A foldable terminal device capable of satellite communication

Abstract

The application relates to a foldable terminal device capable of satellite communication, which comprises a plurality of device bodies and a rotating shaft connecting adjacent device bodies, the terminal device being folded along the rotating shaft; an antenna array comprises a plurality of antenna units, at least two device bodies being provided with the antenna units; a plurality of beamforming chips are used for beamforming corresponding antenna units; at least two device bodies are provided with the beamforming chips; a baseband is located in one of the device bodies and is connected with the beamforming chips; a radio frequency link is used for transmitting radio frequency signals between the baseband and the beamforming chips; wherein the radio frequency link comprises a flexible cable penetrating through the rotating shaft and used for transmitting radio frequency signals between different device bodies; a hard cable provided in the same device body and used for transmitting radio frequency signals in the same device body; the equivalent dielectric constants of the flexible cable and the hard cable are the same; and the total length of the radio frequency link between the baseband and the beamforming chips is the same.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of radio frequency technology, and in particular to a foldable terminal device capable of satellite communication. Background Technology

[0002] Satellite communication is a technology that uses artificial Earth satellites as relay stations to enable communication between users on the ground, in the air, and at sea. Existing small terminals with built-in antennas have less than ideal radiation efficiency, limiting them to narrowband satellite communication services such as short message or voice calls at frequencies below 6 GHz. High-performance phased array antennas, on the other hand, are bulky and difficult to integrate into ordinary electronic devices, especially smartphones where size and surface area are limited. Therefore, with the increasing demand for satellite communication from users, integrating phased array antennas into small terminals has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned issues and enable satellite communication for terminal devices, this application proposes a foldable terminal device capable of satellite communication.

[0004] The foldable terminal device includes: multiple device bodies and a hinge connecting adjacent device bodies, the terminal device folding along the hinge; an antenna array including multiple antenna elements, with at least two of the device bodies containing the antenna elements; multiple beamforming chips for beamforming the corresponding antenna elements; at least two of the device bodies containing the beamforming chips; a baseband located within one of the device bodies and connected to each of the beamforming chips; and a radio frequency (RF) link for transmitting RF signals between the baseband and each of the beamforming chips; wherein the RF link includes: a flexible cable passing through the hinge for transmitting the RF signals between different device bodies; and a rigid cable disposed within the same device body for transmitting the RF signals within the same device body; wherein the equivalent dielectric constant of the flexible cable and the rigid cable is the same; and the total length of the RF link between the baseband and each of the beamforming chips is the same.

[0005] By distributing multiple antenna elements of the antenna array within at least two main bodies of a foldable terminal device, when the terminal device is unfolded, the antenna elements on each main body can work together to form an equivalent antenna array of a larger area (i.e., a complete phased array antenna), significantly improving antenna gain and directivity, thereby supporting direct broadband satellite communication. Simultaneously, the terminal device's size is reduced in its folded state, improving portability and flexibility of use.

[0006] By ensuring that the equivalent dielectric constant of the flexible cable is the same as that of the rigid cable, and by ensuring that the total length of the RF link between the baseband and each beamforming chip is consistent, the phase mismatch between beamforming chips caused by the cross-shaft connection of the RF link is eliminated, providing a stable and synchronous RF signal reference for beamforming, thereby ensuring that the large-scale antenna array can still achieve accurate and efficient beamforming in the folded form. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1(a) is a schematic diagram of the foldable terminal device for satellite communication proposed in this application.

[0008] Figure 1(b) is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1(a) along line AA'.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a rigid cable according to an embodiment of this application.

[0010] Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are schematic diagrams of the structure of a flexible cable according to an embodiment of this application.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the two-fold topology connection of a foldable terminal device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the three-fold topology connection of a foldable terminal device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the six-channel BFIC and the antenna unit according to an embodiment of this application.

[0014] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of another three-fold topology connection of a foldable terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Foldable terminal devices can be any form of portable electronic device, including but not limited to foldable mobile phones, foldable tablets, foldable laptops, or other mobile or stationary electronic devices with foldable structures. The terminal device has multiple rotatable and foldable main units to adapt to different usage scenarios and functional requirements.

