Beamforming module control system and wireless communication device

Abstract

To provide a beamforming module control system and a wireless communication device.SOLUTION: A control system 2 for a beamforming module 30 to be applied to an array antenna includes a plurality of beamforming modules and a plurality of control modules, and the plurality of beamforming modules are respectively connected to the array antenna and transmit signals to the array antenna. The plurality of beamforming modules are arranged to form a plurality of groups of beamforming module zones. The plurality of control modules 80 are respectively connected to the plurality of beamforming modules to process signals of corresponding beamforming modules. Each control module is connected to one set of beamforming module zones of the plurality of groups of beamforming module zones. The plurality of control modules are connected to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of antennas, and in particular to a control system for a beamforming module and a wireless communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] A low-orbit satellite system (LEO) is a large satellite system consisting of multiple satellites capable of real-time information processing. LEO satellites are also used for communications with mobile devices such as cell phones. Moreover, due to their low orbital altitude, mobile devices that use LEO satellite communications have the advantage of short transmission delays and small path losses. Mobile communication systems consisting of multiple LEO satellites can achieve true global coverage, and frequency multiplexing is more effective. Technologies such as cellular communication, multiple access, spot beams, and frequency multiplexing have also provided technical support for the application of LEO satellites to mobile communications. In short, LEO satellites are the most widely used mobile communication system today.

[0003] However, in the array antenna modules used in conventional low-earth orbit satellites, the overall antenna design area is large, and to reduce the difficulty of wiring signal transmission between antennas, a single control module is usually used to connect and control the entire array antenna module via wiring. However, the amount of signal data processed by the entire array antenna is enormous, and the signal transmission speed is significantly affected by the single control module and its wiring processing. Therefore, the design of the array antenna module requires more consideration. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a control system for a beamforming module and a wireless communication device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A first aspect of the present application provides a control system for a beamforming module applied to an array antenna, the control system including a plurality of beamforming modules and a plurality of control modules, each of which is connected to the array antenna and used to transmit signals to the array antenna, the plurality of beamforming modules being distributed to form a plurality of groups of beamforming module areas, the plurality of control modules being connected to a plurality of beamforming modules and used to process signals of the corresponding beamforming modules, each control module being connected to a set of beamforming module areas among the plurality of groups of beamforming module areas, and the plurality of control modules being connected to each other.

[0006] A second aspect of the present application provides a wireless communication device including an array antenna and a control system for the beamforming module described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The beamforming module control system and wireless communication device provided by the present application are respectively connected to multiple beamforming modules through multiple control modules, and process the signals of the corresponding beamforming modules respectively, so that each control module processes signals of one or more beamforming module areas, thereby reducing the amount of data processed by each control module and ensuring the speed of processing and transmission signals. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of functional modules of a control system of an array antenna and beamforming module provided by an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of another functional module of the control system of the array antenna and beamforming module provided by an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a frame workflow diagram of a control system for an array antenna and a beamforming module provided by an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a control system of an array antenna and a beamforming module provided by some embodiments of the present application; FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a multiplexer provided by some embodiments of the present application; [Figure 6] 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a control system for an array antenna and a beamforming module provided by an embodiment of the present application. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a control system for an array antenna and a beamforming module provided by an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the V region of the control system for the array antenna and beamforming module shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 1 is a graph of S-parameters of a multiplexer provided by some embodiments of the present application. [Figure 10] 10 is a graph of S-parameters of a multiplexer provided by another embodiment of the present application. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a multiplexer provided by another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a multiplexer provided by another embodiment of the present application; [Figure 13] 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a control system for an array antenna and a beamforming module provided by an embodiment of the present application. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a control system for an array antenna and a beamforming module provided by an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is another structural schematic diagram of the control system of the array antenna and beamforming module provided by an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 16]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of actual measurement data of the control system of the array antenna and beamforming module provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The following clearly and completely describes the technical aspects of the embodiments of the present invention in accordance with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, and are not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0010] It should be noted that when one element is said to be "electrically connected" to another element, it may be directly connected to the other element, or there may be an intervening element. When one element is said to be "electrically connected" to another element, it may be connected to the other element in a contacting manner (e.g., by wire connection) or in a non-contacting manner (e.g., by non-contact coupling).

[0011] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments and features of the embodiments may be combined together if not inconsistent.

[0013] A low-orbit satellite system (LEO) is a large satellite system consisting of multiple satellites capable of real-time information processing. LEO satellites are also used for communications with mobile devices such as cell phones. Furthermore, due to their low orbital altitude, mobile devices that use LEO satellite communications have the advantage of short transmission delays and small path losses. Mobile communication systems consisting of multiple LEO satellites can achieve true global coverage, and frequency multiplexing is more effective. Technologies such as cellular communication, multiple access, spot beams, and frequency multiplexing have also provided technical support for the application of LEO satellites to mobile communications. In short, LEO satellites are the most widely used mobile communication system today.

[0014] However, in the array antenna modules used in conventional low-earth orbit satellites, the overall antenna design area is large, and to reduce the difficulty of wiring signal transmission between antennas, a single control module is usually used to connect and control the entire array antenna module via wiring. However, the amount of signal data processed by the entire array antenna is enormous, and the signal transmission speed is significantly affected by the single control module and its wiring processing. Therefore, the design of the array antenna module requires more consideration.

[0015] To this end, as shown in Fig. 1, the present application provides a beamforming module control system 2 that can be applied to a wireless communication device (not shown) so that the wireless communication device can realize wireless communication based on low-earth-orbit satellites. The wireless communication device includes an array antenna 10 and a beamforming module control system 2. Here, the array antenna 10 is used to transmit or receive wireless electrical signals to realize wireless communication. The beamforming module control system 2 is connected to the array antenna 10 and can be used to process the wireless electrical signals of the array antenna 10.

[0016] 2, in some embodiments of the present application, an array antenna 10 includes several antennas 12. The multiple antennas 12 are arranged in an array, where several refers to "one" or "multiple."

[0017] 3, in some embodiments, several antennas 12 are arranged in rows. In each row, every two adjacent antennas 12 are spaced a predetermined distance apart. The antennas 12 in each of two adjacent rows are staggered to form the antenna array 10. For example, in the (N+1)th row, each antenna 12 is staggered between two adjacent antennas 12 in the (N)th row, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0018] The beamforming module control system 2 includes a plurality of beamforming modules 30, a plurality of buffers 61, a plurality of serial peripheral interfaces (SPIs) 70, and a plurality of control modules 80.

[0019] 1 and 2 , multiple beamforming modules 30 may be arranged to form an array. Each beamforming module 30 connects with multiple antennas 12 in the array antenna 10 to form beamforming signals and transmits and receives radio wave beams at a specific directivity angle (or beamforming angle) via the connected multiple antennas 12. In some embodiments, the multiple beamforming modules 30 may include multiple transmit beamforming modules 32 and multiple receive beamforming modules 34. In some embodiments, the beamforming module 30 may be, but is not limited to, a beamforming integrated circuit (BFIC), the transmit beamforming module 32 may be, but is not limited to, a transmit beamforming integrated circuit (Tx BFIC), and the receive beamforming module 34 may be, but is not limited to, a receive beamforming integrated circuit (Rx BFIC).

