 100 is located is L-shaped. When the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20 are aligned through the first opening 111, two sides corresponding to a right angle of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20 can be observed through the first opening 111, that is, two adjacent sides (one long side and one short side) of the rectangular outer contour can be observed. The two first openings 111 are located at any pair of diagonals of the rectangular outer contour, thereby enabling the observation of all four sides of the rectangular outer contour through the two first openings 111, which further facilitates the accurate alignment of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20.

[0036] It should be noted that, Figure 3 and Figure 4 The explanation is based solely on the example of the power divider unit 20 having a rectangular outer contour and the first opening 111 having a rectangular shape, and is not limited to this. Figure 5 and Figure 6 This explanation uses a rectangular outer contour of the power divider unit 20 and an L-shaped first opening 111 as an example, but is not limited to this. The outer contour of the power divider unit 20 can be any other feasible shape, and the shape of the first opening 111 can also be any other feasible shape. This disclosure aims to illustrate that the first opening 111 can realize the alignment of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20. The first opening 111 can be designed according to the outer contour shape of the power divider unit 20 and the number of edges that need to be aligned in a single first opening 111. This disclosure does not impose any limitations on this.

[0037] Figure 7 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. Please refer to [the diagram]. Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 7 In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the phase shifter unit 10 further includes an alignment module 15, which is located in the first opening 111. The alignment module 15 includes multiple parallel scale lines 151, the shape of which is adapted to the outer contour shape of the power divider unit 20 corresponding to the first opening 111.

[0038] To further improve the accuracy of the fit and alignment, this embodiment of the present disclosure provides an alignment module 15 in the first opening 111. The core structure of the alignment module 15 is a set of multiple scale lines 151, which are arranged in parallel to each other. The partial or overall contour shape of each scale line 151 is adapted to the geometric shape of the outer contour (such as a straight edge, corner edge, etc.) of the power divider unit 20 corresponding to the first opening 111 during fit and alignment. The scale line 151 is not a simple one-dimensional line segment, but is designed to adapt to the outer contour shape of the power divider. For example, when the first opening 111 needs to be aligned with a straight edge, the scale line 151 is set as a straight line segment. As another example, when the first opening 111 needs to be aligned with two adjacent straight edges, the scale line 151 is set as a broken line shape, and the angle of the broken line shape is the same as the angle formed by the two edges that need to be aligned.

[0039] With this configuration, when the outer contour of the power divider unit 20 coincides with the scale line 151, the alignment is considered successful. Furthermore, when the alignment module 15 includes multiple scale lines 151, the spacing between the scale lines 151 can be set. Even if the power divider unit 20 moves within the range of the first opening 111, the direction and distance of movement of the power divider unit 20 can be intuitively obtained, further facilitating the determination of the position of the power divider unit 20. This improves the accuracy of the alignment between the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, thereby increasing coupling efficiency and further improving antenna performance.

[0040] It should be noted that the alignment module 15 may also include a reference line 152, which intersects with the scale line 151. The setting of the reference line 152 is beneficial for determining the relative positions of multiple scale lines 151, and even more beneficial for determining the relative position of the power divider unit 20 and the scale line 151. Similarly, the alignment module 15 may also include line numbers (not shown in the figure), which can correspond to the scale line 151 to indicate the position of the scale line.

[0041] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 7 In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the outer contour shape of the power divider unit 20 projected onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna 100 is located is rectangular, and a first opening 111 is used to align with one side of the power divider unit 20; the scale line 151 is a straight line segment.

[0042] Specifically, in this embodiment, the outer contour of the power divider unit 20 projected onto the plane of the liquid crystal antenna 100 is rectangular, with four straight contour edges. At least one first opening 111 is provided in the common potential layer 11, configured to align with a straight edge of the rectangular outer contour of the power divider unit 20. An alignment module 15 is also provided inside the opening area of ​​the first opening 111. This alignment module 15 includes multiple scale lines 151, each a straight line segment arranged parallel to the others. The extension direction of the multiple scale lines 151 is consistent with the extension direction of the corresponding straight edge of the power divider unit 20, ensuring that the scale lines 151 are geometrically parallel to the contour edge of the aligned power divider unit 20. Designing the scale line 151 as a parallel straight line segment that matches the contour edge of the power divider unit 20 facilitates visual observation of which scale line 151 the power divider unit 20 coincides with, and further improves the precise alignment between the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20. Simultaneously, actual accuracy can be tested based on the scale line 151 after bonding, effectively increasing the testing methods and thus enhancing the practicality of the first opening 111 and the alignment module 15.

