Antenna testing device and antenna testing system

Abstract

To provide an antenna testing device and antenna testing system capable of improving test calibration speed of an antenna array.SOLUTION: An antenna testing device includes a first dielectric substrate 110, a plurality of radiating units 120, a plurality of second dielectric substrates, and a plurality of power dividers. One surface of the first dielectric substrate includes a first area 1101 and a second area 1102 surrounding the first area. The plurality of radiating units are arranged in an array in a predetermined arrangement in the first area and the second area and the predetermined arrangement corresponds to antenna arrangement of the antenna array. The plurality of second dielectric substrates are stacked on another surface of the first dielectric substrate away from the plurality of the radiating units. The plurality of power dividers are arranged among the plurality of second dielectric substrates and connected to the radiating units arranged in the first area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and more particularly, to an antenna test apparatus and an antenna test system.

Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, it is common to test and calibrate a target antenna using a near-field 1-to-1 antenna. However, this method has the problem of low efficiency. In particular, in a large phased array antenna array, the test calibration speed is severely limited. For example, when a phased antenna array has 1024 radiation units, this antenna needs to be tested and calibrated for transmission and reception 1024 times each, and the displacement of this antenna also needs to be accurately moved. This greatly affects the test calibration speed of the antenna array.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above, the present invention provides an antenna test apparatus and an antenna test system capable of improving the test calibration speed of an antenna array.

[0004] A first aspect of the present application provides an antenna test apparatus for testing an antenna array. The antenna test apparatus includes a first dielectric substrate, a plurality of radiation units, a plurality of second dielectric substrates, and a plurality of power distributors. The first dielectric substrate includes a first region and a second region surrounding the first region on one surface. The plurality of radiation units are arranged in an array in a predetermined arrangement (arrangement method) in the first region and the second region, and the predetermined arrangement corresponds to the arrangement of the antenna radiation units in the antenna array. The plurality of second dielectric substrates are laminated on the other surface of the first dielectric substrate away from the plurality of radiation units. The plurality of power distributors are provided between the plurality of second dielectric substrates and are connected to the radiation units located in the first region.

[0005] In one embodiment, the radiation units located in the first region among the plurality of radiation units are used for signal transmission and reception, and the radiation units located in the second region among the plurality of radiation units are grounded.

[0006] In one embodiment, the plurality of radiation units include loop antennas.

[0007] In one embodiment, in a predetermined arrangement of each two rows of radiation units, each radiation unit in one row is arranged with a displacement between two radiation units in the other row, forming a triangular arrangement.

[0008] In one embodiment, the plurality of power distributors are connected to the radiation units located in the first region.

[0009] In one embodiment, the radiation units in the second region are grounded through a load, and the load is provided between a plurality of second dielectric substrates.

[0010] In one embodiment, the load is a 50-ohm resistor.

[0011] The second aspect of the present application provides an antenna test system for testing an antenna array. The antenna test system includes the antenna test device described in any of the above.

[0012] In one embodiment, the antenna test system further includes a network analyzer having a wireless output port and a wireless input port. A plurality of power distributors are connected to the wireless output port, and the signal input port of the antenna array is connected to the wireless input port. Alternatively, the signal input port of the antenna array is connected to the wireless output port, and a plurality of power distributors are connected to the wireless input port.

[0013] In one embodiment, a predetermined arrangement of the plurality of radiation units corresponds to the arrangement of the antenna radiation units in the antenna array to be tested.

