Antenna device, radio frequency transceiving device and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to an antenna device, a radio frequency transceiving device and a vehicle. Wherein the antenna device comprises a first layer; a second layer; wherein the first layer comprises a first surface and a second surface located on the back side of the first surface, and the first layer further comprises a plurality of antennas penetrating through the first surface and the second surface; the second face faces the second layer, and a space between the second face and a third face of the second layer provides a gap waveguide structure; the space is provided with a plurality of protruding elements, the back faces of which can form a magnetic conductor, the plurality of protruding elements surrounding and defining a first area on the second face and forming an electromagnetic band gap, and a metal strip, the back faces of which can form a magnetic conductor for cooperating with a third face forming an electrical conductor, a gap waveguide is formed that propagates along the first region.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to antenna devices, radio frequency transceivers, and vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Common waveguide designs, such as microstrip line waveguides and coplanar waveguides (CPWs), can be implemented on printed circuit boards (PCBs), resulting in compact antenna structures. However, such structures are difficult to apply to millimeter-wave and Asia-Pacific Hertz (APH) frequency bands due to their high losses. Therefore, some existing solutions use hollow waveguides for millimeter-wave and APH communication transmission, but hollow waveguides are difficult to integrate.

[0003] To overcome the above problems, one existing improvement approach is to use substrate integrated waveguides (SIWs). However, this approach still requires a dielectric substrate, which results in significant dielectric loss.

[0004] To address the above issues, one solution in this field is to employ a gap waveguide (GW) approach, a novel electromagnetic transmission and shielding technology based on the principle of non-contact electromagnetic band gap. Under certain conditions, a periodic electromagnetic structure is used to form an electromagnetic band gap (EBG) that does not require physical contact, and the electromagnetic band gap characteristics of the EBG are used to construct waveguide or shielding structures.

[0005] The basic principle model of the gap is the parallel plate ideal electric conductor-ideal magnetic conductor (PEC-PMC) model. An infinitely large PEC and PMC plane are placed parallel to each other and do not contact each other. According to Maxwell's equations and boundary conditions, when the distance d between the PEC and PMC planes and the operating wavelength λ satisfy λ>4d, the solution to the wave equation between the two planes has no propagation mode, thus forming a frequency bandgap and constituting an EBG structure. PMC structures do not exist in nature. Typically, specific periodic structures are used to form equivalent artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) surfaces to replace PMCs. The most typical examples are metal nail beds composed of periodic metal protrusion arrays and substrate-type gap waveguide structures constructed using mushroom patch arrays.

[0006] Typical gap waveguide structures include Groove Gap Waveguide (GGW), Ridge Gap Waveguide (RGW), Micro-strip Ridge Gap Waveguide (MRGW), and Inverted Micro-strip Gap Waveguide (IMGW).

[0007] Among these four typical structures, the slot-gap waveguide operates differently from the other three. In the slot-gap waveguide, the slot gap acts like a rectangular waveguide, meaning the internal field distribution is similar, and the dominant transmission mode is the quasi-TE10 mode. The RGW uses a metal ridge and a non-contact PEC plane above to form a two-conductor transmission structure, with a PEC-AMC as the electromagnetic shielding structure. Its transmission characteristics are similar to a microstrip line, and the dominant transmission mode is the quasi-TEM mode. The MRGW and IMGW are essentially similar to the RGW. When a substrate-type AMC is used in conjunction with a microstrip ridge structure, the RGW can evolve into an MRGW, also known as a substrate RGW. The IMGW structure is similar to the RGW, constructed by placing a microstrip line without a metal backing on the AMC plane. The upper PEC plane does not contact the microstrip line, and it can be considered an inverted microstrip or suspended microstrip line in an AMC package form.

[0008] In one approach, such as Chinese patent application CN117712674A, filed on March 15, 2024, entitled "Antenna Device, RF Transceiver Device, Vehicle, and Assembly Method," the applicant is Shanghai Hella Electronics Co., Ltd., and the publication date is March 15, 2024, an antenna device is described. This approach achieves the functions of the radiating layer and back cavity layer described in the prior art through a single-layer structure, eliminating the need for a stacked structure and making the antenna device compact and easy to integrate while meeting millimeter-wave transmission requirements. However, the inventors have discovered that the above approach has room for further miniaturization and improvement in system integration. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the inventors found that the antenna device 10a using the above scheme is not conducive to the overall layout of the radar due to the use of an end-feed structure, and also requires a large space to run out of the feed line.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need in the art for an antenna device, a radio frequency transceiver device, a vehicle, and an assembly method that, while meeting the transmission requirements of millimeter waves, improves the integration of the waveguide antenna device and makes the system structure more compact. Utility Model Content

[0010] The technical problem to be solved by this application is to improve the integration of waveguide antenna devices and make the system structure more compact while meeting the transmission requirements of millimeter waves.

