Antenna assembly and antenna array

Abstract

The present application provides an antenna assembly and an antenna array. The antenna assembly includes: a radiation element including a radiation piece; and a metal member provided at an outer periphery of the radiation piece and configured for being excited by the radiation piece. This application aims to propose a wide-beam antenna.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310960528.2, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on July 31, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of antennas, and in particular to an antenna assembly and an antenna array.BACKGROUND

[0003] The integration of space, air, and ground networks has become an inevitable trend in the development of future mobile communications, and space-based satellite communication will be an important component of this integrated network. The goal of this integrated network is to achieve full coverage, which requires deploying a sufficient number of satellites, and each satellite must have a sufficiently large coverage area. Since satellites are constantly in motion while in orbit, their antennas need beam scanning capabilities to generate a fixed beam that services a specific region. Therefore, satellite antennas require a wide-angle ( ± 60 ° ) scanning capability. When the conventional antenna arrays scans to a wide-angle of ±60°, the gain decreases by 4-5 dB. In practical applications, due to the increased signal propagation distance and path loss at large scanning angles, it is desirable that the gain does not decrease at large angles, or even be higher than the gain at 0 ° pointing, to ensure the quality of satellite communication at large angles.

[0004] Based on this, the present application proposes a wide-beam antenna that effectively reduces the gain loss during large-angle array scanning by widening the unit beam width.SUMMARY

[0005] The main purpose of the present application is to provide an antenna assembly and an antenna array.

[0006] To achieve above objectives, the present application provides an antenna assembly including: a radiation element including a radiation piece; and a metal member provided at the outer periphery of the radiation piece, and configured to be excited by the radiation piece.

[0007] The present application further proposes an antenna array including a plurality of antenna assemblies arranged in an array, the antenna assembly including a radiation element and a metal member, the radiation element including a radiation piece; the metal member being provided at the outer periphery of the radiation piece and configured to be excited by the radiation piece.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] To more clearly illustrate technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the related art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the related art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, without creative effort, other drawings can be obtained according to the structures shown in these drawings. FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional half-sectional schematic diagram of the antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional exploded schematic diagram of the antenna assembly in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of a partial structure of the antenna assembly according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 4 is a simplified three-dimensional exploded diagram of a partial structure of the antenna assembly in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a simplified three-dimensional diagram of the metal body and some cooperating components according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 6 is a simplified three-dimensional diagram of the metal body and some cooperating components according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 7 is a a simplified three-dimensional diagram of the metal body and some cooperating components according to a third embodiment of the present application. FIG. 8 is a a simplified three-dimensional diagram of the metal body and some cooperating components according to a fourth embodiment of the present application. FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the radiation piece according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 10 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the radiation piece, the parasitic radiation piece, and some cooperating structures of the present application. FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the parasitic radiation piece according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 12 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric and some cooperating structures according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 13 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric and some cooperating structures according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 14 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric cover and some cooperating structures according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 15 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric cover and some cooperating structures according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 16 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric cover and some cooperating structures according to a third embodiment of the present application. FIG. 17 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric cover and some cooperating structures according to a fourth embodiment of the present application. FIG. 18 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of the antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of the architectural connection method of the antenna array according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of the architectural connection method of the antenna array according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of the standing wave curve of the antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing the curve of the axial ratio changing with frequency of the antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of the radiation pattern curve of the antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing the curve of the axial ratio changing with angle of the antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of the radiation pattern curve of the antenna assembly according to a second embodiment of the present application. Description of reference numbers:

[0009] Reference numberNameReference numberName1000antenna array151input port100antenna assembly152output port1radiation element16connecting member11radiation piece17second substrate11afirst metal layer2metal member111first slot2asecond metal layer112feed point21metal body12first substrate22metal ring13parasitic radiation piece23slot13athird metal layer3dielectric131second slot31dielectric cover14grounded plate311protruding region15feeding system312annular groove15afourth metal layer

[0010] The realization of the objective, functional characteristics, and advantages of the present application are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is obvious that the embodiments described are only some rather than all of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the claimed scope of the present application.

[0012] It should be noted that all the directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, rear...) in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement, or the like of the components in a certain posture (as shown in the drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will change accordingly.

[0013] Besides, the descriptions associated with, e.g., "first" and "second," in the present application are merely for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting relative importance or impliedly indicating the number of the indicated technical feature. Therefore, the feature associated with "first" or "second" can expressly or impliedly include at least one such feature. Further, if "and / or" appears throughout the text, it includes three parallel schemes. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes the scheme A, or the scheme B, or the scheme that the scheme A and the scheme B satisfy at the same time. In addition, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but the combinations must be based on the realization of those skilled in the art. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be achieved, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist, nor does it fall within the scope of the present application.

[0014] The integration of space, air, and ground networks has become an inevitable trend in the development of future mobile communications, and space-based satellite communication will be an important component of this integrated network. The goal of this integrated network is to achieve full coverage, which requires deploying a sufficient number of satellites, and each satellite must have a sufficiently large coverage area. Since satellites are constantly in motion while in orbit, their antennas need beam scanning capabilities to generate a fixed beam that services a specific region. Therefore, satellite antennas require a wide-angle (±60°) scanning capability. When the conventional antenna arrays scans to a wide-angle of ±60°, the gain decreases by 4-5 dB. In practical applications, due to the increased signal propagation distance and path loss at large scanning angles, it is desirable that the gain does not decrease at large angles, or even be higher than the gain at 0° pointing, to ensure the quality of satellite communication at large angles.

[0015] Based on this, the present application proposes a wide-beam antenna that effectively reduces the gain loss during large-angle array scanning by widening the unit beam width.

[0016] In view of this, the present application provides an antenna assembly. FIG. 1 to FIG. 16 show embodiments of the antenna assembly of the present application. The antenna assembly will be described below in conjunction with the specific drawings.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the antenna assembly 100 includes a radiation element 1 and a metal member 2. The radiation element 1 includes a radiation piece 11; the metal member 2 is provided at the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11 and is excited by the radiation piece 11.

[0018] In the technical solution of the present application, by arranging the metal member 2 on the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11 of the radiation element 1, the electromagnetic waves radiated by the radiation piece 11 will excite the metal member 2, so that the metal member 2 can generate a radiation pattern on the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11 that protrudes towards the radiation direction of the radiation piece 11, and the radiation piece 11 generates a radiation pattern in the central part that protrudes towards the radiation direction of the radiation piece 11. The radiation pattern generated by the metal member 2 is superimposed with the radiation pattern generated by the radiation piece 11, to increase the beam width of the radiation piece 11 towards the side of the metal member 2, forming a wide-beam radiation pattern. When the wide-beam radiation pattern is applied to a satellite antenna, the requirement of low gain loss during large-angle scanning can be met, ensuring the quality of satellite communication during large-angle scanning of the satellite antenna. In the present application, the radiation element 1 can be a circularly polarized radiation element 1 or a linearly polarized radiation element 1. The polarization characteristics of the antenna are defined by the spatial orientation of the electric field strength vector of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the antenna in the direction of maximum radiation. The types of polarization are classified according to the trajectory of the tip of the electric field strength vector, including linear polarization, circular polarization, and elliptical polarization. Linear polarization is further divided into horizontal polarization and vertical polarization, and circular polarization is divided into left-hand circular polarization and right-hand circular polarization. When the axial ratio of elliptical polarization is infinite, it is linear polarization; when the axial ratio is 1, it is circular polarization. In practical implementation, it is difficult to achieve an axial ratio of 1; therefore, the circularly polarized antennas described in this field are generally elliptically polarized antennas with superior axial ratio characteristics. In the present application, whether the radiation element 1 is circularly polarized or linearly polarized, the beneficial effects of the structure of the antenna assembly 100 in the present application can be obtained. However, the present application is intended for satellite applications, and electromagnetic waves undergo Faraday rotation when passing through the ionosphere. To avoid polarization mismatch, satellite communication mostly uses circular polarization. Therefore, the radiation element 1 in the present application mainly uses a circularly polarized radiation element 1. Thus, the following structural and functional descriptions will mainly focus on the case where the radiation element 1 is a circularly polarized radiation element 1.

[0019] The metal member 2 is provided at the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11 to achieve the above technical effects. Therefore, the setting manners of the metal member 2 can be various, including but not limited to at least one metal body 21 provided at the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11 and a metal ring 22 surrounding the radiation piece 11. The present application provides four embodiments of the metal member 2. As shown in FIG. 5, in the first embodiment of the metal member 2, the metal member 2 includes a plurality of metal bodies 21 arranged along the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11. The plurality of metal bodies 21 can be distributed along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11, or can be arranged only on one side of the radiation piece 11, which can be determined according to the actual requirements. To ensure that the radiation pattern of the antenna assembly 100 is spatially symmetrical, the plurality of metal bodies 21 are arranged in a uniformly distributed structure as shown in FIG. 5. Furthermore, the structure and shape of the metal member 2 are not limited, which can be a metal patch or a metal column, and the cross-sectional shape of the metal member 2 can be circular, square, or polygonal. In this embodiment, namely, in the first embodiment of the metal member 2, the metal member 2 can be a cylindrical structure to ensure that the radiation pattern generated by the metal member 2 after being excited by the radiation piece 11 is spatially symmetrical.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 6, in the second embodiment of the metal member 2, the metal member 2 includes a metal ring 22 extending along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11. There is always a gap between the multiple metal bodies 21, meaning that the radiation pattern generated by the radiation piece 11 does not overlap with the radiation pattern generated by the metal bodies 21 after being excited in this gap, that is, the beam width is not increased at this point. To improve this situation, the gap between the multiple metal bodies 21 can be made smaller, but this would obviously result in a more complex structure and higher manufacturing costs, making it impractical. In this embodiment, the metal member 2 is configured as a metal ring 22 extending along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11, and the metal ring 22 is configured as a closed ring to completely cover the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11. In this way, when the metal ring 22 is excited, the metal ring 22 can generate a ring radiation pattern with a central depression, which is superimposed with the centrally protruding radiation pattern generated by the radiation piece 11 to produce a wide beam radiation pattern in the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11, thereby meeting the application requirements. Regarding the case where the circularly polarized radiation of the radiation piece 11 excites the metal ring 22 to produce circularly polarized radiation, good axial ratio characteristics can be achieved within a wide angle (±60°) range. The shape of the metal ring 22 is not limited here, which can be circular, square, or polygonal. In this embodiment, it is set as a circle with the same effects as mentioned above, which further produces a spatially symmetrical radiation pattern.