[0014] The antenna test apparatus provided by this application includes a first dielectric substrate, a plurality of radiation units, a plurality of second dielectric substrates, and a plurality of power distributors. The surface of the first dielectric substrate includes a first region and a second region, and the second region surrounds the first region. A plurality of radiation units are arranged in an array in a predetermined arrangement in the first region and the second region. In this way, among the plurality of radiation units, the environments of the radiation units installed in the first region are the same. The plurality of power distributors connect the radiation units arranged in the first region among the plurality of radiation units and supply a feed signal. Thereby, the signal intensity and the signal phase consistency of the signals excited by the radiation units provided in the first region can be increased, and the design needs of the multi-antenna test apparatus can be satisfied. Thereby, simultaneous test calibration can be performed on a plurality of antennas on the antenna array, and the efficiency of the test calibration can be improved. Further, the plurality of second dielectric substrates are stacked on one side away from the plurality of radiation units in the first dielectric substrate, and the plurality of power distributors are provided between the plurality of second dielectric substrates, so that the area of the antenna test apparatus can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] In the antenna test system according to an embodiment of this application, it is a schematic diagram when testing and calibrating an antenna array. [Diagram 2] It is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the antenna test apparatus according to an embodiment of this application in the XZ plane. [Diagram 3] It is a schematic diagram showing the first dielectric substrate in the antenna test apparatus shown in FIG. 2 in the XY plane. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing one of the plurality of radiation units in the embodiment of FIG. 3. [Figure 5A] It is a diagram showing a radiation unit according to another embodiment of this application. [Figure 5B] It is a diagram showing a radiation unit according to another embodiment of this application. [Figure 6]A schematic diagram showing a plurality of power distributors according to an embodiment of the present application connected to a radiation unit located in a first region among a plurality of radiation units. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram when a plurality of power distributors according to another embodiment of the present application are connected to a radiation unit located in a first region among a plurality of radiation units. [Figure 8] A diagram showing the structure of a cascade circuit formed by connecting a plurality of power distributors according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 9] A schematic diagram of an antenna test device including six sense radiation units and two ground radiation units according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 10] A diagram showing the power intensity of S-parameters measured by the six sense radiation units shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] A diagram showing the phase of S-parameters measured by the six sense radiation units shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 12] A schematic diagram of an antenna test device including only six sense radiation units according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 13] A diagram showing the power intensity of S-parameters measured by the six sense radiation units shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] A diagram showing the phase of S-parameters measured by the six sense radiation units shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 15] A schematic diagram when the third sense radiation unit in FIG. 9 tests and calibrates one of the antennas on the antenna array. [Figure 16] A graph showing the transmission coefficient between the third sense radiation unit in FIG. 15 and the antennas RT1 to RT6 of the antenna array. [Figure 17] A graph showing the isolation between the seventh sense radiation unit in FIG. 2 and the other six adjacent sense radiation units. [Figure 18] A schematic diagram of a patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 19]It is a schematic diagram of a slot antenna according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 20] It is a graph showing the isolation between the loop antenna located at the center position and the other loop antennas among the seven loop antennas. [Figure 21] It is a graph showing the isolation between the patch antenna located at the center position and the other patch antennas among the seven patch antennas. [Figure 22] It is a graph showing the isolation between the slot antenna located at the center position and the other slot antennas among the seven slot antennas. [Diagram 23] It is a diagram showing a first arrangement form of an antenna array corresponding to a plurality of radiation units according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 24] It is a diagram showing a second arrangement form of an antenna array corresponding to a plurality of radiation units according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 25] It is a diagram showing a third arrangement form of an antenna array corresponding to a plurality of radiation units according to an embodiment of the present application.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be further described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention, the technical aspects in the embodiments of the present invention will be clarified and fully described. However, it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts are within the scope of the present invention.

[0018] When an element is said to be "electrically connected" to another element, it may be present directly in the other element or may be connected to the other element via other elements. When a component is regarded as an "electrical connection", it can be a contact connection, such as a wire connection, or a non-contact connection, such as a non-contact coupling.

[0019] All technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, unless specifically defined otherwise. The terms used in the specification of the present invention are for the purpose of specifically describing embodiments and do not limit the present invention.

[0020] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the above drawings. If there is no conflict, the features in the following examples and embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0021] In the prior art, it is common to test and calibrate a target antenna using a near-field 1-to-1 antenna test. However, this method has the problem of low efficiency. In particular, in a large phased array antenna array, the test calibration speed is severely limited. For example, when a phased antenna array has 1024 radiation units, the antenna test needs to perform transmission and reception test calibrations 1024 times each, and the displacement of the antenna also needs to be accurately moved. This greatly affects the test calibration speed of the antenna array.

[0022] Thereby, an antenna test apparatus is provided that can test an antenna array and improve the test calibration speed of the antenna array.

[0023] First, referring to FIG. 1, in the present application, an antenna test system 100 including an antenna test apparatus 10 and a network analyzer 30 is provided. The antenna test apparatus 10 receives a signal radiated by an antenna array 20 to be tested or radiates a signal to the antenna array 20 to be tested. The network analyzer 30 acquires and analyzes test data generated by the antenna test apparatus 10 or the antenna array 20, and performs test calibration on the antenna array 20.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5 together, the antenna test apparatus 10 includes a first dielectric substrate 110, a plurality of radiation units 120, a plurality of second dielectric substrates 130, and a plurality of power distributors 140 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The plurality of radiation units 120 form an array (see FIG. 3).

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 together, a plurality of radiation units 120 are provided on one surface of the first dielectric substrate 110. Referring to FIGS. 2, 6, and 7 together, the plurality of power distributors 140 are provided between the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130.

