A high power capacity dual polarized patch array antenna
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202611012990.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-07-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-10-30
AI Technical Summary
[0004]本发明的目的是解决传统微带贴片天线在高功率应用场景下面临的功率容量受限、热管理困难以及介质击穿风险等问题,而提供一种高功率容量双极化贴片阵列天线
[0033]1、由于高功率阵面系统中通常包含多个末级功放,因此相比于传统高功率阵列天线需要采用合成器进行合并输出的方案,本发明提供的一种高功率容量双极化贴片阵列天线,包括N个1×M的单阵列天线,每个单阵列天线包括M个同轴连接单元,通过在同一个同轴连接单元中设置多个同轴连接器,且使同轴连接器的内导体顶部、第一辐射结构中第一介质板的金属化过孔与对应第一金属贴片焊接在一起,形成多个馈电端口,从而实现阵列天线的双极化性能;该结构有效提升了阵列天线的单位面功率密度,实现了单馈电10kW、双馈电20kW以上的功率输出;同时,本发明的多个馈电端口可以分别与各末级功放的输出直接连接,不仅省去了合成器的设置,简化了系统结构,还避免了合成器带来的插损。
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Figure CN123018408A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to microstrip patch antennas, and more specifically to a high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna. Background Technology
[0002] With the rapid development of semiconductor power device materials and manufacturing processes, especially the maturity of wide-bandgap semiconductor technologies such as gallium nitride (GaN), the output power of radio frequency power amplifiers has been significantly improved. This has directly driven a leap in the performance of phased array radar systems in terms of detection range, resolution, and multi-target processing capabilities. As the core radiating element of a phased array radar system, the array antenna not only needs to have good radiation characteristics, but also must be able to withstand the ever-increasing radio frequency input power to ensure the long-term stable operation of the system.
[0003] Currently, microstrip patch antennas have become a widely used antenna type in phased array radar systems due to their advantages such as low profile, lightweight, ease of conformal integration, and mass production. However, traditional microstrip patch antennas face many challenges in high-power applications, especially issues such as limited power capacity, difficult thermal management, and the risk of dielectric breakdown, making it difficult to match the output capabilities of modern high-power semiconductor devices. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems of limited power capacity, difficult thermal management, and dielectric breakdown risk faced by traditional microstrip patch antennas in high-power application scenarios, and to provide a high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the inventive concept of this invention is as follows:
[0006] To successfully apply dual-polarized antennas in high-power array systems, this invention analyzes the power capacity weaknesses of dual-polarized antennas, revealing that the main cause of failure is air breakdown caused by air exposure at concentrated field enhancement points. Three weak points leading to peak power breakdown are identified at the contact point between the coaxial connector and the upper surface of the base plate, the edge of the metal patch of the first radiating structure, and the edge of the metal patch of the second radiating structure. Specifically, the breakdown at the three-dimensional contact point between the coaxial connector and the upper surface of the base plate is primarily due to poor contact and discontinuity between the coaxial connector and the first radiating structure during actual assembly, leading to field concentration. Furthermore, air bubbles generated from this poor contact can also easily cause breakdown. The breakdown at the edges of the metal patches of the first and second radiating structures is mainly due to the electric field concentration points being located at the patch edges, making them prone to air breakdown. This invention proposes corresponding power enhancement measures, namely, anti-breakdown measures, for different locations: 1. Determine the three-dimensional contact position between the coaxial connector and the upper surface of the base plate, and define the axial length of the exposed dielectric of the coaxial connector extending beyond the upper surface of the base plate to ensure good contact between the coaxial connector and the first radiating structure after it extends beyond the base plate; 2. Cover the edges of the metal patches of the first and second radiating structures with a solder mask layer to ensure that the metal patches are isolated from the air, thereby converting air breakdown into dielectric breakdown and increasing the breakdown threshold.
[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned inventive concept, the technical solution provided by this invention is as follows:
[0008] A high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna is characterized in that it is an N*M array antenna, comprising N 1×M single-array antennas. Each single-array antenna includes a base plate, a first radiating structure, and M coaxial connection units, where N≥1 and M≥2. Each coaxial connection unit includes k coaxial connectors, where k=2 or k=4. Each single-array antenna corresponds to a transceiver component of an external high-power array system.
[0009] The base plate is a metal plate structure with M sets of connecting holes evenly distributed along its length. Each set of connecting holes includes k connecting holes. When k=2, the two connecting holes in the same set are divided into two columns along the length of the base plate, and each column includes two connecting holes distributed along the width.