[0021] In addition, based on the second embodiment of the metal member 2, the present application further proposes a third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7. The manner of setting the metal ring 22 provides higher coverage along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11 compared to the manner of setting multiple metal bodies 21, as described above. In the second embodiment of the metal member 2, the metal ring 22 is set as a closed ring to achieve optimal results and low manufacturing costs. However, it is undeniable that there may be design requirements that necessitate designing the metal ring 22 as an open-ring, as shown in the third embodiment of the metal member 2 in FIG. 7, where the circumferential direction of the metal ring 22 is provided with a gap. This can further achieve the effect of widening the beam width in the present application. Therefore, all the embodiments of the metal member 2 described above can achieve the effect of widening the beam width in the present application, which can be selected according to the specific requirements and is not limited herein.

[0022] Furthermore, based on the structure of the metal ring 22, a slot 23 can be formed in the metal ring 22, which does not sever the metal ring 22, and does not affect the corresponding radiation pattern generated by the metal ring 22 when excited, as shown in FIG. 8 for details. The present application further proposes a fourth embodiment of the metal member 2, which is based on the metal ring 22 with the slot 23 formed therein. Without affecting the radiation pattern generated by the metal ring 22, this reduces the material used for the metal ring 22, lowering costs while reducing the mass of the metal ring 22, making it more practical for satellite applications by reducing the satellite's payload.

[0023] In addition, the edge of the radiation piece 11 is provided with a first slot 111 extending towards the center thereof. The shape and structure of the radiation piece 11 are not limited; that is, the radiation piece 11 can be circular, square, or polygonal, and the like. As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the radiation piece 11 is in the circular shape, to produce a spatially symmetrical radiation pattern. Based on this, the edge of the radiation piece 11 is provided with the first slot 111, which increases the path length of the current flowing along the edge of the radiation piece 11, and the path length is equivalent to a larger radiation piece 11 without the first slot 111. This achieves the effect of increasing the current path without increasing the size of the radiation piece 11, thus achieving miniaturization of the radiation piece 11. The number and shape of the first slot 111 are not limited, as long as they achieve the above-mentioned effects of increase in current path. For example, the first slot 111 can be set to a cross shape, a T-shape, and the like, and the number can be set to one or more. In this embodiment, multiple first slots 111 are formed along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11. On the one hand, setting multiple first slots 111 can further increase the current path; on the other hand, setting multiple first slots 111 and distributing them evenly along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11 ensures a spatially symmetrical radiation pattern for the radiation piece 11.

[0024] Furthermore, the forming and installation method of the radiation piece 11 is not limited in the present application, as long as the metal member 2 is located on the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11, and the radiation piece 11 can radiate electromagnetic waves normally to meet the functional requirements. In the first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the radiation element 1 further includes a first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 includes a first metal layer 11a provided at the first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 is mounted on the first substrate 12, and is supported by the first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 can be configured as an independent metal sheet fixed to the first substrate 12 by an additional fixing structure, which includes a support structure or an adhesive structure. Or, the radiation piece 11 can be formed by plating a metal layer on the surface of the first substrate 12 based on a metal plating process. In this embodiment, the first substrate 12 is made of plastic material, obtained through integrated injection molding, achieving lightweight characteristics while serving as a plating substrate to meet the plating process requirements. The radiation piece 11 is manufactured by using a plastic surface metallization process, which includes, but is not limited to, laser direct structuring (LDS) plating, selective electroplating, magnetron sputtering vacuum plating, laser activating plating (LAP) process, and plastic surface metal foil plating. The overall structure is simple, easy to mold, and lightweight, making it suitable for large-scale array antennas used in satellite communication, thereby reducing the payload during the satellite launch phase and reducing launch costs.

[0025] In the second embodiment of the antenna assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the substrate is not provided at the radiation element 1. The radiation piece 11 is configured as an independent metal sheet, and the radiation piece 11 is suspended between the metal members 2 by a fixing structure. This fixing structure can be a support frame between the metal members 2 and the radiation piece 11, or a support frame between the radiation piece 11 and other structures in other directions. The specific details of this support frame are not shown in the drawings and are not limited here, as long as it ensures the functionality of the radiation piece 11.

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the radiation element 1 further includes a parasitic radiation piece 13 located on the radiation side of the radiation piece 11. The parasitic radiation piece 13 is spaced apart from the radiation piece 11 and is coupled to the radiation piece 11. With this arrangement, the radiation piece 11 and the parasitic radiation piece 13 in the layered structure can each generate a resonant frequency. By tuning the size of the parasitic radiation piece 13, the parasitic radiation piece 13 and the radiation piece 11 can resonate at different frequencies, thereby achieving a wider bandwidth. The parasitic radiation piece 13 is excited by the radiation piece 11 and maintains the polarization same as the radiation piece 11. Therefore, for circular polarization radiation, good axial ratio characteristics can be maintained over a wider impedance bandwidth.

[0027] The metal member 2 extends to the outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece 13 to be excited by the parasitic radiation piece 13. The metal member 2 can be independently excited by the radiation piece 11, meaning that the height of the metal member 2 does not need to extend to the outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece 13, to achieve the effect of broadening the beam width by superimposing the radiation pattern generated by the metal member 2 when excited with the radiation pattern generated by the radiation piece 11. However, in this embodiment, extending the metal member 2 to the outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece 13 allows the metal member 2 to be simultaneously excited by the parasitic radiation piece 13, thereby increasing the coupling between the metal member 2 and the radiation element 1 and enhancing the effect thereof.

[0028] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, similar to the radiation piece 11, the shape and structure of the parasitic radiation piece 13 are not limited. That is, the parasitic radiation piece 13 can further be set as a circle, square, or polygon, and the like. In this embodiment, the parasitic radiation piece 13 is a circle to produce a spatially symmetrical radiation pattern. On this basis, the edge of the parasitic radiation piece 13 is further provided with a second slot 131 extending towards the center thereof. Essentially, the second slot 131 on the parasitic radiation piece 13 has the same structure and function as the first slot 111 on the radiation piece 11. Based on the detailed description of the structure and function of the first slot 111 on the radiation piece 11 above, a detailed description of the structure and function of the second slot 131 on the parasitic radiation piece 13 is omitted here; please refer to the description of the first slot 111 on the radiation piece 11 above. Of course, the specific slot shape and number of the first slot 111 and the second slot 131 do not need to be the same, as long as they have the required function.

[0029] In addition, the antenna assembly 100 further includes a dielectric 3, which is located on the radiation side of the radiation piece 11. The dielectric 3 is an electrically insulating material that can be polarized by an external electric field. The dielectric 3 modifies the transmission phase of electromagnetic waves in different radiation directions. After the electromagnetic waves emitted from the radiation piece 11 at different angles pass through the dielectric 3, the different path lengths traversed by the electromagnetic waves through the dielectric 3 cause phase differences in the electromagnetic waves at different angles, ultimately resulting in wide-beam radiation characteristics in free space. Furthermore, the dielectric 3 does not affect the polarization, maintaining good axial ratio characteristics over a wide angular range for circularly polarized radiation. The dielectric 3 is a dielectric material, in particular to a plastic material, including but not limited to polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) modified materials, polyphenylene oxide (PPO) modified materials, liquid crystal polymer (LCP) modified materials, polyetherimide (PEI) modified materials, and the like. The specific structure of the dielectric 3 is not limited, as long as it is positioned in the radiation direction of the radiation piece 11 to achieve the above-mentioned functions.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 12, in the first embodiment of the dielectric 3, the dielectric 3 can be a dielectric plate covering the end of the metal member 2 away from the radiation piece 11. It is mainly supported by the metal member 2 to achieve the installation and fixation of the dielectric 3, thereby achieving the above-mentioned technical effects of the dielectric 3. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, in the second embodiment of the dielectric 3, the dielectric 3 includes a dielectric cover 31, which covers the radiation piece 11. The dielectric cover 31 mainly achieves the required function through the top dielectric layer, which is supported by the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31, without installation on the metal member 2. Conversely, the metal member 2 can be a second metal layer 2a located on the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31, so that the metal member 2 is supported by the relatively lightweight dielectric cover 31, thus minimizing the mass of the metal member 2. That is, the second metal layer 2a is formed on the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31 to reduce the overall mass of the antenna assembly 100, which is suitable for lightweight requirements in satellite communication. Moreover, the dielectric cover 31 covering the radiation piece 11 facilitates the positioning of the dielectric cover 31, thus simplifying the installation of the dielectric 3. The cross-sectional shape of the dielectric cover 31 can be a square, polygon, or other shapes, all of which can achieve the desired function and are not limited here. In this embodiment, the dielectric cover 31 is a cylindrical shape to ensure the symmetry of the radiation pattern and achieve wide beam characteristics in all directions.

[0031] The forming and mounting method of the second metal layer 2a can be the same as or different from that of the first metal layer 11a described above. That is, the second metal layer 2a can further be set as an independent metal sheet, fixed to the dielectric cover 31 by an additional fixing structure which includes a support structure or an adhesive structure. The second metal layer 2a can further be formed by plating a metal layer on the sidewall surface of the dielectric cover 31 based on a metal plating process. The dielectric cover 31 is made of plastic material, as described above, thereby achieving lightweight characteristics and serving as a substrate for the plating process. The second metal layer 2a is manufactured using a plastic surface metallization process, the specific implementation of which includes, but is not limited to, LDS plating, selective electroplating, magnetron sputtering vacuum plating, LAP process, and plastic surface metal foil covering process. The overall structure is simple, easy to form, and lightweight, making it further suitable for large-scale array antennas used in satellite communication, thereby reducing the payload during the satellite launch phase and reducing launch costs. The second metal layer 2a can be provided at the inner side or the outer side of the dielectric cover 31, which will not affect the functional effect. In this embodiment, the second metal layer 2a is provided at the inner side of the dielectric cover 31, allowing the dielectric cover 31 to provide protection for the second metal layer 2a.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 14, the radiation element 1 further includes a parasitic radiation piece 13 located on the radiation side of the radiation piece 11. The parasitic radiation piece 13 is spaced apart from the radiation piece 11 and is coupled to the radiation piece 11. The parasitic radiation piece 13 includes a third metal layer 13a provided at the top wall of the dielectric cover 31. The installation method of the parasitic radiation piece 13 is similar to that of the radiation piece 11. That is, the parasitic radiation piece 13 is mounted on the dielectric cover 31, and is supported by the dielectric cover 31. The parasitic radiation piece 13 can be an independent metal sheet, fixed to the dielectric cover 31 by an additional fixing structure, which includes a support structure or an adhesive structure. Or, the parasitic radiation piece 13, configured as a metal sheet, can be embedded inside the dielectric cover 31. Or, a metal plating process can be configured to coat a metal layer on the surface of the dielectric cover 31 to form the radiation piece 11. In this embodiment, the dielectric cover 31 is made of plastic material, as described above, achieving lightweight characteristics while serving as a substrate for the plating process. The parasitic radiation piece 13 is manufactured using a plastic surface metallization process. The specific implementation processes include, but are not limited to, LDS plating, selective electroplating, magnetron sputtering vacuum plating, LAP process, and plastic surface metal foil coating process. The overall structure is simple, easy to form, and lightweight, making it suitable for large-scale array antennas used in satellite communication, thereby reducing the payload during the satellite launch phase and reducing launch costs. The parasitic radiation piece 13 can be plated on the outer side of the dielectric cover 31 or on the inner side of the dielectric cover 31. When plated on the inner side of the dielectric cover 31, the electromagnetic waves emitted by the parasitic radiation piece 13 that is excited by the radiation piece 11, will further pass through the dielectric cover 31, resulting in wide beam radiation characteristics. Therefore, this embodiment mainly adopts the manner of plating the parasitic radiation piece 13 on the inner side of the dielectric cover 31.