[0026] Subsequently, referring to FIG. 3, one surface of the first dielectric substrate 110 includes a first region 1101 and a second region 1102, and the second region 1102 surrounds the first region 1101. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the second region 1102 is located in a substantially frame region of the first dielectric substrate 110, and the first region 1101 is located in a region inside the second region 1102. That is, the second region 1102 is located around the first region 1101 and surrounds the first region 1101.

[0027] In the first region 1101 and the second region 1102, a plurality of radiation units 120 are arranged in an array in a predetermined arrangement. That is, on one surface of the first dielectric substrate 110, a plurality of radiation units 120 are arranged in an array in a predetermined arrangement, and a part of the plurality of radiation units 120 is located on the first region 1101, and the other part of the plurality of radiation units 120 is located on the second region 1102. Here, the plurality of radiation units 120 located in the first region 1101 and the plurality of radiation units 120 located in the second region 1102 are the same radiation units. The difference is that the plurality of radiation units 120 located in the first region 1101 (hereinafter referred to as sense radiation units) are used for signal transmission and reception, and the plurality of radiation units 120 located in the second region 1102 (hereinafter referred to as ground radiation units) are grounded. In this way, by arranging the ground radiation units around the sense radiation units, each of the sense radiation units in the plurality of radiation units 120 can have adjacent radiation units (that is, each sense radiation unit can have adjacent sense radiation units and / or ground radiation units). That is, among the radiation units 120, the radiation units provided in the area around the first region 1101 are also designed to be surrounded by the ground radiation units, and among the plurality of radiation units 120, the radiation units provided at the center of the first region 1101 and the radiation units provided at the edge of the first region 1101 are in the same environment. As a result, an effect that the consistency of the intensity (Amplitude) and phase (Phase) of the signals output from each sense radiation unit is high can be obtained.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing any one of the plurality of radiation units 120 in FIG. 3. Each of the plurality of radiation units 120 may be the loop antenna 121 shown in FIG. 4. In other embodiments, the radiation units in the plurality of radiation units 120 may be other types of antennas such as the patch antenna 122 shown in FIG. 18 and the slot antenna 123 shown in FIG. 19, for example.

[0029] Specifically, the loop antenna 121 may be a loop-shaped patch antenna provided on one surface of the first dielectric substrate 110. Among these, the loop antenna 121 includes a radiation portion 1211, a ground portion 1212, and a feed portion 1213. The radiation portion 1211 is an annular microstrip line with one end substantially open. Both the ground portion 1212 and the feed portion 1213 are substantially linear microstrip lines. The ground portion 1212 and the feed portion 1213 are both provided within the circle formed by the radiation portion 1211. One end of the ground portion 1212 is connected to one end of the opening of the radiation portion 1211. The feed portion 1213 is connected to the other end of the opening of the radiation portion 1211. The ground portion 1212 is connected to a ground post (GroundPin) 114 via a plurality of corresponding vias (not shown) on the first dielectric substrate 110 and the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130 and is grounded. The feed portion 1213 is connected to a plurality of power distributors 140 via a plurality of corresponding vias (not shown) on the first dielectric substrate 110 and the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130, and can transmit and receive corresponding radio frequency signals.

[0030] A plurality of ground through holes 111 are further formed in the first dielectric substrate 110. The plurality of ground through holes 111 are provided so as to surround the loop antenna 121. In this way, the plurality of ground through holes 111 are grounded through the first dielectric substrate 110 and the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130, forming a clean area 112. It can be seen that no electronic device is provided within the clean area 112 in the Z-axis direction of the first dielectric substrate 110. In this way, the loop antenna 121 is provided within the clean area 112, and interference can be significantly reduced. And since the loop antenna 121 is provided within the clean area 112, when the loop antenna 121 receives current via the feed portion 1213, the current concentrates on the loop antenna 121, and further, the coupling with other loop antennas 121 can be reduced, and the isolation degree of each radiation unit can be increased.

[0031] In addition, when each of the plurality of radiation units 120 is a loop antenna, the present application does not limit the specific shape of the loop antenna. For example, referring to FIG. 5A, in other embodiments, each of the plurality of radiation units 120 may be a loop antenna 121a. Note that the loop antenna 121a has substantially the same configuration as the loop antenna 121 and includes a radiation portion 1211a, a ground portion 1212a, and a feed portion 1213a. The difference is that both sides of the radiation portion 1211a of the loop antenna 121a are recessed toward the center of the loop antenna 121a.