[0043] Figure 8 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. Please refer to [the diagram]. Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 8 In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the outer contour of the power divider unit 20 projected onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna 100 is located is rectangular, and a first opening 111 is used to align with two adjacent sides of the power divider unit 20; a scale line 151 includes a first line segment 1511 and a second line segment 1512, and the first line segment 1511 and the second line segment 1512 are perpendicular.

[0044] Specifically, in this embodiment, the outer contour of the power divider unit 20 projected onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna 100 is located is rectangular. At least one first opening 111 is provided on the common potential layer 11. This first opening 111 is configured to align simultaneously with two adjacent sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit 20, corresponding to a corner region of the rectangular outer contour of the power divider unit 20. An alignment module 15 is provided inside the first opening 111, which includes multiple scale lines 151. In this embodiment, each scale line 151 includes a first line segment 1511 and a second line segment 1512 that are perpendicular to each other, together forming an L-shaped (equivalent to forming a right angle) scale line pattern. The extension direction of the first line segment 1511 is parallel to one contour side at the corner of the power divider unit 20, and the extension direction of the second line segment 1512 is parallel to another adjacent contour side at the corner. The first line segment 1511 and the second line segment 1512 intersect at the corresponding vertices of the corner. In this embodiment, the L-shaped scale line 151 is adapted to the two orthogonal sides of the rectangular corner of the power divider unit 20. A single set of scale patterns within a first opening 111 can simultaneously acquire the translational deviation in two directions. Furthermore, by observing whether the alignment deviation between the two sides and their corresponding line segments is consistent, it is possible to visually detect whether there is any in-plane rotational misalignment in the power divider unit 20. This design improves the readability of the power divider unit 20 during bonding and alignment, thus improving the accuracy and efficiency of bonding and alignment. This benefits both the performance of the liquid crystal antenna 100 and the production efficiency.

[0045] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are only illustrated using the example of scale line 151 being straight and L-shaped, and are not limited thereto. The scale line 151 is set to a straight shape to accommodate the straight outer contour of the power divider unit 20 within the first opening 111. The scale line 151 is set to an L-shape to accommodate the L-shaped outer contour of the power divider unit 20 within the first opening 111. This disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, when the area where the power divider unit 20 needs to be aligned is arc-shaped, the first opening 111 can be set to a fan shape, and the scale line 151 in the first opening 111 can be set to an arc shape.

[0046] Figure 9 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of another film layer of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 7 as well as Figure 9In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the scale lines 151 of the alignment module 15 are located in the common potential layer 11. Specifically, the common potential layer 11 is a full-surface or patterned metal conductive layer within the phase shifter unit 10. Its main function is to provide a fixed DC reference potential for the material (e.g., liquid crystal molecule material) in the dielectric functional layer 13, while also serving as a microwave ground plane and electromagnetic shielding. In this embodiment, a local area of ​​the common potential layer 11 in the first opening 111 is simultaneously patterned to form multiple scale lines 151. The scale lines 151 can be formed in the same process as the first opening 111 and the traces in the common potential layer 11. This arrangement, without introducing additional process steps, helps to improve the fitting and alignment accuracy of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20, thereby improving coupling efficiency and further improving antenna performance.

[0047] Figure 10 The diagram shown is another alignment schematic of the common potential layer and power divider unit of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. Please refer to [the diagram]. Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 10 In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the common potential layer 11 further includes a second opening 16, which penetrates the common potential layer 11 along a first direction F1; the second opening 16 is at least used for radio frequency coupling with the power divider unit 20; and the first opening 111 is located around the second opening 16.

[0048] Specifically, this embodiment provides a specific implementation of a common potential layer 11. The common potential layer 11 includes a first opening 111, which penetrates the common potential layer 11 along a first direction F1, for achieving the fitting and alignment of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20. The common potential layer 11 also includes a second opening 16, which also penetrates the common potential layer 11 along the first direction F1. The core function of the second opening 16 is to serve as a radio frequency coupling window, for achieving microwave signal energy transfer between the power divider unit 20 and the phase shifter unit 10. In other words, electromagnetic waves within the power divider unit 20 are coupled upwards into the phase shifter unit 10 through the second opening 16.

