Antenna architecture and antenna device

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of antenna devices, and provides an antenna architecture (10) and an antenna device. The antenna architecture includes an antenna cover (100), a protective case (300), and an antenna module (200). The protective case and the antenna cover (100) are separately connected and enclosing an accommodation cavity. The antenna module (200) is disposed within the accommodation cavity. The antenna module (200) includes a mounting frame (220), and a power supply control unit (250), a heat dissipation unit (230) and an antenna unit (210) respectively mounted on the mounting frame (220). The power supply control unit (250), the heat dissipation unit (230) and the antenna unit (210) are separately connected to the mounting frame (220).

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to Chinese application No. 202310098132.1, filed on February 6, 2023, entitled "ANTENNA ARCHITECHTURE AND ANTENNA DEVICE", and the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of antenna devices, and in particular to an antenna architecture and an antenna device.BACKGROUND

[0003] With applications of phased array antenna technology, terminal products are transitioning from the research and development stage to marketization. However, products in the research and development stage primarily focus on meeting functional requirements. With changes in market demand, achieving industrialized and miniaturized production of such products has become critical technical problems to be solved in this technical field.

[0004] Conventional phased array antenna products mostly adopt an integral mechanical process. Such process requires a large amount of processing raw materials, typically machined from thick materials, resulting in high material costs and significant overall product weight. Moreover, all components of a phased array antenna product are machined from a single piece of raw material, involving numerous processes and high requirements for processing equipment. If one of the components is unqualified during the machining, the entirety of the product is scrapped, leading to high costs.SUMMARY

[0005] An antenna architecture and an antenna device are provided in embodiments of the present application.

[0006] In a first aspect, an antenna architecture is provided in an embodiment of the present application. The antenna architecture includes an antenna cover, a protective case. The protective case and the antenna cover are detachably connected and enclose an accommodation cavity. The antenna architecture further includes an antenna module disposed within the accommodation cavity. The antenna module includes a mounting frame, and a power supply control unit, a heat dissipation unit, and an antenna unit mounted on the mounting frame. The power supply control unit, the heat dissipation unit, and the antenna unit are separately and detachably connected to the mounting frame.

[0007] In a second aspect, an antenna device is provided in an embodiment of the present application. The antenna device includes the antenna architecture according to any one of aforementioned embodiments.

[0008] The details of one or more embodiments of the present application are set forth in the following description. Other features, objectives, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the specification and the claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or in conventional technologies, the following briefly introduces the accompanying drawings required for describing the embodiments or conventional technologies. Apparently, the drawings described below only involves some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings from the disclosed drawings without inventive efforts. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of an antenna architecture provided in some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna module of an antenna architecture provided in some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a heat dissipation unit and a mounting frame in an antenna architecture provided in some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a first perspective of a heat dissipation unit in an antenna architecture provided in some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a second perspective of a heat dissipation unit in an antenna architecture provided in some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of portion H in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a power supply control unit in an antenna architecture provided in some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a power supply control unit and a mounting frame in an antenna architecture provided in some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 9 is an enlarged schematic structural diagram along section A-A in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of a power supply control unit in an antenna architecture provided in some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of distributed positions of heat exchange pipes in an antenna architecture provided in some embodiments of the present application. FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a protective case in an antenna architecture provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0010] Numeral References: 10: antenna architecture; 100: antenna cover; 200: antenna module; 210: antenna unit; 211: transmitting unit; 213: receiving unit; 220: mounting frame; 221: heat exchange pipe; 230: heat dissipation unit; 231: heat sink; 232: fan; 233: upper plate; 234: right side plate; 235: left side plate; 236: fan mounting plate; 237: fan mounting hole; 238: through-type air duct; 239: lower plate; 240: heat dissipation fin; 241: horizontal segment; 243: vertical segment; 250: power supply control unit; 251: housing; 252: end plate; 253: control board; 255: sealed cavity; 257: sealing strip; 260: satellite search unit; 300: protective case; 311: bottom wall; 312: first side wall; 313: second side wall; 314: third side wall; 315: fourth side wall; 320: air outlet; 330: air inlet; 340: water outlet.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present application, other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0012] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the drawings below denote similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in a drawing, it does not require further definition and explanation in subsequent drawings.