[0033] Furthermore, when the parasitic radiation piece 13 is fixed by a fixed structure, the parasitic radiation piece 13 is not necessarily fixed to the dielectric cover 31, but can further be suspended and fixed to the metal member 2 by the fixed structure. However, this process is obviously more complex compared to the aforementioned plating process, and the structural molding and installation are more difficult, resulting in poor practicality.

[0034] A protruding region 311 is formed in the middle of the inner side of the top wall of the dielectric cover 31, and the third metal layer 13a is provided at the protruding region 311. To facilitate the installation of the parasitic radiation piece 13, a protruding region 311 is formed in the middle of the inner side of the top wall of the dielectric cover 31. The structural form of the protruding region 311 is not limited; which can be a partially protruding structure or a completely protruding structure to form a boss and serve as the protruding region 311. Even when only a portion of the structure protrudes, the protruding region 311 can be arranged along the outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece 13 to clamp with the metal sheet of the parasitic radiation piece 13. The protruding region 311 can limit the position of the parasitic radiation piece 13, assisting in the installation and shaping of the parasitic radiation piece 13. It is not limited here, which can be determined according to the actual structure of the parasitic radiation piece 13 and the overall stetting of the antenna assembly 100.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 15, in the second embodiment of the dielectric cover 31, an annular groove 312 is formed at the inner periphery of the top wall of the dielectric cover 31, so that a protruding region 311 is formed in the middle of the inner side of the top wall of the dielectric cover 31. In this embodiment, the parasitic radiation piece 13 is formed by metal plating. Therefore, an annular groove 312 is formed on the inner periphery of the top wall of the dielectric cover 31 to create a central protruding region 311. In this way, a height difference between the edge of the protruding region 311 and the bottom of the annular groove 312 is formed, facilitating the plating and formation of the parasitic radiation piece 13 on the protruding region 311. Adjusting the area of the protruding region 311 is equivalent to adjusting the size of the parasitic radiation piece 13, resulting in a simple structure and a good effective. Of course, when the parasitic radiation piece 13 is a metal sheet, the protruding region 311 in this embodiment can further serve as an edge positioning mechanism for the parasitic radiation piece 13, facilitating positioning and installation for the parasitic radiation piece 13.

[0036] Furthermore, the metal member 2 is located inside the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31 and extends into the annular groove 312. The manner that the metal member 2 is placed inside the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31 and the metal member 2 extends to the outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece 13, has been described above and will not be repeated here. Based on the annular groove 312 formed to create the protruding region 311, the metal member 2 can further extend into the annular groove 312, exceeding the height of the parasitic radiation piece 13. This ensures coupling between the parasitic radiation piece 13 and the metal member 2, ensuring that the metal member 2 can be excited by the parasitic radiation piece 13, and further increases the coupling between the parasitic radiation piece 13 and the metal member 2.

[0037] The metal member 2 includes a second metal layer 2a located on the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31, and the second metal layer 2a extends into the annular groove 312. The metal member 2 configured as the second metal layer 2a has been described in detail above and will not be repeated here. In this embodiment, the second metal layer 2a extends into the annular groove 312 to ensure coupling between the metal member 2 and the parasitic radiation piece 13 and enhance the coupling amount.

[0038] In addition, the dielectric 3 is provided with a main body of the dielectric 3 that is provided opposite to the radiation piece 11, and the main body of the dielectric 3 is recessed in the central region of the dielectric 3 corresponding to the radiation piece 11. The specific function of the dielectric 3 has been described in detail above, namely, that the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiation piece 11 at different angles pass through the dielectric 3, and due to the inconsistent path lengths of the electromagnetic waves passing through the dielectric 3, phase differences are generated in the electromagnetic waves at different angles, ultimately resulting in wide-beam radiation characteristics in free space. For example, when the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiation piece 11 perpendicular to the dielectric 3 pass through the dielectric 3, the path length is the shortest and is equal to the thickness of the dielectric 3. However, the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiation piece 11 with a certain angle will pass through the dielectric 3 and will have a path longer than the electromagnetic waves perpendicular to the dielectric 3, thus creating a path difference, resulting in the aforementioned phase differences in the electromagnetic waves at different angles, and ultimately producing the wide-beam radiation characteristics in free space. However, when the size of the dielectric 3 is similar to the size of the radiation piece 11, the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiation piece 11 are almost perpendicular to the dielectric 3, or pass through the dielectric 3 at a certain angle. The small angular deviation between the two results in a small path difference, which leads to a poor or even nonexistent widening of the beam due to the superposition of the two results. Therefore, in the present application, a recess is formed in the central region of the dielectric 3 to form a first region in the center of the dielectric 3 and a second region surrounding the first region. The thickness of the first region is smaller than the thickness of the second region. Even if the angle difference of the electromagnetic waves passing through the first and second regions is small, this increases the path length difference of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiation piece 11 after the electromagnetic waves pass through these two regions, ensuring the desired wide beam effect. The central recess of the main body of the dielectric 3 can be formed on the side facing the radiation piece 11, as shown in the third embodiment of the dielectric cover 31 in FIG. 16, or it can be formed on the side away from the radiation element, as shown in the fourth embodiment of the dielectric cover 31 in FIG. 17. The specific configuration is not limited, and both the desired function can be achieved. However, when the parasitic radiation piece 13 is a metal coating, it is necessary to ensure that the side of the main body of the dielectric 3 facing the radiation piece 11 is flat, thereby facilitating the plating and formation of the parasitic radiation piece 13. Therefore, the present application mainly uses a recessed structure on the side of the main body of the dielectric 3 away from the radiation piece 11. The above recessed structure can be of any shape, but to ensure that the formed radiation pattern is spatially symmetrical, the recess needs to be a ring. In specific implementations, it can be a conical cavity, a parabolic cavity, a curved cavity formed by exponential gradient, and the like.

[0039] In addition, the radiation element 1 further includes a grounded plate 14 and a feeding system 15 located on the side of the grounded plate 14 away from the radiation piece 11. The feeding system 15 is connected to the feed point 112 of the radiation piece 11 through a connecting member 16, and the connecting member 16 passes through the grounded plate 14 and is provided at the grounded plate 14. The grounded plate 14 and the feeding system 15 constitute the inherent structure of the radiation element 1, and their spatial positions are not limited. In the present application, the feeding system 15 is placed on the side of the grounded plate 14 away from the radiation piece 11, then is passed through and provided at the grounded plate 14, so as to be connected to the radiation piece 11. On the one hand, the feeding system 15, the grounded plate 14, and the radiation piece 11 are stacked, reducing the spatial dimensions and thus the volume of the antenna assembly 100. On the other hand, the feeding system 15 and the radiation piece 11 are separated by the grounded plate 14, to avoid interference between the feeding system 15 and the radiation piece 11, thereby improving the accuracy of the antenna assembly 100.

[0040] A second substrate 17 is provided between the feeding system 15 and the grounded plate 14. The feeding system 15 includes a fourth metal layer 15a provided at the second substrate 17. In the first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the second substrate 17 is provided between the feeding system 15 and the grounded plate 14. The feeding system 15 is configured as the fourth metal layer 15a attached to the second substrate 17. The mounting and forming method of the fourth metal layer 15a is similar to that of the first metal layer 11a, the second metal layer 2a, and the third metal layer 13a. The fourth metal layer 15a can be configured as an independent metal sheet, fixed by an additional fixing structure, or can be configured as a metal plating layer coated on the second substrate 17. In this embodiment, the fourth metal layer 15a is coated on the second substrate 17 to achieve the same lightweight effect, which is suitable for satellite communication applications. The radiation piece 11 is provided with at least two feed points 112, and the feeding system 15 is connected to the two feed points 112 via two connecting members 16, respectively. By providing multiple feed points 112, the stability of the phase center is improved.

[0041] Due to the characteristics of circular polarization, the antenna transmission and reception require different directions of circular polarization. Therefore, the antenna assembly 100 needs a dual-circular polarization design. To meet the dual-circular polarization requirements, multiple feed points 112 are provided at the radiation piece 11 to facilitate the dual-circular polarization. This allows for a shared antenna for transmission and reception, reducing the antenna size. The feeding system 15 is a 3dB bridge, which can achieve dual-circular polarization radiation. When the signal is inputted from one feed point 112, the antenna assembly 100 operates in a first circular polarization radiation mode; when the signal is inputted from the other feed point 112, the antenna assembly 100 operates in a second circular polarization radiation mode, thus forming a dual-circular polarization. The first circular polarization radiation mode and the second circular polarization radiation mode are configured to distinguish that transmission and reception adopt different circular polarization modes. For example, if the first circular polarization radiation mode is left-hand circular polarization, the second circular polarization radiation mode is right-hand circular polarization; if the first circular polarization mode is right-hand circular polarization, the second circular polarization mode is left-hand circular polarization. The transmission and reception of the antenna assembly 100 use different circular polarization modes. That is, if transmission uses left-hand circular polarization, reception uses right-hand circular polarization; if transmission uses right-hand circular polarization, reception uses left-hand circular polarization.

[0042] On the basis that the feeding system 15 is configured as a 3dB bridge, the feeding system 15 includes two input ports 151 and two output ports 152. The two input ports 151 are configured to connect to a digital channel, and the two output ports 152 are respectively connected to two feed points 112 on the radiation piece 11 through a connecting member 16. Thus, when the antenna assembly 100 is in the transmit mode, the signal enters through one of the two input ports 151, and after power distribution and phase shifting of the feeding system 15, a group of orthogonal signals with a 90° phase difference is generated. These signals are outputted from the two output ports 152 and then fed to the radiation piece 11 through the connecting member 16, thereby causing the radiation element 1 to emit electromagnetic waves and achieving spatial propagation of the signal. When the antenna assembly 100 is in the receive mode, the electromagnetic wave signal in free space is received by the radiation element 1, mainly received by the radiation piece 11, and then is transmitted to the output ports 152 of the feeding system 15 through the connecting member 16. After signal synthesis by the feeding system 15, the final signal is outputted from the input port 151 to the radio frequency link.

[0043] Based on the above structural description, the present application mainly proposes two embodiments of the antenna assembly 100. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show the second embodiment of the antenna assembly 100.