[0032] For example, referring to FIG. 5B, in other embodiments, each of the plurality of radiation units 120 may be a loop antenna 121b. Note that the loop antenna 121b has substantially the same configuration as the loop antenna 121 and includes a radiation portion 1211b, a ground portion 1212b, and a feed portion 1213b. The difference is that the ground portion 1212b and the feed portion 1213b of the loop antenna 121b are formed by extending a certain distance in a direction away from the center of the loop antenna 121b from both ends of the opening of the radiation portion 1211b. The radiation portion 1211b also protrudes outward.

[0033] The present application does not limit the specific shape of the loop antenna 121, and in other embodiments, the loop antenna may have another shape.

[0034] Referring back to FIG. 1, the antenna array 20 to be tested includes a plurality of antenna radiation units 210. When the antenna test apparatus 10 is used for test calibration of the antenna array 20, the side where a plurality of radiation units 120 are provided of the antenna test apparatus 10 needs to face the antenna array 20, and all the sense radiation units need to correspond one-to-one to the same number of corresponding plurality of antenna radiation units 210 on the antenna array 20. Thereby, transmission and reception of corresponding signals are realized between all the sense radiation units and the corresponding antenna radiation units 210 among the plurality of antenna radiation units 210. Thus, the predetermined arrangement of the plurality of radiation units 120 corresponds to the arrangement of the antenna radiation units 210 in the antenna array 20 to be tested.

[0035] Referring again to FIG. 3, for example, in this embodiment, corresponding to the arrangement of the antenna radiation units 210 in the antenna array 20, the predetermined arrangement of the plurality of radiation units 120 is such that, among each two rows of radiation units 120, each radiation unit 120 in one row is arranged with a displacement between two radiation units 120 in the other row, and any three radiation units 120 form a triangular arrangement. This application does not limit the predetermined arrangement of the plurality of radiation units 120, and it is only necessary that the predetermined arrangement of the plurality of radiation units 120 is the same as the arrangement of the antenna radiation units 210 in the antenna array 20 to be tested. For example, in other embodiments, corresponding to the arrangement of the antenna radiation units 210 in the antenna array 20 to be tested, the predetermined arrangement may be such that the plurality of radiation units 120 are arranged in a pattern such as a square, a circle, or a rhombus.

[0036] Referring back to FIG. 2, a plurality of second dielectric substrates 130 are stacked and provided on the other surface of the first dielectric substrate 110 away from the plurality of radiation units 120. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 together, FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing the connection relationship between the plurality of power distributors 140 and the plurality of radiation units 120 from a first perspective in an embodiment of the present application. Here, the first perspective is the perspective seen from the YZ plane obtained by cutting the antenna test device 10 in the middle. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the plurality of power distributors 140 are provided between the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, when the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130 include a single layer of second dielectric substrate 130, the plurality of power distributors 140 may be provided on the side of the second dielectric substrate 130 closer to the first dielectric substrate 110. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, when the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130 include a plurality of second dielectric substrates 130, the plurality of power distributors 140 may be provided between the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130, for example, between three layers of second dielectric substrates 130. The plurality of power distributors 140 are connected to the radiation units located in the first region 1101 among the plurality of radiation units 120. That is, each of the plurality of power distributors 140 is connected to the feed portion of the plurality of sense radiation units. Among the plurality of radiation units 120, the radiation units located in the second region 1102 are grounded through the load 1214. That is, the feed portion 1213 of the grounded radiation unit is grounded through the load 1214. Note that the load 1214 may be a resistor with a resistance value of 50 ohms. Also, the load 1214 may be provided between the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130. The present application does not limit the specific electronic element of the load 1214. For example, in other embodiments, the load 1214 may include at least one of a resistor, a capacitor, and an inductor.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 6, in some embodiments, among the radiation units 120, the radiation units located in the first region 1101 are connected in parallel to a plurality of power dividers 140. That is, the plurality of power dividers 140 are connected in parallel to a plurality of sense radiation units. Specifically, the power divider 140 in the present application may be a Wilkinson Power Divider. The power divider 140 includes a first port and two second ports. The wireless output port 31 of the network analyzer 30 (see FIG. 1) is connected to the first port to receive the corresponding wireless signal. Alternatively, the wireless input port 32 is connected to the first port to output the corresponding wireless signal to the network analyzer 30. The feed part 1213 of the corresponding sense radiation unit is connected to each second port. For example, in this embodiment, the feed part of the loop antenna 121 as the corresponding sense radiation unit is connected to each second port.

