Antenna assembly and antenna
By integrating the substrate, radiating unit, phase shifter module, and reflector into a single unit, the problem of complex and costly 5G antenna assembly has been solved, achieving high integration, lightweight design, and efficient production.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423140007.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-19
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-14
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing 5G antenna designs suffer from complex assembly, high costs, and low production efficiency, especially due to the complex assembly process and excessive costs caused by the separate design of the radiating element and phase shifter module.
The antenna adopts an integrated design of substrate, radiating unit, phase shifter module and reflector. The substrate is made of polymer material and the reflector has a baffle to form a cavity. It has a high degree of integration. The substrate has weight reduction holes. The antenna assembly includes a power divider network and a calibration board.
It achieves high integration, lightweight, and low cost of antennas, simple assembly, high production efficiency, stable performance, and reduces assembly errors and production costs.
Smart Images
Figure CN223552698U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and more particularly to an antenna assembly and antenna. Background Technology
[0002] With the advent of the 5G era in communication technology, the demand for MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) antennas is increasing. Compared to the number of antennas in a 4G antenna array, the number of 5G antennas may increase exponentially. Therefore, low-weight, low-cost, high-efficiency, and integrated antenna designs are crucial to solving this problem. As is well known, the main components of an antenna include radiating elements, power divider networks (the network form is not limited to 1to1, but can also be 1toN), phase shifters, reflectors, and calibration boards. These components are generally designed as separate units, assembled together using methods such as riveting, welding, and screws. This assembly process is complex, has low precision, and low production efficiency. Furthermore, traditional radiating elements are mainly metal or PCB vibrators, and phase shifter carriers are mainly metal cavities or PCBs. For large-scale array antennas, this leads to excessively high costs.
[0003] Therefore, how to improve the technical defects existing in the prior art has always been a problem that ordinary people skilled in the art need to solve. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide an antenna assembly and antenna that are low in cost, highly integrated, easier to assemble, and have high production efficiency.
[0005] The technical solution provided in this application is as follows:
[0006] An antenna assembly, comprising:
[0007] Substrate, radiating unit, phase shifter module, and reflector;
[0008] Both the radiating unit and the phase shifter module are mounted on the substrate, and the radiating unit is provided between two adjacent phase shifter modules; the reflector is located below the substrate, and a baffle is provided on one end face of the reflector facing the substrate, and the baffle and the substrate together form a cavity that can accommodate the phase shifter module.
[0009] In some embodiments, the substrate is made of a polymer material with a stable dielectric constant, and the substrate, the radiating unit, and the phase shifter module are integrally formed.
[0010] In some embodiments, the radiating units are arranged in rows on the substrate, and the radiating units are arranged in rows along the length of the substrate, with the phase shifter module provided on both sides of each row of radiating units.
[0011] In some embodiments, the radiating unit includes an orthogonal first circuit board and a second circuit board, wherein the first circuit board and the second circuit board are provided with a guide plate component on the side away from the substrate.
[0012] In some embodiments, the circuits on the first circuit board and the second circuit board are directly formed on the first circuit board and the second circuit board by electroplating or laser engraving radiation forming process.
[0013] In some embodiments, the reflector has a connecting portion at its edge for docking with the substrate; or, the reflector and the substrate are integrally formed.
[0014] In some embodiments, the antenna assembly further includes:
[0015] A power divider network, wherein the output of the power divider network is electrically connected to the feed line of the radiating unit, and the input of the power divider network is electrically connected to the output of the phase shifter module;
[0016] and / or
[0017] An antenna calibration board, the output of which is electrically connected to the input of the phase shifter module.
[0018] In some embodiments, the substrate, the radiating unit, the phase shifter module, and the power divider network are integrally formed, and the radiating unit, the phase shifter module, and the power divider network are located on the same side or different sides of the substrate.
[0019] In some embodiments, the substrate and the radiating unit are provided with a plurality of weight-reducing holes.
[0020] This application also provides an antenna, including: the antenna assembly provided in any of the above embodiments.
[0021] The technical advantages of this application are as follows:
[0022] 1. In this application, the reflector is provided with a baffle, which can serve as both the radiation boundary of a single radiating element and the grounding feature of the phase shifter module. The structure is more reasonable and has a high utilization rate, which is conducive to the high integration of the antenna, saves space, simplifies assembly, and increases production efficiency.
[0023] 2. In this application, the substrate is made of a polymer material with a stable dielectric constant, which makes the antenna lighter overall without affecting the antenna performance and reduces the production cost.