[0044] In the first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100, the first substrate 12, the dielectric cover 31, and the second substrate 17 are made of plastic material, offering the advantage of lightweight construction. The radiation piece 11 configured as the first metal layer 11a, the parasitic radiation piece 13 configured as the third metal layer 13a, the metal member 2 configured as the second metal layer 2a, and the fourth metal layer 15a of the feeding network are formed through a plastic surface metallization process. The dimensions in this embodiment include following contents. The distance between the radiation piece 11 and the parasitic radiation piece 13 is 0.1λ. The bottom of the dielectric cover 31 is further provided with a base plate attached to the first substrate 12, to ensure the installation stability of the dielectric cover 31. The side length of the base plate is 0.5λ. The height of the dielectric cover 31 is 0.25λ, and the diameter is 0.45λ. The height of the second metal layer 2a inside the dielectric cover 31 is 0.2λ. The side length of the base plate of the dielectric cover 31 is 0.5λ, which ensures that the aperture size of the antenna assembly 100 is 0.5λ, allowing for the formation of an antenna array 1000 with a spacing of 0.5λ, ensuring that the radiation pattern of the antenna array 1000 does not produce grating lobes. The height of the dielectric cover 31 is 0.25λ and the diameter is 0.45λ, which aims to achieve wide beam characteristics, determine the phase difference at different angles, and determine the geometric dimensions of the dielectric cover 31. The height of the second metal layer 2a on the inner side of the dielectric cover 31 is 0.2λ, which is the optimal height determined based on the radiation pattern characteristics and impedance matching characteristics. The above dimensions are one group of implementation schemes in this embodiment and do not limit the actual dimensions used. The above dimensions can be adjusted adaptively while satisfying the technical effects in the present application, and are not limited herein.

[0045] Based on the antenna assembly 100 in the first embodiment of the present application, tests were conducted. This embodiment achieves a 15% impedance bandwidth by employing a stacked structure of the radiation piece 11 and the parasitic radiation piece 13, as shown in the standing wave curve in FIG. 21. Within the impedance bandwidth, the axial ratio is less than 2 dB, and the curve of the axial ratio changing with frequency is shown in FIG. 22. The first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100 proposed in the present application achieves ultra-wide beam radiation characteristics through the dielectric cover 31 and the metal member 2. The radiation pattern is shown in FIG. 23. At the 2 GHz band, the 1.5 dB beamwidth reaches approximately 168°, and the 3 dB beamwidth reaches approximately 195°. At the 2.18 GHz band, the 1.5 dB beamwidth reaches approximately 190°, and the 3 dB beamwidth reaches approximately 214°. Within the ±60° range, the axial ratio is less than 3 dB, and the curve of the axial ratio changing with angle is shown in FIG. 24. The first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100 proposed in the present application has ultra-wide beam characteristics, which can effectively reduce the gain drop during large-angle scanning of the array and ensure good axial ratio characteristics over a wide angular range.

[0046] The second embodiment of the antenna assembly 100, compared to the first embodiment, eliminates the dielectrics such as the first substrate 12, the second substrate 17, and the dielectric 3, and adopts a whole metal structure. The metal member 2 and the grounded plate 14 are enclosed to form a radiation cavity. The radiation piece 11 and the parasitic radiation piece 13 are fixed to the metal member 2 by the fixing structure described above, and are suspended within the radiation cavity. The radiation piece 11 is connected to the feeding system 1 located on the back side of the grounded plate 14 through the connecting member 16. The connecting member 16 and the feeding system 15 are not shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4. The specific differences between the second embodiment of the antenna assembly 100 and the first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100 are as follows. First, in the second embodiment, the dielectric cover 31 is not provided, so the beam width is not as wide as that in the first embodiment. Second, the second embodiment uses a suspended form of the radiation piece 11, which has higher radiation efficiency compared to the radiation piece 11 attached to the first substrate 12 in the first embodiment. Third, the radiation piece 11 in the second embodiment is provided with the first slot 111 to achieve miniaturization of the radiation piece 11. Forth, in the second embodiment, the metal member 2 is directly connected to the grounded plate 14, compared to the first embodiment where the metal member 2 and the grounded plate 14 are separated by the dielectric of the first substrate 12, the structure in the second embodiment has a lower gain drop during large-angle scanning. The radiation pattern curve of the antenna assembly 100 in the second embodiment is shown in FIG. 25.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 18, the present application further proposes an antenna array 1000, which includes multiple antenna assemblies 100 arranged in an array. The specific structure of the antenna assembly 100 may refer to the above embodiments. Since the antenna array 1000 adopts all the technical solutions of the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects of the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 19, the radiation element 1 includes a feeding system 15. The feeding system 15 is connected to the feed point 112 on the radiation piece 11 through a connecting member 16. The feeding system 15 includes two input ports 151 and two output ports 152. Two input ports 151 of the feeding system 15 of at least one of the antenna assemblies 100 are connected to a digital channel via a radio frequency link. FIG. 19 illustrates the connection method of the antenna array 1000 architecture in the first embodiment. The two input ports 151 of each antenna assembly 100 are respectively connected to a radio frequency link. The two input ports 151 are respectively connected to the transmit and receive links or the receive and transmit links. N antenna assemblies 100 correspond to N transmit and receive radio frequency links. The N radio frequency links are connected to the digital channel. The number of digital channels depends on the actual requirements, which is not limited here.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 20, the radiation element 1 includes a feeding system 15. The feeding system 15 is connected to the feed point 112 on the radiation piece 11 through a connecting member 16. The feeding system 15 includes two input ports 151 and two output ports 152. Two input ports 151 corresponding to the feeding system 15 of at least one of the antenna assemblies 100 are connected to a radio frequency link through a phase-shifting network system, then are connected to the digital channel after integration. Multiple corresponding input ports 151 of the antenna assembly 100 are connected to a phase-shifting network, so that M phase-shifting networks are connected to a transmit or receive radio frequency link, and N transmit and receive radio frequency links are connected to digital channels. That is, multiple antenna assemblies 100 are integrated into a radio frequency link after phase shifting by the phase-shifting network. The number of radio frequency links and digital channels depends on the actual requirements, which is not limited herein.

[0050] The above are only some embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the scope of the present application thereto. Under the concept of the present application, any equivalent structural transformation made according to the description and drawings of the present application, or direct / indirect applied in other related technical fields shall fall within the claimed scope of the present application.

Examples

second embodiment

[0020]As shown in FIG. 6, in the metal member 2, the metal member 2 includes a metal ring 22 extending along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11. There is always a gap between the multiple metal bodies 21, meaning that the radiation pattern generated by the radiation piece 11 does not overlap with the radiation pattern generated by the metal bodies 21 after being excited in this gap, that is, the beam width is not increased at this point. To improve this situation, the gap between the multiple metal bodies 21 can be made smaller, but this would obviously result in a more complex structure and higher manufacturing costs, making it impractical. In this embodiment, the metal member 2 is configured as a metal ring 22 extending along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11, and the metal ring 22 is configured as a closed ring to completely cover the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11. In this way, when the metal ring 22 is excited, the...

fourth embodiment

[0022]Furthermore, based on the structure of the metal ring 22, a slot 23 can be formed in the metal ring 22, which does not sever the metal ring 22, and does not affect the corresponding radiation pattern generated by the metal ring 22 when excited, as shown in FIG. 8 for details. The present application further proposes the metal member 2, which is based on the metal ring 22 with the slot 23 formed therein. Without affecting the radiation pattern generated by the metal ring 22, this reduces the material used for the metal ring 22, lowering costs while reducing the mass of the metal ring 22, making it more practical for satellite applications by reducing the satellite's payload.

[0023]In addition, the edge of the radiation piece 11 is provided with a first slot 111 extending towards the center thereof. The shape and structure of the radiation piece 11 are not limited; that is, the radiation piece 11 can be circular, square, or polygonal, and the like. As shown in FIG. 9, in this emb...

first embodiment

[0024]Furthermore, the forming and installation method of the radiation piece 11 is not limited in the present application, as long as the metal member 2 is located on the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11, and the radiation piece 11 can radiate electromagnetic waves normally to meet the functional requirements. In the antenna assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the radiation element 1 further includes a first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 includes a first metal layer 11a provided at the first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 is mounted on the first substrate 12, and is supported by the first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 can be configured as an independent metal sheet fixed to the first substrate 12 by an additional fixing structure, which includes a support structure or an adhesive structure. Or, the radiation piece 11 can be formed by plating a metal layer on the surface of the first substrate 12 based on a metal plating process. In this embodim...

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310960528.2, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on July 31, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of antennas, and in particular to an antenna assembly and an antenna array.BACKGROUND

[0003] The integration of space, air, and ground networks has become an inevitable trend in the development of future mobile communications, and space-based satellite communication will be an important component of this integrated network. The goal of this integrated network is to achieve full coverage, which requires deploying a sufficient number of satellites, and each satellite must have a sufficiently large coverage area. Since satellites are constantly in motion while in orbit, their antennas need beam scanning capabilities to generate a fixed beam that services a specific region. Therefore, satellite antennas require a wide-angle ( ± 60 ° ) scanning capability. When the conventional antenna arrays scans to a wide-angle of ±60°, the gain decreases by 4-5 dB. In practical applications, due to the increased signal propagation distance and path loss at large scanning angles, it is desirable that the gain does not decrease at large angles, or even be higher than the gain at 0 ° pointing, to ensure the quality of satellite communication at large angles.

[0004] Based on this, the present application proposes a wide-beam antenna that effectively reduces the gain loss during large-angle array scanning by widening the unit beam width.SUMMARY

[0005] The main purpose of the present application is to provide an antenna assembly and an antenna array.

[0006] To achieve above objectives, the present application provides an antenna assembly including: a radiation element including a radiation piece; and a metal member provided at the outer periphery of the radiation piece, and configured to be excited by the radiation piece.

