A direction finding antenna

Abstract

The utility model discloses a direction finding antenna, include: direction finding antenna unit is by the PCB medium base plate, metal enclosure and radio frequency connector are constituteed, direction finding antenna array is by N the direction finding antenna unit even arrangement with 360 DEG / N angle interval constitutes, wherein: the PCB medium base plate is multilayer board, contains multilayer copper layer, the bottom copper layer of PCB medium base plate and metal enclosure are pasted / pressing through welding or conductive material and form the whole structure, the outer conductor of radio frequency connector is fixed in metal enclosure, and the inner conductor is welded to the feed band line of PCB medium base plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of radio monitoring and direction finding technology, specifically to a direction finding antenna. Background Technology

[0002] Radio monitoring and direction finding refers to the activities of detecting, searching for, and intercepting radio signals within a radio management area, and analyzing, identifying, monitoring, and acquiring technical information such as technical parameters, operating characteristics, and radiation location of these signals. It is an important and effective means of implementing radio management and a crucial branch of radio spectrum management. With rapid economic and technological development, various radio services have permeated all aspects of social and economic life, and are widely used in broadcasting, television, mobile communications, and aerospace. The frequency coverage of major radio signals ranges from 20MHz to 18GHz, and even higher millimeter-wave bands.

[0003] Currently, there are many types of radio monitoring and direction-finding equipment, mainly including fixed stations, vehicle-mounted stations, portable, handheld, and backpack types. The required antenna coverage frequency bands mainly include 20MHz-1.300GHz, 1.3GHz-3GHz, 3GHz-8GHz, and 8GHz-18GHz. Multiple antennas are typically used to achieve full-band coverage, with combiners or switches used to connect or switch between antennas. Especially in high-end applications, achieving good direction-finding performance requires very small antenna array apertures. However, excessively small antenna array apertures severely compress the size of individual antennas, making them difficult to engineer. Furthermore, ensuring consistency between antennas is challenging, negatively impacting direction-finding performance. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a direction-finding antenna in order to solve the technical problems existing in the background art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A direction-finding antenna, comprising:

[0007] The direction-finding antenna unit consists of a PCB substrate, a metal frame, and an RF connector.

[0008] The direction-finding antenna array is composed of N direction-finding antenna elements evenly arranged at angular intervals of 360° / N.

[0009] in:

[0010] The PCB substrate is a multilayer board containing multiple copper layers;

[0011] The bottom copper layer of the PCB dielectric substrate and the metal frame are welded or glued / pressed together to form an integral structure;

[0012] The outer conductor of the RF connector is fixed to a metal frame, and the inner conductor is soldered to the feed line of the PCB dielectric substrate.

[0013] In some embodiments, in the PCB dielectric substrate, the antenna radiator, the coupling feed line, and the metal ground occupy two copper layers, and the antenna feed line occupies at least two copper layers.

[0014] In some embodiments, the antenna radiator and the coupled feed line are distributed on the first copper layer, and the coupled feed line is electrically connected to the feed line through a metallized via.

[0015] In some embodiments, the antenna feed line is a radio frequency transmission line, including microstrip lines, striplines, or coplanar waveguides (CPWs), etc.

[0016] One end of the feed line is connected to the coupling feed line, and the other end is connected to the inner conductor of the RF connector.

[0017] In some embodiments, the antenna radiator is composed of four rectangular copper sheets of the same shape, and the coupling feed line is located in the middle region of the four rectangular copper sheets.

[0018] In some embodiments, the metal frame is an integrally formed structure with raised partitions on its left and right sides.

[0019] In some embodiments, the outer conductor of the RF connector is fixed to a metal frame by screws.

[0020] In some embodiments, the direction-finding antenna array is an ultra-wideband design with an operating frequency range of 8-18 GHz.

[0021] In some embodiments, N is an integer greater than or equal to 6.

[0022] In some embodiments, when N=7, the outer diameter of the direction-finding antenna array is less than 60mm.

[0023] The beneficial effects that a direction-finding antenna disclosed in this application may bring include, but are not limited to:

[0024] 1. Breakthrough in ultra-miniaturization of high-frequency band

[0025] The single antenna unit adopts an integrated structure of PCB dielectric substrate + metal frame, and is formed into a whole by soldering / conductive adhesive layer, eliminating the assembly error of traditional discrete components;

[0026] The 7-element array has a diameter of less than 60mm, which is more than 40% smaller than traditional arrays, meeting the rigid requirements for small array apertures in the 8-18GHz high-frequency band.