[0038] The power divider 140 distributes the energy of the radio frequency signal input from the first port into two feed signals having equal energy and outputs them from the second ports. In this way, the energy of the feed signal for each sense radiation unit in the present application is the same. Alternatively, the power divider 140 aggregates and outputs the signals received at the two second ports to the first port.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 7, in some embodiments, a plurality of power dividers 140 may be sequentially connected to form a cascade circuit configuration, and the same energy feed signal may be supplied (fed) to each sense radiation unit. Specifically, taking the cascade circuit configuration shown in FIG. 7 as an example, in the first-stage circuit, the first port of the power divider 140 is connected to the wireless output port, and the two second ports are respectively connected to the first ports of the other two power dividers 140. In the second-stage circuit, the four second ports of the two power dividers 140 are respectively connected to the first ports of the four power dividers 140. Thus, the number of power dividers 140 in the final-stage circuit is half the number of sense radiation units in the plurality of radiation units 120. For example, referring to FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the structure of a cascade circuit formed by connecting a plurality of power dividers 140 according to an embodiment of the present application. Among them, the first port of the power divider 140 in the first-stage circuit becomes the connection port 1411. The connection port 1411 connects the wireless output port 31 or the wireless input port 32. It should be noted that each stage of the cascade circuit structure may be provided on each dielectric substrate of the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130. Thereby, at the time of reception, the signals received by all the sense radiation units can be integrated into the connection port 1411 and output to the network analyzer 30 via the wireless input port 32. At the time of transmission, the energy of the radio frequency signal output from the wireless output port 31 is uniformly output to each sense radiation unit via the connection port 1411.

[0040] In other embodiments, the power divider 140 may be a Wilkinson Power Divider, or other types or a combination of multiple other types of power dividers, as long as the energy of the radio frequency signal supplied by each sense radiation unit is the same. The present application does not limit the type of the power divider 140.

[0041] By the way, when performing test calibration on an antenna array, mainly two parameters, namely the phase and power intensity of the antenna array, are tested and calibrated. In the prior art, since a single induction antenna is used for testing the antenna array, there is no problem with the consistency of the phase and power intensity for the single induction antenna. In contrast, the antenna test device 10 proposed in this application includes several sense radiation units. If there are already variations in the phase and power intensity among several sense radiation units, distortion will occur when the antenna test device 10 performs test calibration on the antenna array 20. Therefore, the phases and power intensities of the multiple sense radiation units in the antenna test device 10 need to maintain high consistency.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 9, in this embodiment, for the purpose of reducing the complexity of test data and improving the readability of test data, only the S-parameter test data of the antenna test device including the six sense radiation units (for example, the first sense radiation unit P1 to the sixth sense radiation unit P6) and the two ground radiation units shown in FIG. 9 are taken as an example to explain the radiation characteristics of the antenna test device provided by this application. It should be noted that the two ground radiation units shown in FIG. 9 are provided on the upper and lower sides of the six radiation units, and each of the six sense radiation units is provided between the two radiation units, that is, the six sense radiation units are in the same environment. FIGS. 10 and 11 are respectively the power intensity pattern diagram of the S-parameters measured by the six sense radiation units shown in FIG. 9 and the phase pattern diagram of the S-parameters. As can be seen from FIGS. 10 and 11, the power intensity and phase of the signals excited by the sense radiation units of the antenna test device shown in FIG. 9 have high consistency. This indicates that the return loss and output effect of each sense radiation unit in the antenna test device 10 provided by this application can maintain high consistency. In this way, the antenna test device 10 meets the design requirements for test calibration of the antenna array 20.

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 12 to 14, as shown in FIG. 12, it is compared with six sense radiation units without a ground radiation unit. FIGS. 13 and 14 are respectively a power intensity pattern diagram of S parameters and a phase pattern diagram of S parameters measured by the six sense radiation units shown in FIG. 12. As can be seen from FIGS. 13 and 14, the signals excited by the sense radiation units shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 have poor power intensity and phase consistency. In particular, the first and sixth sense radiation units P1 and P6 respectively provided on the upper and lower sides deviate greatly from the other sense radiation units in terms of the power intensity (refer to the S131 and S132 graphs) and phase (refer to the S141 and S142 graphs) of the S parameters of the first and sixth sense radiation units P1 and P6 due to changes in the surrounding environment. Comparing FIGS. 9 to 11 with FIGS. 12 to 14, the antenna test device 10 including a ground radiation unit and a sense radiation unit has higher signal power intensity and phase consistency, and is suitable for testing the antenna array 20. Thus, the antenna test device 10 provided by the present application can effectively improve the power intensity and phase consistency of the signals of the sense radiation units in the first region 1101 by the radiation units provided in the second region 1102.