[0010] The first radiating structure includes a first metal base plate disposed on the upper surface of the base plate, a first dielectric plate disposed on the upper surface of the first metal base plate, and M first metal patches disposed on the upper surface of the first dielectric plate and corresponding one-to-one with M sets of connecting holes; a via is provided on the first metal base plate at the position corresponding to each connecting hole, and a metallized via is provided on the first dielectric plate at the position corresponding to each via;
[0011] The coaxial connector includes an outer conductor, an exposed dielectric, and an inner conductor connected in sequence. One end of the inner conductor of the coaxial connector passes through the corresponding connecting hole of the base plate and the corresponding through hole of the first metal base plate in sequence, and extends into the metallized through hole of the first dielectric plate. The outer side wall of the outer conductor is threadedly connected to the side wall of the corresponding connecting hole, and the top of the exposed dielectric extends into the through hole. The length d1 of the top of the exposed dielectric extending into the through hole must satisfy: 0 mm < d1 ≤ 1 mm.
[0012] The first metal patch is welded to the top of the k inner conductors in the same group and the top of the corresponding k metallized vias to form k power supply ports.
[0013] Furthermore, the single-array antenna also includes a support structure and a second radiating structure;
[0014] The support structure is disposed on the upper surface of the first medium plate, and through holes are provided on it corresponding to the positions of each first metal patch;
[0015] The second radiation structure includes a second dielectric plate disposed on the upper surface of the support structure and M second metal patches disposed on the upper surface of the second dielectric plate, wherein the M second metal patches correspond one-to-one with the M first metal patches.
[0016] Furthermore, the upper surfaces of the first dielectric substrate and the first metal patch are entirely covered with a first solder resist layer, and the positions of each metallized via on the first solder resist layer are set as window areas.
[0017] Each of the second metal patches has a second solder mask layer covering its edge.
[0018] Furthermore, the second solder mask layer extends 2mm to each side from the edge of the second metal patch.
[0019] Furthermore, the axial length of the inner conductor is between (h1-0.3mm) and (h1+d2-1mm); where h1 is the height of the first metal patch from the upper surface of the base plate, and d2 is the distance between the second metal patch and the first metal patch.
[0020] Furthermore, the first metal patch is square;
[0021] When k=2, the two inner conductors of the same group are respectively set on the two center lines of the corresponding first metal patch, and the two inner conductors are equal in length from the center point of the first metal patch;
[0022] Alternatively, k=4, the four inner conductors of the same group are set in pairs on the two center lines of the first metal patch, and the two inner conductors on one center line are symmetrically set about the center point of the first metal patch, and the four inner conductors are of equal length from the center point of the first metal patch.
[0023] Furthermore, each connecting hole in the base plate includes a first through hole and a second through hole that are connected from bottom to top;
[0024] The first through hole is used to accommodate the outer conductor, and its side wall is provided with threads for threaded connection with the outer side wall of the corresponding outer conductor;
[0025] The second through hole is used to contain the exposed medium.
[0026] Furthermore, the base plate is made of aluminum alloy, and its upper surface is partially plated with gold, silver, or tin.
[0027] Both the first and second radiating structures are fabricated using PCB technology.
[0028] Furthermore, the first metal base plate of the first radiating structure is mounted on the upper surface of the base plate by welding or bonding with conductive adhesive.
[0029] The support structure is bonded to the surface of the first dielectric plate of the first radiating structure with high-temperature resistant adhesive, or it is installed on the base plate with bolts.
[0030] The second dielectric plate of the second radiation structure is bonded to the upper surface of the support structure with high-temperature resistant adhesive, or it is mounted on the base plate with bolts.
[0031] Furthermore, a metal partition is provided between two adjacent antenna elements, or a partition is formed by etching a specific shape on the metal base plate and the base plate of the first radiating structure.
[0032] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:
[0033] 1. Since high-power array systems typically contain multiple final-stage power amplifiers, compared to traditional high-power array antennas that require synthesizers for combined output, this invention provides a high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna, comprising N 1×M single-array antennas. Each single-array antenna includes M coaxial connection units. By setting multiple coaxial connectors in the same coaxial connection unit, and welding the top of the inner conductor of the coaxial connector, the metallized via of the first dielectric substrate in the first radiating structure, and the corresponding first metal patch together, multiple feed ports are formed, thereby achieving dual-polarization performance of the array antenna. This structure effectively improves the power density per unit area of the array antenna, achieving power output of 10kW with single feed and over 20kW with dual feed. At the same time, the multiple feed ports of this invention can be directly connected to the output of each final-stage power amplifier, which not only eliminates the need for a synthesizer and simplifies the system structure but also avoids insertion loss caused by the synthesizer.