[0020] In some embodiments, each transmit beamforming module 32 connects to multiple antennas 12 in the array antenna 10 to form beamforming signals and transmit radio wave beams at a specific directivity angle (or beamforming angle) via the connected multiple antennas 12. Each receive beamforming module 34 connects to multiple antennas 12 in the array antenna 10 to receive radio wave beams at a specific directivity angle (or beamforming angle) via the connected multiple antennas 12 and form beamforming signals. A transmit beamforming module 32 may be paired with a receive beamforming module 34 to form a set of beamforming modules 30 and may be connected to the same multiple antennas 12. For example, each transmit beamforming module 32 and the corresponding receive beamforming module 34 may be connected to eight antennas 12. Each beamforming module 30 may include one set of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, only one transmit beamforming module 32 is shown connected to the array antenna 10 via one connecting line. Each transmit beamforming module 32 may be connected to eight antennas 12 of the array antenna 10 via eight connecting lines. Similarly, Fig. 2 only shows one receive beamforming module 34 connected to the array antenna 10 via connecting lines. Each receive beamforming module 34 can be connected to eight antennas 12 of the array antenna 10 via eight connecting lines.

[0021] The beamforming module control system 2 may include multiple low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 20. Each receive beamforming module 34 may be connected to multiple antennas 12 via multiple LNAs 20. The LNAs 20 acquire radio wave beams from the multiple antennas 12, amplify the signals, and then output them to the receive beamforming module 34. The receive beamforming module 34 may analyze the radio wave beams acquired from the multiple antennas 12 via the LNAs 20 and form beamforming signals. Illustratively, each receive beamforming module 34 may be connected to eight antennas 12 via four LNAs 20; that is, each receive beamforming module 34 may be connected to two antennas 12 via one LNA 20.

[0022] In some embodiments, the array formed by the beamforming modules 30 may be distributed into multiple groups of beamforming module regions. Each beamforming module region may be configured with a predetermined number of beamforming modules 30. The number of beamforming modules 30 per beamforming module region may be the same. For example, the beamforming modules 30 as shown in FIG. 1 may be distributed into two sets of beamforming module regions. Each beamforming module region may include 64 beamforming modules 30. In other embodiments, the beamforming modules 30 may be distributed into two, three, four, or more groups of beamforming module regions according to design and practical needs, and this is not a limitation of the present application. In some embodiments, the groups of beamforming module regions formed by the beamforming modules 30 are determined by the arrangement positions of the corresponding antennas 12 in the array antenna 10. That is, multiple antennas 12 arranged adjacently or in a surrounding area are connected to transmit beamforming modules 32 and corresponding receive beamforming modules 34, and the multiple transmit beamforming modules 32 and corresponding receive beamforming modules 34 arranged adjacently or in a surrounding area constitute a set of beamforming module areas. In some embodiments, each beamforming module area includes at least one transmit beamforming module 32 and at least one receive beamforming module 34. Each control module 80 is used to process signals and data for at least one transmit beamforming module 32 and at least one receive beamforming module 34 in the corresponding beamforming module area. In some embodiments, the number of beamforming modules 30 included in each beamforming module area is equal, for example, each beamforming module area includes 64 beamforming modules 30.In some embodiments, the number of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34 included in each beamforming module region is equal, for example, each beamforming module region includes 64 transmit beamforming modules 32 and 64 receive beamforming modules 34.

[0023] The multiple buffers 61 are used to enhance signal integrity for the multiple beamforming modules 30, so that they can be accessed by the control module 80. In some embodiments, the multiple buffers 61 include multiple transmit buffers (Tx buffers) 62 and multiple receive buffers (Rx buffers) 64. Each transmit buffer 62 can be connected to multiple transmit beamforming modules 32 to enhance signal integrity for the multiple transmit beamforming modules 32. Each receive buffer 64 can be connected to multiple receive beamforming modules 34 to enhance signal integrity for the multiple receive beamforming modules 34. Illustratively, 16 transmit beamforming modules 32 can be connected to each transmit buffer 62, and 16 transmit beamforming modules 32 can be connected to each receive buffer 64. Note that each buffer 61 may be a set of a transmit buffer 62 and a receive buffer 64.

[0024] The control modules 80 are respectively connected to the beamforming modules 30. Each control module 80 is connected to a set of beamforming module areas. The control modules 80 are also connected to each other. The control modules 80 are respectively connected to the beamforming modules 30 via the buffers 61 and can be used to control the beamforming modules 30 and process signals and data for the beamforming modules 30. For example, the control modules 80 control the reading and writing of data from the beamforming modules 30 and the switching or adjustment of a specific directivity angle (or beamforming angle) of a beamforming signal. In some embodiments, the beamforming modules 30 shown in FIG. 1 can be distributed to two sets of beamforming module areas. Each control module 80 is connected to one beamforming module area. In some embodiments, each control module 80 is connected to the buffers 61 and can further be connected to the beamforming modules 30 via the buffers 61. For example, four buffers 61 (or four sets of transmit buffers 62 and receive buffers 64) can be connected to each control module 80. In some embodiments, the control module 80 may be, but is not limited to, a microprocessor (MCU).

[0025] In some embodiments, the control modules 80, buffers 61, and beamforming modules 30 may be connected by SPIs 70. The control modules 80 may connect and communicate via a four-line quad serial peripheral interface (QSPI). In some embodiments, each control module 80 may be connected to two rows of beamforming modules 30 in the beamforming module area via at least one SPI 70 and two buffers (e.g., a transmit buffer 62 and a receive buffer 64). 2, exemplarily, one SPI 70 line may include one control module 80, one set of transmit buffers 62 and receive buffers 64 (i.e., one transmit buffer 62 and one receive buffer 64), 16 sets of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34 (i.e., 16 transmit beamforming modules 32 and 16 receive beamforming modules 34), and 128 antennas 12 (i.e., eight antennas 12 are connected to each group of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34). Also referring to FIG. 2, exemplarily, each control module 80 is connected to the multiple antennas 12 in the array antenna 10 via the multiple transmit buffers 62 and the multiple receive buffers 64, respectively.

[0026] In some embodiments, taking a 32*32 antenna array as an example, the antenna array 10 includes 1024 antennas 12. Here, one beamforming module 30 (or one set of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34) is connected to every eight antennas 12, one buffer 61 (or one set of transmit buffers 62 and receive buffers 64) is connected to every 16 beamforming modules 30 (or 16 sets of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34), and one control module 80 is connected to every four buffers 61 (or four sets of transmit buffers 62 and receive buffers 64). As a result, the 32*32 antenna array includes 1,024 antennas 12, 128 beamforming modules 30 (or 128 pairs of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34), eight buffers 61 (or eight pairs of transmit buffers 62 and receive buffers 64), and two control modules 80. That is, each control module 80 can connect to and control 64 beamforming modules 30 (or 64 pairs of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34). Here, the 128 beamforming modules 30 (or 128 pairs of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34) are arranged in an array corresponding to the 1,024 antennas 12.