[0024] 3. In this application, the radiating unit, phase shifter module, power divider network and substrate are integrally formed, which is conducive to the integration of the antenna and the overall structure is more stable, making assembly simpler and greatly improving accuracy and production efficiency.
[0025] 4. In this application, all antenna components are integrated on the substrate. Without affecting the radiation performance and structural stability, weight reduction holes are opened on the substrate and the radiating unit, which is more conducive to the lightweight production of the antenna. Attached Figure Description
[0026] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:
[0027] Figure 1 This is a structural disassembly diagram of the antenna assembly provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0028] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a single-module antenna assembly provided in one embodiment of the present application in one state;
[0029] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a single radiating unit provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0030] Figure 4 This is a side view of an antenna assembly provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0031] Figure 5 This is a side view of an antenna assembly provided in another embodiment of this application;
[0032] Figure 6 This is a microstrip network distribution diagram provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the cable welding between the phase shifter module and the antenna calibration board provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0034] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a single-module antenna assembly in one state provided in another embodiment of this application;
[0035] Figure 9 This is a line graph showing the antenna return loss of the antenna assembly provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0036] Figure 10 This is a line graph showing the antenna isolation of the antenna assembly provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0037] Figure 11 This is an average gain curve of the antenna assembly provided in one embodiment of this application.
[0038] Explanation of icon numbers:
[0039] 100. Substrate; 110. Phase shifter module; 120. Power divider network;
[0040] 200, Radiation unit; 210, First circuit board; 220, Second circuit board; 230, Feeder line; 240, Director piece assembly;
[0041] 300. Reflector; 310. Retaining wall; 320. Connecting part;
[0042] 400. Antenna calibration board;
[0043] 500, weight reduction hole;
[0044] 600. Cables. Detailed Implementation
[0045] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods have been omitted so as not to obscure the description of this application with unnecessary detail.
[0046] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the specific implementation methods of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0047] To keep the drawings concise, each figure only schematically shows the parts relevant to the utility model, and these do not represent the actual structure of the product. Furthermore, for ease of understanding, in some figures, only one of the components with the same structure or function is schematically depicted, or only one is labeled. In this document, "one" not only means "only one," but can also mean "more than one."
[0048] It should also be further understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.
[0049] In this document, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.
[0050] In the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, the directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, and back) used to explain the structure and movement of the various devices of this application are relative rather than absolute. These descriptions are appropriate when the devices are in the positions shown in the drawings. If the description of the positions of the devices changes, these directional indications also change accordingly.
[0051] Furthermore, in the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0052] According to a specific embodiment provided in this application, see [link to specific embodiment]. Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 An antenna assembly includes a substrate 100, radiating elements 200, phase shifter modules 110, and a reflector 300. Both the radiating elements 200 and the phase shifter modules 110 are mounted on the substrate 100, and a radiating element 200 is positioned between two adjacent phase shifter modules 110. The reflector 300 is located below the substrate 100, and a baffle 310 is provided on one end of the reflector 300 facing the substrate 100. The baffle 310 and the substrate 100 together form a cavity for accommodating the phase shifter modules 110. In this case, the reflector 300 and its baffle 310 can serve as grounding features for the phase shifter modules 110. Since a radiating element 200 is positioned between two adjacent phase shifter modules 110, the baffle 310, as a main structure within the cavity of the phase shifter module 110, can also be distributed on both sides of the radiating element 200, thus serving as the radiation boundary of a single radiating element 200.
[0053] In this embodiment, the reflector 300 and its upper retaining wall 310 can serve as both the radiation boundary of the single radiating element 200 and the grounding feature of the phase shifter module 110. This structure has high utilization, which is beneficial for the high integration of the antenna, saves overall antenna space, simplifies assembly, and increases production efficiency. The substrate 100 is preferably made of a polymer material with a stable dielectric constant, such as a plastic substrate 100. This allows for a lighter overall antenna without affecting antenna performance and reduces production costs.
[0054] For example, see Figure 4 The substrate 100 and the reflector 300 are separate structures. The reflector 300 has a connecting part 320 on its edge for docking with the substrate 100. The connecting part 320 is fixed to the substrate 100 by means of rivets, press riveting, or hot melting. The radiation unit 200 and the phase shifter module 110 are mounted on the substrate 100, and the substrate 100 has a clearance structure that allows the barrier 310 to pass from below the substrate 100 to above the substrate 100.
