Expandable modular antenna

Abstract

The utility model provides an expandable modular antenna, which relates to the technical field of antennas, and comprises a substrate, a feed network and a radiation unit, the feed network and the radiation unit are both arranged on the substrate, the feed network is electrically connected with the radiation unit, the feed network comprises a local-stage antenna feed network and a cascade feed network, and the cascade feed network is electrically connected with the radiation unit. The antenna feed network is a feed network of the antenna radiation unit, the cascade feed network is a feed network for cascade connection, and a plurality of antennas are connected through the cascade feed network when forming an array. The cascaded feed network is integrally arranged in the antenna, and the antenna array is formed only through a lead wire, so that compared with a traditional mode that an independent power divider is used or array connection is performed on the same antenna substrate, the limitation of the space size of a traditional array antenna can be avoided, the installation is more flexible, and the antenna array is more compact. And the antennas can be cascaded at any required position, so that the reading completeness of the tag is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of antennas, in particular to an expandable modular antenna. Background Art

[0002] Antennas are an indispensable part of wireless systems and are mainly responsible for sending and receiving electromagnetic wave signals in wireless communication systems.

[0003] A single antenna is not suitable for all usage environments due to its limited beam width. The designed array antenna has a large overall size and low flexibility. This is because traditional antenna cascades are generally connected through structures such as PCB boards and power dividers, which makes the antenna unable to move freely and difficult to adapt to needs.

[0004] Therefore, the current direction of technological development is to design an antenna that is low-cost, highly flexible, high-gain, suitable for most scenarios, and has a wide radiation range.

[0005] In addition, the traditional reader antenna has no identity tag, and its working status cannot be determined. At the same time, its wiring port needs to correspond one-to-one with the reader port, and the operation and wiring are complicated. In response to the above defects, this application is proposed. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of the utility model is to provide an expandable modular antenna, which solves the problem of poor flexibility of traditional antenna cascade.

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an expandable modular antenna, including a substrate, a feed network and a radiating unit. The feed network and the radiating unit are both arranged on the substrate, and the feed network and the radiating unit are electrically connected. The feed network includes a current-level antenna feed network and a cascade feed network. The current-level antenna feed network is the feed network of the current-level antenna radiating unit, and the cascade feed network is a feed network used for cascading. When several antennas are arrayed, they are connected through the cascade feed network.

[0008] By forming an array in this way, the limitations of traditional array antennas on space size can be avoided, and the installation is more flexible. Antennas can be cascaded at any required location to ensure complete tag reading.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate includes a PCB substrate 1, a dielectric interlayer and a PCB substrate 2 arranged in sequence. A lightweight dielectric interlayer is preferably used, which can provide better support for the double-layer PCB board and reduce the size of the antenna.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the radiation unit includes a radiation patch, and the radiation patch is arranged on a first PCB substrate.

[0011] Optionally, the antenna feeding network at this stage and the cascade feeding network are arranged on the second PCB substrate and are located on the same surface or different surfaces.

[0012] The radiating unit base material adopts PCB substrate, which ensures the miniaturization of the antenna while ensuring low cost.

[0013] Furthermore, the radiation unit is connected to the feeding network via a feeding pin.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a guiding structure unit is arranged around the radiation unit. The guiding structure unit includes a guiding frame and a guiding unit. The guiding units are arranged in several groups and are arranged on the periphery of the guiding frame.

[0015] Preferably, the guide frame is a square guide frame, the guide units are rectangular guide units, and the guide units are provided in four groups or other numbers.

[0016] A square guide frame and four rectangular guide units are added to the periphery of the antenna radiation unit to play a guiding role.

[0017] Furthermore, the width range of the square guide frame and the rectangular guide unit is 3±0.5 mm, at which point the antenna maintains an optimal radiation range when the gain reaches a maximum value.

[0018] Furthermore, the length range of the rectangular director unit is 100±5mm, and the antenna performance is optimal.

[0019] Furthermore, the distance between the rectangular guiding unit and the square guiding frame is in the range of 2±0.2 mm, and the antenna performance is optimal.

[0020] Furthermore, the distance between the square guide frame and the radiating element is in the range of 4.5±0.2 mm, and the antenna performance is optimal.

[0021] It should be noted that the above size ranges can be changed in other embodiments and can be adaptively adjusted according to the antenna size, and are not limited to the above size ranges.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the expandable modular antenna further includes an identity self-identification module, which solves the problem that traditional antennas have no identity tags and complex operation and wiring.

[0023] Preferably, the self-identification module includes an RFID tag, which is arranged on the second PCB substrate and is located on the same layer as the feeding network. The tag information can be read through the near-field radiation of the antenna itself, thereby realizing self-identification.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second PCB substrate is provided with a metal ground, and a short-circuit metal column is connected between the radiation patch and the metal ground to avoid static electricity.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the antenna feeding network at this stage adopts a constant amplitude feeding network with a phase difference of 90°, thereby ensuring good circular polarization performance of the antenna; and the cascade feeding network adopts a constant amplitude power splitter network.