[0049] In terms of planar layout, the first opening 111 is located around the second opening 16. It should be noted that, here, "the first opening 111 is located around the second opening 16" means that, in a projection plane parallel to the plane where the liquid crystal antenna 100 is located, the first opening 111 is situated in the peripheral region extending outward from the outline boundary of the second opening 16. In other words, the second opening 16 is located in a functional area relatively close to the center of the common potential layer 11, and is at least partially surrounded or encircled from the outside by one or more first openings 111. An optional embodiment provided in this disclosure is that the power divider unit 20 has a rectangular outer contour, and four first openings 111 are provided on the common potential layer 11, corresponding to the four sides of the rectangle and located in the surrounding region around the second opening 16.

[0050] This configuration helps to prevent the first opening 111, which is aligned with the mating point, from intruding into or interfering with the core area of ​​the radio frequency coupling. It also helps to ensure the integrity and cleanliness of the electromagnetic field boundary of the coupling window, reducing the impact of the first opening 111 on the coupling window. This, in turn, helps to improve microwave transmission performance and thus improves the performance of the liquid crystal antenna 100.

[0051] Figure 11 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of another film layer of the liquid crystal antenna provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. Please refer to [the diagram]. Figure 1 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 as well as Figure 11 In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the phase shifter unit 10 further includes an alignment module 15, which is located in the first opening 111. The alignment module 15 includes multiple parallel scale lines 151, the shape of which is adapted to the outer contour shape of the power divider unit 20 corresponding to the first opening 111. The scale lines 151 of the alignment module 15 are located in the first wiring layer 14.

[0052] Specifically, the phase shifter unit 10 also includes an alignment module 15, which is located within the space defined by the first opening 111. The alignment module 15 includes multiple parallel scale lines 151, the outline shape of which is adapted to the outer outline shape of the power divider unit 20 corresponding to the first opening 111. In this embodiment, setting the scale lines 151 of the alignment module 15 on the first wiring layer 14 helps to simplify the graphic complexity of the common potential layer 11, giving the common potential layer 11 more design space and improving the overall process yield.

[0053] It should be noted that the scale line 151 of the alignment module 15 can be located either in the first wiring layer 14 or in the common potential layer 11. This disclosure aims to illustrate that setting the scale line 151 in the first opening 111 is beneficial to improving the alignment accuracy of the phase shifter unit 10 and the power divider unit 20. In some other optional embodiments, it can also be partially located in the first wiring layer 14 and partially located in the common potential layer 11. The specific design can be based on actual needs, the wiring layout of the first wiring layer 14, and the layout space of the common potential layer 11. Such a setting is also beneficial to improving the wiring flexibility of the common potential layer 11 and the first wiring layer 14, thereby improving the design flexibility of the liquid crystal antenna 100 and thus improving its practicality.

[0054] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure provides an electronic device including a liquid crystal antenna. Therefore, this electronic device possesses the technical features of the liquid crystal antenna provided in the embodiments of this disclosure and can achieve the beneficial effects of the liquid crystal antenna provided in the embodiments of this disclosure. Similarities can be found in the above description of the liquid crystal antenna provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, and will not be repeated here.

[0055] For example, Figure 12 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Please refer to it. Figure 1 and Figure 12 The electronic device 200 provided in this disclosure includes the liquid crystal antenna 100 provided in any of the above embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 12 The embodiments use only a rectangular electronic device 200 as an example to illustrate the electronic device. It is understood that the electronic device provided in the embodiments of this application can be any electronic product with display function, including but not limited to the following categories: mobile phones, televisions, laptops, desktop monitors, tablet computers, digital cameras, smart bracelets, smart glasses, in-vehicle displays, medical devices, industrial control equipment, touch interactive terminals, etc. The embodiments of this invention do not make any special limitations in this regard.