[0027] In some embodiments, more buffers 61 may be connected between the control module 80 and the buffer 61 (or the transmit buffer 62 and the receive buffer 64). For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , more buffers 61 may be connected between the control module 80 and two buffers 61 (or two sets of transmit buffers 62 and receive buffers 64, for example, the transmit buffer 62 and the receive buffer 64 on the SPI0 and SPI1 lines). Furthermore, the buffer 61 (or the transmit buffer 62 and the receive buffer 64) connected to the beamforming module 30 may be defined as a first buffer, and the buffer 61 connected between the control module 80 and the first buffer may be defined as a second buffer. In this manner, multi-stage connected buffers are formed. The buffer 61 (or the transmit buffer 62 and the receive buffer 64) can be used to improve the quality of the SPI line signal. Since the circuit board on which the antenna array is installed usually has a large area and the routing impedance load of the SPI line is large, installing buffers 61 (or transmit buffers 62 and receive buffers 64) can strengthen the integrity of the SPI line signal and ensure accurate reading and writing of data on the SPI line. In some embodiments, exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 1 , each control module 80 is connected to two rows of beamforming modules 30 in the beamforming module area via two first buffers (transmit buffers 62 and receive buffers 64) and one second buffer 61.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the architecture flowchart of the beamforming module control system in one embodiment of the present application may include, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0029] In step S401, a user terminal (UT) provides a beamforming angle.

[0030] In step S402, the control modules obtain beamforming angles and simultaneously read and write data to the connected transmit beamforming modules and receive beamforming modules via the SPIs.

[0031] In some embodiments, the UT can provide the beamforming angles to one of the control modules 80. The multiple control modules 80 communicate via QSPI and synchronize to obtain the beamforming angles. The multiple control modules 80 simultaneously read and write data to each of the connected transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34 via the multiple SPIs 70.

[0032] In some embodiments, in a 32*32 antenna array embodiment, the UT can provide beamforming angles to one of the control modules 80. The two control modules 80 communicate via QSPI and synchronize to obtain the beamforming angles. Each control module 80 simultaneously reads and writes data from 64 pairs of transmit beamforming modules (Tx BFICs) 32 and receive beamforming modules (Rx BFICs) 34 connected via four SPIs 70 (e.g., each control module has four SPIs: SPI0, SPI1, SPI2, and SPI3). (E.g., 16 pairs of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34 are connected to each SPI line.) Each group of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34 includes one transmit beamforming module 32 and one receive beamforming module 34. The control module 80, buffer 61, beamforming modules 30, and antennas 12 connected to each SPI 70 can form one circuit. In an embodiment with a 32*32 antenna array, eight SPI lines may be included.

[0033] In some embodiments, one of the two control modules 80 is a master control module and the other is a slave control module. The UT provides beamforming angles to the master control module. The master control module can synchronize the beamforming angles to the slave control module via QSPI.

[0034] In step S403, the 16 Tx BFICs and the 16 Rx BFICs form beamforming signals.

[0035] In some embodiments, the transmit beamforming module 32 and the receive beamforming module 34 form beamforming signals based on the beamforming angles and provide them to the corresponding antennas 12 to transmit and receive radio wave beams at the beamforming angles.

[0036] The beamforming module control system 2 may also include multiple multiplexers 40. The multiplexers 40 are connected to the beamforming modules 30 and used to conduct signals to and from the beamforming modules 30. In some embodiments, each transmit beamforming module 32 and each receive beamforming module 34 are connected to multiple antennas 12 via multiple multiplexers 40. The multiple multiplexers 40 are used to conduct signals between the transmit beamforming module 32 or the receive beamforming module 34 and the multiple antennas 12. For example, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5-10, each antenna 12 is used to transmit and receive radio wave beams or radio electrical signals. The multiplexers 40 may conduct signals between the transmit beamforming module 32, the receive beamforming module 34, and the antennas 12. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, multiple transmit beamforming modules 32 may be connected by multiple multiplexers 40. Multiple receive beamforming modules 34 may be connected by multiple multiplexers 40. 11-15, the array antenna 110 includes a transmit antenna 112 and a receive antenna 114, where the transmit antenna 112 is used to transmit radio wave beams or radio electrical signals and the receive antenna 114 is used to receive radio wave beams or radio electrical signals. The multiplexer 40 can conduct the radio wave beams or radio electrical signals to the transmit antenna 112 via the transmit beamforming module 32 and the receive beamforming module 34, and can conduct the radio wave beams or radio electrical signals received by the receive antenna 114 via the transmit beamforming module 32 and the receive beamforming module 34.

[0037] For example, in an M*N antenna array embodiment of the related art, eight channels are required for one beamforming module. The M*N antenna array includes four SPIs, which are connected to one control module. The control module handles the execution of the four SPI lines. Each SPI must control 32 beamforming modules. This requires 256 (8*32) 40-bit calculations, which takes approximately 256*(840ns+260ns)=281.6us. Here, 840ns is the SPI transmission time, 260ns is the command interval time, ns is the time unit in nanoseconds, and us is the time unit in microseconds. Because multiple SPIs operate under the same control module, the control module typically processes one SPI line at a time, while the remaining SPI lines must wait for the control module's processing. Therefore, the actual time to process subsequent SPI lines will be longer, for example, processing the fourth SPI line (e.g., SPI 3 line) will require four times the processing time of a single SPI line (256cmd*1.100us*4) = 1.13ms, where ms is the time unit in milliseconds. The above values ​​are only theoretical values, and there may be a certain tolerance range in actual operation.

[0038] See also FIG. 16. For example, in an M*N antenna array embodiment of the present application, eight channels are required for one beamforming module, and the M*N antenna array includes eight SPIs, which are connected to two control modules. That is, one control module is connected for every four SPIs, and the two control modules handle the execution of eight SPI lines. That is, each control module handles the execution of four SPI lines, and each SPI must control 16 beamforming modules. The required time is approximately 16*8*1.1=140.8 us, with a system operation overhead time of approximately 20 us. The internal calculation time of the control module is approximately 180 us, the time required for each SPI line is approximately 160 us, the additional system operation overhead time for the four SPI lines is approximately 60 us, and the communication control time via the QSPI of the two control modules is approximately 200 us. Therefore, theoretically, the time required for two control modules to process eight SPI lines is 180 + 160 + 60 + 200 = 600 us. Please note that these values ​​are theoretical and may have a certain margin of error in actual operation. For example, the measured data shown in Figure 16 is 747 us. Experimental data shows that using multiple control modules (e.g., two control modules) can reduce the time required to switch or adjust a specific beamforming angle (or beamforming angle) of the beamforming signal, making real-time angle conversion easier. Note that the dashed line in Figure 16 represents the time scale, with different dashed lines indicating different time scales.