[0017] When the foldable terminal device is a foldable phone or a foldable tablet, it typically includes an interaction surface for user interaction, which is generally a touch screen, allowing users to perform human-computer interaction functions through touch operation; when the foldable terminal device is a foldable laptop, its interaction surface may include a touch screen, a physical keyboard, or a combination of both.

[0018] Figure 1(a) is a schematic diagram of the foldable terminal device for satellite communication proposed in this application, and Figure 1(b) is a cross-sectional perspective view of Figure 1(a) along the AA' section line, where xyz are the three-dimensional coordinate axes. In order to clearly illustrate the position and arrangement of the beamforming chip and the antenna array, the interaction surface, printed circuit board and other structures are not shown in Figure 1(a).

[0019] As shown in Figure 1(a), the foldable terminal device 100 includes multiple device bodies 11, a hinge 12, an antenna array 13, multiple beamforming chips (BFIC) 14, a baseband 15, and an RF link including a flexible cable 16 and a rigid cable 17. Specifically, the terminal device 100 may include n device bodies 11-1, 11-2 to 11-n, where n is greater than or equal to 2.

[0020] The pivot 12 is used to connect adjacent device bodies 11, and the terminal device 100 can be folded along the pivot 12. The pivot 12 may include a hinge to allow for smooth opening and closing during folding.

[0021] The antenna array 13 includes multiple antenna elements 131, which are disposed within at least two device bodies 11. By distributing the antenna array 13 on multiple device bodies 11, the radiation area of ​​the antenna array 13 can be significantly increased to improve signal gain when the terminal device 100 is unfolded via the pivot 12, thereby enabling satellite communication.

[0022] The beamforming chip 14 is used to beamform the corresponding antenna element 131, and at least two device bodies 11 are provided with beamforming chips 14. Each beamforming chip 14 can drive (i.e. beamform) multiple antenna elements 131, such as driving four, six or other numbers of antenna elements 131.

[0023] The baseband 15 is located within one of the multiple device bodies 11 and is connected to each beamforming chip 14. The baseband 15 is the computational and control core for the antenna array 13 to realize digital beamforming and signal processing.

[0024] The radio frequency (RF) link is an interconnection channel for transmitting RF signals between the baseband 15 and each beamforming chip 14. The RF link includes: a flexible cable 16 passing through the pivot 12 for transmitting RF signals between different device bodies 11; and rigid cables 17 and 17a disposed within the same device body 11 for transmitting RF signals within the same device body 11.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1(b), the device body 11 includes an interaction surface 18 on its surface and a printed circuit board (PCB) 19 disposed inside the device body 11. The PCB 19 serves as a carrier for signal processing and integrates an antenna array 13 and a BFIC 14. In a typical layout, the BFIC 14 is disposed on the side of the PCB 19 close to the interaction surface 18, while the antenna element 131 is disposed on the other side of the PCB 19 away from the interaction surface 18, so as to radiate signals out of the device body 11.

[0026] Furthermore, rigid cables 17 and 17a for signal transmission are arranged inside the PCB 19, such as metal traces or embedded interconnects inside the printed circuit board, which can be PCB striplines. The rigid cables 17 and 17a are configured to realize the electrical connection between the antenna unit 131 and the BFIC 14 inside the PCB 19 for transmitting radio frequency signals, control signals, or power signals, etc.

[0027] Since device 100 needs to be folded open and closed via hinge 12, the radio frequency link used to connect different device bodies 11 across hinge 12 is a flexible cable 16. The flexible cable 16 has good flexibility and can withstand repeated bending and deformation during the folding and opening of the device, while maintaining the stability and low loss characteristics of signal transmission.

[0028] To achieve phase consistency among the multi-beamforming chips 14, in this scheme, the equivalent dielectric constants of the flexible cable 16 and the rigid cables 17 and 17a are the same; the total length of the RF link between the baseband 15 and each beamforming chip 14 is the same. Regardless of whether the beamforming chips 14 are located in the same device body (e.g., within 11-1) or different device bodies (e.g., between 11-1 and 11-n), the total length of the RF link from the output of the baseband 15 to the input of each beamforming chip 14 remains consistent.