[0011] An antenna device according to a first aspect of this application includes: a first layer; a second layer; wherein the first layer includes a first surface and a second surface located on the back side of the first surface, and the first layer further includes a plurality of antennas penetrating the first surface and the second surface; the second surface faces the second layer, and a gap waveguide structure is provided in the space between the second surface and a third surface of the second layer; the space is provided with a plurality of protruding elements and a metal strip, the back side of the protruding elements being capable of forming a magnetic conductor, the plurality of protruding elements surrounding and defining a first region on the second surface to form an electromagnetic bandgap, the back side of the protruding elements being capable of forming a magnetic conductor for cooperating with the third surface constituting an electrical conductor to form a gap waveguide propagating along the first region; the metal strip is located within the first region defined by the plurality of protruding elements, one end of the metal strip corresponds to the middle portion of the plurality of antennas, and the other end of the metal strip is coupled to a waveguide chip port, such that power is fed in from the middle portion of the plurality of antennas.

[0012] The advantages of using the antenna device described above include, but are not limited to, the structure in which one end of the metal strip corresponds to the middle part of the plurality of antennas and the other end of the metal strip is coupled to the waveguide chip port, so that the power is fed from the middle part of the plurality of antennas. This realizes a center-fed structure for the antenna, which is beneficial to the layout of the antenna device in the radio frequency transceiver device, making its structure compact and easy to arrange in a relatively small space. For example, for automotive millimeter-wave radar, the antenna device is easy to lay out on the radar PCB, making its structure compact and saving development costs.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the antenna device, the plurality of antennas includes a plurality of antennas arranged in a straight line in a first direction, the extension direction of the metal strip is a second direction, the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, one end of the metal strip in the second direction corresponds to the middle portion of the plurality of antennas, and the other end of the metal strip in the second direction is coupled to a waveguide chip port.

[0014] In one or more embodiments of the antenna device, the first layer and the second layer are planar structures, and the protruding elements include a bed of metal nails, and / or a metal wall, and / or a mushroom patch.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of the antenna device, at least a portion of the plurality of antennas are horn antennas, with the larger end of the horn antenna located on the first surface and the smaller end of the horn antenna located on the second surface.

[0016] In one or more embodiments of the antenna device, the space between the second surface and the third surface of the second layer provides a rectangular waveguide structure, and the horn antenna is a rectangular waveguide horn antenna.

[0017] In one or more embodiments of the antenna device, the boundaries of a first region defined by a plurality of protruding elements are arranged surroundably around the outside of the plurality of antennas, the metal strip, and the waveguide chip port.

[0018] In one or more embodiments of the antenna device, the metal strip includes a metal ridge, or includes a microstrip or a hollow slot.

[0019] A radio frequency transceiver device according to a second aspect of this application includes an antenna device as described in the first aspect.

[0020] In one or more embodiments of the radio frequency transceiver, the radio frequency transceiver includes a radar, the radio frequency transceiver includes a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board providing the third surface.

[0021] A vehicle according to a third aspect of this application includes an antenna device as described in the first aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna device according to an embodiment of this application from a certain viewpoint;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna device according to an embodiment of this application from another perspective;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna device according to an embodiment of this application from another viewpoint;

[0026] Figure 4 This is an antenna azimuth pattern of an antenna device according to an embodiment of this application at 76.5 GHz;

[0027] Figure 5 This is an antenna elevation pattern of an antenna device according to an embodiment of this application at 76.5 GHz;

[0028] Figure 6 This is the standing wave curve of antenna S11 of an antenna device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the PCB layout for an antenna device using a comparative design.

[0030] Figure label:

[0031] 10-Antenna Device

[0032] 1-First Layer

[0033] 11-First Page

[0034] 12-Second page

[0035] 13-Middle Line

[0036] 3-antenna

[0037] 30-Middle section

[0038] 31-Horn Antenna

[0039] 2-Second Layer

[0040] 21-Third page

[0041] 40-space

[0042] 41-Protruding element

[0043] 410-Metal Nail Bed

[0044] 411-Metal Wall

[0045] 412 - Back side of protruding component

[0046] 42-Metal strip

[0047] 420-Metal Ridge

[0048] 421 - One end of the metal strip

[0049] 422 - The other end of the metal strip

[0050] 43-First Zone

[0051] 431 - Boundary of the First Region

[0052] 5-Waveguide chip port

[0053] 6-First Axis

[0054] 100-RF transceiver

[0055] 101 - Printed Circuit Board. Detailed Implementation

[0056] The present application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the aspects described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application in any way.