[0039] According to the array configuration of the beamforming modules 30 (including the transmit beamforming modules 32 and the receive beamforming modules 34), each control module 80 can be connected to a predetermined number of beamforming modules 30 (including the transmit beamforming modules 32 and the receive beamforming modules 34). For example, the above-mentioned control module 80 can be connected to and control 64 beamforming modules 30 (or 64 pairs of transmit beamforming modules 32 and receive beamforming modules 34). Multiple control modules 80 control the beamforming modules 30 (including the transmit beamforming modules 32 and the receive beamforming modules 34) connected to the entire antenna array 10, rather than a single control module 80 controlling the beamforming modules 30 (including the transmit beamforming modules 32 and the receive beamforming modules 34) connected to the entire antenna array 10. In this way, the multiple control modules 80 cooperatively process data and signals from the beamforming modules 30 (including the transmit beamforming modules 32 and the receive beamforming modules 34) connected to the entire antenna array 10. That is, the amount of data that a single control module 80 needs to process is reduced, and the processing burden on each control module 80 is reduced, thereby improving the speed and quality with which the control module 80 processes data from the beamforming modules 30 connected to the entire antenna array 10, and reducing the time required to switch or adjust a specific directional angle (or beamforming angle) of the beamforming signal, which is beneficial to improving the communication stability and response speed of the wireless communication device.

[0040] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in some embodiments, the array antenna module 1 further includes a circuit board 50.

[0041] The circuit board 50 may have a multi-layer circuit board structure. The array antenna 10, the LNA 20, the beamforming module 30, and the multiplexer 40 are electrically connected in sequence on the circuit board 50. In some embodiments, the array antenna 10, the LNA 20, the beamforming module 30, and the multiplexer 40 may be arranged on different layers of the circuit board 50.

[0042] The array antenna 10 can be used to receive or transmit wireless communication signals. The LNA 20 is used to receive wireless communication signals from the array antenna 10, amplify them, and then output them to the beamforming module 30, or to receive wireless communication signals from the beamforming module 30, amplify them, and then output them to the array antenna 10. The beamforming module 30 is used to receive wireless communication signals from the array antenna 10 via the LNA 20, analyze them, or compile the wireless communication signals, and conduct them to the array antenna 10 via the LNA 20. The multiplexer 40 is used to output wireless communication signals received from the array antenna 10 that have been analyzed by the beamforming module 30, or to compile input wireless communication signals by the beamforming module 30 and transmit them via the array antenna 10.

[0043] 5 , the multiplexer 40 may include one first end 41, at least two second ends 42, a connection portion 43, a first conductive portion 44, and a second conductive portion 45. The multiplexer 40 is connected to the beamforming module 30 and is used to conduct signals to and from the beamforming module 30. For example, the multiplexer 40 may conduct signals from the beamforming module 30 to the LNA 20, or may conduct signals output from the LNA 20 to the beamforming module 30.

[0044] The first end 41 or one of the at least two second ends 42 is connected to the array antenna 10 via the beamforming module 30 and the LNA 20 in sequence to conduct wireless communication signals of the array antenna 10. In some embodiments, the first end 41 and the at least two second ends 42 each have a substantially linear metal segment structure and are arranged substantially parallel or non-parallel. The first end 41 and the at least two second ends 42 may be flush and arranged on the same layer of the circuit board 50, for example, the third layer. In some embodiments, the at least two second ends 42 may have a symmetrical or asymmetrical structure, for example, the two second ends 42 may be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically with respect to the first end 41. Note that when the at least two second ends 42 are arranged parallel or symmetrically, the at least two second ends 42 have substantially the same signal conduction path, which can result in a better signal conduction effect.

[0045] In some embodiments, when the at least two second ends 42 are connected to the array antenna 10 via the beamforming module 30 and the LNA 20 in sequence, the multiplexer 40 may be a power combiner for receiving wireless communication signals of the array antenna 10 via the at least two second ends 42 and outputting a combined signal via the first end 41. Alternatively, when the first end 41 is connected to the array antenna 10 via the beamforming module 30 and the LNA 20 in sequence, the multiplexer 40 may be a power divider for receiving wireless communication signals via the first end 41 and outputting divided signals via the at least two second ends 42, respectively.

[0046] The connecting portion 43 is connected between the first end 41 and the at least two second end portions 42. That is, the first end portion 41 and the at least two second end portions 42 are provided on corresponding sides of the connecting portion 43. The connecting portion 43 may further include a first connecting segment 432 and a second connecting segment 434. In some embodiments, the first connecting segment 432 is a substantially linear metal section, and the second connecting segment 434 is a substantially rectangular annular metal section structure. One end of the first connecting segment 432 is connected to the first end portion 41, and the other end of the first connecting segment 432 is connected to a substantially midpoint of one long side of the second connecting segment 434. The other long side of the second connecting segment 434 may be connected to the at least two second end portions 42. In some embodiments, the connecting portion 43 may not be flush with the first end portion 41 and the at least two second end portions 42, but may be provided on a different layer of the circuit board 50. For example, the connection portion 43 may be provided on the second layer of the circuit board 50. In some embodiments, the connection portion 43 may be provided on the second layer of the circuit board 50 to facilitate routing and mating with other multiplexers 40. In some embodiments, the second connection segment 434 may have other symmetrical and regular shapes, such as a circle, an oval, or a rectangle. Moreover, the second connection segment 434 has a symmetrical structure with respect to the first connection segment 432.

[0047] In some embodiments, the first end 41 and the at least two second end portions 42 have a first resistance value, and the connection portion 43 has a second resistance value. Here, the first resistance value may be less than or equal to the second resistance value. The first resistance value may be, but is not limited to, 50 ohms (Ω). The second resistance value may be, but is not limited to, 70.7 ohms. In some embodiments, the one-way signal conduction path from the first end 41 is divided into two-way signal conduction paths from at least two second end portions 42 so that the energy is equal. The connection portion 43 connecting the first end 41 and the at least two second end portions 42 has: The figure conforms to JPEG2025131541000002.jpg8164. Here, Z0 is the first resistance value of the first end 41 and the at least two second end portions 42, i.e., Z0 = 50 ohms, and Z is the second resistance value of the connecting portion 43, which is calculated to be Z = 70.7 ohms. Because the first end 41 and the at least two second end portions 42 have the same preset resistance value and the connecting portion 43 has a different preset resistance value from the first end 41 and the at least two second end portions 42, the energy conducted by the first end 41 and the connecting portion 43 is approximately equal to the energy conducted by the at least two second end portions 42, thereby reducing energy conduction losses. Here, the first connecting segment 432 converts the first resistance value of the first end 41 to the second resistance value of the connecting portion 43, or converts the second resistance value of the connecting portion 43 to the first resistance value of the first end 41, during energy conduction. In some embodiments, the connection portion 43 may have a different line width than the first end 41 and the at least two second ends 42 to match the arrangement of the circuit board 50, thereby causing the connection portion 43 to have approximately the same signal transmission power as the first end 41 and the at least two second ends 42.

