Array antenna and base station antenna

Abstract

The utility model provides an array antenna and base station antenna relates to communication technical field, and array antenna includes: substrate and multiple radiation units of setting on the substrate, multiple radiation units are according to preset array arrangement, at least one radiation unit in multiple radiation units is equipped with isolation structure, and isolation structure is matched with the radiation surface of radiation unit, is used for improving the horizontal plane beam width of array antenna. The utility model provides an array antenna and base station antenna, since isolation structure is equipped with for radiation unit, and is matched with the radiation surface of radiation unit, therefore, for single array's array antenna is also equally applicable, and, in the scene of antenna size limitation, not the number of radiation unit's limitation, in realizing the effect of convergence array antenna's horizontal wave width, also help to reduce the size of array antenna, and then promote the use efficiency of array antenna.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an array antenna and a base station antenna. Background Technology

[0002] In the rapidly developing field of wireless communication technology, antennas occupy an indispensable and crucial position. Among the many antenna types, base station antennas, as part of the antenna access system, have also experienced rapid development. With the continuous improvement in the capacity and quality of mobile communication networks, the system places correspondingly higher demands on various performance indicators of base station antennas. Horizontal half-power beamwidth, as an important indicator of base station antennas, is typically used to measure the concentration and directivity of antenna energy radiation. A smaller beamwidth indicates a more concentrated and directional antenna energy radiation, thus optimizing this indicator has attracted widespread attention from designers.

[0003] Previous methods for optimizing beamwidth have mostly involved antenna arrays or changing the array shape. While these methods can effectively converge the horizontal beamwidth, they often require the antenna's radiating elements to have a specific array shape. For single arrays or antennas with limited size, it is difficult to achieve the effect of converging the horizontal beamwidth of the antenna, thus reducing the antenna's efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model is to provide an array antenna and a base station antenna to alleviate the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0005] In a first aspect, this utility model provides an array antenna, which includes: a substrate and a plurality of radiating elements disposed on the substrate; the plurality of radiating elements are arranged in a preset array; at least one of the plurality of radiating elements is configured with an isolation structure; the isolation structure is matched with the radiating surface of the radiating element to improve the horizontal beamwidth of the array antenna.

[0006] In conjunction with the first aspect, the present invention provides a first possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein at least one of the radiation units configured with the isolation structure is arranged sequentially along the edge of the substrate; the isolation structure is disposed on the side close to the edge of the substrate.

[0007] In conjunction with the first aspect, this utility model embodiment provides a second possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the plurality of said radiating units are arranged sequentially along the edge in the length direction of the substrate; at least one of said radiating units is configured with the isolation structure.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect, this utility model embodiment provides a third possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the plurality of radiation units are arranged sequentially along the edge in the length direction of the substrate; each radiation unit is provided with the isolation structure.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, and the first to third aspects of the first aspect, the utility model embodiment provides a fourth possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the above-mentioned isolation structure includes an isolation member and a support member supporting the isolation member; the support member supports the isolation member so that the isolation member matches the radiation surface of the radiation unit.

[0010] In conjunction with the fourth possible implementation of the first aspect, this utility model embodiment provides a fifth possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the aforementioned isolation member is a metal isolation member.

[0011] In conjunction with the fifth possible implementation of the first aspect, this utility model embodiment provides a sixth possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the aforementioned isolation member is a sheet-like isolation strip, the length of which matches the length of each of the radiating units; and the surface of the sheet-like isolation strip faces the radiating unit.

[0012] In conjunction with the fourth possible implementation of the first aspect, this utility model provides a seventh possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the isolation structure includes an isolation member and a support member supporting the isolation member; the length of the isolation member matches the length of the substrate; the support member supports the isolation member so that the isolation member is disposed along the edge of the substrate and matches the radiation surface of the radiation unit.

[0013] In conjunction with the fourth possible implementation of the first aspect, this utility model provides an eighth possible implementation of the first aspect, wherein the support member is an insulating member.

[0014] Secondly, this utility model embodiment also provides a base station antenna, which is configured with the array antenna described in the first aspect.

[0015] The present invention provides the following beneficial effects: This utility model provides an array antenna and a base station antenna, which have multiple radiating elements on a substrate. The multiple radiating elements are arranged in a preset array. At least one of the multiple radiating elements is equipped with an isolation structure. The isolation structure is matched with the radiating surface of the radiating element to improve the horizontal beamwidth of the array antenna. Since the isolation structure is configured for the radiating element and is matched with the radiating surface of the radiating element, it is also applicable to array antennas with a single array. Moreover, in scenarios where the antenna size is limited, there is no limitation on the number of radiating elements. While achieving the effect of converging the horizontal beamwidth of the array antenna, it also helps to reduce the size of the array antenna, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the array antenna.

[0016] Other features and advantages of this invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objectives and other advantages of this invention are realized and obtained through the structures particularly pointed out in the description, claims, and drawings.