[0044] Referring again to FIG. 1, when testing the antenna array 20 using the antenna test device 10, the sense radiation units on the antenna test device 10 need to transmit and receive signals in a one-to-one correspondence with the antenna radiation units 210 on the antenna array 20, and better acquire the data of the corresponding antenna radiation units 210 on the corresponding antenna array 20 to perform corresponding test calibration. That is, it is necessary to increase the coupling between each sense radiation unit of the antenna test device 10 and the corresponding antenna radiation unit 210. And a high isolation degree should be provided between adjacent sense radiation units. Thereby, the antenna test device 10 can reduce the interference generated by the mutual coupling between the radiation units in the antenna test device 10 with respect to the transmission or reception characteristics of each antenna radiation unit 210 on the corresponding antenna array 20, and improve the accuracy of test calibration.

[0045] Continuing with reference to FIGS. 15 to 16, FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the transmission and reception of signals between the third sense radiation unit P3 on the antenna test apparatus shown in FIG. 9 and the antennas RT1 to RT6 on the antenna array. FIG. 16 is a graph showing the transmission coefficient between the third sense radiation unit P3 and the antennas RT1 to RT6. Here, the graph S161 is the transmission coefficient graph between the third sense radiation unit P3 and the antenna RT1. The graph S162 is the transmission coefficient graph between the third sense radiation unit P3 and the antenna RT2. The graph S163 is the transmission coefficient graph between the third sense radiation unit P3 and the antenna RT3. The graph S164 is the transmission coefficient graph between the third sense radiation unit P3 and the antenna RT4. The graph S165 is the transmission coefficient graph between the third sense radiation unit P3 and the antenna RT5. The graph S166 is the transmission coefficient graph between the third sense radiation unit P3 and the antenna RT6. As can be seen from FIG. 15, the transmission coefficient between the third sense radiation unit P3 and the antenna RT3 is high, but the transmission coefficients of the third sense radiation unit P3 with respect to the antennas RT1, RT2, RT4, RT5, and RT6 are low. And in the LEO Ku band, the difference between the transmission coefficient between the third sense radiation unit P3 and the antenna RT3 and the transmission coefficients between the third sense radiation unit P3 and the other antennas is 15 dB or more. Thus, in the antenna test apparatus 10 provided by the present application, each sense radiation unit has good independence, and for each sense radiation unit, the coupling with the corresponding antenna is good, meeting the design requirements for testing the antenna array 20.

[0046] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 17 together, FIG. 17 is a graph showing the isolation between the seventh sense radiation unit P7 and the other six sense radiation units (the eighth sense radiation unit P8 to the thirteenth sense radiation unit P13) on the first dielectric substrate 110 in FIG. 3. Here, the graph S171 is a graph of the isolation between the seventh sense radiation unit P7 and the eighth sense radiation unit P8. The graph S172 is a graph of the isolation between the seventh sense radiation unit P7 and the ninth sense radiation unit P9. The graph S173 is a graph of the isolation between the seventh sense radiation unit P7 and the tenth sense radiation unit P10. The graph S174 is a graph of the isolation between the seventh sense radiation unit P7 and the eleventh sense radiation unit P11. The graph S175 is a graph of the isolation between the seventh sense radiation unit P7 and the twelfth sense radiation unit P12. The graph S176 is a graph of the isolation between the seventh sense radiation unit P7 and the thirteenth sense radiation unit P13. Note that the isolation index means the degree of influence between the sense radiation units. As can be seen from FIG. 17, the isolation between the seventh sense radiation unit P7 and the eighth to thirteenth sense radiation units is -22 dB or less. Thus, the antenna test device 10 provided by the present application has a small degree of mutual influence between the sense radiation units, a large isolation, and can meet the design requirements of multi-antenna test calibration.

[0047] In other embodiments, the radiation units in the plurality of radiation units 120 may be other types of antennas, such as the patch antenna 122 shown in FIG. 18, the slot antenna 123 shown in FIG. 19, and the like.

[0048] Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19 together, when the radiation unit on the first dielectric substrate 110 is the patch antenna 122 or the slot antenna 123, a via hole 111 is formed in the first dielectric substrate 110 to form a clean area 112. Both the patch antenna 122 and the slot antenna 123 are provided in the clean area 112.

[0049] Specifically, the patch antenna 122 includes a substantially circular conductive patch 1221. Also, a feed point 1223 is provided on the conductive patch 1221.

[0050] The slot antenna 123 includes a slot 113 and a feed portion 1233. The slot 113 is formed in the clean area 112 of the first dielectric substrate 110. At least a part of the projections of the feed portion 1233 and the slot 113 in the Z-axis direction overlap. In this way, when the feed portion 1233 receives a feed signal, it can couple the feed signal to the slot 113.