[0056] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the liquid crystal antenna and electronic device provided in this disclosure achieve at least the following beneficial effects: This disclosure provides a liquid crystal antenna and an electronic device. The liquid crystal antenna includes a phase shifter unit and a power divider unit. The common potential layer in the phase shifter unit includes a first opening. The outer contour of the power divider unit projected onto the plane of the liquid crystal antenna overlaps with the projected first opening onto the plane of the liquid crystal antenna. The first opening is used at least for alignment with the outer contour of the power divider unit. The first opening essentially forms a viewing window for observing the position of the power divider unit. This disclosure uses the first opening to align the corresponding edges of the outer contours of the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit. With this configuration, when fitting the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit together, the first opening can be directly used to align the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit, which helps improve the alignment accuracy of the relative positions of the power divider unit and the phase shifter unit, thereby improving coupling efficiency and thus improving antenna performance. Furthermore, the first opening is located in the common potential layer. The first opening can be formed in the same process as the traces in the common potential layer. Compared with the formation of alignment vias in related technologies, the present invention forms the first opening in the common potential layer in the phase shifter unit. This can improve the alignment accuracy of the power divider unit and the phase shifter unit without increasing the manufacturing difficulty. In other words, it is beneficial to reduce the overall structural complexity and processing difficulty of the liquid crystal antenna, and also to improve the alignment accuracy.

[0057] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0058] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement it. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not to be limited to the embodiments described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal antenna, characterized in that, It includes a phase shifter unit and a power divider unit, wherein the phase shifter unit and the power divider unit are bonded together by a first adhesive layer; The phase shifter unit includes a common potential layer, which receives a fixed potential signal. The common potential layer includes a first opening that penetrates the common potential layer along a first direction, which is perpendicular to the plane where the liquid crystal antenna is located. The outer contour of the power divider unit projected onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna is located overlaps with the first opening projected onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna is located. The first opening is at least used to align with the outer contour of the power divider unit.

2. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, One of the first openings corresponds to one side of the outer contour of the power divider unit; The common potential layer includes at least two first openings, and any two different first openings are respectively used to align with different sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit.

3. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that, The outer contour of the power divider unit projected onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna is located is rectangular; The common potential layer includes four of the first openings, which are respectively used to align with the four sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit.

4. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, One of the first openings corresponds to two sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit; The common potential layer includes at least one of the first openings, one of which is used to align with two adjacent sides of the outer contour of the power divider unit.

5. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 4, characterized in that, The outer contour of the power divider unit projected onto the plane where the liquid crystal antenna is located is rectangular; The common potential layer includes two of the first openings, each located diagonally opposite to the outer contour of the power divider unit.

6. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The phase shifter unit further includes an alignment module, which is located in the first opening; The alignment module includes multiple parallel scale lines, the shape of which is adapted to the outer contour shape of the power divider unit corresponding to the first opening.

7. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that, The outer contour of the power divider unit in the orthographic projection of the plane where the liquid crystal antenna is located is rectangular, and one of the first openings is used to align with one side of the power divider unit. The scale lines are straight line segments.

8. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that, The outer contour of the power divider unit in the orthographic projection of the plane where the liquid crystal antenna is located is rectangular, and one of the first openings is used to align with the two adjacent sides of the power divider unit. A scale line includes a first segment and a second segment, wherein the first segment and the second segment are perpendicular.

9. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that, The scale line of the alignment module is located on the common potential layer.

10. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The common potential layer further includes a second opening, which penetrates the common potential layer along the first direction; The second opening is at least used for radio frequency coupling with the power divider unit; The first opening is located outside the second opening.

11. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The phase shifter unit further includes: First substrate; The second substrate is disposed opposite to the first substrate along the first direction; A dielectric functional layer is located between the first substrate and the second substrate; The first wiring layer is located between the first substrate and the dielectric functional layer; The common potential layer is located between the second substrate and the dielectric functional layer.

12. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 11, characterized in that, The phase shifter unit further includes an alignment module, which is located in the first opening; The alignment module includes multiple parallel scale lines, and the shape of one scale line is adapted to the outer contour shape of the power divider unit corresponding to one of the first openings; The scale lines of the alignment module are located in the first trace layer.

13. The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first substrate and the second substrate are transparent substrates, and the first adhesive layer is an optically transparent adhesive.

14. An electronic device, characterized in that, The liquid crystal antenna includes any one of claims 1 to 13.

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