[0055] In actual production, see Figure 5 The reflector 300 and the substrate 100 can also be integrated into a single structure. Specifically, the reflector 300 retaining wall 310 and the substrate 100 are injection molded together, and then a metal plating layer is applied to the side and bottom surfaces of the substrate 100 to serve as the radiation boundary of the antenna array. In this embodiment, the integrated structure of the reflector 300 and the substrate 100 eliminates the need for separate installation steps, reduces assembly errors, and simplifies and improves assembly accuracy.
[0056] Furthermore, the substrate 100, radiating element 200, and phase shifter module 110 can also be integrally molded, which further simplifies the installation steps of the entire antenna, reduces production costs, increases integration, simplifies assembly, and improves production efficiency.
[0057] Of course, in actual production, the substrate 100 may also include other integrally formed fasteners, such as reinforcing ribs, limiting holes or press-fit posts, which will not be described in detail here, and are all within the protection scope of this application.
[0058] Specifically, the radiating units 200 are molded and arranged in rows and columns on the substrate 100. The radiating units 200 are arranged in rows along the length of the substrate 100 and in columns along the width of the substrate 100. Each row of radiating units 200 has a phase shifter module 110 on both sides, so that the barrier 310 acts as the radiation boundary of a single radiating unit 200.
[0059] Specifically, see Figure 3 The radiating unit 200 may optionally be provided with a guide plate component 240, which is responsible for guiding the signal and ensuring that the signal can be effectively transmitted and received. The guide plate component 240 and the radiating unit 200 may be integrally formed or separately formed, and the shape of the guide plate component 240 may be rectangular, circular, polygonal or other irregular shapes, which are not limited here and are all within the protection scope of this application.
[0060] In one example embodiment, see Figure 2 and Figure 3The radiating unit 200 includes an orthogonal first circuit board 210 and a second circuit board 220, with a guide piece 240 disposed on the side of the first circuit board 210 and the second circuit board 220 away from the substrate 100. The first circuit board 210 and the second circuit board 220 use plastic sheets as substrates, and the required circuitry, such as radiating arms, baluns, and feed lines 230, is directly processed on both sides of the two orthogonal plastic sheets using electroplating or laser engraving radiation forming processes.
[0061] Of course, in actual production, the lines on the radiation unit 200 are not limited to laser engraving or electroplating. Other forms, such as dielectric microstrips, air microstrips or striplines, can also be used. No restrictions are imposed here, and all are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0062] Conversely, the phase shifter module 110 can use an integrally molded plastic substrate 100 as the phase shifter carrier, and the phase shifting lines on it can be directly formed at the corresponding positions on the plastic substrate 100 through electroplating or laser engraving radiation molding processes. Of course, the phase shifting lines are not limited to laser engraving or electroplating; other forms can also be used, such as dielectric microstrips, air microstrips, or striplines. Furthermore, in actual production, the placement of the phase shifter module 110 is not limited to one method; it can be placed horizontally or vertically. Further details are omitted here, as all of these are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0063] In one specific embodiment, see Figure 6 The antenna assembly may also include a power divider network 120. The output of the power divider network 120 is electrically connected to the feed line 230 of the radiating element 200, ensuring that the signal can be transmitted from the power divider network 120 to each radiating element 200, achieving effective signal transmission and reducing reflection and loss. Simultaneously, the input of the power divider network 120 is electrically connected to the output of the phase shifter module 110, which is used to adjust the phase of the signal to achieve phase control of each element in the antenna array. The connection between the output of the phase shifter module 110 and the input of the power divider network 120 must ensure electrical continuity to ensure that the phase-adjusted signal can be transmitted to the power divider network 120 without loss, improving antenna performance.
[0064] Preferably, the substrate 100, radiating element 200, phase shifter module 110, and power divider network 120 are integrally formed, and the radiating element 200, phase shifter module 110, and power divider network 120 can be located on the same side or different sides of the substrate 100. Specifically, the phase shifter module 110 is placed on the front, which saves space, reduces the coupling between the power divider network 120 and the phase shifter module 110, improves electrical performance, and reduces antenna weight.
[0065] In actual production, the power distribution network 120 can be directly formed on the substrate 100 by electroplating or laser engraving radiation forming process. Other forms, such as dielectric microstrip, air microstrip or stripline, can also be used. These will not be elaborated here, but are all within the protection scope of this application.
