Antenna of a ship-borne satellite communication terminal and ship-borne satellite communication terminal

Abstract

An antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal and the shipborne satellite communication terminal are provided. The antenna of the shipborne satellite communication terminal comprises a multi-layer antenna array arranged in layers from top to bottom, and the multi-layer antenna array comprises: a first antenna array located at the uppermost layer, the first antenna array comprising one or more antenna elements; and a plurality of lower-layer antenna arrays located below the uppermost-layer antenna array, each lower-layer antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements distributed along a circumference; wherein each antenna element in each lower-layer antenna array has an included angle with a reference plane, and the plurality of included angles corresponding to the plurality of lower-layer antenna arrays gradually increase from less than 90° to more than 90° from top to bottom, wherein the reference plane is a plane perpendicular to a central normal line of the antenna, and the included angle is an included angle between a surface of the antenna element and the reference plane facing the central normal line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and specifically to antennas for shipborne satellite communication terminals and shipborne satellite communication terminals. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, shipborne satellite communication terminals typically use several small microstrip antennas assembled on a metal plate of limited size. Due to the mutual coupling between the near-field regions of each microstrip antenna, the performance of each microstrip antenna deteriorates in the low elevation range. Utility Model Content

[0003] To alleviate, reduce or eliminate the above-mentioned technical problems, this disclosure provides an antenna for a shipborne satellite communication terminal and a shipborne satellite communication terminal.

[0004] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides an antenna for a shipborne satellite communication terminal, the antenna comprising a multi-layer antenna array arranged in layers from top to bottom, the multi-layer antenna array comprising:

[0005] The first antenna array is located at the top layer, and the first antenna array includes one or more antenna elements;

[0006] A multi-layer lower antenna array is located below the uppermost antenna array. Each lower antenna array includes multiple antenna elements distributed along the circumference.

[0007] In each lower layer antenna array, the antenna element has an angle with the reference plane. The multiple angles corresponding to the multiple lower layer antenna arrays gradually increase from less than 90° to greater than 90° from top to bottom. The reference plane is a plane perpendicular to the center normal of the antenna, and the angle is the angle between the surface of the antenna element and the reference plane facing the center normal.

[0008] Secondly, this disclosure provides a shipborne satellite communication terminal, including the antenna described in the first aspect.

[0009] It should be understood that the utility model description section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the more detailed description of some embodiments thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0012] Figure 2 A side view schematic diagram of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0013] Figure 3 A side view schematic diagram of an antenna array element according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0014] Figure 4 A top view schematic diagram of an antenna array element according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the single-point feed VSWR of an antenna array element without a 90-degree phase-shifting network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0016] Figure 6A A schematic diagram of the transmit left-hand gain direction of an antenna array element according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 6B A schematic diagram of the receiving left-hand gain direction of an antenna array element according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 7A A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at the transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz when the scanning angle is 0 degrees is shown.

[0019] Figure 7B A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz with a scanning angle of 0 degrees is shown.

[0020] Figure 7C A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at the receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz when the scanning angle is 0 degrees is shown.

[0021] Figure 7D A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz when the scanning angle is 0 degrees is shown.

[0022] Figure 8A A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz when the scanning angle is 60 degrees is shown.

[0023] Figure 8B A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz with a scanning angle of 60 degrees is shown.

[0024] Figure 8C A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz when the scanning angle is 60 degrees is shown.

[0025] Figure 8D A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz with a scanning angle of 60 degrees is shown.

[0026] Figure 9A A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at the transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz when the scanning angle is 120 degrees is shown.

[0027] Figure 9B A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz with a scanning angle of 120 degrees is shown.

[0028] Figure 9C A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz when the scanning angle is 120 degrees is shown.

[0029] Figure 9D A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz with a scanning angle of 120 degrees is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not impose any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in ways other than those described below.

[0031] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0032] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," etc., herein indicate that the described embodiment may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment needs to include specific features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an exemplary embodiment, whether explicitly described or not, those skilled in the art will recognize that such feature, structure, or characteristic affects its application to other embodiments.