[0027] 2. Ultra-wideband performance stability

[0028] The innovative "four-radiator + coupled feeding" topology, combined with the secondary radiation enhancement effect of the raised partition, is achieved across the entire 8-18GHz frequency band.

[0029] 3. Strong scalability

[0030] By scaling the PCB (1) and frame (2) dimensions proportionally, it can be adapted to higher frequency bands of 6-40GHz;

[0031] It supports flexible array configuration with N≥6 elements (such as 6 / 7 / 8 elements), and there is no need to redesign a single antenna when expanding the number of array elements. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the direction-finding antenna provided in this application embodiment under a 7-element direction-finding antenna array implementation;

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the front structure of the direction-finding antenna provided in the embodiment of this application under a single antenna implementation;

[0034] Figure 3 This is a front view of the direction-finding antenna provided in the embodiments of this application under a single-antenna implementation.

[0035] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the back structure of the direction-finding antenna provided in the embodiment of this application under a single antenna implementation;

[0036] Figure 5 This is a rear view of the direction-finding antenna provided in the embodiments of this application under a single-antenna implementation.

[0037] Figure 6 A front view of the direction-finding antenna PCB provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 7 A rear view of the direction-finding antenna PCB provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] The numbers in the diagram are: 1-PCB substrate, 2-metal frame, 3-RF connector, 4-metal bracket, 5-protruding partition, 6-antenna radiator, 7-coupled feed line, 8-connecting line, 9-antenna feed line. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0041] Conversely, this application covers any substitutions, modifications, equivalent methods, and schemes made within the spirit and scope of this application as defined in the claims. Furthermore, to provide the public with a better understanding of this application, certain specific details are described in detail below. However, this application can be fully understood by those skilled in the art even without these detailed descriptions.

[0042] like Figure 1-7 As shown, a direction-finding antenna includes: a direction-finding antenna unit consisting of a PCB dielectric substrate 1, a metal frame 2, an antenna radiator 6, a coupling feed line 7, a metal ground and an RF connector 3, and a direction-finding antenna array consisting of N direction-finding antenna units evenly arranged.

[0043] The PCB substrate is a multilayer board (multilayer copper layer). The antenna radiator, coupling feed line, and metal ground occupy two copper layers. The bottom copper layer of the PCB substrate and the metal frame are welded or bonded / pressed together by connecting lines 8 to form an integral structure. The antenna feed line 9 (such as microstrip line and stripline) occupies at least two copper layers. The metal frame is a one-piece design with raised partitions 5 on both sides to improve antenna performance. The outer conductor of the RF connector is fixed to the metal frame with screws, and the inner conductor is welded to the feed line on the PCB copper layer. The bottom copper layer of the PCB substrate and the metal frame are formed as a whole by welding or bonding / pressing with conductive materials. The inner core of the RF connector is welded to... Figure 7 The antenna is fed through the antenna feed line 9, and together they form a complete direction-finding antenna unit.

[0044] like Figure 6 and 7 The antenna radiator 6 is fed through the coupling feed line 7, which is electrically connected to the bottom antenna feed line 9 through a metallized via, and then connected to the RF connector to finally feed the direction finding antenna.

[0045] This invention uniformly combines the direction-finding antenna elements into a direction-finding antenna array to achieve the direction-finding function of radio signals. According to antenna theory, when a metallic object with a wavelength comparable to the antenna's coverage frequency exists around the antenna, the metallic object will generate parasitic radiation (secondary radiation), thus affecting the antenna's performance. Figure 2 In this design, the raised sides of the metal frame utilize this theory to improve the antenna's radiation pattern performance.

[0046] In some embodiments, the PCB dielectric substrate is a multilayer board (multilayer copper layer), with the antenna radiator, coupling feed line and metal ground occupying two copper layers, and the antenna feed line (such as microstrip line and stripline line, etc.) occupying at least two copper layers.

[0047] In some embodiments, the antenna radiator and the coupling feed line are distributed on the first copper layer, and the coupling feed line is electrically connected to the feed line through a metallized via. Then, an RF connector is connected to ultimately feed the direction-finding antenna.