[0013] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that if terms such as "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, or the usual placement orientations or positional relationships when the invented product is used, they are only for convenience in describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that a referred device or an element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed or operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present application.

[0014] In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0015] It should be noted that the features in the embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other without contradiction.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an embodiment provides an antenna architecture 10 including an antenna cover 100, a protective case 300, and an antenna module 200. The protective case 300 and the antenna cover 100 are separately connected and enclose an accommodation cavity. The antenna module 200 is disposed within the accommodation cavity. The antenna module 200 includes a mounting frame 220 and further includes a power supply control unit 250, heat dissipation units 230, and an antenna unit 210 which are mounted on the mounting frame 220. The power supply control unit 250, the heat dissipation units 230, and the antenna unit 210 are separately connected to the mounting frame 220. The antenna cover 100, the protective case 300, and the antenna module 200 are manufactured separately, and components in the antenna module 200, such as the power supply control unit 250, the mounting frame 220, and the heat dissipation units 230, are also manufactured separately. This reduces processing and manufacturing difficulties, minimizes the overall thickness and weight of the product, results in a small volume and low cost, reduces the product scrap rate, and facilitates realization of industrialized, miniaturized, and lightweight design of the product.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, each of the heat dissipation units 230 includes a heat sink 231 and fans 232. The heat sink 231 is provided with through-type air ducts 238. The heat sink 231 are disposed at one end of the through-type air ducts 238. In this embodiment, the design of the through-type air ducts 238 facilitates reduction of air resistance and improves heat dissipation efficiency. The fans 232 are axial-flow fans disposed at the one end of the through-type air ducts 238. As such, the air flow within the heat sink 231 can be accelerated for better heat dissipation. It can be understood that an axial-flow fan may be drawing-in or drawing-out type, which is not specifically limited herein.

[0018] In this embodiment, the fan 232 is drawing-out type and is disposed at air outlets 320 for the through-type air duct 238. Optionally, the heat sink 231, as a whole has a rectangular box structure. The heat sink 231 includes an upper plate 233, a lower plate 239, a left side plate 235, a right side plate 234, and a fan mounting plate 236. The upper plate 233 and the lower plate 239 are disposed opposite to each other. The left side plate 235 and the right side plate 234 are disposed opposite to each other. The upper plate 233, the left side plate 235, the lower plate 239, and the right side plate 234 are connected in sequence to enclose a heat dissipation channel. The fan mounting plate 236 is disposed at an end of the heat dissipation channel. The fan mounting plate 236 is connected to the upper plate 233, the left side plate 235, the lower plate 239, and the right side plate 234. The fan mounting plate 236 is provided with at least one fan mounting hole 237 for mounting the fan 232. In this embodiment, the number of fan mounting holes 237 may be two. By arranging the two fans 232 side by side in a parallel drawing-out manner, the height and processing difficulty of the heat sink 231 can be reduced, thereby reducing the height of the entire product.

[0019] The upper plate 233 of the heat sink 231 is connected to the mounting frame 220. The connection between the two may include, but not limited to, fixed connection, such as welding, adhesion, bolt connection, screw connection, riveting, or clamping, which is not specifically limited herein.

[0020] Heat dissipation fins 240 are disposed between the upper plate 233 and the lower plate 239. The heat dissipation fins 240 divide the heat dissipation channel into multiple through-type air ducts 238. The heat dissipation fins 240 are formed by bending an aluminum sheet with a thickness of approximately 0.5 mm into a U-shaped structure. Each of the heat dissipation fins 240 includes two horizontal segments 241 and one vertical segment 243. One of the horizontal segments 241 is welded to the upper plate 233 and the other horizontal segment 241 is welded to the lower plate 239. The vertical segment 243 is disposed between the upper plate 233 and the lower plate 239 for dividing the heat dissipation channel. The disposition of the heat dissipation fins 240 can increase the heat dissipation area, address the width-to-height ratio issue of conventional machined fins, and significantly reduce the weight and cost of the entire heat dissipation unit 230.