[0033] It should be understood that while the terms “first” and “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various objects, these objects should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one object from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. The term “and / or” as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0034] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” used herein also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “a group of elements” or “a collection of elements” as used herein are intended to include one or more elements. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “possessing,” “including,” and / or “comprising,” when used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0035] As used herein, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more of the following:

[0036] (a) Implemented only in hardware circuitry (e.g., implemented only in analog and / or digital circuitry)

[0037] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

[0038] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware; and

[0039] (ii) Any part of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor), software, and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions, and

[0040] (c) Hardware circuitry and / or processors, such as microprocessors or a portion thereof, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when the software is not required to operate.

[0041] The definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term herein, including in any claim. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuit" also includes implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors in general) or a portion thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuit" also includes, for example, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing network devices, if applicable to a particular claim element.

[0042] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), New Radio (NR), Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), and future sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to satellite communication systems as well as terrestrial communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, future types of communication technologies and systems will naturally exist, and embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented using these technologies and systems. The scope of this disclosure should not be considered limited to the aforementioned systems.

[0043] As used herein, the term "satellite network device" refers to a node located on a satellite or ground segment within a satellite communication network. Terminal devices access the network and receive services through this node. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a satellite network device can refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP) that serves as a satellite payload, such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Header (RH), a Remote Radio Header (RRH), or a relay node. An example of a relay node can be an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node. The Distributed Unit (DU) portion of an IAB node can perform the functions of a "satellite network device" and therefore can operate as a network device. In the following description, the terms "satellite network device," "BS," and "node" are used interchangeably.

[0044] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not a limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). This terminal device may include, but is not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop installed devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless subscriber equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, relay nodes, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node can perform the functions of a "terminal device" and therefore can operate as a terminal device. In the following description, the terms "terminal device," "communication device," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0045] While the functions described herein may be implemented in fixed and / or wireless network nodes in various exemplary embodiments, in other exemplary embodiments, they may be implemented in user equipment devices (such as cellular phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, mobile IoT devices, or fixed IoT devices). For example, the user equipment device may suitably have the corresponding capabilities described in relation to fixed and / or wireless network nodes. The user equipment device may be user equipment and / or control devices, such as chipsets or processors, configured to control the user equipment when it is installed therein. Examples of these functions include boot server functions and / or home subscriber servers, which may be implemented in the user equipment device by providing the user equipment device with software configured to cause the user equipment device to perform from the perspective of these functions / nodes.

[0046] Figure 1 An exemplary communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The communication network 100 includes a satellite network device 110 and terminal devices 120A and 120B served by the satellite network device 110. Terminal devices 120A and 120B may also be collectively referred to as terminal device 120. The communication network 100 may provide a service cell 130 to serve terminal devices 120A and 120B. Figure 1 In this example, as a satellite communication network, communication network 100 also includes ground station 140, gNB 150, next-generation core network NGC 160, and data network 170. The satellite communication network may include low-Earth orbit (LEO), medium-Earth orbit (MEO), or geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites.

[0047] Ground station 140 acts as a gateway, connecting non-terrestrial networks and public data networks. gNB 150 acts as an access network, connecting ground station 140 to the core network NGC 160. NGC 160 can also connect to data network 170 to provide, for example, internet content services. It will be understood that communication network 100 is not required to include... Figure 1 All elements shown in the table.

[0048] In some embodiments, the satellite network device 110 can function as a base station to communicate with terminal devices 120A and 120B, or it can function as a transparent forwarding node to transmit signals sent by the ground station 140 to the terminal devices 120A and 120B. In the former case, the satellite network device 110 possesses all or part of the functions of a base station. For example, the satellite network device 110 can be a gNB or a gNB-DU, and the satellite network device 110 with gNB functionality can have an inter-satellite link (ISL) or not. In the case of a transparent forwarding node, the satellite network device 110 only performs transparent forwarding.

[0049] It should be understood that the number of satellite network devices 110, terminal devices 120A and 120B, and serving cell 130 is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to impose any limitation. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of satellite network devices, terminal devices, and serving cells suitable for implementing embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that the terms "cell" and "serving cell" are used interchangeably herein.