[0048] The first conductive portion 44 is located between the first end 41 and the connecting portion 43, and connects the layer or plane on which the first end 41 is located to the layer or plane on which the connecting portion 43 is located. That is, the first conductive portion 44 connects the second layer and the third layer of the circuit board 50. In some embodiments, the first conductive portion 44 may be, but is not limited to, a metal post. One end of the metal post is connected to the first end 41, and the other end of the metal post is connected to the first connecting segment 432.

[0049] The second conductive portion 45 is located between at least two second end portions 42 and the connection portion 43, and connects the layer or plane on which the at least two second end portions 42 are located to the layer or plane on which the connection portion 43 is located. That is, the second conductive portion 45 connects the second layer and the third layer of the circuit board 50. In some embodiments, the second conductive portion 45 may be, but is not limited to, two metal posts. One end of each of the two metal posts is connected to at least two second end portions 42, and the other end of each of the two metal posts is connected to an end of the second connection segment 434 that is remote from the first connection segment 432. In some embodiments, the extension line of the first connection segment 432 is approximately perpendicular to the connection line of the two second conductive portions 45 (i.e., the two metal posts).

[0050] In some embodiments, each of the at least two second end portions 42 includes a connection point 422 connected to the second conductive portion 45. The second end portions 42 are formed by extending outward from the second conductive portion 45 via the connection points 422. Here, an angle θ exists between the direction in which the second end portions 42 extend outward via the connection points 422 and a direction perpendicular to the second connection segments 434. In some embodiments, the angle θ may be in the range of 0 degrees to 90 degrees, but is not limited thereto.

[0051] Referring again to FIG. 5 , in some embodiments, the signal conduction direction of the first end 41 is substantially the same as the signal conduction direction of the at least two second end portions 42. In some embodiments, the vector difference between the signal conduction direction of the first end 41 and the signal conduction direction of the at least two second end portions 42 may be 0 to 90 degrees. Exemplarily, the signal conduction direction of the first end 41 is toward the first conductive portion 44, which conducts the signal to the first connection segment 432. The signal conduction direction of the first connection segment 432 is from the first conductive portion 44 to the second connection segment 434, but the signal conduction direction of the first end 41 is consistent with the signal conduction direction of the first connection segment 432. The signal conduction direction of the first end 41 and the first connection segment 432 can be defined as a first vector. The second connection segment 434 receives the signal from the first connection segment 432 and conducts the signal to the two second conductive portions 45. The at least two second ends 42 are respectively connected to two second conductive parts 45 via connection points 422 and serve as signal conduction terminals. The structure along the at least two second ends 42 serves as a signal conduction path for the at least two second ends 42. The direction of signal conduction for the at least two second ends 42 can be defined as a second vector, and the vector difference between the first vector and the second vector may be 0 to 90 degrees. When the at least two second ends 42 serve as signal input terminals, the first end 41 serves as a signal output terminal, and the signal conduction path may be the same as described above, but the signal conduction direction is opposite, which will not be further described here.

[0052] 6 , the multiplexer 40 may also include a resistor 46. The resistor 46 may be in contact with the connection portion 43 via the second conductive portion 45. In some embodiments, the resistor 46 may not be flush with the first end 41, the at least two second ends 42, and the connection portion 43, and the resistor 46 may be provided on the first layer of the circuit board 50. In some embodiments, the second conductive portion 45 is connected to the resistor 46, the second connection segment 434 of the connection portion 43, and the at least two second ends 42, respectively. That is, the second conductive portion 45 may connect the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer of the circuit board 50.

[0053] In some embodiments, the array antenna 10 may be provided on another layer of the circuit board 50 and may not be flush with the layer on which the first end 41 and the at least two second end portions 42 are located and the layer on which the connection portion 43 is located. For example, the array antenna 10 may be provided on the fifth layer of the circuit board 50. In some embodiments, the fifth layer on which the array antenna 10 is located may be a surface layer of the array antenna module 1, and the first layer on which the resistor 46 is located may be an internal layer of the array antenna module 1. In other embodiments, the first layer on which the resistor 46 is located may be a surface layer of the array antenna module 1, and the fifth layer on which the array antenna 10 is located may be an internal layer of the array antenna module 1.

[0054] In some embodiments, the array antenna module 1 may further include a first ground layer 60, a second ground layer 70, and a third ground layer 80.

[0055] The first ground layer 60 may be provided on the first layer of the circuit board 50 and adjacent to the resistor 46. The second ground layer 70 may be provided on the second layer of the circuit board 50 and adjacent to the connection portion 43. The third ground layer 80 may be provided on the fourth layer of the circuit board 50 and disposed between the layer on which the array antenna 10 is located and the layer on which the first end 41 and the at least two second end portions 42 are located. The first ground layer 60, the second ground layer 70, and the third ground layer 80 are used to provide grounds for the array antenna 10 and the multiplexer 30. Here, the second ground layer 70 and the third ground layer 80 may serve as reference grounds for the first end 41 and the at least two second end portions 42, and the third ground layer 80 may serve as a reference ground for the connection portion 43. In some embodiments, the first ground layer 60 has an opening 65 disposed corresponding to the connection portion 43. This allows the connection portion 43 to have a larger routing width on the circuit board 50, reducing energy conduction loss when the connection portion 43 conducts signals.

[0056] In some embodiments, the second to third layers of the circuit board 50 are provided with first through-holes filled with metal conductors to form first conductive portions 44. The first conductive portions 44 penetrate from the second to third layers of the circuit board 50, connecting the connection portions 43 located on the second layer with the first end portions 41 located on the third layer, thereby achieving electrical connection and signal conduction between the connection portions 43 and the first end portions 41. The first to third layers of the circuit board 50 are provided with second through-holes filled with metal conductors to form second conductive portions 45. The second conductive portions 45 penetrate from the first to third layers of the circuit board 50, connecting to the resistors 46 located on the first layer, the connection portions 43 located on the second layer, and at least two second end portions 42 located on the third layer, respectively, thereby achieving electrical connection and signal conduction between the resistors 46, the connection portions 43, and the at least two second end portions 42. Note that the first to fifth layers of the circuit board 50 may be arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other.

[0057] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the array antenna 10 includes several antennas 12.