[0017] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 A structural block diagram of an array antenna provided for an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 3 A simulation result of the beamwidth pattern of a horizontal plane is provided for an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 4 Simulation results of another horizontal beamwidth pattern provided for an embodiment of this utility model.

[0020] Icons: 100-substrate; 101-radiating unit; 102-isolation structure; 501-isolation component. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0022] Currently, array antennas mostly use antenna arrays or changes in array shape, such as "bridge arrays" or "L-shaped arrays" to converge the horizontal beamwidth. However, for single arrays or when the antenna size is limited, it is difficult to achieve the effect of converging the horizontal beamwidth of the antenna, which reduces the efficiency of the antenna.

[0023] Based on this, the array antenna and base station antenna provided in this utility model embodiment can achieve the effect of improving horizontal beamwidth without using antenna arrays or changing the array shape.

[0024] To facilitate understanding of this embodiment, a detailed description of an array antenna disclosed in this utility model embodiment will be provided first.

[0025] In one possible implementation, this utility model embodiment provides an array antenna, which includes: a substrate and a plurality of radiating elements disposed on the substrate; specifically, as shown in the example... Figure 1 The diagram shows a structural block diagram of an array antenna, including a substrate 100 and a plurality of radiating elements 101. The plurality of radiating elements 101 are arranged in a preset array; and, in this embodiment of the invention, at least one of the plurality of radiating elements 101 is configured with an isolation structure; as shown... Figure 1 The isolation structure 102 shown corresponds to the two radiating elements 101. This isolation structure matches the radiating surface of the radiating element and is used to improve the horizontal beamwidth of the array antenna.

[0026] The array antenna provided in this embodiment of the utility model has an isolation structure configured for the radiating element and matched with the radiating surface of the radiating element. Therefore, it is also applicable to array antennas with a single array. Moreover, in scenarios where the antenna size is limited, it is not limited by the number of radiating elements. While achieving the effect of converging the horizontal wavewidth of the array antenna, it also helps to reduce the size of the array antenna, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the array antenna.

[0027] In practical use, in this embodiment of the invention, at least one radiating element with an isolation structure is arranged sequentially along the edge of the substrate; the isolation structure is disposed on the side close to the edge of the substrate. For example, the radiating elements can form an array antenna with multiple rows and columns on the substrate. To facilitate the installation of the isolation structure, in this embodiment of the invention, one or more radiating elements can be selected at the edge of the substrate to configure the isolation structure. For example, several radiating elements at the edge can be selected to configure the isolation structure, or an isolation structure can be configured for each radiating element at the edge. The specific configuration depends on the actual application, and this embodiment of the invention does not impose any limitations on this.

[0028] Furthermore, the substrate in this embodiment of the present invention is also called a reflector, and the substrate is usually a rectangular substrate and made of metal. In addition, the radiation unit in this embodiment of the present invention is preferably a low-frequency radiation unit, and its specific radiation frequency range is subject to actual use.

[0029] Furthermore, for a rectangular substrate, in this embodiment of the invention, multiple radiating elements are arranged sequentially along the edge of the substrate along its length; and at least one radiating element is provided with an isolation structure. Alternatively, multiple radiating elements are arranged sequentially along the edge of the substrate along its length; each radiating element is provided with an isolation structure. That is, in this embodiment of the invention, the isolation structure is provided along the long side of the substrate, and an isolation structure can be provided for each radiating element located at the edge, so as to improve the horizontal beamwidth of the array antenna and make the horizontal beamwidth meet the design requirements.

[0030] The horizontal beamwidth of the aforementioned array antenna is also simply referred to as the horizontal beamwidth. For ease of understanding, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an array antenna structure is shown, wherein, Figure 2 The diagram shows a substrate 100 and a plurality of radiating units 101.

[0031] Furthermore, for ease of explanation, Figure 2 In this configuration, two rows of radiating elements are arranged on the substrate, meaning the radiating elements are sequentially arranged along the long side of the substrate. Furthermore, Figure 2 The image shows two radiating element arrays, A1 and A2.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the present invention, the isolation structure includes an isolation member and a support member for supporting the isolation member; the support member supports the isolation member so that the isolation member matches the radiation surface of the radiation unit.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the utility model, the isolation component is a metal isolation component, and the support component is an insulating component.

[0034] Furthermore, the aforementioned isolator can be designed as a sheet-like isolator. Since the isolator is matched with each radiating unit, the length of the sheet-like isolator can be designed to match the length of each radiating unit. Specifically, it can be designed to be consistent with the radiating surface size of the radiating unit; and the surface of the sheet-like isolator faces the radiating unit.

[0035] Furthermore, considering that the isolation structure is located near the edge of the substrate, the aforementioned sheet-like isolation strip can also be designed to have a length matching the length of the substrate. That is, in this embodiment, the length of the isolation element matches the length of the substrate. For example, in an implementation where the length of the isolation element is designed to be the same as the length of the substrate, the support element supports the isolation element so that it is positioned along the edge of the substrate and matches the radiation surface of the radiation unit. This method of matching the length of the sheet-like isolation strip to the substrate can reduce the number of processing steps for the isolation element while still meeting usage requirements. However, in actual use, considering ease of installation, the method of matching the length of the sheet-like isolation strip to the length of each radiation unit is often adopted, i.e., the length of the sheet-like isolation strip is consistent with the length of the radiation surface of the radiation unit. This method facilitates the installation of the isolation element. The specific design of the isolation element depends on the actual usage, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0036] Furthermore, for ease of understanding, the following is based on Figure 2 The array antenna shown is illustrated using a low-frequency radiating element as an example.