[0034] 2. The high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna provided by this invention features a coaxial connector where the top of the exposed dielectric material extends beyond the upper surface of the base plate, i.e., the top of the exposed dielectric material extends into the via of the first metal base plate. The length d1 of the exposed dielectric material extending into the via of the first metal base plate is guaranteed to satisfy 0 mm < d1 ≤ 1 mm. This design effectively ensures good contact between the exposed dielectric material of the coaxial connector and the first radiating structure, thereby avoiding the risk of breakdown at the contact point between the coaxial connector and the upper surface of the base plate, and effectively improving power capacity. This invention not only maintains the original advantages of microstrip antennas—low profile, lightweight, and easy integration—but also effectively improves spectrum utilization and system polarization flexibility, providing a more competitive radiating element solution for next-generation high-power phased array systems.
[0035] 3. The present invention provides a high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna, which further includes a support structure and a second radiation structure above the first radiation structure. The support structure separates the first radiation structure from the second radiation structure by air to increase matching performance. The second radiation structure increases the resonant point and improves the bandwidth, so that the bandwidth can be maintained at more than 10%, making it suitable for a variety of frequency band applications.
[0036] 4. The present invention provides a high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna, wherein a first solder resist layer is integrally covered on the upper surface of the first dielectric substrate and the first metal patch, and a second solder resist layer is covered on the edge of each second metal patch. Compared with traditional solder resist layers which are generally used to prevent solder short circuits, prevent oxidation, and provide physical protection, the presence of the first and second solder resist layers in the present invention can ensure the isolation of the first and second metal patches from the air, transforming air breakdown into dielectric breakdown, greatly improving the breakdown threshold, and thus improving the power capacity.
[0037] 5. The present invention provides a high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna, wherein a metal partition wall is provided between two adjacent antenna elements, or a partition wall is formed by etching a specific shape on the metal base plate and the base plate of the first radiating structure. While realizing radiation from multiple feed ports, it also takes into account the isolation of the feed ports, and ensures the stability and low cost of the system. Attached Figure Description
[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of a high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna according to the present invention;
[0039] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the structure of one antenna element in a single-array antenna according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0040] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the base plate in Embodiment 1 of the present invention (threaded through holes and positioning blind holes are not shown).
[0041] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the first radiating structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0042] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the base plate and the first radial structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0043] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the coaxial connector in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0044] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the feed port in a 1×8 single-array antenna according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0045] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the polarization when different feed ports are excited in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0046] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the support structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0047] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the second radiating structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0048] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of four feed ports in the same antenna unit according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;
[0049] Figure 12 The antenna standing wave simulation curve is obtained after the size parameters of the embodiment of the present invention are modeled and calculated in electromagnetic simulation software.
[0050] Figure 13 The dual-polarized patch array antenna of this embodiment of the invention was fabricated and installed in a high-power phased array radar system, and then tested in an active state to obtain the antenna scanning direction test curve.
[0051] Figure 14 This is a power diagram of the dual-polarized patch array antenna before breakdown in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0052] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the power of the dual-polarized patch array antenna after breakdown in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0053] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of the power of a dual-polarized patch array antenna without solder mask before breakdown.
[0054] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the power breakdown of a dual-polarized patch array antenna without solder mask treatment.
[0055] The annotations in the attached figures are explained as follows:
[0056] 1-Base plate, 11-First through hole, 12-Second through hole, 13-Mounting hole; 2-First radiating structure, 21-First metal base plate, 211-Through hole, 22-First dielectric plate, 221-Metalized through hole, 23-First metal patch; 3-Support structure, 4-Second radiating structure, 41-Second dielectric plate, 42-Second metal patch; 5-Coaxial connector, 51-Outer conductor, 52-Exposed dielectric, 53-Inner conductor; 01-First connecting through hole; 02-Second connecting through hole. Detailed Implementation
[0057] To make the objectives, advantages, and features of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are merely used to explain the technical principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, a high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna includes four single-array antennas; each single-array antenna is a 1×8 array antenna, and the four 1×8 array antennas form a 4×8 array antenna. Each 1×8 array antenna corresponds to a transceiver component of an external high-power phased array radar system.
[0059] like Figure 2 As shown, the single-array antenna includes a base plate 1, a first radiating structure 2, a supporting structure 3, a second radiating structure 4, and eight coaxial connection units. Each coaxial connection unit forms an antenna element with the corresponding position of the base plate 1, the first radiating structure 2, the supporting structure 3, and the second radiating structure 4; that is, a 1×8 array antenna includes eight antenna elements. Each coaxial connection unit includes two coaxial connectors 5, meaning that each antenna element of the single-array antenna corresponds to two coaxial connectors 5.