[0057] The following description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement and use this application and incorporate it into specific application contexts. Various variations and uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein are applicable to a wide range of embodiments. Therefore, this application is not limited to the embodiments given herein, but should be granted the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of this application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that practice of this application is not necessarily limited to these specific details. In other words, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form without detailed representation to avoid obscuring this application.

[0058] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0059] The antenna devices described below are used in radio frequency (RF) transceivers, such as those used in radar, especially millimeter-wave radar for vehicles, but are not limited thereto. RF transceivers can also be used in radio base stations for cellular access networks, microwave radio link transceivers for backhaul to core networks, and satellite transceivers for communication with satellites in orbit. As long as they can transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals, the antenna devices described below can be used to make the RF transceiver compact and easy to assemble.

[0060] refer to Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the antenna device 10 includes a first layer 1 and a second layer 2. The first layer 1 includes a first surface 11 providing a surface and a second surface 12 located on the back side of the first surface 11. The first layer 1 also includes a plurality of antennas 3 penetrating the first surface 11 and the second surface 12.

[0061] The second surface 12 faces the second layer 2, and the space 40 between the second surface 12 and the third surface 21 of the second layer 2 provides a gap waveguide structure. The third surface 21 can be a metal surface that is already present in the RF transceiver device itself, such as a metal layer on the PCB of a millimeter-wave radar, such as a copper-plated area, which can provide a PEC as a gap waveguide structure without the need for additional processing of the third surface.

[0062] Space 40 is provided with a plurality of protruding elements 41 and metal strips 42. The back side of the protruding elements 41 can form a magnetic conductor. The plurality of protruding elements 41 surround and define the first region 43 on the second side to form an electromagnetic band gap. The back side of the protruding elements 41 can form a magnetic conductor to cooperate with the third side 21 that forms an electrical conductor to form a gap waveguide that propagates along the metal strips 42 in the first region 43.

[0063] The specific structure of the prominent element 41, as described above in the structure constituting the gap waveguide, uses a specific periodic structure to form an equivalent artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) surface instead of the PMC. The most typical examples are a metal bed of nails 410 composed of a periodic array of metal protrusions and a mushroom patch array; here, the bed of nails structure is used as an example. The bed of nails can be a cube or a cylinder. A cylindrical bed of nails is easier to manufacture. This bed of nails encloses a waveguide cavity structure, that is, the aforementioned enclosing and defining the first region 43. Additionally, as... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the structure of the protruding element 41 may also include a metal wall 411, such as Figures 1 to 3 In the structure shown that encloses and defines the first region 43, the first layer of enclosure may be provided by a metal nail bed 410, and the second layer of enclosure may be provided by a metal wall 411 outside the first layer of enclosure, but this is not a limitation; for example, the first and second layers of enclosure may be provided solely by the metal nail bed 410. (See reference) Figures 1 to 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the boundary 431 of the first region 43 defined by the plurality of protruding elements 41 surrounds the outside of the plurality of antennas 3, the metal strip 42 and the waveguide chip port 5, thereby further optimizing the gain effect of the antenna device.

[0064] The metal strip 42 here should be interpreted broadly; specifically, it can be... Figures 1 to 3As shown, the structure of the metal strip 42 is a metal ridge 420, which constitutes a ridge gap waveguide (RGW). Its advantage lies in the fact that using a ridge gap waveguide for the feed line not only reduces the feed line width but also facilitates coupling and feeding with the waveguide chip port 5. However, this is not a limitation. For example, the metal strip 42 can also be a microstrip to constitute a micro-strip ridge gap waveguide (MRGW) or an inverted micro-strip gap waveguide (IMGW). The metal strip 42 can also be a smooth surface, i.e., a hollow slot, in which case it constitutes a groove gap waveguide (GGW). The specific waveguide principle can be found in the background section of this application. For example, for a ridge gap waveguide, the nail bed structure is periodically arranged, and its upper surface can be considered as an AMC structure. Within a certain frequency range, this structure has high impedance characteristics, preventing electromagnetic waves from propagating along its surface. The metal ridge and the non-contact PEC plane above form a two-conductor transmission structure, with PEC-AMC serving as the electromagnetic shielding structure. The transmission characteristics are similar to a microstrip line, and the dominant transmission mode is a quasi-TEM mode. The high-impedance surface (the back surface 412 of the protruding element 41) can be considered as an ideal magnetic conductor PMC, and the bottom metal plate (the second layer) is an ideal electrical conductor PEC. When the gap height between the lower surface of the nail bed and the bottom metal layer is less than a quarter wavelength, there is no field that can propagate between PEC and PMC. Therefore, the electromagnetic field can only propagate along the extension direction of the metal strip 42. It can be understood that, according to the principle of constructing a gap waveguide structure, the distance between the back surface 412 of the protruding element and the third surface 21 needs to be less than a quarter wavelength.