[0026] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that by integrating a cascade feed network into the antenna, antenna arrays only need to be connected via wires. Compared with the traditional method of using independent power splitters or connecting arrays on the same antenna substrate, this method can avoid the spatial size limitations of traditional array antennas, and is more flexible in installation. Antennas can be cascaded at any required location to ensure complete tag reading.

[0027] By setting up the identity self-identification module for identity recognition, there is no need to match the antenna and the reader port, and no need to record. It can be calibrated to match its application scenario through its own ID information, making it faster and more convenient to use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the expandable modular reader antenna;

[0030] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the feeding network and the location of the self-identification module;

[0031] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an expandable modular reader antenna;

[0032] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of cascade connection of multiple antennas;

[0033] Figure 5 This is the return loss curve of the expandable modular reader antenna;

[0034] Figure 6 This is the gain curve of the expandable modular reader antenna at different frequencies;

[0035] Figure 7 This is the axial ratio curve of the expandable modular reader antenna at different frequencies;

[0036] Figure 8 Radiation pattern of the expandable modular reader antenna.

[0037] In the figure: 1-current level feeding network; 2-PCB substrate 1; 3-direction unit; 4-radiation patch; 5-direction frame; 6-short-circuit metal column; 7-feeding pin; 8-dielectric interlayer; 9-PCB substrate 2; 10-cascade feeding network; 11-metal ground; 12-RFID tag; 13-feeding line; 14-RF connecting line; 15-connecting line. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The following description is intended only to disclose the present invention and to enable those skilled in the art to implement the present invention. The embodiments described below are provided for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other obvious variations. The basic principles of the present invention as defined in the following description may be applied to other embodiments, variations, improvements, equivalents, and other solutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0039] [Example 1]

[0040] An expandable modular antenna that can be used in the field of modular reader antennas in the UHF band, such as Figure 1-Figure 3 , including a substrate, a feeding network and a radiating unit, wherein the substrate includes a PCB substrate 1 2, a dielectric interlayer 8 and a PCB substrate 2 9 arranged in sequence, and a lightweight dielectric interlayer 8 is used to provide support for the double-layer PCB board and reduce the size of the antenna, and the base material of the radiating unit adopts a PCB substrate, while ensuring low cost, and ensuring the miniaturization of the antenna, for example, the size can be realized to be only 150*150*10mm, which is relatively small.

[0041] The antenna is designed in collaboration with the radiation patch and the feeding network. A differential feeding network is preferably used and circular polarization is designed. When used in UHF band circular polarization reader antennas, better reading effects can be achieved.

[0042] The feeding network and the radiation unit are both arranged on the substrate, wherein the radiation unit includes a radiation patch 4, and the radiation patch 4 is printed on the upper surface of the PCB substrate 2.

[0043] In order to expand the good performance of the antenna in the application environment, this solution adds a cascade feeding network. Multiple antenna units can be connected in series to form an array through RF connecting lines in more complex environments, which can greatly improve the radiation range of the antenna and save the antenna port of the reader.

[0044] Specifically, the feeding network includes a current-level antenna feeding network 1 and a cascade feeding network 10. The current-level antenna feeding network 1 is the feeding network of the current-level antenna radiation unit, and the cascade feeding network 10 is the feeding network used for cascading. When several antennas are arrayed, they are connected through the cascade feeding network 10. The current-level antenna feeding network 1 and the cascade feeding network 10 are printed on the upper surface of the PCB substrate 2 9, and the same-layer printing setting is adopted to facilitate the connection between the port of the current-level antenna feeding network 1 and the port of the cascade feeding network 10.

[0045] The antenna feeding network 1 at this level adopts a constant amplitude feeding network with a phase difference of 90°, which ensures good circular polarization performance of the antenna; the cascade feeding network 10 adopts a constant amplitude power splitter network.

[0046] The radiating unit is connected to the antenna feeding network 1 at this level via a feeding pin 7 .

[0047] The lower surface of the PCB substrate 9 is a metal ground 11. The center of the radiation patch 4 is connected to the center of the metal ground 11 of the feeding network through a metal short-circuit column 6 to avoid static electricity.

[0048] When cascading, the specific installation method is as follows Figure 4 , connect the feed line 13 of the antenna at this level to an output port of the cascade feed network 10, and connect the other antenna to the other output port of the cascade feed network 10 through the RF connection line 15. The overall feeding of the antenna array is completed through the connection line 14 connected to the input port of the cascade feed network 10.

[0049] By integrating a cascade feed network 10 in the antenna, antenna arrays only need to be connected through wires and cables. Compared with the traditional method of using PCB boards for connection, this can avoid the limitations of traditional array antennas due to spatial dimensions, and the installation is more flexible. Antennas can be cascaded at any required location to ensure complete tag reading.

[0050] [Example 2]

[0051] On the basis of Example 1, in this embodiment, Figure 1 A guiding structure unit is arranged around the radiation unit, and the guiding structure unit includes a guiding frame 5 and a guiding unit 3. The guiding frame 5 is a square guiding frame, and the guiding unit 3 is a rectangular guiding unit. Four groups of guiding units 3 are arranged on the outside of the guiding frame 5, and the guiding frame 5 is arranged on the periphery of the radiation unit.