[0060] The spacing between two adjacent single-array antennas can be the same or different. Similarly, the spacing between two adjacent antenna elements within the same single-array antenna can be the same or different, and is not limited here. In this embodiment, the spacing between two adjacent single-array antennas is the same, both being 23mm, and the spacing between two adjacent antenna elements within the same single-array antenna is the same, both being 22.5mm. In other embodiments of the present invention, the above two spacings can be designed according to requirements.
[0061] like Figure 3As shown, the base plate 1 is a plate structure made of aluminum alloy, which is used to fix the coaxial connector 5 and support the first radiating structure 2. Multiple antenna elements of the single array antenna share one base plate 1. The upper surface of the base plate 1 is partially gold-plated. In other embodiments of the present invention, the base plate 1 can also be made of other metal plates, and its upper surface can also be silver-plated or tin-plated, or the entire structure of the base plate 1 can be gold-plated, silver-plated or tin-plated to facilitate subsequent welding with the first radiating structure 2. In this embodiment, the thickness of the base plate 1 is 5.8 mm, the length is 214 mm, and the width is 22.5 mm. The base plate 1 is provided with eight sets of connecting holes evenly distributed along the length direction. Each set of connecting holes includes two connecting holes distributed along the width direction. Each connecting hole includes a first through hole 11 and a second through hole 12 connected from bottom to top.
[0062] The first through hole 11 has a diameter of φ5.5 and a depth of 3.9mm, and is used to accommodate the outer conductor 51 of the coaxial connector 5. An M5×0.5 internal thread with a thread length of 2.9mm is provided on the middle section sidewall of the first through hole 11 for threaded connection with the corresponding outer wall of the outer conductor 51. Simultaneously, to facilitate the machining of the first through hole 11, its lower and upper ends are respectively flared outwards. The second through hole 12 has a diameter of φ2.3 and is used to accommodate the exposed medium 52 of the coaxial connector 5.
[0063] The base plate 1 is also used to fix the antenna to the corresponding external array frame or transceiver component, wherein the array frame is the support frame for the transceiver component; in this embodiment, considering the structural interference problem, three φ4.5 mounting holes 13 are opened on the base plate 1 to realize the screw mounting of the base plate 1 to the array frame or transceiver component.
[0064] like Figure 4 As shown, the first radiating structure 2 is a plate-shaped structure with a length of 186.5 mm, a width of 22.4 mm, and a thickness of 1.086 mm. It is fabricated using PCB technology and is used to realize the conversion of energy from transmission lines to space radiation. Figure 5As shown, the first radiating structure 2 includes a first metal base plate 21 disposed on the upper surface of the base plate 1, a first dielectric plate 22 disposed on the upper surface of the first metal base plate 21, and eight first metal patches 23 disposed on the upper surface of the first dielectric plate 22 and corresponding one-to-one with eight sets of connecting holes. The thickness of the first metal base plate 21 is 0.035 mm, and its lower surface (i.e., the surface facing the base plate 1) is treated with immersion gold to achieve welding or bonding with the base plate 1. The first dielectric plate 22 and the first metal base plate 21 have the same external dimensions, but different thicknesses. The thickness of the first dielectric plate 22 is 1.016 mm, and its dielectric constant is 2.2. The first metal patches 23 serve as the main radiators. In this embodiment, they are designed as squares with a side length of 11.49 mm and a thickness of 0.035 mm. In other embodiments of the present invention, the first metal patches 23 may also be rectangular or circular.
[0065] like Figure 5 As shown, the first metal base plate 21 has vias 211 with a diameter of φ6mm at the positions corresponding to each of the second through holes 12. The first dielectric plate 22 has metallized vias 221 with a diameter of φ0.7mm at the positions corresponding to each via 211. It should be noted that the radius of the via 211 must be larger than the radius of the metallized via 221. The number of metallized vias 221 corresponds one-to-one with the number and position of the coaxial connectors 5. In some special cases, the position of the metallized vias 221 and the position of the coaxial connectors 5 can correspond one-to-one with the output position of the external transceiver components, thereby avoiding the use of the isophase layer in the array system. Preferably, for the stability of the soldering, the upper end of the metallized via 221 is provided with an upper solder pad of φ1.2mm and the lower end is provided with a lower solder pad of φ0.9mm.
[0066] like Figure 6 As shown, the coaxial connector 5 includes an outer conductor 51, an exposed dielectric 52, and an inner conductor 53 connected in sequence. The outer side wall of the outer conductor 51 is provided with an external thread, and the outer end of the outer conductor 51 serves as a radio frequency interface for connecting to external devices or cables. It can be an N-type, SMA-type, SMP-type, or other radio frequency connectors. In this embodiment, an SMA-type connector with an SMP male connector is used.