[0050] In the communication network 100, satellite network device 110 can transmit data and control information to terminal devices 120A and 120B, and terminal devices 120A and 120B can also transmit data and control information to satellite network device 110. The link from satellite network device 110 to terminal devices 120A and 120B is called a downlink (DL) or forward link, while the link from terminal device 120 to satellite network device 110 is called an uplink (UL) or reverse link.

[0051] Communication in communication network 100 can conform to any suitable standard, but is not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, communication can be performed according to any generation of communication protocols currently known or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols.

[0052] In some situations, such as in severe weather with large winds and waves, the low elevation angle performance of shipborne antennas is poor when the ship's tilt angle is large, resulting in unstable communication and affecting the adaptability of shipborne satellite communication terminals to dynamic changes in ship attitude, thus failing to fully meet the actual needs of shipborne satellite communication terminals.

[0053] This disclosure provides an antenna for a shipborne satellite communication terminal. Through a multi-layer antenna array arranged from top to bottom, the angle between the antenna elements and the reference plane in the multi-layer antenna array gradually increases from less than 90° to greater than 90° from top to bottom, thereby improving the low elevation angle performance of the shipborne antenna when the ship tilts at a large angle.

[0054] Figure 2 A side view schematic diagram of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the antenna 200 of the shipborne satellite communication terminal includes a multi-layer antenna array arranged in layers from top to bottom. The multi-layer antenna array includes a first antenna array 210 at the top layer and multiple lower-layer antenna arrays below the top layer. Each lower-layer antenna array includes multiple antenna elements 201 distributed along a circumference. Each antenna element 201 in each lower-layer antenna array has an angle with a reference plane P. The multiple angles corresponding to the multiple lower-layer antenna arrays gradually increase from less than 90° to greater than 90° from top to bottom. The reference plane P is a plane perpendicular to the central normal N of the antenna 200, and the angle is the angle between the surface of the antenna element 201 and the reference plane P facing the central normal N. In some embodiments, the number of antenna elements in each lower-layer antenna array is the same, improving the gain of the antenna 200.

[0055] It should be noted that the multiple included angles corresponding to the multiple lower antenna arrays gradually increase from top to bottom. This can be because the multiple included angles corresponding to the multiple lower antenna arrays gradually increase from top to bottom in an arithmetic sequence, or it can be because the multiple included angles corresponding to the multiple lower antenna arrays gradually increase from top to bottom irregularly. The multiple lower antenna arrays may also include multiple antenna arrays with the same included angles.

[0056] The first antenna array 210 includes one or more antenna elements 201. In some embodiments, the antenna elements 201 in the first antenna array 210 are parallel to the reference plane P, reducing the height of the antenna 200. In some embodiments, the antenna elements 201 in the first antenna array 210 are uniformly distributed with the central normal N as the central axis of symmetry, improving the gain of the antenna 200.

[0057] In a multi-layer lower-level antenna array, antenna elements are uniformly distributed along corresponding circumferences, and the diameters of the multiple circumferences corresponding to the multi-layer lower-level antenna array increase from top to bottom and then decrease. In some embodiments, the multi-layer lower-level antenna array includes a third antenna array 230. The third angle between the antenna element 201 in the third antenna array 230 and the reference plane P is 90°, and the diameter of the circumference where the third antenna array 230 is located is the largest. It should be noted that the diameter of the circumference where the antenna array is located in this document corresponds to the diameter of the circumference where the center line of the antenna element in the antenna array is located.

[0058] In some embodiments, the multi-layer lower antenna array further includes a second antenna array 220 and a fourth antenna array 240. The second antenna array 220 is located above the third antenna array 230, and the second angle between the antenna element 201 in the second antenna array 220 and the reference plane P is less than 90°. The fourth antenna array 240 is located below the third antenna array 230, and the second angle between the antenna element 201 in the fourth antenna array 240 and the reference plane P is greater than 90°. The difference between the third angle and the second angle is greater than the difference between the fourth angle and the third angle, and the diameter of the circumference of the second antenna array is smaller than the diameter of the circumference of the fourth antenna array. By optimizing the spacing between the antenna arrays, the overall physical size of the antenna 200 is reduced.