[0052] By adding the guiding branches, the gain and radiation range of the antenna are greatly improved.

[0053] A square guide frame and four rectangular guide units are added to the periphery of the antenna radiation unit to play a guiding role, increasing the antenna gain by 1.2dBi and the 3dB lobe width by 12°, and increasing the antenna radiation width by nearly 1.1m when the reading distance is 5m.

[0054] In this embodiment, the width range of the square guide frame and the rectangular guide unit is 3±0.5 mm. At this time, the antenna maintains the optimal radiation range when the gain reaches the maximum value.

[0055] The length range of the rectangular director unit is 100±5mm, and the antenna performance is optimal.

[0056] The distance between the rectangular guide unit and the square guide frame is 2±0.2mm, and the antenna performance is optimal.

[0057] The distance between the square guide frame and the radiating element is 4.5±0.2mm, and the antenna performance is optimal.

[0058] Taking the UHF wide beam expandable modular reader antenna as an example, the return loss curve of this solution is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the gain curves at different frequencies are as follows Figure 6 As shown, the axis ratio curves at different frequencies are as follows Figure 7 As shown, the radiation pattern is Figure 8 As shown, the above data show that the antenna has better performance.

[0059] [Example 3]

[0060] Based on Example 1 or 2, in this embodiment, the expandable modular antenna also includes an identity self-identification module, which includes an RFID tag 12. The RFID tag 12 is arranged on the PCB substrate 2 9 and is located on the same layer as the feeding network. The tag information can be read through the near-field radiation of the antenna itself, thereby realizing identity self-identification.

[0061] The identity self-identification module is used to perform self-identification and locate the application environment of the reader antenna. Then, the reader can identify whether a certain level of antenna is in working condition.

[0062] When a modular antenna is used as a standalone antenna, it can be calibrated using its own self-identification module. The antenna's unique ID represents the specific application scenario. In traditional RFID systems, each reader antenna in each application environment must be individually mapped to the reader's output port, with this mapping maintained. However, with this solution, the self-identification module eliminates the need for mapping antennas to reader ports and the need for documentation. Calibration can be performed using the antenna's own ID information, matching it to the specific application scenario.

[0063] The combination of Examples 1-3 forms a modular reader antenna for use in the UHF band with self-identification, low cost, high gain, flexible installation, and a wide radiation range.

[0064] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present invention described above and shown in the accompanying drawings are intended only as examples and do not limit the present invention. The objectives of the present invention have been fully and effectively achieved. The functional and structural principles of the present invention have been demonstrated and illustrated in the embodiments. Any variations and modifications may be made to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the principles described.

Claims

1. An expandable modular antenna, characterized in that: The invention comprises a substrate, a feeding network and a radiating unit, wherein the feeding network and the radiating unit are both arranged on the substrate, the feeding network and the radiating unit are electrically connected, the feeding network comprises a current-stage antenna feeding network (1) and a cascade feeding network (10), the current-stage antenna feeding network (1) is a feeding network for the current-stage antenna radiating unit, and the cascade feeding network (10) is a feeding network for cascading. When a plurality of antennas are arrayed, they are connected via the cascade feeding network (10).

2. The expandable modular antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate comprises a PCB substrate 1 (2), a dielectric interlayer (8) and a PCB substrate 2 (9) which are arranged in sequence.

3. The expandable modular antenna according to claim 2, wherein: The current-stage antenna feeding network (1) and the cascade feeding network (10) are arranged on the same layer on the substrate.

4. The expandable modular antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: A guiding structure unit is arranged around the radiation unit, and the guiding structure unit comprises a guiding frame (5) and a guiding unit (3). The guiding units (3) are arranged in a plurality of groups and are arranged on the periphery of the guiding frame (5).

5. The expandable modular antenna according to claim 4, wherein: The guide frame (5) is a square guide frame, and the guide unit (3) is a rectangular guide unit.

6. The expandable modular antenna according to claim 5, wherein: The guide units (3) are provided in four groups, the width range of the square guide frame and the rectangular guide unit is 3±0.5 mm, the length range of the rectangular guide unit is 100±5 mm, the distance range of the rectangular guide unit from the square guide frame is 2±0.2 mm, and the distance range of the square guide frame from the radiation unit is 4.5±0.2 mm.

7. The expandable modular antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5 and 6, characterized in that: The expandable modular antenna also includes an identity self-identification module.

8. The expandable modular antenna according to claim 7, wherein: The self-identification module comprises an RFID tag (12), and the RFID tag (12) is arranged on the same layer as the feeding network.

9. The expandable modular antenna according to claim 2, wherein: The radiation unit comprises a radiation patch (4), the radiation patch (4) is arranged on a first PCB substrate (2), the second PCB substrate (9) is provided with a metal ground (11), and a short-circuit metal column (6) is connected between the radiation patch (4) and the metal ground (11).

10. The expandable modular antenna according to claim 8, wherein: The current-stage antenna feeding network (1) adopts a constant-amplitude feeding network with a 90° phase difference, and the cascade feeding network (10) adopts a constant-amplitude power splitting network.

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