[0058] The antennas 12 are arranged in rows. In each row, every two adjacent antennas 12 are spaced a predetermined distance apart. The antennas 12 in each of two adjacent rows are staggered to form the antenna array 10. For example, in the (N+1)th row, each antenna 12 is staggered between two adjacent antennas 12 in the (N)th row, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0059] In some embodiments, the array antenna module 1 includes several multiplexers 40. Each multiplexer 40 can be connected to two corresponding antennas 12 via the beamforming module 30 and the LNA 20. For example, each multiplexer 40 is connected to two antennas 12 via at least two second ends 42. When the array antenna 10 is configured in a predetermined array, one multiplexer 40 is connected to each of the two antennas 12. The multiplexer 40 receives wireless communication signals from the two antennas 12 via at least two second ends 42 and outputs the signals via its first end 41. The multiple multiplexers 40 connected to the antennas 12 are connected in parallel and located in the same stage. After each multiplexer 40 outputs a one-way signal, the signal is output to at least two second ends 42 of the multiplexer 40 in the next stage, and the first end 41 of the multiplexer 40 in the next stage outputs the signal. In this way, by cascading multiple multiplexers 40, a one-way signal is ultimately output from the final multiplexer 40. During signal conduction through the multiple multiplexers 40, multiplexers 40 located in the same stage are connected in parallel, while multiplexers 40 of different stages are connected in series. Here, "several" refers to "one" or "multiple."

[0060] For example, in a 4*4 array antenna (i.e., a four-row arrangement), four antennas 12 are arranged in each row, for a total of 16 antennas 12. One multiplexer 40 is connected to every two antennas 12. As a result, eight multiplexers 40 are connected to the 16 antennas 12. These eight multiplexers 40 are arranged in the first stage. The eight multiplexers 40 can conduct and output the wireless communication signals of the 16 antennas 12 into an 8-way signal. When these 8-way signals are further connected to one multiplexer 40 for every two-way signal, four more multiplexers 40 are connected to the 8-way signal. These four multiplexers 40 are arranged in the second stage. Furthermore, these four multiplexers 40 can conduct and output the 8-way signal into a 4-way signal. When these 4-way signals are further connected to one multiplexer 40 for every two-way signal, two more multiplexers 40 are connected to the 4-way signal. Two multiplexers 40 can be arranged in the third stage. These two multiplexers 40 can conduct and output the above-mentioned 4-way signal into a 2-way signal. Another multiplexer 40 is connected to this 2-way signal. This multiplexer 40 is arranged in the fourth stage. The multiplexer 40 can conduct the above-mentioned 2-way signal to finally output a 1-way signal. The 1-way signal finally output by the multiplexer 40 of the array antenna module 1 is output to other modules or components of the wireless communication device to realize wireless communication of the wireless communication device.

[0061] Please refer to FIGS. 9 and 10 together. FIG. 9 is a graph showing S-parameters when the first end 41 and at least two second end portions 42 of the multiplexer 40 are provided on the same layer, i.e., the third layer, of the circuit board 50, and the connection portion 43 is provided on another layer, i.e., the second layer, of the circuit board 50. In this case, the maximum overall loss of the multiplexer 40 is approximately 3.41 dB. FIG. 10 is a graph showing S-parameters when the first end 41, at least two second end portions 42, and the connection portion 43 of the multiplexer 40 are provided on the same layer, e.g., the third layer, of the circuit board 50. In this case, the maximum overall loss of the multiplexer 40 is approximately 4.91 dB. This shows that the loss becomes relatively larger as you go deeper into the layers. 9 and 10 , the first end 41, at least two second ends 42, and connecting portion 43 of the multiplexer 40 of the present embodiment are provided on different layers of the circuit board 50 (particularly, the connecting portion 43 is provided on an outer layer of the circuit board 50). Compared to a configuration in which the first end 41, at least two second ends 42, and connecting portion 43 of the multiplexer 40 are provided on the same layer of the circuit board 50, the multiplexer 40 of the present embodiment has lower signal conduction loss and is more advantageous for signal conduction of the array antenna 10.

[0062] The multiplexer 40 provided in this embodiment is connected to the array antenna 10 via a first end 41 or one of at least two second ends 42, so that the multiplexer 40 can conduct signals of the array antenna 10. Moreover, the connection portion 43, the first end 41, and the at least two second ends 42 are arranged on different layers of the circuit board 50, so that the multiplexers 40 are not arranged side by side on the same plane, which saves design space on the plane of the multiplexer 40 and is more advantageous for signal transmission wiring of the array antenna module 1. In addition, the multiplexer 40 has low loss during signal conduction, which is more advantageous for signal conduction of the array antenna 10.

[0063] 11, in another embodiment of the present application, the wireless communication device may further include an array antenna 110. The beamforming module control system 2 includes an LNA 120, a multiplexer 130, and a beamforming module 140.

[0064] The array antenna 110, the LNA 120, the multiplexer 130, and the beamforming module 140 are electrically connected in sequence. The array antenna 110 is used to receive or transmit wireless communication signals. One end of the multiplexer 130 is connected to the array antenna 110 via the LNA, and the other end is connected to the beamforming module 140. The LNA 120 is used to receive wireless communication signals from the array antenna 110, amplify them, and then output them to the multiplexer 130, or to receive wireless communication signals from the multiplexer 130, amplify them, and then output them to the array antenna 110. The multiplexer 130 can be used to conduct wireless communication signals from the array antenna 110 to the beamforming module 140, or to conduct wireless communication signals from the beamforming module 140 to the array antenna 110. The beamforming module 140 receives and analyzes wireless communication signals from the array antenna 110 via the multiplexer 130, compiles the wireless communication signals, and then transmits the wireless communication signals to the array antenna 110 via the multiplexer 130.

[0065] 11 , the multiplexer 130 may include a first end 131, at least two second ends 132, a first connection portion 133, and a second connection portion 134. The multiplexer 130 is connected to the beamforming module 140 to conduct signals to and from the beamforming module 140. For example, the multiplexer 130 may conduct signals output by the beamforming module 140 or may conduct signals to the beamforming module 140.

[0066] One of the first end 131 or the at least two second ends 132 is connected to the array antenna 110 via the LNA 120, and the other of the first end 131 or the at least two second ends 132 is connected to the beamforming module 140. In some embodiments, the first end 131 and the at least two second ends 132 are both substantially linear metal segments and are arranged substantially parallel to each other. The at least two second ends 132 are arranged on the same plane, and the first end 131 and the at least two second ends 132 are not arranged on the same plane.

[0067] The first connecting portion 133 is connected to the first end portion 131 and is flush with the first end portion 131. In some embodiments, the first connecting portion 133 is a metal segment having a substantially rectangular ring shape, and the first end portion 131 is connected to the substantially midpoint of one long side of the rectangular ring-shaped first connecting portion 133. In some embodiments, the plane or layer on which the first end portion 131 and the first connecting portion 133 are located is substantially parallel to the plane or layer on which the at least two second end portions are located. In some embodiments, the first connecting portion 133 has another symmetrical and regular shape, such as a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, a line, or a combination of any of the above shapes. Moreover, the first connecting portion 133 has a symmetrical structure with respect to the first end portion 131. Alternatively, the first connecting portion 133 may have an asymmetrical or irregular shape. Relatively speaking, when the first connecting portion 133 has a symmetrical and regular shape, the signal conduction effect is better because the signal conduction path is substantially the same.