[0059] In one exemplary embodiment, the fourth included angle is 95°. The gain of antenna 200 is improved in the range of 90°-120° along its normal by the third antenna array 230 and the fourth antenna array 240.

[0060] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A schematic diagram of antenna array elements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Please refer to... Figure 3 and Figure 4The antenna array element 201 includes a base plate 211, a first radiating plate 212, a second radiating plate 213, a dielectric layer 214, a coupling plate 215, and a feed line 216. The first radiating plate 212 is located above the base plate 211. The second radiating plate 213 is located on the side of the first radiating plate 212 away from the base plate 211. The dielectric layer 214 at least fills the space between the second radiating plate 213 and the first radiating plate 212. The coupling plate 215 is located on the side of the second radiating plate 213 away from the base plate 211. The feed line 216 connects the coupling plate 215 and the base plate 211 through vias in the second radiating plate 213, the dielectric layer 214, and the first radiating plate 212, and the feed line 216 is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the coupling plate 215. In some embodiments, the connection point between the feed line 216 and the coupling plate 215 is located at the center of the coupling plate 215. The inner walls of the vias on the first radiating plate 212 and the second radiating plate 213 have gaps with the feed line 216, while the inner walls of the vias on the dielectric layer 214 are in direct contact with the feed line 216. The dielectric layer 214 can be fixedly connected to the base plate 211 by means of fixing screws 217.

[0061] The base plate 211 serves as the reflector of the antenna element, the dielectric layer 214 as the resonator, the radiating plate as the radiating body, and the coupling plate 215 as a capacitive load to increase the bandwidth of the antenna element. Vias allow the feed energy to be transferred to the radiating plate. Using capacitive coupling feed improves the matching performance of the antenna element and mitigates the problem of decreased active VSWR caused by coupling in an array environment.

[0062] In some embodiments, the relative permittivity of the dielectric layer 214 is 5-10. Exemplarily, the relative permittivity of the dielectric layer 214 can be 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc., and ranges between these values. Using a microstrip antenna with a high permittivity dielectric as the element of the antenna array, and employing coupled feeding, these two measures make the antenna element smaller than the resonant size, thus reducing the overall size of the antenna element.

[0063] In some embodiments, a dielectric layer is also filled between the first radiating plate 212 and the base plate 211. The relative permittivity of the dielectric layer between the first radiating plate 212 and the base plate 211 can be 5-10. The double-layer high-dielectric-constant microstrip structure can improve resonant efficiency, broaden bandwidth, reduce return loss, improve the overall efficiency of the antenna array elements, and effectively improve the performance of low profile and high gain. It is understood that the dielectric layer between the first radiating plate 212 and the base plate 211 can be the same as or different from the dielectric layer between the first radiating plate 212 and the second radiating plate 213.

[0064] In some embodiments, the coupling plate 215 includes a first coupling plate 2151 and a second coupling plate 2152. The first orthographic projection A of the center of the first coupling plate 2151 on the base plate 211 is located on the X-axis, and the second orthographic projection B of the center of the second coupling plate 2152 on the base plate 211 is located on the Y-axis. The triangle OAB formed by connecting the first orthographic projection A, the second orthographic projection B, and the third orthographic projection O of the center of the second radiating plate 213 on the base plate 211 is an isosceles right triangle, where the third orthographic projection O is the origin where the X-axis and Y-axis intersect. In triangle OAB, side AB is the hypotenuse, and the two right-angled sides OA and OB are of equal length. By setting the relative positions of the first coupling plate 2151 and the second coupling plate 2152, the power supply performance is improved.

[0065] The first coupling plate 2151 and the second coupling plate 2152 are respectively connected to a feed line. The two feed lines can provide circularly polarized radiation for the antenna array elements through phase configurations of 0° and 90°.