[0029] By ensuring that the equivalent dielectric constant of the flexible cable is the same as that of the rigid cable, and by ensuring that the total length of the RF link between the baseband and each beamforming chip is consistent, the phase mismatch between beamforming chips caused by the cross-shaft connection of the RF link is eliminated, providing a stable and synchronous RF signal reference for beamforming, thereby ensuring that the large-scale antenna array can still achieve accurate and efficient beamforming in the folded form.

[0030] Figure 2 Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are schematic diagrams of the flexible cable 16 and the rigid cable 17, respectively.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of rigid cable 17. (See attached diagram.) Figure 2 As shown, the rigid cable 17 includes: a first ground layer 171, a first dielectric layer 172, a first signal layer 173, a second dielectric layer 174, and a second ground layer 175 stacked in sequence.

[0032] The first signal layer 173 includes a first signal line 176 for transmitting radio frequency signals. The first signal line 176 is typically a metal conductor, such as a copper conductor. The first signal layer 173 also includes a dielectric surrounding the first signal line 176, which, together with the first dielectric layer 172 and the second dielectric layer 174, provides electrical isolation for the first signal line 176.

[0033] Wherein, the width of the first signal line is w; the thickness of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer is h1; the dielectric constant of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer is ϵr1. The width of the first signal line, the thickness of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer, and the dielectric constant affect the equivalent dielectric constant of the rigid cable.

[0034] Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are schematic diagrams of the flexible cable structure. Figure 3(a) is a cross-sectional view along line C-C' in Figure 3(b), and Figure 3(b) is a cross-sectional view along line B-B' in Figure 3(a). Their spatial relationship is shown on a three-dimensional coordinate axis. Furthermore, line B-B' can also be the pivot point during folding. To accommodate the folding of the terminal equipment, the radius of curvature of the flexible cable is, for example, greater than 1 mm, to ensure structural reliability and signal transmission performance.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3(a), two connectors 165 are provided on the left and right sides of the flexible cable 16, respectively, for mechanically fixing and electrically connecting the flexible cable 16 to the printed circuit boards (PCBs) on different device bodies 11. The connector 165 can be designed as a standardized interface (such as SMP, MCX, or a custom FPC connector) to ensure the reliability of the connection and the continuity of the signal during the folding and unfolding of the device.

[0036] As shown in Figure 3(b), the flexible cable 16 includes a first flexible substrate layer 161, a second signal layer 162, and a second flexible substrate layer 163 stacked sequentially. The first flexible substrate layer 161 and the second flexible substrate layer 163 can be manufactured using a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) material to provide excellent dielectric properties and high flexibility. By using the above-mentioned material, when the device is folded, the two ends of the flexible cable are fixed to different device bodies, and the middle part is flexible and bendable to bend with the hinge.

[0037] The second signal layer 162 includes:

[0038] The second signal line 1621 is used to transmit radio frequency signals;

[0039] The grounding structure 1622 located on both sides of the second signal line is used to provide a stable reference ground and suppress electromagnetic interference and crosstalk;

[0040] The dielectric 1623 located between the grounding structure 1622 and the second signal line 1621 is used to achieve electrical isolation between the second signal line and the grounding structure.

[0041] The second signal line 1621 can be manufactured using silver-plated copper. The dielectric 1623 can be made of the same material as the first flexible substrate 161 and the second flexible substrate 163 to ensure the consistency of interlayer dielectric properties, thereby achieving stable impedance.

[0042] The distance between the second signal line 1621 and the grounding structure 1622 is s; the thickness of the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate is h2; and the dielectric constant of the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate is ϵr2.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3(b), the flexible cable 16 has conductor planes (grounding structure 1622) on both the upper and lower sides of the second signal line 1621. Therefore, the flexible cable 16 constitutes a coplanar waveguide structure. Furthermore, a conductive coating 166 (e.g., made of graphene or copper-plated / aluminized polyester film) can be applied to the side of the flexible cable near the shaft as a shielding layer to reduce electromagnetic interference and shield the medium from external influences.