[0007] The present application further proposes an antenna array including a plurality of antenna assemblies arranged in an array, the antenna assembly including a radiation element and a metal member, the radiation element including a radiation piece; the metal member being provided at the outer periphery of the radiation piece and configured to be excited by the radiation piece.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] To more clearly illustrate technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the related art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the related art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, without creative effort, other drawings can be obtained according to the structures shown in these drawings. FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional half-sectional schematic diagram of the antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional exploded schematic diagram of the antenna assembly in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of a partial structure of the antenna assembly according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 4 is a simplified three-dimensional exploded diagram of a partial structure of the antenna assembly in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a simplified three-dimensional diagram of the metal body and some cooperating components according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 6 is a simplified three-dimensional diagram of the metal body and some cooperating components according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 7 is a a simplified three-dimensional diagram of the metal body and some cooperating components according to a third embodiment of the present application. FIG. 8 is a a simplified three-dimensional diagram of the metal body and some cooperating components according to a fourth embodiment of the present application. FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the radiation piece according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 10 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the radiation piece, the parasitic radiation piece, and some cooperating structures of the present application. FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the parasitic radiation piece according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 12 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric and some cooperating structures according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 13 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric and some cooperating structures according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 14 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric cover and some cooperating structures according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 15 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric cover and some cooperating structures according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 16 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric cover and some cooperating structures according to a third embodiment of the present application. FIG. 17 is a simplified three-dimensional half-sectional diagram of the dielectric cover and some cooperating structures according to a fourth embodiment of the present application. FIG. 18 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of the antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of the architectural connection method of the antenna array according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of the architectural connection method of the antenna array according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of the standing wave curve of the antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing the curve of the axial ratio changing with frequency of the antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of the radiation pattern curve of the antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing the curve of the axial ratio changing with angle of the antenna assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of the radiation pattern curve of the antenna assembly according to a second embodiment of the present application. Description of reference numbers:

[0009] Reference numberNameReference numberName1000antenna array151input port100antenna assembly152output port1radiation element16connecting member11radiation piece17second substrate11afirst metal layer2metal member111first slot2asecond metal layer112feed point21metal body12first substrate22metal ring13parasitic radiation piece23slot13athird metal layer3dielectric131second slot31dielectric cover14grounded plate311protruding region15feeding system312annular groove15afourth metal layer

[0010] The realization of the objective, functional characteristics, and advantages of the present application are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is obvious that the embodiments described are only some rather than all of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the claimed scope of the present application.

[0012] It should be noted that all the directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, rear...) in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement, or the like of the components in a certain posture (as shown in the drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will change accordingly.

[0013] Besides, the descriptions associated with, e.g., "first" and "second," in the present application are merely for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting relative importance or impliedly indicating the number of the indicated technical feature. Therefore, the feature associated with "first" or "second" can expressly or impliedly include at least one such feature. Further, if "and / or" appears throughout the text, it includes three parallel schemes. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes the scheme A, or the scheme B, or the scheme that the scheme A and the scheme B satisfy at the same time. In addition, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but the combinations must be based on the realization of those skilled in the art. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be achieved, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist, nor does it fall within the scope of the present application.

[0014] The integration of space, air, and ground networks has become an inevitable trend in the development of future mobile communications, and space-based satellite communication will be an important component of this integrated network. The goal of this integrated network is to achieve full coverage, which requires deploying a sufficient number of satellites, and each satellite must have a sufficiently large coverage area. Since satellites are constantly in motion while in orbit, their antennas need beam scanning capabilities to generate a fixed beam that services a specific region. Therefore, satellite antennas require a wide-angle (±60°) scanning capability. When the conventional antenna arrays scans to a wide-angle of ±60°, the gain decreases by 4-5 dB. In practical applications, due to the increased signal propagation distance and path loss at large scanning angles, it is desirable that the gain does not decrease at large angles, or even be higher than the gain at 0° pointing, to ensure the quality of satellite communication at large angles.

[0015] Based on this, the present application proposes a wide-beam antenna that effectively reduces the gain loss during large-angle array scanning by widening the unit beam width.

[0016] In view of this, the present application provides an antenna assembly. FIG. 1 to FIG. 16 show embodiments of the antenna assembly of the present application. The antenna assembly will be described below in conjunction with the specific drawings.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the antenna assembly 100 includes a radiation element 1 and a metal member 2. The radiation element 1 includes a radiation piece 11; the metal member 2 is provided at the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11 and is excited by the radiation piece 11.

[0018] In the technical solution of the present application, by arranging the metal member 2 on the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11 of the radiation element 1, the electromagnetic waves radiated by the radiation piece 11 will excite the metal member 2, so that the metal member 2 can generate a radiation pattern on the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11 that protrudes towards the radiation direction of the radiation piece 11, and the radiation piece 11 generates a radiation pattern in the central part that protrudes towards the radiation direction of the radiation piece 11. The radiation pattern generated by the metal member 2 is superimposed with the radiation pattern generated by the radiation piece 11, to increase the beam width of the radiation piece 11 towards the side of the metal member 2, forming a wide-beam radiation pattern. When the wide-beam radiation pattern is applied to a satellite antenna, the requirement of low gain loss during large-angle scanning can be met, ensuring the quality of satellite communication during large-angle scanning of the satellite antenna. In the present application, the radiation element 1 can be a circularly polarized radiation element 1 or a linearly polarized radiation element 1. The polarization characteristics of the antenna are defined by the spatial orientation of the electric field strength vector of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the antenna in the direction of maximum radiation. The types of polarization are classified according to the trajectory of the tip of the electric field strength vector, including linear polarization, circular polarization, and elliptical polarization. Linear polarization is further divided into horizontal polarization and vertical polarization, and circular polarization is divided into left-hand circular polarization and right-hand circular polarization. When the axial ratio of elliptical polarization is infinite, it is linear polarization; when the axial ratio is 1, it is circular polarization. In practical implementation, it is difficult to achieve an axial ratio of 1; therefore, the circularly polarized antennas described in this field are generally elliptically polarized antennas with superior axial ratio characteristics. In the present application, whether the radiation element 1 is circularly polarized or linearly polarized, the beneficial effects of the structure of the antenna assembly 100 in the present application can be obtained. However, the present application is intended for satellite applications, and electromagnetic waves undergo Faraday rotation when passing through the ionosphere. To avoid polarization mismatch, satellite communication mostly uses circular polarization. Therefore, the radiation element 1 in the present application mainly uses a circularly polarized radiation element 1. Thus, the following structural and functional descriptions will mainly focus on the case where the radiation element 1 is a circularly polarized radiation element 1.

[0019] The metal member 2 is provided at the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11 to achieve the above technical effects. Therefore, the setting manners of the metal member 2 can be various, including but not limited to at least one metal body 21 provided at the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11 and a metal ring 22 surrounding the radiation piece 11. The present application provides four embodiments of the metal member 2. As shown in FIG. 5, in the first embodiment of the metal member 2, the metal member 2 includes a plurality of metal bodies 21 arranged along the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11. The plurality of metal bodies 21 can be distributed along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11, or can be arranged only on one side of the radiation piece 11, which can be determined according to the actual requirements. To ensure that the radiation pattern of the antenna assembly 100 is spatially symmetrical, the plurality of metal bodies 21 are arranged in a uniformly distributed structure as shown in FIG. 5. Furthermore, the structure and shape of the metal member 2 are not limited, which can be a metal patch or a metal column, and the cross-sectional shape of the metal member 2 can be circular, square, or polygonal. In this embodiment, namely, in the first embodiment of the metal member 2, the metal member 2 can be a cylindrical structure to ensure that the radiation pattern generated by the metal member 2 after being excited by the radiation piece 11 is spatially symmetrical.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 6, in the second embodiment of the metal member 2, the metal member 2 includes a metal ring 22 extending along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11. There is always a gap between the multiple metal bodies 21, meaning that the radiation pattern generated by the radiation piece 11 does not overlap with the radiation pattern generated by the metal bodies 21 after being excited in this gap, that is, the beam width is not increased at this point. To improve this situation, the gap between the multiple metal bodies 21 can be made smaller, but this would obviously result in a more complex structure and higher manufacturing costs, making it impractical. In this embodiment, the metal member 2 is configured as a metal ring 22 extending along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11, and the metal ring 22 is configured as a closed ring to completely cover the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11. In this way, when the metal ring 22 is excited, the metal ring 22 can generate a ring radiation pattern with a central depression, which is superimposed with the centrally protruding radiation pattern generated by the radiation piece 11 to produce a wide beam radiation pattern in the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11, thereby meeting the application requirements. Regarding the case where the circularly polarized radiation of the radiation piece 11 excites the metal ring 22 to produce circularly polarized radiation, good axial ratio characteristics can be achieved within a wide angle (±60°) range. The shape of the metal ring 22 is not limited here, which can be circular, square, or polygonal. In this embodiment, it is set as a circle with the same effects as mentioned above, which further produces a spatially symmetrical radiation pattern.

[0021] In addition, based on the second embodiment of the metal member 2, the present application further proposes a third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7. The manner of setting the metal ring 22 provides higher coverage along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11 compared to the manner of setting multiple metal bodies 21, as described above. In the second embodiment of the metal member 2, the metal ring 22 is set as a closed ring to achieve optimal results and low manufacturing costs. However, it is undeniable that there may be design requirements that necessitate designing the metal ring 22 as an open-ring, as shown in the third embodiment of the metal member 2 in FIG. 7, where the circumferential direction of the metal ring 22 is provided with a gap. This can further achieve the effect of widening the beam width in the present application. Therefore, all the embodiments of the metal member 2 described above can achieve the effect of widening the beam width in the present application, which can be selected according to the specific requirements and is not limited herein.

[0022] Furthermore, based on the structure of the metal ring 22, a slot 23 can be formed in the metal ring 22, which does not sever the metal ring 22, and does not affect the corresponding radiation pattern generated by the metal ring 22 when excited, as shown in FIG. 8 for details. The present application further proposes a fourth embodiment of the metal member 2, which is based on the metal ring 22 with the slot 23 formed therein. Without affecting the radiation pattern generated by the metal ring 22, this reduces the material used for the metal ring 22, lowering costs while reducing the mass of the metal ring 22, making it more practical for satellite applications by reducing the satellite's payload.

[0023] In addition, the edge of the radiation piece 11 is provided with a first slot 111 extending towards the center thereof. The shape and structure of the radiation piece 11 are not limited; that is, the radiation piece 11 can be circular, square, or polygonal, and the like. As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the radiation piece 11 is in the circular shape, to produce a spatially symmetrical radiation pattern. Based on this, the edge of the radiation piece 11 is provided with the first slot 111, which increases the path length of the current flowing along the edge of the radiation piece 11, and the path length is equivalent to a larger radiation piece 11 without the first slot 111. This achieves the effect of increasing the current path without increasing the size of the radiation piece 11, thus achieving miniaturization of the radiation piece 11. The number and shape of the first slot 111 are not limited, as long as they achieve the above-mentioned effects of increase in current path. For example, the first slot 111 can be set to a cross shape, a T-shape, and the like, and the number can be set to one or more. In this embodiment, multiple first slots 111 are formed along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11. On the one hand, setting multiple first slots 111 can further increase the current path; on the other hand, setting multiple first slots 111 and distributing them evenly along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11 ensures a spatially symmetrical radiation pattern for the radiation piece 11.