[0021] In this embodiment, there are two heat sinks 231 spaced apart from each other to improve heat dissipation efficiency. In some implementations, the number of the heat sinks 231 may be three, four, or more. The number of the fans 232 on each of the heat sinks 231 may be one, two, three, four, or more. The number of the heat dissipation fins 240 may also be designed according to actual conditions. These configurations are not specifically limited herein. The structure of the heat sink 231 having the through-type air ducts 238 also significantly reduces air resistance, greatly improving the usage efficiency of the fans 232. The axial-flow fan is changed from a large-size fan to multiple small-size fans 232 arranged in parallel, thus the height and processing difficulty of the heat sink 231 can be reduced while meeting the requirements for air volume and air pressure, thereby reducing the height of the heat sink 231 by approximately 20 mm.

[0022] It can be understood that by designing the heat dissipation unit 230 and the power supply control unit 250 on a conventional mounting frame to be independent as separate components, the thickness of the mounting frame 220 can be reduced from the original range of 40 mm to 50 mm to approximately 12 mm. The complexity and cost of machining are thus greatly reduced, making a smaller size, smaller volume, less space occupation, and lighter weight of the entire product.

[0023] The mounting frame 220 includes a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to each other. The first surface is configured to mount the antenna unit 210 and a satellite search unit 260. The antenna unit 210 includes a transmitting unit 211 and a receiving unit 213. The second surface is configured to mount the heat dissipation unit 230 and the power supply control unit 250. That is, the power supply control unit 250 and the heat sink 231 are disposed on the same side of the mounting frame 220. As such, heat generated by components such as the antenna unit 210 and the power supply control unit 250 can be effectively dissipated by the heat dissipation unit 230.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, optionally, the power supply control unit 250 includes a housing 251 and a control board 253. The housing 251 is provided with a sealed cavity 255. The control board 253 is disposed within the sealed cavity 255. In this embodiment, the housing 251 may be approximately a rectangular box. The housing 251 includes a top plate, a bottom plate, two side plates, and two end plates 252. The top plate, the bottom plate, the two side plates, and the two end plates 252 are connected to enclose the sealed cavity 255. The top plate is mounted on the mounting frame 220. One of the end plates 252 serves as an external mounting plate, which is provided with a power switch, and a circuit socket for external connection, etc. Optionally, a sealing strip 257 is disposed between the mounting frame 220 and the top plate. The sealing strip 257 can provide a waterproof effect, and prevent water from entering the sealed cavity 255 and affecting the normal operation of the control board 253. The number of sealing strips 257 can be set according to actual conditions. In this embodiment, the number of the sealing strips 257 may be two. In other implementations, the number of the sealing strips 257 may be more.

[0025] Optionally, the mounting frame 220 is provided with heat exchange pipes 221 to improve heat exchange efficiency. In this embodiment, the antenna unit 210 is disposed on a side of the mounting frame 220 away from the heat dissipation unit 230. The antenna unit 210 includes a transmitting unit 211 and a receiving unit 213. The heat exchange pipes 221 are disposed corresponding to the transmitting unit 211. Since the transmitting unit 211 generates the most heat during the operation of the antenna device, the heat exchange pipes 221 may be disposed on the mounting frame 220 at a position corresponding to the transmitting unit 211 to improve heat dissipation. It can be understood that the mounting frame 220 may be a plate-like body. A heat exchange cavity can be provided between the first surface and the second surface of the mounting frame 220. The heat exchange pipes 221 may be mounted within the heat exchange cavity. Alternatively, the heat exchange pipes 221 may be disposed on the first surface or the second surface at a position corresponding to the transmitting unit 211, which is not specifically limited herein.