[0044] To ensure that the equivalent dielectric constants of the flexible cable 16 and the rigid cable 17 are the same, the following formula (1) can be used to calculate and determine the structural parameters of the flexible cable 16 and the rigid cable 17:

[0045] (1).

[0046] In the above formula, the left side of the equal sign is the equivalent dielectric constant of the rigid cable 17, and the right side of the equal sign is the equivalent dielectric constant of the flexible cable 16.

[0047] As can be seen from Figure 1(a), since the flexible cable 16 needs to be connected across different device bodies, its length is significantly longer than that of the rigid cable 17 which is arranged only within the same device body. Therefore, at least part of the rigid cable 17 can be arranged as a curve to lengthen its length to be equal to that of the flexible cable 16.

[0048] The following sections will provide further detailed descriptions based on specific embodiments of foldable terminal devices.

[0049] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the two-fold topology connection of the internal antenna array when the foldable terminal device contains two main body devices.

[0050] like Figure 4 As shown, the terminal has a two-fold structure, comprising two foldable main bodies, namely a first main body 401 and a second main body 402. Each of the two main bodies integrates an antenna array.

[0051] Antenna array 41 is disposed in the first device body 401;

[0052] Antenna array 42 is disposed in the second device body 402.

[0053] Each antenna array (i.e., antenna array 41 and antenna array 42) is arranged in a regular manner within its respective device body. In other words, the antenna elements inside are arranged in a certain geometric way to ensure the phase consistency of BFIC 14 within a single antenna array.

[0054] Specifically, antenna array 41 includes 128 antenna elements arranged in 8 rows × 16 columns (8 × 16 = 128), and antenna array 42 also includes 128 antenna elements arranged in 8 rows × 16 columns. The two together make a total of 16 × 16 = 256 antenna elements.

[0055] In one implementation, each BFIC is responsible for driving 4 antenna elements, so the entire array of 256 antenna elements requires a total of 64 BFICs.

[0056] The terminal device also includes at least two cascaded power dividers 43 located in the radio frequency link, used for step-by-step power splitting or combining of radio frequency signals between the baseband 44 and each of the beamforming chips. Specifically, in Figure 4In the process, the terminal equipment includes five cascaded power dividers, namely: first-stage power divider 431, second-stage power divider 432, ..., fifth-stage power divider 435.

[0057] In this application, the power divider used to connect to the baseband is referred to as the first-stage power divider 431, and the combining terminal of the first-stage power divider 431 is connected to the baseband. For each power divider, multiple branch terminals, which are the outputs of the previous stage power divider, are connected to the combining terminals of multiple corresponding next-stage power dividers, and each branch terminal of the last stage is connected to its corresponding BFIC. Starting from the first-stage power divider, the signal emitted by the baseband is transmitted from the previous stage power divider to the next stage power divider, and so on, eventually reaching each BFIC for control. The combining terminal is the terminal that receives the signal from the previous stage, and the branch terminal is the terminal that transmits the signal to the next stage.

[0058] Furthermore, since there are connections across the device body between the antenna arrays, there is a branch of at least one power divider that crosses the pivot 12. That is, at least one power divider is located on a different device body from at least one power divider in the next stage and is connected by a flexible cable.

[0059] In this embodiment, the first-stage power divider 431 is a 1-to-2 power divider, with its combining terminal connected to the baseband 44 and its two branch terminals connected to two second-stage power dividers 432 respectively. The remaining power dividers are also 1-to-2 power dividers, and the second-stage power dividers 432 continue to connect to the next stage power divider until they are connected to the BFIC. Figure 4 In the example, a fifth-stage power divider 435 is connected to the BFIC. It is understood that the diagram is merely an example, and other power divider stages may be used in variations of other topologies.