[0048] In some embodiments, the antenna feed line can be any radio frequency transmission line, including microstrip lines, striplines, and CPW (coplanar waveguides), etc. One end of the transmission line (the inner core of the equivalent coaxial line) is connected to the coupled feed line on the first copper layer of the antenna, and the other end (the outer conductor of the equivalent coaxial line) is connected to the metal ground of the antenna.

[0049] In some embodiments, the first copper layer of the PCB dielectric substrate is composed of four rectangular copper sheets of the same shape, and the coupling feed line is located in the middle of the four rectangular copper sheets.

[0050] In some embodiments, the direction-finding antenna is formed by welding or bonding / pressing conductive materials together to form a whole, consisting of the bottom copper layer of the PCB dielectric substrate and the metal frame.

[0051] In some embodiments, the metal frame is a one-piece design with partitions on the left and right sides to improve antenna performance. The outer conductor of the RF connector is fixed to the metal frame with screws, and the inner conductor is soldered to the feed line on the copper layer of the PCB.

[0052] In some embodiments, the direction finding array is formed by rotating N PCB antennas at an angle of 360° / N to form an N-element direction finding antenna array. The direction finding antennas and the direction finding antenna array are ultra-wideband designs with a frequency range of 8-18 GHz.

[0053] In some embodiments, when the direction-finding antennas are uniformly arranged into a 7-element direction-finding antenna array, the direction-finding antenna array is mounted by a metal bracket 4 and the outer diameter is less than 60mm.

[0054] 1) The present invention discloses a direction-finding antenna for use in radio direction-finding systems, covering 8-18GHz. The antenna is small in size and modular in design, and can be arbitrarily combined into an N-element direction-finding antenna array.

[0055] 2) The direction-finding antenna disclosed in this utility model can be proportionally enlarged or reduced to form direction-finding antennas for other frequency bands.

[0056] 3) The direction-finding antenna disclosed in this utility model uses a PCB + metal frame + RF connector design, which can ensure the stability of antenna performance in the 8-18GHz range.

[0057] 4) The present invention discloses a direction-finding antenna that supports the formation of a 6-element or more-element direction-finding antenna array.

[0058] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A direction-finding antenna, characterized in that, include: The direction-finding antenna unit includes a PCB dielectric substrate (1), a metal frame (2), and an RF connector (3). The direction-finding antenna array is composed of N direction-finding antenna elements evenly arranged at angular intervals of 360° / N. in: The PCB substrate (1) is a multilayer board containing multiple copper layers; The bottom copper layer of the PCB dielectric substrate (1) is connected to the metal frame (2) to form an integral structure; The outer conductor of the radio frequency connector (3) is fixed to the metal frame (2), and the inner conductor is connected to the antenna feed line (9) of the PCB dielectric substrate (1).

2. The direction-finding antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the PCB dielectric substrate (1), the antenna radiator (6), the coupling feed line (7) and the metal ground of the direction-finding antenna unit occupy two copper layers, and the antenna feed line (9) occupies at least two copper layers.

3. The direction-finding antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The antenna radiator (6) and the coupled feed line (7) are distributed on the first copper layer, and the coupled feed line (7) is electrically connected to the feed line (9) through a metallized via.

4. The direction-finding antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The antenna feed stripline (9) is a radio frequency transmission line, including microstrip lines, striplines or coplanar waveguides; One end of the feed line (9) is connected to the coupling feed line (7), and the other end is connected to the inner conductor of the RF connector.

5. The direction-finding antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that: The antenna radiator (6) is composed of four rectangular copper sheets of the same shape, and the coupling feed line (7) is located in the middle area of ​​the four rectangular copper sheets.

6. The direction-finding antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal frame (2) is an integrally formed structure, with raised partitions (5) on its left and right sides.

7. The direction-finding antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer conductor of the radio frequency connector (3) is fixed to the metal frame (2).

8. The direction-finding antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The direction-finding antenna array is an ultra-wideband design with an operating frequency range of 8-18 GHz.

9. The direction-finding antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: N is an integer greater than or equal to 6.

10. The direction-finding antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: When N=7, the direction finding antenna array is mounted by a metal bracket (4) and the outer diameter is less than 60mm.

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