Antenna assemblies and communication systems

Abstract

The present application provides an antenna assembly and a communication system, which belong to the technical field of antennas. The antenna assembly includes a filter module and an antenna module, and the antenna module and the filter module are connected and integrated together, and the output impedance of the filter module and the input impedance of the antenna module are matched. The antenna assembly and communication system according to the present application have the advantage of being able to realize a compact system and reduce the insertion loss of the system.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application is in the field of antenna technology, and more particularly, relates to antenna assemblies and communication systems.

[0002] CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to a Chinese application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on January 18, 2022, bearing application number 202210056152.8 and entitled "Antenna Assembly and Communication System," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] In conventional communication systems, the filter chip and the antenna chip are important devices for transmitting and receiving signals, and are generally designed independently. In order to prevent impedance mismatch between the two when they are cascaded, it is necessary to provide a matching circuit between the filter and the antenna.

[0004] However, the provision of a matching circuit increases the overall system size and insertion loss.

[0005] As noted above, the prior art suffers from the relatively large size and insertion loss of communication systems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT APPLICATION An object of the present application is to provide an antenna assembly and a communication system that can solve the problems of the relatively large size and insertion loss of the communication systems in the prior art.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions.

[0008] An embodiment of the present application provides an antenna assembly, the antenna assembly comprising a filter module and an antenna module, the antenna module and the filter module being connected and integrated together, and the output impedance of the filter module and the input impedance of the antenna module being matched.

[0009] Optionally, the filter module includes a multi-stage LC filter structure, the multi-stage LC filter structure being sequentially connected; and the antenna module includes a 3D spiral inductor, the 3D spiral inductor and the LC filter structure being connected, the 3D spiral inductor also configured as the LC filter structure.

[0010] Optionally, the antenna assembly further comprises a connecting post, the filter module comprises a substrate, the 3D spiral inductor is disposed on the filter module, the 3D spiral inductor is connected to the filter module via the connecting post, and a distance between the 3D spiral inductor and the substrate is greater than 200 μm.

[0011] Optionally, the connecting pole is a copper pole, and the height of the copper pole can be adjusted to fine-tune the working frequency of the antenna module.

[0012] Optionally, a support post is provided between the 3D spiral inductor and the filter module.

[0013] Optionally, the 3D spiral inductor is arranged in a polygonal line.

[0014] Optionally, the antenna assembly further comprises an LC network, the LC network being connected between the antenna module and the filter module, and the filter module and the antenna module achieving impedance matching through the LC network.

[0015] Optionally, the LC network includes a T-network, a Pi-network and an L-network.

[0016] Optionally, the LC network includes an inductor and a capacitor, and the matching between the output impedance of the filter module and the input impedance of the antenna module is achieved by adjusting configuration parameters of the capacitor and the inductor.

[0017] Optionally, the capacitor has a capacitance on the order of pF, a distance between plates of 10 to 30 μm, and a thickness of plates of 10 μm, and the inductor has an inductance on the order of nH, a width of the inductor of 5 to 20 μm, and a thickness of the inductor of 10 μm.

[0018] Optionally, the capacitors in the LC network adopt a planar capacitor structure or a stacked capacitor structure.

[0019] Optionally, the filter module includes a multi-stage filter structure, the multi-stage filter structures are connected in series, and a final stage filter structure is connected to an antenna module, and an output impedance of the final stage filter structure is matched with an input impedance of the antenna module.

[0020] Optionally, the filter module includes a multi-stage LC filter structure, and at least one of the capacitive reactance and the inductive reactance of the final stage LC filter structure is adjustable to match the output impedance of the final stage LC filter structure with the input impedance of the antenna module.

[0021] Optionally, by adjusting only the capacitive reactance or only the inductive reactance of the final stage LC filter structure, or by adjusting both the capacitive reactance and the inductive reactance of the final stage LC filter structure, the output impedance of the final stage LC filter structure is matched with the input impedance of the antenna module;

[0022] When adjusting the capacitive reactance, the distance between the plates of the capacitor and the thickness of the plates are adjusted, and when adjusting the inductive reactance, the width, thickness, helix radius, helix height, helix angle and number of turns of the inductor are adjusted.

[0023] Optionally, the antenna module includes a direct feed structure or an electromagnetic field coupling feed structure, and the position and size of the direct feed structure or the electromagnetic field coupling feed structure are adjustable to match the impedance between the filter module and the antenna module.