[0024] Furthermore, the forming and installation method of the radiation piece 11 is not limited in the present application, as long as the metal member 2 is located on the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11, and the radiation piece 11 can radiate electromagnetic waves normally to meet the functional requirements. In the first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the radiation element 1 further includes a first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 includes a first metal layer 11a provided at the first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 is mounted on the first substrate 12, and is supported by the first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 can be configured as an independent metal sheet fixed to the first substrate 12 by an additional fixing structure, which includes a support structure or an adhesive structure. Or, the radiation piece 11 can be formed by plating a metal layer on the surface of the first substrate 12 based on a metal plating process. In this embodiment, the first substrate 12 is made of plastic material, obtained through integrated injection molding, achieving lightweight characteristics while serving as a plating substrate to meet the plating process requirements. The radiation piece 11 is manufactured by using a plastic surface metallization process, which includes, but is not limited to, laser direct structuring (LDS) plating, selective electroplating, magnetron sputtering vacuum plating, laser activating plating (LAP) process, and plastic surface metal foil plating. The overall structure is simple, easy to mold, and lightweight, making it suitable for large-scale array antennas used in satellite communication, thereby reducing the payload during the satellite launch phase and reducing launch costs.

[0025] In the second embodiment of the antenna assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the substrate is not provided at the radiation element 1. The radiation piece 11 is configured as an independent metal sheet, and the radiation piece 11 is suspended between the metal members 2 by a fixing structure. This fixing structure can be a support frame between the metal members 2 and the radiation piece 11, or a support frame between the radiation piece 11 and other structures in other directions. The specific details of this support frame are not shown in the drawings and are not limited here, as long as it ensures the functionality of the radiation piece 11.

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the radiation element 1 further includes a parasitic radiation piece 13 located on the radiation side of the radiation piece 11. The parasitic radiation piece 13 is spaced apart from the radiation piece 11 and is coupled to the radiation piece 11. With this arrangement, the radiation piece 11 and the parasitic radiation piece 13 in the layered structure can each generate a resonant frequency. By tuning the size of the parasitic radiation piece 13, the parasitic radiation piece 13 and the radiation piece 11 can resonate at different frequencies, thereby achieving a wider bandwidth. The parasitic radiation piece 13 is excited by the radiation piece 11 and maintains the polarization same as the radiation piece 11. Therefore, for circular polarization radiation, good axial ratio characteristics can be maintained over a wider impedance bandwidth.

[0027] The metal member 2 extends to the outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece 13 to be excited by the parasitic radiation piece 13. The metal member 2 can be independently excited by the radiation piece 11, meaning that the height of the metal member 2 does not need to extend to the outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece 13, to achieve the effect of broadening the beam width by superimposing the radiation pattern generated by the metal member 2 when excited with the radiation pattern generated by the radiation piece 11. However, in this embodiment, extending the metal member 2 to the outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece 13 allows the metal member 2 to be simultaneously excited by the parasitic radiation piece 13, thereby increasing the coupling between the metal member 2 and the radiation element 1 and enhancing the effect thereof.

[0028] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, similar to the radiation piece 11, the shape and structure of the parasitic radiation piece 13 are not limited. That is, the parasitic radiation piece 13 can further be set as a circle, square, or polygon, and the like. In this embodiment, the parasitic radiation piece 13 is a circle to produce a spatially symmetrical radiation pattern. On this basis, the edge of the parasitic radiation piece 13 is further provided with a second slot 131 extending towards the center thereof. Essentially, the second slot 131 on the parasitic radiation piece 13 has the same structure and function as the first slot 111 on the radiation piece 11. Based on the detailed description of the structure and function of the first slot 111 on the radiation piece 11 above, a detailed description of the structure and function of the second slot 131 on the parasitic radiation piece 13 is omitted here; please refer to the description of the first slot 111 on the radiation piece 11 above. Of course, the specific slot shape and number of the first slot 111 and the second slot 131 do not need to be the same, as long as they have the required function.

[0029] In addition, the antenna assembly 100 further includes a dielectric 3, which is located on the radiation side of the radiation piece 11. The dielectric 3 is an electrically insulating material that can be polarized by an external electric field. The dielectric 3 modifies the transmission phase of electromagnetic waves in different radiation directions. After the electromagnetic waves emitted from the radiation piece 11 at different angles pass through the dielectric 3, the different path lengths traversed by the electromagnetic waves through the dielectric 3 cause phase differences in the electromagnetic waves at different angles, ultimately resulting in wide-beam radiation characteristics in free space. Furthermore, the dielectric 3 does not affect the polarization, maintaining good axial ratio characteristics over a wide angular range for circularly polarized radiation. The dielectric 3 is a dielectric material, in particular to a plastic material, including but not limited to polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) modified materials, polyphenylene oxide (PPO) modified materials, liquid crystal polymer (LCP) modified materials, polyetherimide (PEI) modified materials, and the like. The specific structure of the dielectric 3 is not limited, as long as it is positioned in the radiation direction of the radiation piece 11 to achieve the above-mentioned functions.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 12, in the first embodiment of the dielectric 3, the dielectric 3 can be a dielectric plate covering the end of the metal member 2 away from the radiation piece 11. It is mainly supported by the metal member 2 to achieve the installation and fixation of the dielectric 3, thereby achieving the above-mentioned technical effects of the dielectric 3. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, in the second embodiment of the dielectric 3, the dielectric 3 includes a dielectric cover 31, which covers the radiation piece 11. The dielectric cover 31 mainly achieves the required function through the top dielectric layer, which is supported by the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31, without installation on the metal member 2. Conversely, the metal member 2 can be a second metal layer 2a located on the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31, so that the metal member 2 is supported by the relatively lightweight dielectric cover 31, thus minimizing the mass of the metal member 2. That is, the second metal layer 2a is formed on the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31 to reduce the overall mass of the antenna assembly 100, which is suitable for lightweight requirements in satellite communication. Moreover, the dielectric cover 31 covering the radiation piece 11 facilitates the positioning of the dielectric cover 31, thus simplifying the installation of the dielectric 3. The cross-sectional shape of the dielectric cover 31 can be a square, polygon, or other shapes, all of which can achieve the desired function and are not limited here. In this embodiment, the dielectric cover 31 is a cylindrical shape to ensure the symmetry of the radiation pattern and achieve wide beam characteristics in all directions.

[0031] The forming and mounting method of the second metal layer 2a can be the same as or different from that of the first metal layer 11a described above. That is, the second metal layer 2a can further be set as an independent metal sheet, fixed to the dielectric cover 31 by an additional fixing structure which includes a support structure or an adhesive structure. The second metal layer 2a can further be formed by plating a metal layer on the sidewall surface of the dielectric cover 31 based on a metal plating process. The dielectric cover 31 is made of plastic material, as described above, thereby achieving lightweight characteristics and serving as a substrate for the plating process. The second metal layer 2a is manufactured using a plastic surface metallization process, the specific implementation of which includes, but is not limited to, LDS plating, selective electroplating, magnetron sputtering vacuum plating, LAP process, and plastic surface metal foil covering process. The overall structure is simple, easy to form, and lightweight, making it further suitable for large-scale array antennas used in satellite communication, thereby reducing the payload during the satellite launch phase and reducing launch costs. The second metal layer 2a can be provided at the inner side or the outer side of the dielectric cover 31, which will not affect the functional effect. In this embodiment, the second metal layer 2a is provided at the inner side of the dielectric cover 31, allowing the dielectric cover 31 to provide protection for the second metal layer 2a.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 14, the radiation element 1 further includes a parasitic radiation piece 13 located on the radiation side of the radiation piece 11. The parasitic radiation piece 13 is spaced apart from the radiation piece 11 and is coupled to the radiation piece 11. The parasitic radiation piece 13 includes a third metal layer 13a provided at the top wall of the dielectric cover 31. The installation method of the parasitic radiation piece 13 is similar to that of the radiation piece 11. That is, the parasitic radiation piece 13 is mounted on the dielectric cover 31, and is supported by the dielectric cover 31. The parasitic radiation piece 13 can be an independent metal sheet, fixed to the dielectric cover 31 by an additional fixing structure, which includes a support structure or an adhesive structure. Or, the parasitic radiation piece 13, configured as a metal sheet, can be embedded inside the dielectric cover 31. Or, a metal plating process can be configured to coat a metal layer on the surface of the dielectric cover 31 to form the radiation piece 11. In this embodiment, the dielectric cover 31 is made of plastic material, as described above, achieving lightweight characteristics while serving as a substrate for the plating process. The parasitic radiation piece 13 is manufactured using a plastic surface metallization process. The specific implementation processes include, but are not limited to, LDS plating, selective electroplating, magnetron sputtering vacuum plating, LAP process, and plastic surface metal foil coating process. The overall structure is simple, easy to form, and lightweight, making it suitable for large-scale array antennas used in satellite communication, thereby reducing the payload during the satellite launch phase and reducing launch costs. The parasitic radiation piece 13 can be plated on the outer side of the dielectric cover 31 or on the inner side of the dielectric cover 31. When plated on the inner side of the dielectric cover 31, the electromagnetic waves emitted by the parasitic radiation piece 13 that is excited by the radiation piece 11, will further pass through the dielectric cover 31, resulting in wide beam radiation characteristics. Therefore, this embodiment mainly adopts the manner of plating the parasitic radiation piece 13 on the inner side of the dielectric cover 31.

[0033] Furthermore, when the parasitic radiation piece 13 is fixed by a fixed structure, the parasitic radiation piece 13 is not necessarily fixed to the dielectric cover 31, but can further be suspended and fixed to the metal member 2 by the fixed structure. However, this process is obviously more complex compared to the aforementioned plating process, and the structural molding and installation are more difficult, resulting in poor practicality.

[0034] A protruding region 311 is formed in the middle of the inner side of the top wall of the dielectric cover 31, and the third metal layer 13a is provided at the protruding region 311. To facilitate the installation of the parasitic radiation piece 13, a protruding region 311 is formed in the middle of the inner side of the top wall of the dielectric cover 31. The structural form of the protruding region 311 is not limited; which can be a partially protruding structure or a completely protruding structure to form a boss and serve as the protruding region 311. Even when only a portion of the structure protrudes, the protruding region 311 can be arranged along the outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece 13 to clamp with the metal sheet of the parasitic radiation piece 13. The protruding region 311 can limit the position of the parasitic radiation piece 13, assisting in the installation and shaping of the parasitic radiation piece 13. It is not limited here, which can be determined according to the actual structure of the parasitic radiation piece 13 and the overall stetting of the antenna assembly 100.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 15, in the second embodiment of the dielectric cover 31, an annular groove 312 is formed at the inner periphery of the top wall of the dielectric cover 31, so that a protruding region 311 is formed in the middle of the inner side of the top wall of the dielectric cover 31. In this embodiment, the parasitic radiation piece 13 is formed by metal plating. Therefore, an annular groove 312 is formed on the inner periphery of the top wall of the dielectric cover 31 to create a central protruding region 311. In this way, a height difference between the edge of the protruding region 311 and the bottom of the annular groove 312 is formed, facilitating the plating and formation of the parasitic radiation piece 13 on the protruding region 311. Adjusting the area of the protruding region 311 is equivalent to adjusting the size of the parasitic radiation piece 13, resulting in a simple structure and a good effective. Of course, when the parasitic radiation piece 13 is a metal sheet, the protruding region 311 in this embodiment can further serve as an edge positioning mechanism for the parasitic radiation piece 13, facilitating positioning and installation for the parasitic radiation piece 13.