[0066] In some embodiments, the centers of the base plate 211, the first radiating plate 212, the dielectric layer 214, and the second radiating plate 213 are each located on a straight line perpendicular to the base plate 211. The antenna array element has a central axis of symmetry with the center normal of the base plate 211 as its central axis of symmetry, thereby improving the gain of the antenna array element.

[0067] In one exemplary embodiment, the base plate 211 has dimensions of 60mm × 60mm × 2mm and is made of aluminum. The dielectric layer 214 has dimensions of 50mm × 50mm × 3.2mm. The coupling piece 215 has dimensions of Ф10mm × 1.0mm. Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the single-point feed standing wave ratio (VSWR) of an antenna array element without a 90-degree phase-shifting network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6A A schematic diagram of the transmit left-hand gain direction of an antenna array element according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6B A schematic diagram of the receiving left-hand gain direction of an antenna array element according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. From Figure 5 It can be seen that the antenna array elements have two distinct resonant frequency bands, and the antenna body is in a good resonant state. From Figure 6A and Figure 6B It can be seen that the normal gain of the antenna array elements in both the transmit and receive bands is greater than 5dBi, which is a good performance.

[0068] It is understandable that the structure of the antenna array element 201 in antenna 200 is not limited to... Figure 3 and Figure 4 The illustrated embodiment.

[0069] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 2In one exemplary embodiment, the antenna 200 includes a first antenna array 210, a second antenna array 220, a third antenna array 230, and a fourth antenna array 240 arranged in layers from top to bottom, totaling 40 antenna elements 201. The height of the antenna 200 is 172 mm.

[0070] The first antenna array 210 includes four antenna elements 201, which are uniformly distributed with each element rotated 90 degrees around the central normal N as the central axis of symmetry. The four antenna elements 201 in the first antenna array 210 are parallel to the reference plane P.

[0071] The second antenna array 220 includes 12 antenna elements 201, which are uniformly distributed along a circumference with a diameter of 294 mm. The second angle between the 12 antenna elements 201 in the second antenna array 220 and the reference plane P is 60°.

[0072] The third antenna array 230 includes 12 antenna elements 201, which are uniformly distributed along a circumference with a diameter of 340 mm. The 12 antenna elements 201 in the third antenna array 230 form a third angle of 90° with the reference plane P.

[0073] The fourth antenna array 240 includes 12 antenna elements 201, which are uniformly distributed along a circumference with a diameter of 328 mm. The second angle between the 12 antenna elements 201 in the fourth antenna array 240 and the reference plane P is 95°.

[0074] In this exemplary embodiment, the antenna 200 achieves a large-angle scan of 0-120° with low elevation performance. Figures 7, 8, and 9 show schematic diagrams of the transmit / receive gain direction and axial ratio curves of the antenna 200 at scan angles of 0 degrees, 60 degrees, and 120 degrees. Figure 7A A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at the transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz when the scanning angle is 0 degrees is shown. Figure 7B A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz with a scanning angle of 0 degrees is shown. Figure 7C A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at the receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz when the scanning angle is 0 degrees is shown. Figure 7D A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz when the scanning angle is 0 degrees is shown. Figure 8AA schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz when the scanning angle is 60 degrees is shown. Figure 8B A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz with a scanning angle of 60 degrees is shown. Figure 8C A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz when the scanning angle is 60 degrees is shown. Figure 8D A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz with a scanning angle of 60 degrees is shown. Figure 9A A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at the transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz when the scanning angle is 120 degrees is shown.

[0075] Figure 9B A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curve of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a transmission center frequency of 1.521 GHz with a scanning angle of 120 degrees is shown. Figure 9C A schematic diagram of the gain direction of the antenna of a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz when the scanning angle is 120 degrees is shown. Figure 9D A schematic diagram of the axial ratio curves of an antenna for a shipborne satellite communication terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure at a receiving center frequency of 1.671 GHz with a scanning angle of 120 degrees is shown. As can be seen from the figure, the antenna gain is greater than 14 dBi at a scanning angle of 0 degrees; greater than 13 dBi at a scanning angle of 60 degrees; and can reach over 12.5 dBi at a scanning angle of 120 degrees. The antenna exhibits good gain within a 120-degree range along the normal, which can meet the rolling requirements of ships at sea within a range of 30 degrees laterally and fore and aft.