[0024] Optionally, the antenna module includes a direct feed structure or an electromagnetic coupling feed structure, and the position and size of the direct feed structure or the electromagnetic coupling feed structure are adjustable; and the filter module includes a multi-stage LC filter structure, and at least one of the capacitive reactance and the inductive reactance of the final stage LC filter structure is adjustable to match the impedance between the filter module and the antenna module.

[0025] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system comprising the above antenna assembly.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] The embodiments of the present application provide an antenna assembly and a communication system, the antenna assembly including a filter module and an antenna module, the antenna module and the filter module being connected and integrated, and the output impedance of the filter module being matched with the input impedance of the antenna module. On the other hand, compared to the prior art, the present application does not require an impedance matching circuit, which contributes to miniaturization of the communication system and reduces the insertion loss of the system. On the other hand, since the antenna module and the filter module are integrated, further miniaturization can be achieved. In addition, since the output impedance of the filter module is matched with the input impedance of the antenna module, the requirement for impedance matching can be met.

[0028] In order to make the above objects, features and advantages of the present application more apparent, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings necessary for describing the embodiments are briefly described below. Please note that the drawings described are only for illustrating some embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the scope. Those skilled in the art can obtain other related drawings based on these drawings without using inventive abilities. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system in the prior art. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an antenna assembly according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below clearly and completely with reference to the drawings used in the embodiments of the present application, and it goes without saying that the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. The components in the embodiments of the present application shown in the drawings can be arranged and designed in various arrangement ways.

[0031] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application shown in the drawings is merely a selected embodiment of the present application and does not limit the scope of the present application to be protected. All other embodiments obtained by a person skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without using inventive ability also belong to the protection scope of the present application.

[0032] In addition, since like reference numerals indicate like objects in the drawings, when a definition is made in one drawing, it is unnecessary to further define and interpret it in the other drawings. In addition, in the description of this application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are merely used for the purpose of distinction and description, and do not express or imply relative importance.

[0033] It should be noted that, as used herein, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between such entities or actions.

[0034] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Unless there is a contradiction, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0035] As described in the Background Art with reference to FIG. 1, in conventional communication systems, it is necessary to provide a matching circuit between the filter and the antenna, but providing a matching circuit increases the size and insertion loss of the entire system.

[0036] In view of this, in order to solve the above problems, the present application provides an antenna assembly that can achieve system miniaturization and reduced insertion loss without using a matching circuit.

[0037] An antenna assembly according to the present application will now be described by way of example.

[0038] As one possible implementation method, as shown in FIG. 2, the antenna assembly 100 comprises a filter module 110 and an antenna module 120, the antenna module 120 and the filter module 110 are connected and integrated together, and the output impedance of the filter module 110 and the input impedance of the antenna module 120 are matched.

[0039] According to the above-mentioned realization method, on the one hand, in comparison with the conventional technology, the present application contributes to miniaturization of the communication system and reduces the insertion loss of the system by eliminating the impedance matching circuit, and on the other hand, further miniaturization can be realized because the antenna module 120 and the filter module 110 are integrated. Also, since the output impedance of the filter module 110 and the input impedance of the antenna module 120 are matched, the requirement of impedance matching can be met.

[0040] In addition, in conventional designs, the filter and antenna are designed to match impedances independently with commonly used reference impedances (50 ohms or 75 ohms). In contrast, when the filter chip and antenna chip are directly connected in series without a matching circuit, the filter chip and antenna chip have parasitic parameters in their respective structures, which affect the impedance matching between the chips. In addition, when connected in series, the distance between the filter chip and the antenna chip is relatively close, which may cause a coupling effect, resulting in a deterioration in product performance.

[0041] In view of this, in order to achieve matching between the output impedance of the filter and the input impedance of the antenna, the impedance matching design between them can be adjusted to eliminate the interference of the parasitic parameters between them and suppress the influence of the coupling effect. Matching described in this application means matching between the output impedance of the filter and the input impedance of the antenna. The impedance matching structure can be realized in various forms, which will be described below as examples.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the antenna assembly further includes an LC network, the LC network being connected between the antenna module 120 and the filter module 110, and the filter module 110 and the antenna module 120 achieving impedance matching through the LC network.

[0043] The LC network includes devices such as an inductor and a capacitor, and the output impedance of the filter module 110 and the input impedance of the antenna module 120 are matched by adjusting the configuration parameters of the capacitor and the inductor, such as the thickness and size of the capacitor and the inductor in the LC network. Optionally, the capacitor has a capacitance on the order of pF, a distance between the plates of 10-30 μm, and a thickness of the plates of 10 μm. The inductor can have an inductance on the order of nH, a width of 5-20 μm, and a thickness of 10 μm.