[0060] Baseband 44, first-stage power divider 431, and a second-stage power divider 432a are mounted on the first device body 401, while another second-stage power divider 432b is mounted on the second device body 402. The first-stage power divider 431 is connected to a second-stage power divider 432a located on the same device body via a rigid cable α1, and the first-stage power divider 431 is connected to another second-stage power divider 432b located on adjacent device bodies via a flexible cable β1. Due to differences in material and length between the rigid cable α1 and the flexible cable β1 (e.g., the flexible cable may be longer than the rigid cable due to cross-device connections), additional phase differences may be introduced during signal transmission. To ensure minimal absolute insertion loss in the topology link and no difference in relative path insertion loss and phase between any two BFICs, appropriate compensation is required through design.

[0061] First, the structural parameters of the required flexible cable and rigid cable can be simulated and calculated by referring to the aforementioned formula (1), and the radio frequency link can be processed according to the determined parameters so that the two dielectric constants are equal within the processing tolerance range, so as to avoid the phase difference introduced by the different dielectric constants.

[0062] Then, since antenna arrays 41 and 42 are arranged according to rules, only the radio frequency links of the two branches of the first-stage power divider 43 need to be compensated. For example, the rigid cable α1 can be designed to be connected by a curved path to increase the length of the rigid cable α1 in a limited space, so that the length of the rigid cable α1 is the same as that of the flexible cable β1.

[0063] The antenna array layout arranged in this way only requires compensation for the RF links of the two branches of the first-stage power divider 43, which simplifies the design of the RF links.

[0064] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the three-fold topology connection of the internal antenna array when the foldable terminal device contains three main device bodies.

[0065] like Figure 5 As shown, antenna arrays 51, 52, and 53 are located in the three main bodies of the tri-fold terminal device, namely the first main body 501, the second main body 502, and the third main body 503. To reduce the number of BFICs, decrease the size and weight of the antenna arrays, lower device power consumption, and improve integration, this embodiment can employ a structure where each BFIC drives six antenna elements. Thus, the three antenna arrays 51, 52, and 53 together constitute a 16×24=384 antenna array.

[0066] In this embodiment, each power divider is a 1-to-2 power divider, and the terminal device includes six cascaded power dividers, namely: first-stage power divider 531, second-stage power divider 532, ..., sixth-stage power divider 536.

[0067] The first device body includes a second-stage power divider 532a, the second device body includes a baseband 55 and a first-stage power divider 56, and the third device body includes another second-stage power divider 532b.

[0068] If a branch of a power divider crosses a rotating shaft, then that branch is a flexible cable β2. For example, both branches of the first-stage power divider 531 are connected across the rotating shaft, and both branches of the first-stage power divider 531 are flexible cables β2.

[0069] If one branch of a power divider crosses a shaft and the other does not, and the branch not crossing the shaft is a rigid cable α2, and the flexible cable β2 crossing the shaft and the rigid cable α2 not crossing the shaft are of equal length. For example, if a third-stage power divider 533 and a fourth-stage power divider 534a are connected via a flexible cable β2, and another fourth-stage power divider 534b is connected via a rigid cable α2, then the rigid cable α2 is configured as a curved path connection (as shown by the curve in the figure) to increase its length to be equal to the length of the flexible cable β2.

[0070] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The diagram shows the connection of the six BFIC channels and antenna unit used in the terminal device. Figure 6 As shown, the six-channel BFIC 61 internally includes a six-channel power splitter / combiner network 62, which is connected to six antenna elements 63 via six branches 64. Each branch 64 includes a gain adjustment unit and / or a phase modulation unit. The gain adjustment unit adjusts the signal gain of the corresponding branch, and the phase modulation unit adjusts the signal phase of the corresponding branch. The signal enters the six-channel power splitter / combiner network 62 from the signal input terminal 65 and is divided into six parts, which are then transmitted to the six antenna elements. The SPI circuit 66 is used for transmitting digital control signals to control the adjustment amplitude of gain and phase. The difference between a four-channel BFIC and a six-channel BFIC is that a four-channel BFIC includes four branches.