[0068] One end of the second connection portion 134 is connected to the end of the first connection portion 133 remote from the first end 131, and the other end of the second connection portion 134 is connected to at least two second end portions 132. That is, the second connection portion 134 connects the plane or layer on which the first end 131 is located to the plane or layer on which the at least two second end portions are located. In some embodiments, the second connection portion 134 is two metal posts, but is not limited to this. One end of each of the two metal posts is connected to the at least two second end portions 132, and the other ends of the two metal posts are connected to approximately the middle positions of the long sides of the rectangular ring-shaped first connection portion 133 remote from the first end 131.

[0069] In some embodiments, each second end 132 includes a connection point 1322 connected to the second connection portion 134. The second end 132 is formed to extend by the connection point 1322 along a direction from the second connection portion 134 toward the first end 131. In some embodiments, a projection of at least two second end portions 132 in the first direction is within a range of a projection of the first connection portion 133 in the first direction. Here, the first direction is a direction in which the at least two second end portions 132 are perpendicular to the first connection portion 133.

[0070] 11 and 12, the second end 132 has an angle θ between the direction from the connection point 1322 toward the first end 131 and the direction perpendicular to one side of the second connection portion 34. In some embodiments, the angle θ may be in the range of 0 degrees to 90 degrees, but is not limited thereto.

[0071] In some embodiments, the signal conduction direction of the at least two second end portions 132 is substantially opposite to the signal conduction direction of the first end portion 131. In some embodiments, the vector difference between the signal conduction direction of the first end portion 131 and the signal conduction direction of the at least two second end portions 132 may be 90 degrees to 180 degrees. Illustratively, the signal conduction direction of the first end portion 131 faces the first connection portion 133, and the signal conduction direction of the first end portion 131 can be defined as a first vector. The first connection portion 133 acquires a signal from the first end portion 131 and conducts it to the two second connection portions 134. Each of the at least two second end portions 132 is connected to the two second connection portions 134 via a connection segment 1322 and serves as an endpoint of the signal conduction. The signal conduction direction of the at least two second end portions 132 can be defined as a second vector. The vector difference between the first vector and the second vector can be 90 degrees to 180 degrees. When at least two second ends 132 are signal input ends, the first end 131 is a signal output end, and the signal conduction path may be the same as described above, but the signal conduction direction is reversed, which will not be further described here.

[0072] In some embodiments, the first end 131 and the at least two second end portions 132 have a first resistance value, and the first connecting portion 133 has a second resistance value. Here, the first resistance value may be equal to or less than the second resistance value. The first resistance value may be 50 ohms (Ω), and the second resistance value may be 70.7 ohms, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, in order to equalize energy, the one-way signal conduction path from the first end 131 is divided into two-way signal conduction paths from the at least two second end portions 132. The first connecting portion 133 connecting the first end 131 and the at least two second end portions 132 has a resistance value of: The formula is based on JPEG2025131541000003.jpg8164. Here, Z0 is the first resistance value of the first end 131 and the at least two second end portions 132, i.e., Z0 = 50 ohms, and Z is the second resistance value of the first connecting portion 133, which is calculated to be Z = 70.7 ohms. Since the first end 131 and the at least two second end portions 132 are provided with the same preset resistance value, and the first connecting portion 133 is provided with a preset resistance value different from both the first end 131 and the at least two second end portions 132, the energy conducted by the first end 131 and the first connecting portion 133 is approximately equal to the energy conducted by the at least two second end portions 132, and energy conduction loss is reduced. In some embodiments, depending on the arrangement of the array antenna module 1, the first connection portion 133, the first end 131, and the at least two second ends 132 may have different line widths so that the first connection portion 133, the first end 131, and the at least two second ends 132 can have approximately equal signal transmission power.

[0073] The first end 131 can be used to receive a wireless communication signal from the array antenna 110 via the LNA 120. The first end 131, the first connection 133, the second connection 134, and the at least two second end portions 132 sequentially conduct the wireless communication signal, and then the at least two second end portions 132 conduct the wireless communication signal to the beamforming module 140. Alternatively, the first end 131 can receive a wireless communication signal from the beamforming module 140, and the first end 131, the first connection portion 133, the second connection portion 134, and the at least two second end portions 132 sequentially conduct the wireless communication signal, and then the at least two second end portions 132 conduct the wireless communication signal to the array antenna 110 via the LNA 120.

[0074] Also see FIG. 13 . In some embodiments, the array antenna module 1 may have a multi-layer structure. The first end 131 is connected to the first connection portion 133 and is flush with the first connection portion 133. The first end 131 and the first connection portion 133 may be located on the same layer of the array antenna module 1, for example, the third layer. The at least two second end portions 132 may be located on another layer of the array antenna module 1, for example, the first layer. The second connection portions 134 penetrate the layer on which the first end 131 and the first connection portion 133 are located and the layer on which the at least two second end portions 132 are located; that is, the second connection portion 134 penetrates from the first layer to the third layer. In some embodiments, the first and third layers of the array antenna module 1 are provided with at least two first through holes. The at least two first through holes are filled with a metal conductor to form the second connection portions 134. At least two second end portions 132 extend in substantially the same direction as the first end portion 131 and extend to face the first connecting portion 133 with a gap therebetween.

[0075] The multiplexer 130 may also include a resistor 135. The resistor 135 is in contact with at least two of the second ends 132. In some embodiments, the resistor 135 is in contact with the connection ends between the at least two of the second ends 132 and the second connection portion 134, and is provided on the first layer of the array antenna module 1.

[0076] In some embodiments, the array antenna 110 is disposed on another layer of the array antenna module 1 and is not flush with the layer on which the first end 131 and the first connection portion 133 are located and the layer on which the at least two second end portions 132 are located, respectively. For example, the array antenna 110 may be provided on the fifth layer of the array antenna module 1. In some embodiments, the fifth layer on which the array antenna 110 is located may be a surface layer of the array antenna module 1, and the first layer on which the at least two second end portions 132 are located may be an internal layer of the array antenna module 1. In another embodiment, the first layer on which the at least two second end portions 132 are located may be a surface layer of the array antenna module 1, and the fifth layer on which the array antenna 110 is located may be an internal layer of the array antenna module 1. The LNA 120 may be disposed on the first layer of the array antenna module 1.

[0077] In some embodiments, the array antenna module 1 may further include a first ground layer 150 and a second ground layer 160 .

[0078] The first ground layer 150 may be located between the layer on which the first end 131 is located and the layer on which the at least two second ends 132 are located, for example, the second layer of the array antenna module 1. The second ground layer 160 may be located between the layer on which the first end 131 is located and the layer on which the array antenna 110 is located, for example, the fourth layer of the array antenna module 1. The first ground layer 150 and the second ground layer 160 are used to ground the array antenna 110 and the multiplexer 130.