[0067] One end of the inner conductor 53 of the coaxial connector 5 passes sequentially through the first through hole 11, the second through hole 12, and the through hole 211 corresponding to the first metal base plate 21 on the base plate 1, and then extends into the metallized through hole 221 of the first dielectric substrate 22. The top of the inner conductor 53 is welded to the upper solder pad of the metallized through hole 221. At the same time, the external thread of the outer conductor 51 is threadedly connected to the internal thread on the side wall of the first through hole 11, realizing the screw-on fixation of the coaxial connector 5 and the base plate 1. The two coaxial connectors 5 of the same antenna unit are distributed along the width direction of the base plate 1. The two inner conductors 53 corresponding to them are respectively set on the two center lines of the first metal patch 23, and the two inner conductors 53 are equidistant from the center point of the first metal patch 23. In this embodiment, the two inner conductors 53 are respectively set on the corresponding center lines of the first metal patch 23 at a distance of 0.365mm from the edge line.
[0068] To ensure good contact between the exposed dielectric 52 of the coaxial connector 5 and the first radiating structure 2, thereby avoiding the risk of breakdown at the contact point between the coaxial connector 5 and the upper surface of the base plate 1, and thus improving power capacity, this invention requires that the top of the exposed dielectric 52 extends into the via 211, meaning that after installation, the top of the exposed dielectric 52 needs to extend beyond the upper surface of the base plate 1. Specifically, the length d1 of the top of the exposed dielectric 52 extending into the via 211 needs to satisfy: 0 mm < d1 ≤ 1 mm; the radius r1 of the exposed dielectric 52 typically needs to be greater than or equal to 1 mm; in this embodiment, r1 = 1.15 mm, the axial length of the exposed dielectric 52 is 2 mm, and the length d1 of the top of the exposed dielectric 52 extending beyond the upper surface of the base plate 1 after installation is 0.1 mm, which meets the above requirements.
[0069] During the soldering of the inner conductor 53 and the metallized via 221, the tops of the two inner conductors 53 and the upper solder pads of the corresponding two metallized vias 221 of the same antenna element are soldered together with a first metal patch 23 to form two feed ports for introducing radio frequency signals into the first metal patch 23. The first metal patch 23, as a resonant radiator, excites spatial electromagnetic waves by relying on the current distribution on its own metal surface, and is the main body of the antenna for radiating / receiving radio frequency signals.
[0070] like Figure 7 As shown, the dual-polarization performance of the antenna element is mainly guaranteed by the orthogonality of the feeding direction of the first radiating structure 2 through the coaxial connector 5. Let the two feeding ports corresponding to each antenna element be denoted as port A and port B, then the feeding ports in the 1×8 array antenna are denoted as 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, ..., 8A, 8B. Figure 8As shown, when the feed ports labeled 1A, 2A, ..., 8A are excited individually, a first 45° slant polarization can be formed. When the feed ports labeled 1B, 2B, ..., 8B are excited individually, a second 45° slant polarization can be formed. When ports A and B in the same antenna element are excited simultaneously, horizontal polarization can be formed. Multipolarization is achieved between different antenna elements through amplitude and phase adjustments.
[0071] In this embodiment, in order to further increase the resonant point and improve the bandwidth, a support structure 3 and a second radiating structure 4 are preferably designed. In other embodiments of the present invention, a high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna can also be realized by using only the base plate 1, the first radiating structure 2 and multiple coaxial connection units.
[0072] like Figure 9 As shown, the support structure 3 is also a plate-shaped structure, with the same length and width as the first radiating structure 2, differing only in thickness, which is 1.016 mm. The support structure 3 is used to create an air gap between the first radiating structure 2 and the second radiating structure 4, thereby increasing matching performance. Specifically, the support structure 3 is disposed on the upper surface of the first dielectric substrate 22 and fixed by adhesive bonding; the support structure 3 has cutouts corresponding to the positions of each first metal patch 23 to expose the first metal patch 23. In this embodiment, the dielectric constant of the support structure 3 is 2.2.
[0073] like Figure 10 As shown, the second radiating structure 4 is also a plate-shaped structure, with the same length and width as the first radiating structure 2, differing only in thickness, which is 1.051 mm. The second radiating structure 4 is fabricated using PCB technology to increase resonant points and improve bandwidth. The second radiating structure 4 includes a second dielectric substrate 41 disposed on the upper surface of the support structure 3 and second metal patches 42 disposed on the upper surface of the second dielectric substrate 41, corresponding one-to-one with the eight first metal patches 23. The dielectric constant of the second dielectric substrate 41 is 2.2, and its thickness is 1.016 mm; the second metal patches 42 are square, with a side length of 10.64 mm and a thickness of 0.035 mm. After adding the second radiating structure 4, a dielectric resonant cavity is formed between the first metal patches 23 and the second metal patches 42, allowing electromagnetic waves to couple and superimpose between layers to assist radiation and optimize electrical performance.