[0076] This disclosure also provides a shipborne satellite communication terminal, which includes... Figure 2 Antenna 200 is shown.

[0077] While several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0078] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological behavior, it should be understood that this disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or behaviors described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for implementing the claims.

[0079] It should be fully understood that the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices generally considered to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to the user.

Claims

1. An antenna for a shipborne satellite communication terminal, said antenna comprising a multi-layer antenna array arranged in layers from top to bottom, characterized in that, The multi-layer antenna array includes: The first antenna array is located at the top layer, and the first antenna array includes one or more antenna elements; A multi-layer lower antenna array is located below the uppermost antenna array. Each lower antenna array includes multiple antenna elements distributed along the circumference. In each lower layer antenna array, the antenna element has an angle with the reference plane. The multiple angles corresponding to the multiple lower layer antenna arrays gradually increase from less than 90° to greater than 90° from top to bottom. The reference plane is a plane perpendicular to the center normal of the antenna, and the angle is the angle between the surface of the antenna element and the reference plane facing the center normal.

2. The antenna as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The antenna elements in the multi-layer lower antenna array are uniformly distributed along the corresponding circumferences, and the diameters of the multiple circumferences corresponding to the multi-layer lower antenna array increase from top to bottom and then decrease.

3. The antenna as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The multi-layer lower-layer antenna array includes: The third antenna array has an antenna element that forms a third angle of 90° with the reference plane, and the diameter of the circle containing the third antenna array is the largest.

4. The antenna as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The multi-layer lower-layer antenna array also includes: The second antenna array is located above the third antenna array, and the second angle between the antenna elements in the second antenna array and the reference plane is less than 90°. The fourth antenna array is located below the third antenna array, and the antenna elements in the fourth antenna array have a fourth angle greater than 90° with the reference plane. Wherein, the difference between the third included angle and the second included angle is greater than the difference between the fourth included angle and the third included angle, and the diameter of the circumference where the second antenna array is located is smaller than the diameter of the circumference where the fourth antenna array is located.

5. The antenna as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The second included angle is 60°, and the fourth included angle is 95°.

6. The antenna as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The antenna elements in the first antenna array are parallel to the reference plane.

7. The antenna as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that, The antenna elements in the first antenna array are uniformly distributed with the central normal as the central axis of symmetry.

8. The antenna as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The number of antenna elements in each of the lower-level antenna arrays is the same.

9. The antenna as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The antenna array elements include: Base plate; The first radiating plate is located above the base plate; The second radiating sheet is located on the side of the first radiating sheet away from the base plate; A dielectric layer is at least filled between the second radiating sheet and the first radiating sheet; A coupling plate is located on the side of the second radiating plate away from the base plate; and The feed line connects the coupling plate and the base plate through the second radiating plate, the dielectric layer and the vias on the first radiating plate, and the feed line is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the coupling plate.

10. The antenna as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, The coupling plate includes a first coupling plate and a second coupling plate. The first orthographic projection of the center of the first coupling plate on the base plate is located on the X-axis, and the second orthographic projection of the center of the second coupling plate on the base plate is located on the Y-axis. The triangle formed by connecting the first orthographic projection, the second orthographic projection, and the third orthographic projection of the center of the second radiating plate on the base plate is an isosceles right triangle, wherein the third orthographic projection is the origin where the X-axis and the Y-axis intersect.

11. The antenna as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, The inner walls of the vias on the first and second radiating sheets have gaps with the feed wire, and the inner walls of the vias on the dielectric layer are in direct contact with the feed wire.

12. The antenna as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, The relative permittivity of the dielectric layer is 5-10.

13. The antenna as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, The connection point between the feed line and the coupling plate is located at the center of the coupling plate.

14. The antenna as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, The centers of the base plate, the first radiating sheet, the dielectric layer, and the second radiating sheet are each located on a straight line perpendicular to the base plate.

15. A shipborne satellite communication terminal, characterized in that, The antenna includes any one of claims 1-14.

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