[0036] Furthermore, the metal member 2 is located inside the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31 and extends into the annular groove 312. The manner that the metal member 2 is placed inside the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31 and the metal member 2 extends to the outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece 13, has been described above and will not be repeated here. Based on the annular groove 312 formed to create the protruding region 311, the metal member 2 can further extend into the annular groove 312, exceeding the height of the parasitic radiation piece 13. This ensures coupling between the parasitic radiation piece 13 and the metal member 2, ensuring that the metal member 2 can be excited by the parasitic radiation piece 13, and further increases the coupling between the parasitic radiation piece 13 and the metal member 2.

[0037] The metal member 2 includes a second metal layer 2a located on the sidewall of the dielectric cover 31, and the second metal layer 2a extends into the annular groove 312. The metal member 2 configured as the second metal layer 2a has been described in detail above and will not be repeated here. In this embodiment, the second metal layer 2a extends into the annular groove 312 to ensure coupling between the metal member 2 and the parasitic radiation piece 13 and enhance the coupling amount.

[0038] In addition, the dielectric 3 is provided with a main body of the dielectric 3 that is provided opposite to the radiation piece 11, and the main body of the dielectric 3 is recessed in the central region of the dielectric 3 corresponding to the radiation piece 11. The specific function of the dielectric 3 has been described in detail above, namely, that the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiation piece 11 at different angles pass through the dielectric 3, and due to the inconsistent path lengths of the electromagnetic waves passing through the dielectric 3, phase differences are generated in the electromagnetic waves at different angles, ultimately resulting in wide-beam radiation characteristics in free space. For example, when the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiation piece 11 perpendicular to the dielectric 3 pass through the dielectric 3, the path length is the shortest and is equal to the thickness of the dielectric 3. However, the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiation piece 11 with a certain angle will pass through the dielectric 3 and will have a path longer than the electromagnetic waves perpendicular to the dielectric 3, thus creating a path difference, resulting in the aforementioned phase differences in the electromagnetic waves at different angles, and ultimately producing the wide-beam radiation characteristics in free space. However, when the size of the dielectric 3 is similar to the size of the radiation piece 11, the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiation piece 11 are almost perpendicular to the dielectric 3, or pass through the dielectric 3 at a certain angle. The small angular deviation between the two results in a small path difference, which leads to a poor or even nonexistent widening of the beam due to the superposition of the two results. Therefore, in the present application, a recess is formed in the central region of the dielectric 3 to form a first region in the center of the dielectric 3 and a second region surrounding the first region. The thickness of the first region is smaller than the thickness of the second region. Even if the angle difference of the electromagnetic waves passing through the first and second regions is small, this increases the path length difference of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiation piece 11 after the electromagnetic waves pass through these two regions, ensuring the desired wide beam effect. The central recess of the main body of the dielectric 3 can be formed on the side facing the radiation piece 11, as shown in the third embodiment of the dielectric cover 31 in FIG. 16, or it can be formed on the side away from the radiation element, as shown in the fourth embodiment of the dielectric cover 31 in FIG. 17. The specific configuration is not limited, and both the desired function can be achieved. However, when the parasitic radiation piece 13 is a metal coating, it is necessary to ensure that the side of the main body of the dielectric 3 facing the radiation piece 11 is flat, thereby facilitating the plating and formation of the parasitic radiation piece 13. Therefore, the present application mainly uses a recessed structure on the side of the main body of the dielectric 3 away from the radiation piece 11. The above recessed structure can be of any shape, but to ensure that the formed radiation pattern is spatially symmetrical, the recess needs to be a ring. In specific implementations, it can be a conical cavity, a parabolic cavity, a curved cavity formed by exponential gradient, and the like.

[0039] In addition, the radiation element 1 further includes a grounded plate 14 and a feeding system 15 located on the side of the grounded plate 14 away from the radiation piece 11. The feeding system 15 is connected to the feed point 112 of the radiation piece 11 through a connecting member 16, and the connecting member 16 passes through the grounded plate 14 and is provided at the grounded plate 14. The grounded plate 14 and the feeding system 15 constitute the inherent structure of the radiation element 1, and their spatial positions are not limited. In the present application, the feeding system 15 is placed on the side of the grounded plate 14 away from the radiation piece 11, then is passed through and provided at the grounded plate 14, so as to be connected to the radiation piece 11. On the one hand, the feeding system 15, the grounded plate 14, and the radiation piece 11 are stacked, reducing the spatial dimensions and thus the volume of the antenna assembly 100. On the other hand, the feeding system 15 and the radiation piece 11 are separated by the grounded plate 14, to avoid interference between the feeding system 15 and the radiation piece 11, thereby improving the accuracy of the antenna assembly 100.

[0040] A second substrate 17 is provided between the feeding system 15 and the grounded plate 14. The feeding system 15 includes a fourth metal layer 15a provided at the second substrate 17. In the first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the second substrate 17 is provided between the feeding system 15 and the grounded plate 14. The feeding system 15 is configured as the fourth metal layer 15a attached to the second substrate 17. The mounting and forming method of the fourth metal layer 15a is similar to that of the first metal layer 11a, the second metal layer 2a, and the third metal layer 13a. The fourth metal layer 15a can be configured as an independent metal sheet, fixed by an additional fixing structure, or can be configured as a metal plating layer coated on the second substrate 17. In this embodiment, the fourth metal layer 15a is coated on the second substrate 17 to achieve the same lightweight effect, which is suitable for satellite communication applications. The radiation piece 11 is provided with at least two feed points 112, and the feeding system 15 is connected to the two feed points 112 via two connecting members 16, respectively. By providing multiple feed points 112, the stability of the phase center is improved.

[0041] Due to the characteristics of circular polarization, the antenna transmission and reception require different directions of circular polarization. Therefore, the antenna assembly 100 needs a dual-circular polarization design. To meet the dual-circular polarization requirements, multiple feed points 112 are provided at the radiation piece 11 to facilitate the dual-circular polarization. This allows for a shared antenna for transmission and reception, reducing the antenna size. The feeding system 15 is a 3dB bridge, which can achieve dual-circular polarization radiation. When the signal is inputted from one feed point 112, the antenna assembly 100 operates in a first circular polarization radiation mode; when the signal is inputted from the other feed point 112, the antenna assembly 100 operates in a second circular polarization radiation mode, thus forming a dual-circular polarization. The first circular polarization radiation mode and the second circular polarization radiation mode are configured to distinguish that transmission and reception adopt different circular polarization modes. For example, if the first circular polarization radiation mode is left-hand circular polarization, the second circular polarization radiation mode is right-hand circular polarization; if the first circular polarization mode is right-hand circular polarization, the second circular polarization mode is left-hand circular polarization. The transmission and reception of the antenna assembly 100 use different circular polarization modes. That is, if transmission uses left-hand circular polarization, reception uses right-hand circular polarization; if transmission uses right-hand circular polarization, reception uses left-hand circular polarization.

[0042] On the basis that the feeding system 15 is configured as a 3dB bridge, the feeding system 15 includes two input ports 151 and two output ports 152. The two input ports 151 are configured to connect to a digital channel, and the two output ports 152 are respectively connected to two feed points 112 on the radiation piece 11 through a connecting member 16. Thus, when the antenna assembly 100 is in the transmit mode, the signal enters through one of the two input ports 151, and after power distribution and phase shifting of the feeding system 15, a group of orthogonal signals with a 90° phase difference is generated. These signals are outputted from the two output ports 152 and then fed to the radiation piece 11 through the connecting member 16, thereby causing the radiation element 1 to emit electromagnetic waves and achieving spatial propagation of the signal. When the antenna assembly 100 is in the receive mode, the electromagnetic wave signal in free space is received by the radiation element 1, mainly received by the radiation piece 11, and then is transmitted to the output ports 152 of the feeding system 15 through the connecting member 16. After signal synthesis by the feeding system 15, the final signal is outputted from the input port 151 to the radio frequency link.

[0043] Based on the above structural description, the present application mainly proposes two embodiments of the antenna assembly 100. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show the second embodiment of the antenna assembly 100.

[0044] In the first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100, the first substrate 12, the dielectric cover 31, and the second substrate 17 are made of plastic material, offering the advantage of lightweight construction. The radiation piece 11 configured as the first metal layer 11a, the parasitic radiation piece 13 configured as the third metal layer 13a, the metal member 2 configured as the second metal layer 2a, and the fourth metal layer 15a of the feeding network are formed through a plastic surface metallization process. The dimensions in this embodiment include following contents. The distance between the radiation piece 11 and the parasitic radiation piece 13 is 0.1λ. The bottom of the dielectric cover 31 is further provided with a base plate attached to the first substrate 12, to ensure the installation stability of the dielectric cover 31. The side length of the base plate is 0.5λ. The height of the dielectric cover 31 is 0.25λ, and the diameter is 0.45λ. The height of the second metal layer 2a inside the dielectric cover 31 is 0.2λ. The side length of the base plate of the dielectric cover 31 is 0.5λ, which ensures that the aperture size of the antenna assembly 100 is 0.5λ, allowing for the formation of an antenna array 1000 with a spacing of 0.5λ, ensuring that the radiation pattern of the antenna array 1000 does not produce grating lobes. The height of the dielectric cover 31 is 0.25λ and the diameter is 0.45λ, which aims to achieve wide beam characteristics, determine the phase difference at different angles, and determine the geometric dimensions of the dielectric cover 31. The height of the second metal layer 2a on the inner side of the dielectric cover 31 is 0.2λ, which is the optimal height determined based on the radiation pattern characteristics and impedance matching characteristics. The above dimensions are one group of implementation schemes in this embodiment and do not limit the actual dimensions used. The above dimensions can be adjusted adaptively while satisfying the technical effects in the present application, and are not limited herein.

[0045] Based on the antenna assembly 100 in the first embodiment of the present application, tests were conducted. This embodiment achieves a 15% impedance bandwidth by employing a stacked structure of the radiation piece 11 and the parasitic radiation piece 13, as shown in the standing wave curve in FIG. 21. Within the impedance bandwidth, the axial ratio is less than 2 dB, and the curve of the axial ratio changing with frequency is shown in FIG. 22. The first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100 proposed in the present application achieves ultra-wide beam radiation characteristics through the dielectric cover 31 and the metal member 2. The radiation pattern is shown in FIG. 23. At the 2 GHz band, the 1.5 dB beamwidth reaches approximately 168°, and the 3 dB beamwidth reaches approximately 195°. At the 2.18 GHz band, the 1.5 dB beamwidth reaches approximately 190°, and the 3 dB beamwidth reaches approximately 214°. Within the ±60° range, the axial ratio is less than 3 dB, and the curve of the axial ratio changing with angle is shown in FIG. 24. The first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100 proposed in the present application has ultra-wide beam characteristics, which can effectively reduce the gain drop during large-angle scanning of the array and ensure good axial ratio characteristics over a wide angular range.