[0079] In some embodiments, the first and fifth layers of the array antenna module 1 are provided with second through holes filled with a metal conductor to form the third connection portion 170. The third connection portion 170 penetrates the first and fifth layers of the array antenna module 1 to connect the LNA 120 located on the first layer to the array antenna 110 located on the fifth layer, respectively, thereby realizing electrical connection and signal conduction between the LNA 120 and the array antenna 110. The array antenna module 1 has a multi-layer structure, and for example, the first to fifth layers described above may be arranged in parallel with a gap between them.

[0080] 14 and 15 together, the array antenna 110 may include several transmit antennas 112 and several receive antennas 114.

[0081] The plurality of transmit antennas 112 are arranged in rows, with every two adjacent transmit antennas 112 in each row spaced apart by a first preset distance.

[0082] The plurality of receive antennas 114 are arranged in rows, with every two adjacent receive antennas 114 in each row spaced a second preset distance apart, and each receive antenna 114 is staggered between two transmit antennas 112.

[0083] The rows of transmit antennas 112 and the rows of receive antennas 114 are staggered and arranged in an array, i.e., forming an array antenna 110. In some embodiments, the first preset distance is greater than, equal to, or less than the second preset distance, and the present application is not limited in this respect.

[0084] The multiplexers 130 are staggered between the transmit antennas 112 and the receive antennas 114. In some embodiments, the array antenna module 1 may include multiple multiplexers 130. Each multiplexer 130 may be associated with and connected to one set of transmit antennas 112 and receive antennas 114. Here, "some" refers to "one" or "multiple."

[0085] When the at least two second ends 132 of the multiplexer 130 are connected to the receive antennas 114 of the array antenna 110 via the LNAs 120, the first end 131 is connected to the beamforming module. The multiplexer 130 can function as a power combiner to receive signals from the array antenna 110 via the at least two second ends 132 and conduct wireless communication signals to the beamforming module 140 via the first end 131. Alternatively, when the at least two second ends 132 of the multiplexer 130 are connected to the transmit antennas 112 of the array antenna 110 via the LNAs 120, the first end 131 is connected to the beamforming module 140 and the multiplexer 130 can function as a power divider to receive signals from the beamforming module 140 via the first end 131 and conduct wireless communication signals to the array antenna 110 via the at least two second ends 132.

[0086] In some embodiments, the beamforming module 140 can be connected to the first ends 131 of one or more multiplexers 130. For example, the beamforming module 140 can be connected to the first ends 131 of eight multiplexers 130. At least two second ends 132 of each multiplexer 130 can be connected to one of a pair of transmitting antennas 112 and receiving antennas 114 of the array antenna 110. Thus, one beamforming module 140 can be connected to eight pairs of transmitting antennas 112 and receiving antennas 114 via eight multiplexers 130. Here, among the multiple multiplexers 130 connected to the beamforming module 140, the first ends 131 of each multiplexer 130 have approximately the same wiring length for connection to the beamforming module 140. This makes the signal conduction paths between the beamforming module 140 and the multiple multiplexers 130 approximately equal in length and have approximately equal energy transmission losses, ensuring that the signal conduction quality of each signal conduction path is approximately the same, and is also advantageous for the signal transmission wiring of the multiple multiplexers 130 throughout the array antenna module 1. In another embodiment, one beamforming module 140 may also be connected to 2, 4, or 16 sets of transmitting antennas 112 and receiving antennas 114, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0087] The multiplexer 130 provided in this embodiment has one of a first end 131 or at least two second ends 132 connected to the array antenna 110, and the other of the first end 131 or at least two second ends 132 connected to the beamforming module 140. This allows the multiplexer 130 to conduct signals between the array antenna 110 and the beamforming module 140, and the signal conduction direction of the at least two second ends 132 is opposite to the signal conduction direction of the first end 131. This eliminates the need to arrange the multiplexers 130 side by side on the same plane, saving design space on the plane of the multiplexers 130 and making signal transmission between the array antenna module 110 and the beamforming module 140 easier.

[0088] The above examples are only used to explain the technical aspects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that even if the technical aspects of the present invention are modified or replaced with equivalents, they should not deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical aspects of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can also make other changes to the design used in the present invention within the spirit of the present invention, as long as they do not deviate from the technical effects of the present invention. All such changes based on the spirit of the present invention should be included within the protection scope claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A control system for a beamforming module applied to an array antenna, comprising: The control system includes: a plurality of beamforming modules respectively connected to the array antenna for transmitting signals to the array antenna; a plurality of control modules respectively connected to the plurality of beamforming modules for processing signals of the corresponding beamforming modules; The plurality of beamforming modules are distributed to form a plurality of groups of beamforming module regions; Each of the control modules is connected to one set of beamforming module regions among the plurality of groups of beamforming module regions; A beamforming module control system, characterized in that the plurality of control modules are interconnected.

2. the plurality of beamforming modules include a plurality of transmit beamforming modules and a plurality of receive beamforming modules; Each of the beamforming module regions includes at least one of the transmit beamforming modules and at least one of the receive beamforming modules; 2. The control system of claim 1, wherein each of the control modules is used to process signals of at least one of the transmit beamforming module and at least one of the receive beamforming module within the corresponding beamforming module area.

3. The control system described in claim 2, characterized in that the number of the plurality of beamforming modules included in the beamforming module area of ​​each group is equal, and the number of the transmit beamforming modules and the receive beamforming modules included in the beamforming module area of ​​each group is equal.

4. the control system further comprises a plurality of buffers including a plurality of first buffers and a plurality of second buffers; 2. The control system of claim 1, wherein each of the control modules is connected to two rows of the beamforming modules in the beamforming module area of ​​each group via two of the first buffers and one of the second buffers.

5. the plurality of buffers include a plurality of transmit buffers and a plurality of receive buffers; 5. The control system according to claim 4, wherein each of the control modules is connected to the array antenna via the plurality of transmitting buffers and the plurality of receiving buffers, respectively.

6. the control system further includes a plurality of multiplexers; the multiplexer is connected to the beamforming module; 2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the multiplexer is used to transmit signals to and from the beamforming module, and the multiplexer has a multi-layer structure.

7. A wireless communication device, comprising an array antenna and a control system for the beamforming module according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. the array antenna includes antennas arranged across a plurality of rows; In each row, two adjacent antennas are spaced apart by a predetermined distance; 8. The wireless communication device of claim 7, wherein the antennas in each of two adjacent rows are staggered and arranged to form an array.

9. Each of the transmit beamforming modules is connected to one or more of the antennas; The wireless communication device according to claim 8 , wherein each of the receiving beamforming modules is connected to one or more of the antennas.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 7 , further comprising a circuit board, wherein a control system for the array antenna and the beamforming module is installed on the circuit board.

Images