[0066] Specifically, see Figure 1 and Figure 7 The antenna assembly may also include an antenna calibration board 400. The output of the antenna calibration board 400 is electrically connected to the input of the phase shifter module 110 via a cable 600. The electrical connection can be either coupling or DC, which will not be elaborated here, as both are within the scope of this application. Preferably, the antenna input is soldered using the cable 600, which makes the layout more flexible and reduces costs.
[0067] The antenna assembly disclosed in this application adopts an integrated design of plastic substrate 100, which not only improves production efficiency, but also makes the antenna lighter overall, and the performance of the antenna is not affected, thus having the advantages of low cost and high precision.
[0068] For details, please refer to Figure 9-10 The line graph showing the antenna performance is shown. Figure 9 The figure shows a line graph of the return loss of the antenna disclosed in this application under different operating frequency bands. Antenna return loss is one of the key indicators for measuring the passive performance of an antenna. It refers to the ratio of the power reflected back by the RF input signal to the power of the input signal. It is usually expressed in decibels (dB) and is a negative number. The lower the value of the return loss, the better the performance of the antenna, because it means that less power is reflected and more power is received or radiated by the antenna. Figure 10 The figure shown is a line graph of the isolation of the antenna disclosed in this application under different operating frequency bands. Antenna isolation refers to the degree of mutual influence between a pair of antennas in a multi-antenna system. It measures the ratio of the signal transmitted by one antenna to the signal received by another antenna to the signal of the transmitting antenna. The higher the isolation, the less signal interference, and the higher the quality and efficiency of signal transmission. Figure 11 The figure shows the average gain curves of the antenna disclosed in this application in different radiation directions. Average gain usually refers to the average radiated power gain of the antenna in its main radiation direction. It is an important parameter for measuring the antenna's radiation capability. The higher the gain, the greater the power density radiated by the antenna in that direction, and the farther the signal coverage range.
[0069] As can be seen, the antenna assembly provided in this application adopts a one-piece design with a plastic substrate 100, which is lighter while still ensuring antenna performance. As a preferred option, see [reference needed]. Figure 8Without affecting radiation performance and structural stability, weight reduction holes 500 can be opened on the substrate 100 and the radiating element 200 to make the antenna lighter overall.
[0070] Based on the antenna assembly disclosed in this application, the antenna network has ample layout space, high structural utilization, and the empty space on the plastic substrate 100 can be provided with weight-reduction holes 500, effectively reducing the antenna weight. Furthermore, the output end of the antenna calibration board 400 is electrically connected via cable 600, making the layout more flexible and stable. More importantly, the integrated molding of the antenna assembly simplifies assembly, greatly improving accuracy and production efficiency.
[0071] This application also discloses an antenna, including the antenna assembly provided in any of the above embodiments, which has advantages such as low weight, low cost, high efficiency, and integration.
[0072] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.
[0073] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of this application, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.
Claims
1. An antenna assembly, characterized in that, include: Substrate, radiating unit, phase shifter module, and reflector; Both the radiation unit and the phase shifter module are mounted on the substrate, and the radiation unit is provided between two adjacent phase shifter modules; The reflector is located below the substrate, and a baffle is provided on one end of the reflector facing the substrate. The baffle and the substrate together form a cavity that can accommodate the phase shifter module.
2. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate is made of a polymer material with a stable dielectric constant, and the substrate, the radiating unit, and the phase shifter module are integrally formed.
3. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The radiating units are arranged in rows on the substrate, and the radiating units are arranged in rows along the length of the substrate. Each row of radiating units has a phase shifter module on both sides.
4. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The radiating unit includes an orthogonal first circuit board and a second circuit board, and a guide plate component is provided on the side of the first circuit board and the second circuit board away from the substrate.
5. The antenna assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, The circuits on the first circuit board and the second circuit board are directly formed on the first circuit board and the second circuit board through electroplating or laser engraving radiation forming process.
6. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflector is provided with a connecting part on its edge for docking with the substrate; or, the reflector and the substrate are integrally formed.
7. The antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Also includes: A power divider network, wherein the output of the power divider network is electrically connected to the feed line of the radiating unit, and the input of the power divider network is electrically connected to the output of the phase shifter module; and / or An antenna calibration board, the output of which is electrically connected to the input of the phase shifter module.
8. The antenna assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, The substrate, the radiating unit, the phase shifter module, and the power divider network are integrally formed, and the radiating unit, the phase shifter module, and the power divider network are located on the same side or different sides of the substrate.
9. The antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The substrate and the radiating unit are provided with a plurality of weight-reducing holes.
10. An antenna, characterized in that, include: The antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1-9.