[0037] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, the two columns of radiating elements form a linear array, that is... Figure 2 The first column of radiating unit array A1 and the second column of radiating unit array A2 are arranged on the substrate 100.

[0038] further, Figure 2 In the array antenna shown, taking an example where each radiating element is equipped with an isolation structure, the number of isolation elements is consistent with the number of radiating elements, and they are placed on the side of the corresponding radiating element, that is, on the side near the edge of the substrate. Furthermore, Figure 2 For ease of explanation, the structure of the support is not shown, and only two isolation members 501 are indicated, located at the edges of the first column of radiating element array A1 and the second column of radiating element array A2, respectively.

[0039] In practical applications, the aforementioned isolator can be made of the same metal material as the substrate, and structurally take the form of a rectangle or cuboid. For example, depending on the requirements, a sheet-like isolator strip with a length of 200mm, a width of 10mm, and a thickness of 1mm can be designed and placed on the side of the radiating unit, close to the edge of the substrate. Furthermore, the placement height of the isolator is usually designed to be slightly lower than the height of the radiating surface of the radiating unit to improve the horizontal beamwidth.

[0040] Based on the above Figure 2 The arrangement of the radiating elements and the placement of the side isolation components shown can be simulated using simulation software such as HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator) to simulate the overall radiation pattern of the array antenna.

[0041] For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of this utility model... Figure 3 Simulation results of a horizontal beamwidth pattern are also shown, as well as... Figure 4 Simulation results of another horizontal plane beamwidth pattern are shown.

[0042] Specifically, Figure 3 The image below shows the simulation results of the array antenna without an isolation structure. The corresponding statistical data is shown in Table 1 below: Table 1:

[0043] Correspondingly, Figure 4 The image below shows the simulation results of the array antenna with an isolation structure. The corresponding statistical data is shown in Table 2 below: Table 2:

[0044] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 4 Furthermore, by comparing Table 1 and Table 2, it can be seen that, while keeping the rest of the operating environment of the array antenna unchanged, the horizontal beamwidth of the array antenna is significantly reduced after adding the isolation structure.

[0045] In other words, the array antenna provided in this embodiment of the present invention, under the same working environment, with the addition of an isolation structure, such as adding an isolation strip to the side of the radiating unit near the edge of the substrate, can significantly improve the horizontal beamwidth, and achieve a more convergent horizontal beamwidth and better directivity within the frequency band.

[0046] Furthermore, this embodiment of the invention also provides a base station antenna, which is configured with the aforementioned array antenna.

[0047] The base station antenna provided in this embodiment of the present invention has the same technical features as the array antenna provided in the above embodiment, so it can also solve the same technical problems and achieve the same technical effects.

[0048] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working process of the base station antenna described above can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0049] Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0050] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0051] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are merely specific implementations of this utility model, used to illustrate the technical solution of this utility model, and not to limit it. The protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that any person skilled in the art can still modify or easily conceive of changes to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features, within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model. These modifications, changes, or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, and should all be covered within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An array antenna, characterized in that, The array antenna includes: a substrate, and a plurality of radiating elements disposed on the substrate; The plurality of the radiating elements are arranged in a preset array; At least one of the plurality of said radiating elements is configured with an isolation structure; The isolation structure is matched with the radiating surface of the radiating element to improve the horizontal beamwidth of the array antenna.

2. The array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the radiating elements, which is provided with the isolation structure, is arranged sequentially along the edge of the substrate; The isolation structure is disposed on one side near the edge of the substrate.

3. The array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple radiating units are arranged sequentially along the edge of the substrate in the longitudinal direction; At least one of the radiation units is configured with the isolation structure.

4. The array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple radiating units are arranged sequentially along the edge of the substrate in the longitudinal direction; Each of the radiating units is equipped with the isolation structure.

5. The array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The isolation structure includes an isolation member and a support member supporting the isolation member; The support member supports the isolator so that the isolator matches the radiation surface of the radiation unit.

6. The array antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that, The isolation element is a metal isolation element.

7. The array antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that, The isolation element is a sheet-like isolation strip, the length of which matches the length of each of the radiating units; and the surface of the sheet-like isolation strip faces the radiating unit.

8. The array antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that, The isolation structure includes an isolation member and a support member supporting the isolation member; The length of the spacer is matched with the length of the substrate; The support member supports the isolator so that the isolator is disposed along the edge of the substrate and matches the radiation surface of the radiation unit.

9. The array antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that, The support component is an insulating component.

10. A base station antenna, characterized in that, The base station antenna is configured with an array antenna as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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