[0046] The second embodiment of the antenna assembly 100, compared to the first embodiment, eliminates the dielectrics such as the first substrate 12, the second substrate 17, and the dielectric 3, and adopts a whole metal structure. The metal member 2 and the grounded plate 14 are enclosed to form a radiation cavity. The radiation piece 11 and the parasitic radiation piece 13 are fixed to the metal member 2 by the fixing structure described above, and are suspended within the radiation cavity. The radiation piece 11 is connected to the feeding system 1 located on the back side of the grounded plate 14 through the connecting member 16. The connecting member 16 and the feeding system 15 are not shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4. The specific differences between the second embodiment of the antenna assembly 100 and the first embodiment of the antenna assembly 100 are as follows. First, in the second embodiment, the dielectric cover 31 is not provided, so the beam width is not as wide as that in the first embodiment. Second, the second embodiment uses a suspended form of the radiation piece 11, which has higher radiation efficiency compared to the radiation piece 11 attached to the first substrate 12 in the first embodiment. Third, the radiation piece 11 in the second embodiment is provided with the first slot 111 to achieve miniaturization of the radiation piece 11. Forth, in the second embodiment, the metal member 2 is directly connected to the grounded plate 14, compared to the first embodiment where the metal member 2 and the grounded plate 14 are separated by the dielectric of the first substrate 12, the structure in the second embodiment has a lower gain drop during large-angle scanning. The radiation pattern curve of the antenna assembly 100 in the second embodiment is shown in FIG. 25.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 18, the present application further proposes an antenna array 1000, which includes multiple antenna assemblies 100 arranged in an array. The specific structure of the antenna assembly 100 may refer to the above embodiments. Since the antenna array 1000 adopts all the technical solutions of the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects of the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 19, the radiation element 1 includes a feeding system 15. The feeding system 15 is connected to the feed point 112 on the radiation piece 11 through a connecting member 16. The feeding system 15 includes two input ports 151 and two output ports 152. Two input ports 151 of the feeding system 15 of at least one of the antenna assemblies 100 are connected to a digital channel via a radio frequency link. FIG. 19 illustrates the connection method of the antenna array 1000 architecture in the first embodiment. The two input ports 151 of each antenna assembly 100 are respectively connected to a radio frequency link. The two input ports 151 are respectively connected to the transmit and receive links or the receive and transmit links. N antenna assemblies 100 correspond to N transmit and receive radio frequency links. The N radio frequency links are connected to the digital channel. The number of digital channels depends on the actual requirements, which is not limited here.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 20, the radiation element 1 includes a feeding system 15. The feeding system 15 is connected to the feed point 112 on the radiation piece 11 through a connecting member 16. The feeding system 15 includes two input ports 151 and two output ports 152. Two input ports 151 corresponding to the feeding system 15 of at least one of the antenna assemblies 100 are connected to a radio frequency link through a phase-shifting network system, then are connected to the digital channel after integration. Multiple corresponding input ports 151 of the antenna assembly 100 are connected to a phase-shifting network, so that M phase-shifting networks are connected to a transmit or receive radio frequency link, and N transmit and receive radio frequency links are connected to digital channels. That is, multiple antenna assemblies 100 are integrated into a radio frequency link after phase shifting by the phase-shifting network. The number of radio frequency links and digital channels depends on the actual requirements, which is not limited herein.

[0050] The above are only some embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the scope of the present application thereto. Under the concept of the present application, any equivalent structural transformation made according to the description and drawings of the present application, or direct / indirect applied in other related technical fields shall fall within the claimed scope of the present application.

Examples

second embodiment

[0020]As shown in FIG. 6, in the metal member 2, the metal member 2 includes a metal ring 22 extending along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11. There is always a gap between the multiple metal bodies 21, meaning that the radiation pattern generated by the radiation piece 11 does not overlap with the radiation pattern generated by the metal bodies 21 after being excited in this gap, that is, the beam width is not increased at this point. To improve this situation, the gap between the multiple metal bodies 21 can be made smaller, but this would obviously result in a more complex structure and higher manufacturing costs, making it impractical. In this embodiment, the metal member 2 is configured as a metal ring 22 extending along the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11, and the metal ring 22 is configured as a closed ring to completely cover the circumferential direction of the radiation piece 11. In this way, when the metal ring 22 is excited, the...

fourth embodiment

[0022]Furthermore, based on the structure of the metal ring 22, a slot 23 can be formed in the metal ring 22, which does not sever the metal ring 22, and does not affect the corresponding radiation pattern generated by the metal ring 22 when excited, as shown in FIG. 8 for details. The present application further proposes the metal member 2, which is based on the metal ring 22 with the slot 23 formed therein. Without affecting the radiation pattern generated by the metal ring 22, this reduces the material used for the metal ring 22, lowering costs while reducing the mass of the metal ring 22, making it more practical for satellite applications by reducing the satellite's payload.

[0023]In addition, the edge of the radiation piece 11 is provided with a first slot 111 extending towards the center thereof. The shape and structure of the radiation piece 11 are not limited; that is, the radiation piece 11 can be circular, square, or polygonal, and the like. As shown in FIG. 9, in this emb...

first embodiment

[0024]Furthermore, the forming and installation method of the radiation piece 11 is not limited in the present application, as long as the metal member 2 is located on the outer periphery of the radiation piece 11, and the radiation piece 11 can radiate electromagnetic waves normally to meet the functional requirements. In the antenna assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the radiation element 1 further includes a first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 includes a first metal layer 11a provided at the first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 is mounted on the first substrate 12, and is supported by the first substrate 12. The radiation piece 11 can be configured as an independent metal sheet fixed to the first substrate 12 by an additional fixing structure, which includes a support structure or an adhesive structure. Or, the radiation piece 11 can be formed by plating a metal layer on the surface of the first substrate 12 based on a metal plating process. In this embodim...

Claims

1. An antenna assembly, <b>characterized by comprising: a radiation element comprising a radiation piece; and a metal member provided at an outer periphery of the radiation piece and configured for being excited by the radiation piece.

2. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein: the metal member comprises a plurality of metal bodies provided along the outer periphery of the radiation piece.

3. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein: the metal member comprises a metal ring extending along a circumferential direction of the radiation piece.

4. The antenna assembly according to claim 3, wherein the metal ring is a closed ring.

5. The antenna assembly according to claim 3, wherein the metal ring is provided with a slot.

6. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein an edge of the radiation piece is provided with a first slot extending toward a center of the radiation piece.

7. The antenna assembly according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of first slots are provided along a circumferential direction of the radiation piece.

8. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the radiation element further comprises a first substrate, and the radiation piece comprises a first metal layer provided at the first substrate.

9. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the radiation element further comprises a parasitic radiation piece provided at a radiation side of the radiation piece; the parasitic radiation piece is spaced apart from the radiation piece and coupled to the radiation piece.

10. The antenna assembly according to claim 9, wherein: the metal member is configured to extend to an outer periphery of the parasitic radiation piece, to be excited by the parasitic radiation piece.

11. The antenna assembly according to claim 9, wherein an edge of the parasitic radiation piece is provided with a second slot extending toward a center of the radiation piece.

12. The antenna assembly according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of second slots are provided along a circumferential direction of the parasitic radiation piece.

13. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a dielectric provided at a radiation side of the radiation piece.

14. The antenna assembly according to claim 13, wherein the dielectric comprises a dielectric cover provided at the radiation piece.

15. The antenna assembly according to claim 14, wherein the metal member comprises a second metal layer provided at a sidewall of the dielectric cover.

16. The antenna assembly according to claim 14, wherein: the radiation element further comprises a parasitic radiation piece provided at the radiation side of the radiation piece; the parasitic radiation piece is spaced apart from the radiation piece and coupled to the radiation piece; and the parasitic radiation piece comprises a third metal layer provided at a top wall of the dielectric cover.

17. The antenna assembly according to claim 16, wherein the third metal layer is provided at an inner side of the top wall of the dielectric cover.

18. The antenna assembly according to claim 17, wherein a protruding region is formed at a center on the inner side of the top wall of the dielectric cover, and the third metal layer is provided within the protruding region.

19. The antenna assembly according to claim 18, wherein an annular groove is formed at an inner periphery of the top wall of the dielectric cover, to make the protruding region formed at the center on the inner side of the top wall of the dielectric cover.

20. The antenna assembly according to claim 19, wherein the metal member is provided inside the sidewall of the dielectric cover and configured to extend to the annular groove.

21. The antenna assembly according to claim 20, wherein the metal member comprises a second metal layer provided at the sidewall of the dielectric cover, the second metal layer extending to the annular groove.

22. The antenna assembly according to claim 13, wherein the dielectric is provided with a dielectric body provided opposite to the radiation piece, the dielectric body being recessed at a central region of the radiation piece.

23. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the radiation element comprises a circularly polarized radiation element.

24. The antenna assembly according to claim 1, wherein the radiation element further comprises a grounded plate and a feeding system provided at a side of the grounded plate away from the radiation piece; the feeding system is connected to a feed point of the radiation piece through a connecting member, and the connecting member is passed through the grounded plate.

25. The antenna assembly according to claim 24, wherein a second substrate is provided between the feeding system and the grounded plate, and the feeding system comprises a fourth metal layer provided at the second substrate.

26. The antenna assembly according to claim 24, wherein the radiation piece is provided with at least two feed points, and the feeding system is connected to the two feed points respectively through two connecting members.

27. The antenna assembly according to claim 26, wherein the feeding system comprises two input ports and two output ports; the two input ports are configured to access a digital channel, and the two output ports are connected to the two feed points on the radiation piece respectively via one of the two connecting members.

28. An antenna array, characterized by comprising: a plurality of antenna assemblies according to any one of claims 1 to 27, the plurality of antenna assemblies being arranged in an array.

29. The antenna array according to claim 28, wherein: the radiation element comprises a feeding system connected to a feed point on the radiation piece through a connecting member; the feeding system comprises two input ports and two output ports; and two input ports of the feeding system of at least one of the plurality of antenna assemblies are respectively connected to a digital channel through a radio frequency link.

30. The antenna array according to claim 28, wherein the radiation element comprises a feeding system connected to a feed point on the radiation piece through a connecting member; the feeding system comprises two input ports and two output ports; and two input ports corresponding to the feeding system of at least one of the plurality of antenna assemblies are connected to a radio frequency link, and connected to a digital channel through a phase-shifting network system after integration.

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