[0065] The meaning of antenna 3 here is similar to its usual meaning in this field, such as... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the specific structure of antenna 3 can be a horn antenna 31. The larger end of the horn antenna 31 is located on the first surface 11, and the smaller end is located on the second surface 12. The space 40 between the second surface 12 and the third surface 21 of the second layer 2 provides a rectangular waveguide structure. The horn antenna 31 is a rectangular waveguide horn antenna. The beneficial effect of using a horn antenna is that it increases the antenna aperture and improves the antenna gain. It can be understood that the number of antennas 3 is not limited to the four shown in the figure. The number of horn antennas depends on the gain of the radar antenna and the elevation beamwidth requirements. If a higher antenna gain and a narrower elevation beamwidth are desired, the number of horn antennas can be increased. It can be understood that the antenna structure used is not limited to horn antennas; other antenna structures that meet the requirements can also be used, which will not be elaborated here.

[0066] Alternatively, the first layer here can be a pure metal layer, making the first and second surfaces metallic, or it can be a non-metallic substrate with a metallic coating on its surface. Furthermore, the first surface 11, the second surface 12, and the third surface 21 can be flat structures, but are not limited thereto; for example, they can also be structures that are at least partially curved.

[0067] Continue to refer to Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the metal strip 42 is located within the first region 43 defined by a plurality of protruding elements 41. One end 421 of the metal strip corresponds to the middle portion 30 of the plurality of antennas 3, and the other end 422 of the metal strip is coupled to the waveguide chip port 5, so that power is fed in from the middle portion 30 of the plurality of antennas 3.

[0068] The meaning of the middle part 30 here refers to the middle part of the arrangement direction of multiple antennas 3. For example, for the four horn antennas 31 shown in the figure, one end 421 of the metal strip corresponds to the position of the axis of symmetry of the four horn antennas 31.

[0069] The meaning of waveguide chip port 5 here is that it is the port for receiving or transmitting signals on the waveguide chip. The entire waveguide chip can integrate multiple antenna devices 10. For specific structures, you can refer to TI's Lauchon package (LOP) chip, but it is not a limitation.

[0070] The advantages of the antenna device scheme described above include, but are not limited to, the structure in which one end of the metal strip corresponds to the middle part of multiple antennas and the other end of the metal strip is coupled to the waveguide chip port, so that the power is fed from the middle part of multiple antennas. This realizes an antenna-centered power feeding structure, which is beneficial to the layout of the antenna device in the RF transceiver device, making its structure compact and easy to arrange in a relatively small space. For example, for automotive millimeter-wave radar, the antenna device is easy to lay out on the radar PCB, making its structure compact and saving development costs.

[0071] Continue to refer to Figures 1 to 3As shown, in some embodiments, the distribution structure of the antenna 3 and the metal strip 42 can be such that multiple antennas 3 are arranged in a straight line in the first direction. Here, "straight line arrangement" means that the axes 32 of the multiple antennas 3 arranged in the first direction coincide. The extension direction of the metal strip 42 is the second direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. One end 421 of the metal strip in the second direction corresponds to the middle portion 30 of the multiple antennas 3, and the other end 422 of the metal strip in the second direction is coupled to the waveguide chip port 5. This relatively perpendicular structure makes full use of the space of the first and second layers in both directions, preventing excessive size in one direction from affecting the spatial arrangement. In some embodiments, the first layer 1 and the second layer 2 are planar structures, with the metal strip 42 extending along the first axis 6. The first axis 6 substantially coincides with the centerline 13 of the first layer 1 in the first direction. The multiple antennas 3 arranged in the first direction are axially symmetrically distributed about the centerline 13. This results in better antenna gain.

[0072] It can be understood that the above expressions "substantially perpendicular" and "substantially coincident" include strict perpendicularity and coincidence, or allowance for certain processing and assembly errors.

[0073] Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 Separated for Figures 1 to 3 The antenna azimuth plane pattern, antenna elevation plane pattern, and S11 standing wave curve of the antenna device 10 shown in the embodiment.