[0051] Referring to FIGS. 20 to 22, FIG. 20 is a graph showing the isolation between the loop antenna 121 at the center position and other loop antennas when seven loop antennas 121 are arranged in the arrangement of the 7th to 13th sense radiation units P7 to P13 in FIG. 3. FIG. 21 is a graph showing the isolation between the patch antenna 122 at the center position and other patch antennas 122 when seven patch antennas 122 are arranged in the arrangement of the 7th to 13th sense radiation units P7 to P13. FIG. 22 is a graph showing the isolation between the slot antenna 123 at the center position and other slot antennas 123 when seven slot antennas 123 are arranged in the arrangement of the 7th to 13th sense radiation units P7 to P13. As can be seen from FIGS. 20 to 22, the isolation between the loop antenna 121 at the center position and other loop antennas 121 is less than -25 dB, the isolation between the patch antenna 122 at the center position and other patch antennas 122 is less than -12 dB, and the isolation between the slot antenna 123 at the center position and other slot antennas 123 is less than -14 dB.

[0052] As described above, the antenna test apparatus 10 provided by the present application includes a first dielectric substrate 110, a plurality of radiation units 120, a plurality of second dielectric substrates 130, and a plurality of power dividers 140. One surface of the first dielectric substrate 110 includes a first region 1101 and a second region 1102, and the second region 1102 surrounds the first region 1101. A plurality of radiation units 120 are arranged in an array in a predetermined arrangement in the first region 1101 and the second region 1102. Thus, among the plurality of radiation units 120, the environments of the radiation units installed in the first region 1101 are the same. The plurality of power dividers 140 connect the plurality of radiation units arranged in the first region 1101 among the plurality of radiation units 120 and supply a feed signal. Thereby, among the plurality of radiation units 120, the signal intensity and the signal phase consistency of the signals excited by the radiation units provided in the first region 1101 can be increased, and the design needs of the multi-antenna test apparatus can be satisfied. Thereby, simultaneous test calibration can be performed on the plurality of antennas 210 on the antenna array 20, and the efficiency of the test calibration can be improved. Further, the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130 are stacked on one side away from the plurality of radiation units 120 in the first dielectric substrate 110, and the plurality of power dividers 140 are provided between the plurality of second dielectric substrates 130, whereby the area of the antenna test apparatus 10 can be reduced.

[0053] Referring back to FIG. 1, the antenna test system 100 includes an antenna test device 10 and a network analyzer 30. The network analyzer 30 is provided with a wireless output port 31 and a wireless input port 32. The present application does not limit the number of the wireless output port 31 and the wireless input port 32 on the network analyzer 30. The antenna array 20 includes a signal port 220. When performing signal transmission test calibration on the antenna array 20, the wireless output port 31 is connected to the signal port 220 of the antenna array 20, and the wireless input port 32 is connected to the input port of a plurality of power dividers 140 (or the connection port 1411 of the first-stage circuit of the cascade circuit configuration formed by a plurality of power dividers 140). Thus, when the antenna radiation unit 210 on the antenna array 20 receives an electrical signal supplied from the network analyzer 30, it can radiate a signal to the outside and is received by the radiation unit located in the first region 1101 among the plurality of radiation units 120. When the radiation unit located in the first region 1101 among the plurality of radiation units 120 receives a signal, it outputs the received return signal to the network analyzer 30 via a plurality of power dividers and a radio frequency input port, and the network analyzer 30 analyzes the return signal to obtain the transmission data of the antenna array 20.

[0054] When performing signal reception test calibration on the antenna array 20, a plurality of input ports of the power distributor 140 (or the connection port 1411 of the first-stage circuit of the cascade circuit configuration formed by the plurality of power distributors 140) are connected to the radio output port 31, and the signal port 220 of the antenna array 20 is connected to the radio input port 32. In this way, when the radiation unit located in the first region 1101 among the plurality of radiation units 120 receives the electrical signal supplied from the network analyzer 30, it transmits a signal to the outside and is received by the plurality of antenna radiation units 210 on the antenna array 20. When the plurality of antenna radiation units 210 on the antenna array 20 receive a signal, they output the return signal received via the signal port 220 to the network analyzer 30, and the network analyzer 30 analyzes the return signal to obtain the reception data of the antenna array 20.

[0055] The antenna test system 100 further includes a first slide rail 41, a second slide rail 42, a drive unit, and a processor (not shown).