[0071] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of another three-fold topology connection of the internal antenna array when the foldable terminal device contains three main device bodies.

[0072] like Figure 7 As shown, antenna arrays 71, 72, and 73 are located in the three main bodies of the three-fold terminal device, namely the first main body 701, the second main body 702, and the third main body 703. Antenna arrays 71, 72, and 73 together constitute an antenna array of 16×8×3=384 (in this embodiment, each BFIC drives 4 antenna elements).

[0073] In this embodiment, the first-stage power divider 741 is a 1-to-3 power divider, and the second-stage power divider includes a first second-stage power divider 742a, a second second-stage power divider 742b, and a third second-stage power divider 742c. Each second-stage power divider transmits signals to the two power dividers in the next stage, and so on, until the signal is transmitted to the last-stage power divider (in this embodiment, the fifth-stage power divider; in other topology variations, different numbers of power dividers can be used), and then transmitted to each BFIC through the last-stage power divider.

[0074] The first main body of the device includes a second-stage power divider 75, the second main body of the device includes a baseband 78, a first-stage power divider 74, and another second-stage power divider 76, and the third main body of the device includes a third second-stage power divider 77. Through this topology and the one-to-three power divider, the radio frequency signal can be evenly distributed to the three antenna arrays, ensuring signal consistency and facilitating beamforming and coordinated operation of the antenna arrays.

[0075] Since the baseband 78 is located on the main body of the second device, the first-stage power divider 74 is connected to the first second-stage power divider 742a via flexible cable β3, to the second second-stage power divider 742b via rigid cable α3, and to the third second-stage power divider 742c via flexible cable β4. To eliminate phase difference, the connection path of the rigid cable α3 is curved, and the lengths of the flexible cables β3 and β4 are all the same.

[0076] It is understood that the above topologies can also be applied to other types of folding devices, such as in a portion of a terminal device that includes more device bodies, or in folding devices with other folding methods (e.g., folding devices with multiple device bodies connected sequentially along their long sides, unlike those in this application).

[0077] The foldable terminal device proposed in this application achieves a larger antenna surface area and improves signal transmission quality through the combination of antenna arrays deployed from foldable subarrays. Furthermore, the flexible connection and flexible cable structure enables signal transmission of antenna arrays located in different main bodies of the foldable terminal device. Simultaneously, an array connection topology adapted to foldable phones and an innovative BFIC architecture are proposed, enabling a single chip to support six antenna elements. Through the innovative board layout architecture, not only is the length difference between the flexible cable and the rigid cable caused by the hinge compensated, but also, through simulation calculations and design, the equivalent dielectric constant of the flexible cable is made equivalent to that of the rigid cable.

[0078] Thus, a phased array antenna was implemented on a foldable terminal device, allowing users to replace bulky satellite terminals with their mobile phones and directly connect to broadband satellites to obtain internet services anytime, anywhere.

[0079] The above description illustrates the implementation of this application through specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of this application is presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of this application, some specific details will be omitted in the description. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other.

[0080] Furthermore, the various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations in a manner most conducive to understanding the illustrative embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed as implying that these operations must depend on the order. In particular, these operations do not need to be performed in the order presented.

[0081] Unless the context otherwise specifies, the terms “contains,” “has,” and “includes” are synonyms. The phrase “A / B” means “A or B.” The phrase “A and / or B” means “(A and B) or (A or B).”

[0082] As used herein, the terms “module” or “unit” may refer to, be, or include: application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electronic circuits, (shared, dedicated, or group) processors and / or memories that execute one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuits, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.

[0083] In the accompanying drawings, certain structural or methodological features are shown in a specific arrangement and / or order. However, it should be understood that such a specific arrangement and / or order may not be necessary. In some embodiments, these features may be arranged in a manner and / or order different from that shown in the illustrative drawings. Furthermore, the inclusion of structural or methodological features in a particular figure does not imply that such features are required in all embodiments, and in some embodiments, these features may be omitted or may be combined with other features.

[0084] It should be understood that although terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used herein to describe various units or data, these units or data should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one feature from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first feature may be referred to as a second feature, and similarly, a second feature may be referred to as a first feature.