[0074] like Figure 4 The azimuth pattern of the antenna device at the 76.5 GHz frequency point, as shown, meets the requirements for angle detection.

[0075] refer to Figure 5 As shown, the sidelobe level of the antenna elevation plane is below -20dB, which meets the requirement that the radar antenna sidelobe level design should be less than -15dB.

[0076] refer to Figure 6 The S11 standing wave curve of the antenna is shown. From this curve, it can be seen that the -10dB operating bandwidth of the antenna is 76GHz-77.7GHz, which meets the operating bandwidth range of the vehicle's radar.

[0077] As described above, this application also provides a radio frequency transceiver device 100, including the antenna device 10 as described in the above embodiments. In some embodiments, the radio frequency transceiver device 100 includes a printed circuit board 101, which provides a third surface 21. The advantage of this is that the bottom metal layer (i.e., the second layer 2) is shared with the metal layers on the PCB board of the radio frequency transceiver device, reducing the manufacturing cost of radio frequency transceivers such as automotive radar.

[0078] In summary, the beneficial effects of employing the above-described antenna device, RF transceiver, vehicle, and assembly method include, but are not limited to, the structure where one end of a metal strip corresponds to the middle portion of multiple antennas, and the other end of the metal strip is coupled to the waveguide chip port, allowing power to be fed from the middle portion of multiple antennas. This achieves an antenna-centric feeding structure, which facilitates the layout of the antenna device within the RF transceiver, making its structure compact and easy to arrange in relatively confined spaces. For example, for automotive millimeter-wave radar, the antenna device is easily placed on the radar's PCB, resulting in a compact structure and reduced development costs. This achieves improved integration of the waveguide antenna device while meeting millimeter-wave transmission requirements, resulting in a compact system structure.

[0079] The preceding description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. However, it should be understood that the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the appended claims and should not be limited to the specific structures and components of the embodiments described above. Various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of this application, and these changes and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. An antenna device (10), characterized in that, include: First layer (1); Second layer (2); The first layer (1) includes a first surface (11) and a second surface (12) located on the back side of the first surface (11). The first layer (1) also includes a plurality of antennas (3) penetrating the first surface (11) and the second surface (12). The second surface (12) faces the second layer (2), and the space (40) between the second surface (12) and the third surface (21) of the second layer (2) provides a gap waveguide structure; The space (40) is provided with a plurality of protruding elements (41) and a metal strip (42). The back side of the protruding elements (41) can form a magnetic conductor. The plurality of protruding elements (41) surround and define a first region (43) on the second surface to form an electromagnetic band gap. The back side of the protruding elements (41) can form a magnetic conductor to cooperate with the third surface (21) that forms an electric conductor to form a gap waveguide that propagates along the first region (43). The metal strip (42) is located within the first region (43) defined by a plurality of protruding elements (41), one end (421) of the metal strip corresponds to the middle portion (30) of the plurality of antennas (3), and the other end (422) of the metal strip is coupled to the waveguide chip port (5), so that power is fed from the middle portion (30) of the plurality of antennas (3).

2. The antenna device (10) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of antennas (3) includes a plurality of antennas (3) arranged in a straight line in a first direction. The extension direction of the metal strip (42) is a second direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. One end (421) of the metal strip in the second direction corresponds to the middle part (30) of the plurality of antennas (3), and the other end (422) of the metal strip in the second direction is coupled to the waveguide chip port (5).

3. The antenna device (10) as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first layer (1) and the second layer (2) are flat structures, and the protruding element (41) includes a metal nail bed (410), and / or a metal wall (411), and / or a mushroom patch.

4. The antenna device (10) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, At least some of the antennas (3) are horn antennas (31), with the large end of the horn antenna (31) located on the first surface (11) and the small end of the horn antenna (31) located on the second surface (12).

5. The antenna device (10) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, The space (40) between the second surface (12) and the third surface (21) of the second layer (2) provides a rectangular waveguide structure, and the horn antenna (31) is a rectangular waveguide horn antenna.

6. The antenna device (10) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The boundary (431) of the first region (43) defined by multiple protruding elements (41) surrounds the outside of the multiple antennas (3), the metal strip (42) and the waveguide chip port (5).

7. The antenna device (10) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The metal strip (42) includes a metal ridge (420) or a microstrip, hollow groove.

8. A radio frequency transceiver (100), characterized in that, Includes the antenna device (10) as described in any one of claims 1-6.

9. The radio frequency transceiver (100) of claim 8 includes a radar, the radio frequency transceiver (100) including a printed circuit board (101) providing the third surface (21).

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the antenna device (10) as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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