[0026] It should be noted that in the power supply control unit 250, since the heat loss from the control board 253 is relatively concentrated, a part of the heat generated by the control board 253 is conducted to the sealed cavity 255 and dissipated through thermal radiation and forced air cooling. Another part of the heat is conducted from the top plate to the mounting frame 220, and the heat is conducted to the heat sink 231 through the heat exchange pipes 221 on the mounting frame 220 for dissipation by the heat sink 231.

[0027] The antenna cover 100 is connected to the first surface of the mounting frame 220 to protect components such as the antenna unit 210 and the satellite search unit 260 in the antenna module 200. The protective case 300 is connected to the second surface to protect components such as the heat dissipation unit 230 and the power supply control unit 250 in the antenna module 200. The connection between the antenna cover 100 and the mounting frame 220, as well as the connection between the protective case 300 and the mounting frame 220, may include but is not limited to connections such as screw connection, bolt connection, clamping, riveting, welding, or adhesion.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 12, an air duct is disposed within the protective case 300, and air outlets 320 of the air duct are arranged on the same side as air outlets 320 of the heat dissipation unit 230. It is readily understood that the protective case 300 is in a concave shape, and a certain distance is formed between the inner wall of the protective case 300 and the heat sink 231 to form the air duct.

[0029] Optionally, the protective case 300 includes a bottom wall 311, a first side wall 312 and a second side wall 313 disposed opposite to each other, and a third side wall 314 and a fourth side wall 315 disposed opposite to each other. The first side wall 312 is provided with the air outlets 320 of the air duct. The third side wall 314 and the fourth side wall 315 are provided with air inlets 330, which are equipped with dustproof nets. The fans 232 are disposed close to the air outlets 320 of the first side wall, which is conducive to air circulation and improves the air cooling efficiency.

[0030] The dustproof net may be a steel net, which has strong structural strength and a long service life. Since the fans 232 dissipate heat by drawing out air, the interior of the entire device is under negative pressure. Therefore, the air inlets 330 may be equipped with dustproof nets to prevent foreign objects from being drawn in.

[0031] Optionally, the protective case 300 is provided with water outlets 340. Since the protective case 300 adopts an open design, rainwater may enter during use, and the water outlets 340 can drain water timely to prevent water accumulation within the protective case 300. It is easily understood that the water outlets 340 may be disposed on the bottom wall 311 to facilitate timely and thorough drainage.

[0032] The protective case 300 can be made of a composite material of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polycarbonate (PC). This material selection not only provides the excellent mechanical properties of ABS but also the weatherability of PC. It can be machined or molded by a mold, meeting productization requirements. The independent protective case 300 is provided with an air duct. The design of the air inlets 330 and air outlets 320 on the protective case 300 optimizes the appearance of the product, and gives the entire product an industrial aesthetic.

[0033] It is easily understood that in the antenna architecture 10, heat generated by the transmitting unit 211, the receiving unit 213, and the satellite search unit 260 is transferred to the mounting frame 220 and dissipated by the heat sink 231 thereon. Heat generated by the power supply control unit 250 is partially conducted to the sealed cavity 255 and dissipated through thermal radiation and forced air cooling. Another part of the heat is conducted to the mounting frame 220, and the heat is conducted to the heat sink 231 through the heat exchange pipes 221 on the mounting frame 220 for heat dissipation by the heat sink 231.

[0034] Optionally, the antenna cover 100 may be a solid structure, the main material thereof may be quartz fiber prepreg, and an outer surface of the antenna cover 100 is coated with acrylic polyurethane paint. Alternatively, the antenna cover 100 may be made of a sandwich composite material, such as a multi-layer composite material with an inner skin, a core material, an outer skin, and paint from inside to outside, or a multi-layer composite material with an inner skin, a core material, a middle skin, a core material, an outer skin, and paint from inside to outside, which is not specifically limited herein. The antenna cover 100 may be a solid structure or made of a multi-layer composite material, resulting in lightweight and strong structural strength, reducing material costs, and reducing the thickness of the entire product.