[0085] It should be noted that in this specification, similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0086] Although the invention has been illustrated and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A foldable terminal device capable of satellite communication, characterized in that, include: Multiple main equipment units and a pivot connecting adjacent main equipment units, wherein the terminal equipment is folded along the pivot; An antenna array, comprising multiple antenna elements, wherein at least two of the device bodies contain the antenna elements; Multiple beamforming chips are provided, the beamforming chips are used to perform beamforming on the corresponding antenna elements; at least two of the device bodies are provided with the beamforming chips; The baseband is located within one of the device bodies and is connected to each of the beamforming chips; as well as, A radio frequency (RF) link for transmitting RF signals between the baseband and each of the beamforming chips; wherein the RF link includes: A flexible cable passing through the shaft is used to transmit the radio frequency signal between different device bodies; Rigid cables disposed within the same device body are used to transmit the radio frequency signals within the same device body; The flexible cable and the rigid cable have the same equivalent dielectric constant; the total length of the radio frequency link between the baseband and each of the beamforming chips is the same.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rigid cable comprises: a first ground layer, a first dielectric layer, a first signal layer, a second dielectric layer, and a second ground layer stacked in sequence; The first signal layer includes a first signal line for transmitting the radio frequency signal; Wherein, the width of the first signal line is w; the thickness of both the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer is h1; and the dielectric constant of both the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer is εr1.

3. The terminal device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The flexible cable comprises: a first flexible substrate layer, a second signal layer, and a second flexible substrate layer stacked sequentially; The second signal layer includes: a second signal line and grounding structures located on both sides of the second signal line; the second signal line is used to transmit the radio frequency signal; Wherein, the distance between the second signal line and the grounding structure is s; the thickness of both the first flexible substrate layer and the second flexible substrate layer is h2; the dielectric constant of both the first flexible substrate layer and the second flexible substrate layer is εr2; the equivalent dielectric constant relationship between the flexible cable and the rigid cable is as follows: 。 4. The terminal device according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least some of the rigid cables are routed in a curved configuration.

5. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, It also includes at least two cascaded power dividers located in the radio frequency link; wherein each stage of the power divider includes a combiner terminal and multiple branch terminals; The combining terminal of the first-stage power divider is connected to the baseband; Each branch terminal of the power divider in the previous stage is connected to the combiner terminal of the corresponding power divider in the next stage. Each branch of the final stage power divider is connected to the corresponding beamforming chip. The cascaded power divider is configured to perform step-by-step power splitting or combining of the radio frequency signal between the baseband and each of the beamforming chips.

6. The terminal device according to claim 5, characterized in that, At least one of the power dividers in the first stage and at least one of the power dividers in the next stage are located on different device bodies and are connected by the flexible cable.

7. The terminal device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The plurality of device bodies include a first device body and a second device body; The power divider described in the first stage is a 1-to-2 power divider; The first device body includes the baseband, the first-stage power divider, and a second-stage power divider; the second device body includes another second-stage power divider. The flexible cable between the first-stage power divider and another second-stage power divider is the same length as the rigid cable between the first-stage power divider and another second-stage power divider.

8. The terminal device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The plurality of device bodies include a first device body, a second device body, and a third device body; Each power divider described in each stage is a 1-to-2 power divider; One of the beamforming chips is used to drive the six antenna elements.

9. The terminal device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The plurality of device bodies include a first device body, a second device body, and a third device body; The power divider described in the first stage is a 1-to-3 power divider; The first device body includes a first second-stage power divider, the second device body includes the baseband, the first-stage power divider and the second second-stage power divider, and the third device body includes a third second-stage power divider; The flexible cable between the first-stage power divider and the first second-stage power divider, the rigid cable between the first-stage power divider and the second second-stage power divider, and the flexible cable between the first-stage power divider and the third second-stage power divider all have the same length.

10. The terminal device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body of the device includes an interaction surface, and the antenna units are arranged in a planar array on the back side of the interaction surface.

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