[0074] It is worth noting that the axial length of the inner conductor 53 is related to the height h1 of the first metal patch 23 from the upper surface of the base plate 1 and the spacing d2 between the second metal patch 42 and the first metal patch 23, and must be within the range of (h1-0.3mm) to (h1+d2-1mm). The radius r2 of the inner conductor 53 typically needs to be greater than or equal to 0.25mm. In this embodiment, r2=0.35mm, and the axial length of the inner conductor 53 is 1.1mm, which meets the above requirements. Generally, d2 is greater than 1mm. If it is less than 1mm, then the axial length of the inner conductor 53 is within the range of (h1-0.3mm) to (h1).
[0075] In this invention, when the first radiating structure 2 is installed, the first metal base plate 21 can be directly installed on the upper surface of the base plate 1 by welding or bonding with conductive adhesive to ensure good grounding performance. When the support structure 3 is installed, it can be directly bonded to the upper surface of the first dielectric plate 22 of the first radiating structure 2 by high-temperature resistant adhesive such as high-temperature resistant epoxy resin, or it can be directly installed on the base plate 1 by bolts. When the second radiating structure 4 is installed, its second dielectric plate 41 can be directly bonded to the upper surface of the support structure 3 by high-temperature resistant adhesive such as high-temperature resistant epoxy resin, or it can be directly installed on the base plate 1 by bolts. In this embodiment, the first metal base plate 21 of the first radiating structure 2 is bonded to the upper surface of the base plate 1 by conductive adhesive, and the support structure 3 and the second radiating structure 4 are installed on the base plate 1 by connecting bolts. A positioning structure is provided between the first radiating structure 2, the support structure 3, the second radiating structure 4 and the base plate 1. Specifically, the base plate 1 has six M1.6 threaded through holes and four φ2mm positioning blind holes. First connecting through holes 01 of φ1.6mm are respectively opened on the first metal base plate 21 and first dielectric plate 22 of the first radiating structure 2, the support structure 3, and the second dielectric plate 41 of the second radiating structure 4 at the positions corresponding to the threaded through holes. Six connecting bolts pass through the first connecting through holes 01 on the second radiating structure 4, the support structure 3, and the first radiating structure 2 in sequence and are threaded into the corresponding threaded through holes to fix the support structure 3 and the second radiating structure 4 on the base plate 1. In addition, second connecting through holes 02 of φ2mm are respectively opened on the first metal base plate 21 and first dielectric plate 22 of the first radiating structure 2, the support structure 3, and the second dielectric plate 41 of the second radiating structure 4 at the positions corresponding to the positioning blind holes. The depth of the four positioning blind holes is 3.8mm. Four positioning pins pass through the second connecting through holes 02 on the second radiating structure 4, the support structure 3, and the first radiating structure 2 in sequence and extend into the bottom of the positioning blind holes on the base plate 1 to realize the installation and positioning of the first radiating structure 2, the support structure 3, the second radiating structure 4 and the base plate 1.
[0076] Preferably, in this embodiment, the upper surfaces of the first dielectric substrate 22 and each first metal patch 23 are entirely covered with a first solder resist layer to cover and protect the edges of the first metal patches 23, ensuring that the first metal patches 23 are isolated from air, converting air breakdown into dielectric breakdown, thereby increasing the breakdown threshold and thus improving the power capacity. It is worth noting that the positions of each metallized via 221 on the first solder resist layer need to be set as open areas to ensure the soldering at the positions of each metallized via 221. In addition, a second solder resist layer is covered on the edge of each second metal patch 42 to ensure that the second metal patch 42 is isolated from air, converting air breakdown into dielectric breakdown, thereby further improving the power capacity. When covering, the second solder resist layer extends 2mm to each side from the edge of the second metal patch 42.
[0077] To enhance the isolation between two adjacent antenna elements and improve scanning performance, a metal partition can be added between them, or a partition can be formed by etching a specific shape on the metal base plate 21 and base plate 1 of the first radiating structure 2 to achieve the isolation effect. Preferably, in this embodiment, a metal partition is added between two adjacent antenna elements.