[0035] The antenna architecture of this embodiment uses a component-separate design. Compared with conventional integral machining, industrial costs can be reduced by approximately 20%, the overall weight can be reduced by approximately 30%, and the thickness of the entire product can be reduced by approximately 20 mm.

[0036] An embodiment of the present application provides an antenna device including the antenna architecture 10 according to any one of the above-described embodiments. Due to the compact structure, small volume, light weight, convenient processing and manufacturing, and good heat dissipation performance of the antenna architecture 10, it is beneficial to reduce the product scrap rate, reduce costs, and improve product competitiveness.

[0037] In summary, the antenna architecture 10 and the antenna device provided in the embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects.

[0038] According to the antenna architecture 10 and the antenna device provided in the embodiments of the present application, the antenna cover 100, the protective case 300, and the antenna module 200 are separately manufactured, and the components in the antenna module 200, such as the power supply control unit 250, the mounting frame 220, and the heat dissipation unit 230 are also separately manufactured. This reduces processing and manufacturing difficulties, saves raw materials, minimizes the overall thickness and weight of the product, results in a small volume and low cost, reduces the product scrap rate, and facilitates industrialized, miniaturized, and lightweight design of the product. Moreover, the heat dissipation performance of the antenna architecture 10 is enhanced through improvements to the heat dissipation unit 230.

[0039] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. For concise description, not all possible combinations of the technical features based on the above embodiments are described herein. However, as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of these technical features, they should be considered as within the scope described in this specification.

[0040] The above-described embodiments merely involve some implementations of the present application, even though the description thereof is relatively specific and detailed, the description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make other modifications and improvements without departing from the inventive concept of the present application, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An antenna architecture (10), comprising: an antenna cover (100); a protective case (300), the protective case (300) and the antenna cover (100) being separately connected and enclosing an accommodation cavity; and an antenna module (200), disposed within the accommodation cavity, wherein the antenna module (200) comprises a mounting frame (220) and comprises a power supply control unit (250), a heat dissipation unit (230), and an antenna unit (210) which are mounted on the mounting frame (220), and the power supply control unit (250), the heat dissipation unit (230), and the antenna unit (210) are separately connected to the mounting frame (220).

2. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation unit (230) comprises a heat sink (231) provided with a through-type air duct (238) and further comprises a heat sink (231) disposed at an end of the through-type air duct (238).

3. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 2, wherein the heat dissipation unit (230) further comprises a fan (232) disposed at an end of the through-type air duct (238).

4. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 2, wherein the power supply control unit (250) and the heat sink (231) are disposed at a same end of the mounting frame (220).

5. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 1, wherein the power supply control unit (250) comprises a housing (251) and a control board (253), the housing (251) is provided with a sealed cavity (255), and the control board (253) is disposed within the sealed cavity (255).

6. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 1, wherein the mounting frame (220) is provided with a heat exchange pipe (221).

7. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 6, wherein the antenna unit (210) is disposed on a side of the mounting frame (220) away from the heat dissipation unit (230).

8. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 7, wherein the antenna unit (210) comprises a transmitting unit (211) and a receiving unit (213), and the heat exchange pipe (221) is disposed corresponding to the transmitting unit (211).

9. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 1, wherein an air duct is disposed within the protective case (300), and an air outlet (320) of the air duct is arranged on a same side as an air outlet (320) of the heat dissipation unit (230).

10. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 9, wherein the protective case (300) comprises a first side wall (312) and a second side wall (313) disposed opposite to each other.

11. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 10, wherein the first side wall (312) is provided with the air outlet (320) of the air duct.

12. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 10, wherein the protective case (300) further comprises a third side wall (314) and a fourth side wall (315) disposed opposite to each other.

13. The antenna architecture (10) according to claim 12, wherein the third side wall (314) and the fourth side wall (315) are each provided with an air inlet (330), and the air inlet (330) is provided with a dustproof net.

14. The antenna architecture (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the protective case (300) is provided with a water outlet (340).

15. An antenna device, comprising the antenna architecture (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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