[0056] The drive unit is connected to the antenna test device 10. The drive unit 43 moves based on a control command from the processor and moves the antenna test device 10 on the first slide rail 41 or the second slide rail 42. Note that the first slide rail 41 and the second slide rail 42 may be perpendicular to each other, and the first slide rail 41 may be a horizontal-axis slide rail and the second slide rail 42 may be a vertical-axis slide rail. A plurality of positioning holes may be formed in the first dielectric substrate 110 and the antenna array 20. Thereby, by moving the antenna test device 10, the positioning holes on the first dielectric substrate 110 are aligned with the corresponding positioning holes on the antenna array 20, and among the plurality of radiation units 120 in the antenna test device 10, the radiation units located in the first region 1101 can be tested in alignment with the same number of antenna radiation units 210 of the antenna array 20.

[0057] Corresponding to different antenna arrays on the antenna array, the arrays of the radiation units located in the first region 1101 among the plurality of radiation units 120 are also different. For example, referring to FIGS. 23 to 25 together, when the array of antennas on the antenna array 20a is square, the radiation units located in the first region among the plurality of radiation units of the corresponding antenna test device 10a are also arranged in a square shape. When the array of antennas in the antenna array 20b is rhombus, the radiation units located in the first region among the plurality of radiation units on the corresponding antenna test device 10b are also arranged in a rhombus shape. When the array of antennas on the antenna array 20c is octagon, the radiation units located in the first region among the plurality of radiation units on the corresponding antenna test device 10c are also arranged in an octagon shape.

[0058] Each of the above embodiments is only for explaining the technical solution of the present invention and is not intended to be limiting. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solution of the present invention can be modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make other changes and the like within the spirit of the present invention in the design of the present invention without departing from the technical effects of the present invention. These changes based on the spirit of the present invention are included within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0059] Antenna test devices 10, 10a, 10b, 10c First dielectric substrate 110 Ground through hole 111 Clean area 112 Ground post 114 First region 1101 Second region 1102 Radiation unit 120 Loop antennas 121, 121a, 121b Radiating portions 1211, 1211a, 1211b Ground portions 1212, 1212a, 1212b Feed sections 1213, 1213a, 1213b, 1233 Load 1214 Patch antenna 122 Conductive patch 1221 Feed point 1223 Slot antenna 123 Slot 113 Second dielectric substrate 130 Power distributor 140 Connection port 1411 Antenna array 20, 20a, 20b, 20c Antenna radiation unit 210, 210a Signal port 220 Network analyzer 30 Wireless output port 31 Wireless input port 32 First slide rail 41 Second slide rail 42 Antenna test system 100

Claims

1. 1. An antenna testing apparatus for testing an antenna array, the antenna testing apparatus comprising: a first dielectric substrate, a plurality of radiating units, a plurality of second dielectric substrates, and a plurality of power dividers; one surface of the first dielectric substrate includes a first region and a second region, the second region surrounding the first region; the plurality of radiating units are arranged in an array in a predetermined arrangement in the first region and the second region, and the predetermined arrangement corresponds to an arrangement of antenna radiating units in the antenna array; the second dielectric substrates are laminated on another surface of the first dielectric substrate away from the radiation units, The antenna testing device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of power dividers are provided between the plurality of second dielectric substrates and connected to a radiating unit located in the first region.

2. 2. The antenna testing device according to claim 1, wherein the radiating units located in the first region among the plurality of radiating units are used for transmitting and receiving signals, and the radiating units located in the second region among the plurality of radiating units are grounded.

3. 2. The antenna testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of radiating units include loop antennas.

4. 2. The antenna testing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined arrangement is such that, of the radiating units in every two rows, each radiating unit in one row is positioned offset between two radiating units in the other row to form a triangular arrangement.

5. 2. The antenna testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of power dividers are connected to a radiating unit located in the first region.

6. 2. The antenna testing device according to claim 1, wherein the radiating unit in the second region is grounded via a load, the load being provided between the plurality of second dielectric substrates.

7. 7. An antenna test apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said load is a 50 ohm resistor.

8. 1. An antenna test system for testing an antenna array, comprising:

8. An antenna test system comprising an antenna test device according to claim 1.

9. The antenna test system further comprises a network analyzer having a radio output port and a radio input port; The antenna test system of claim 8, characterized in that the multiple power splitters are connected to the radio output port and the signal input port of the antenna array is connected to the radio input port, or the signal input port of the antenna array is connected to the radio output port and the multiple power splitters are connected to the radio input port.

10. 9. The antenna testing system of claim 8, wherein the predetermined arrangement of the plurality of radiating units corresponds to an arrangement of antenna radiating units in an antenna array under test.

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