[0078] The assembly process for the 1×8 array antenna is as follows: ① Pass one end of the inner conductor 53 of each of the sixteen coaxial connectors 5 through the corresponding first through hole 11 and second through hole 12 on the base plate 1 from bottom to top, and make the external thread of the outer conductor 51 fully threadedly connected to the internal thread on the side wall of the corresponding first through hole 11. At this time, measure the length L of the exposed medium 52 extending beyond the upper surface of the base plate 1, and find the minimum value L of the length L. min and maximum value L max If the minimum value L min If the value is less than or equal to 0, then the base plate 1 needs to be thinned. If the maximum value L... max If the thickness is greater than or equal to 1 mm, the exposed dielectric 52 end face of the corresponding coaxial connector 5 needs to be thinned; then reinstall and measure until the length d1 of multiple exposed dielectrics 52 exceeding the upper surface of the base plate 1 satisfies: 0 mm < d1 ≤ 1 mm. ② Bond the first metal base plate 21 of the first radial structure 2 to the base plate 1; ③ Weld the top of the inner conductor 53 of the coaxial connector 5 to the upper welding pad of the metallized via 221; ④ Screw the support structure 3 and the second radial structure 4 onto the base plate 1 using connecting bolts.
[0079] The technical effects of the present invention will be illustrated below through specific experiments.
[0080] The dual-polarized patch array antenna in Example 1 operates at the X-band, and the measured power capacity microwave pulse width is set above 1 μs. After modeling and calculating the various dimensional parameters in electromagnetic simulation software, the antenna standing wave (VSWR) simulation curve is shown below. Figure 11As shown, the dual-polarized patch array antenna of this embodiment exhibits a VSWR better than 1.5 within a bandwidth of over 10%, demonstrating excellent electrical performance. After the dual-polarized patch array antenna of this embodiment was fabricated and installed in a high-power phased array radar system, it was tested in an active state. The obtained antenna scanning direction test curve is shown in the figure below. Figure 13 As shown, the dual-polarized patch array antenna functions normally.
[0081] The dual-polarized patch array antenna in Example 1, when connected to a high-power injection test platform, showed no breakdown even with single-port injection of power below 10kW. Figure 14 , Figure 15 The figures shown are schematic diagrams of the input power of the dual-polarized patch array antenna in Embodiment 1 of the present invention when it is not broken down and when it is broken down. The input power of the dual-polarized patch array antenna in Embodiment 1 when it is not broken down is 70.34dBm (10.8kW), and the power when it is broken down is 71.88dBm (15.4kW). Figure 16 , Figure 17 The diagrams show the input power of a dual-polarized patch array antenna without solder mask treatment when it is not broken down and when it is broken down. The input power of the dual-polarized patch array antenna without solder mask treatment when it is not broken down is 64.76 dBm (3.0 kW), and the input power when it is broken down is 65.33 dBm (3.4 kW). It can be seen that the present invention covers the entire upper surface of the first dielectric substrate 22 and each first metal patch 23 with a first solder mask layer, and at the same time covers the edge of each second metal patch 42 with a second solder mask layer, which can effectively improve the breakdown threshold and thus improve the power capacity.
[0082] Example 2
[0083] The only difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that each coaxial connection unit includes four coaxial connectors 5, meaning that each antenna element of the single array antenna corresponds to four coaxial connectors 5. For example... Figure 11 As shown, the four coaxial connectors 5 of the same antenna element are divided into two columns along the length of the base plate 1. Each column includes two coaxial connectors 5 distributed along the width direction. Correspondingly, each group of connection holes on the base plate 1 includes four connecting holes. The four connecting holes of the same group are divided into two columns along the length of the base plate 1, and each column includes two connecting holes distributed along the width direction. The four inner conductors 53 corresponding to the four coaxial connectors 5 are arranged in pairs on the two center lines of the first metal patch 23. The two inner conductors 53 on one center line are symmetrically arranged about the center point of the first metal patch 23. The four inner conductors 53 are equidistant from the center point of the first metal patch 23.
[0084] When the inner conductor 53 is soldered to the metallized via 221, the tops of the four inner conductors 53 and the upper solder pads of the corresponding two metallized vias 221 of the same antenna element are soldered together with a first metal patch 23 to form four feed ports, thereby achieving coaxial feeding, that is, one antenna element corresponds to four feed ports. The four feed ports are paired up, and the four feed ports of one antenna element are respectively labeled A, B, C, and D. Then, within the same antenna element, A and C must maintain a phase difference of 180°, B and D must maintain a phase difference of 180°, and the phase difference between A and B is 0° or 90°. When the feed ports labeled B and C in the same antenna element are excited, a first 45° oblique polarization can be formed. When the feed ports labeled A and D in the same antenna element are excited, a second 45° oblique polarization can be formed. When all feed ports in the same antenna element are excited at the same time, horizontal polarization can be formed. Similarly, different antenna elements can achieve multi-polarization by adjusting the amplitude and phase.
[0085] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.
Claims
1. A high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna, characterized in that: The array antenna is of size N*M, including N 1×M single array antennas. Each single array antenna includes a base plate (1), a first radiating structure (2), and M coaxial connection units, where N≥1 and M≥2. Each coaxial connection unit includes k coaxial connectors (5), where k=2 or k=4. Each single array antenna corresponds to a transceiver component of an external high-power array system. The base plate (1) is a metal plate structure with M sets of connecting holes evenly distributed along its length. Each set of connecting holes includes k connecting holes. When k=2, the two connecting holes in the same set are distributed along the width direction of the base plate (1). When k=4, the four connecting holes in the same set are divided into two columns along the length direction of the base plate (1). Each column includes two connecting holes distributed along the width direction. The first radiation structure (2) includes a first metal base plate (21) disposed on the upper surface of the base plate (1), a first dielectric plate (22) disposed on the upper surface of the first metal base plate (21), and M first metal patches (23) disposed on the upper surface of the first dielectric plate (22) and corresponding to M sets of connecting holes; a through hole (211) is provided on the first metal base plate (21) at the position corresponding to each connecting hole, and a metallized through hole (221) is provided on the first dielectric plate (22) at the position corresponding to each through hole (211); The coaxial connector (5) includes an outer conductor (51), an exposed medium (52), and an inner conductor (53) connected in sequence. One end of the inner conductor (53) of the coaxial connector (5) passes through the corresponding connecting hole of the base plate (1) and the corresponding through hole (211) of the first metal base plate (21) and extends into the metallized through hole (221) of the first dielectric plate (22). The outer side wall of the outer conductor (51) is threadedly connected to the side wall of the corresponding connecting hole. The top of the exposed medium (52) extends into the through hole (211). The length d1 of the top of the exposed medium (52) extending into the through hole (211) must satisfy: 0 mm < d1 ≤ 1 mm. The first metal patch (23) is welded together with the top of the k inner conductors (53) in the same group and the upper ends of the corresponding k metallized vias (221) to form k power supply ports.
2. The high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The single array antenna also includes a support structure (3) and a second radiating structure (4). The support structure (3) is disposed on the upper surface of the first medium plate (22), and through holes are provided on it corresponding to the positions of each first metal patch (23); The second radiation structure (4) includes a second dielectric plate (41) disposed on the upper surface of the support structure (3) and M second metal patches (42) disposed on the upper surface of the second dielectric plate (41), the M second metal patches (42) corresponding one-to-one with the M first metal patches (23).
3. The high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper surfaces of the first dielectric substrate (22) and the first metal patch (23) are entirely covered with a first solder resist layer, and the positions of each metallized via (221) on the first solder resist layer are set as open window areas; Each of the second metal patches (42) has a second solder mask layer covering its edge.
4. The high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second solder mask extends 2 mm to each side from the edge of the second metal patch (42).
5. A high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that: The axial length of the inner conductor (53) is between (h1-0.3mm) and (h1+d2-1mm); where h1 is the height of the first metal patch (23) from the upper surface of the base plate (1), and d2 is the distance between the second metal patch (42) and the first metal patch (23).
6. The high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first metal patch (23) is square; With k=2, the two inner conductors (53) of the same group are respectively set on the two center lines of the corresponding first metal patch (23), and the two inner conductors (53) are equal in length from the center point of the first metal patch (23); Alternatively, k=4, the four inner conductors (53) of the same group are set in pairs on the two center lines of the first metal patch (23), and the two inner conductors (53) on one center line are symmetrically set about the center point of the first metal patch (23), and the four inner conductors (53) are of equal length from the center point of the first metal patch (23).
7. The high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that: Each of the connecting holes in the base plate (1) includes a first through hole (11) and a second through hole (12) that are connected from bottom to top. The first through hole (11) is used to accommodate the outer conductor (51), and its side wall is provided with threads for threaded connection with the outer side wall of the corresponding outer conductor (51); The second through hole (12) is used to accommodate the exposed medium (52).
8. The high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that: The base plate (1) is made of aluminum alloy, and its upper surface is partially plated with gold, silver or tin. Both the first radiating structure (2) and the second radiating structure (4) are fabricated using PCB technology.
9. A high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first metal base plate (21) of the first radiation structure (2) is installed on the upper surface of the base plate (1) by welding or bonding with conductive adhesive; The support structure (3) is bonded to the upper surface of the first dielectric plate (22) of the first radiation structure (2) by high temperature resistant adhesive, or it is installed on the base plate (1) by bolts; The second dielectric plate (41) of the second radiation structure (4) is bonded to the upper surface of the support structure (3) by high-temperature resistant adhesive, or is installed on the base plate (1) by bolts.
10. A high-power capacity dual-polarized patch array antenna according to claim 9, characterized in that: A metal partition is provided between two adjacent antenna units, or a partition is formed by etching a specific shape on the metal base plate (21) and base plate (1) of the first radiating structure (2).