[0044] As an optional implementation, the LC network includes a T-type network, a Pi-type network and an L-type network, and its specific structure is not limited, for example, the capacitor is designed to be connected in series and the inductor is designed to be connected in parallel, and the series connection structure does not require a separate ground port, and the parallel connection structure needs to have a separate ground port. Optionally, the capacitor in the LC network can adopt a planar capacitor structure or a stacked capacitor structure, and is not limited here.

[0045] Of course, impedance matching between the filter module 110 and the antenna module 120 may be achieved by a method other than adding an LC network. In this case, impedance matching can be achieved by adjusting relevant parameters of at least one of the filter module 110 and the antenna module 120.

[0046] As another possible implementation method, impedance matching is achieved by adjusting relevant parameters of the filter module 110. The filter module 110 includes a multi-stage filter structure, which is connected in sequence, and the final-stage filter structure is connected to the antenna module 120, so that the output impedance of the final-stage filter structure is matched with the input impedance of the antenna module 120.

[0047] The filter module 110 includes a multi-stage filter structure, and the filter structure is not specifically limited in this application. For example, the multi-stage filter structure may be an LC filter structure or another type of filter, such as a cavity filter.

[0048] For ease of explanation, the present application takes as an example a filter module 110 including a multi-stage LC filter structure, where at least one of the capacitive reactance and the inductive reactance of the final stage LC filter structure is adjustable so as to match the output impedance of the final stage LC filter structure with the input impedance of the antenna module 120.

[0049] For example, if the filter module 110 includes a four-stage LC filter structure, the first-stage LC filter structure is connected to the second-stage LC filter structure, the second-stage LC filter structure is connected to the third-stage LC filter structure, the third-stage LC filter structure is connected to the fourth-stage LC filter structure, and the fourth-stage LC filter structure is the final-stage LC filter structure and is connected to the antenna module 120.

[0050] In conventional communication systems, matching is achieved by matching the output impedance of the final stage filter structure of the filter chip to 50 ohms and also matching the input impedance of the antenna module 120 to 50 ohms. In contrast, in the present application, matching can be achieved by adjusting the output impedance of the filter module according to the input impedance of the antenna module 120. Note that the impedance matching between the filter module 110 and the antenna module 120 described in the present application means matching between the input impedance of the antenna module 120 and the output impedance of the final stage LC filter structure in the filter module 110.

[0051] In addition, in a specific adjustment process, the LC value in the final stage filter structure is actually adjusted so as to directly match the final stage LC filter structure to the input impedance of the antenna. In this case, only the capacitive reactance of the capacitor in the final stage LC filter structure may be adjusted, or only the inductive reactance of the inductor in the final stage LC filter structure may be adjusted. For example, the spiral inductor can achieve impedance matching with the filter structure by adjusting physical parameters such as the spiral radius, spiral height, spiral angle, and number of turns of the inductor structure, or both the capacitive reactance of the capacitor and the inductive reactance of the inductor in the final stage LC filter structure may be adjusted.

[0052] When adjusting the capacitive reactance of the capacitor and the inductive reactance of the inductor, impedance matching can be achieved by adjusting the configuration parameters of the capacitor and the inductor. For example, when adjusting the capacitive reactance of the capacitor, the distance between the electrodes of the capacitor, the thickness of the electrodes, etc. can be adjusted, and when adjusting the inductive reactance of the inductor, the width, thickness, helix radius, helix height, helix angle, number of turns, etc. can be adjusted.

[0053] Another possible implementation is to achieve impedance matching by adjusting the relevant parameters of the antenna module 120. Accordingly, the antenna module 120 is provided with a feeding structure, which may be a direct feeding structure, or an electromagnetic field coupling feeding structure in the form of coupling hole, coupling slot, coupling line, etc., not limited thereto. The position and size of the feeding structure can be adjusted to match the impedance between the filter module 110 and the antenna module 120. That is, in this application, the output impedance of the filter module 110 is kept constant, and the position and size of the feeding structure in the antenna module 120 are adjusted, and the physical parameters of the direct feeding structure or the coupled feeding structure are adjusted, so that the coupling coefficient between the antenna module and the filter can be changed, thereby achieving impedance matching between the antenna module 120 and the filter module 110.

[0054] Optionally, the coupling coefficient between the antenna module and the filter can be adjusted so that the antenna module acts as a primary resonant structure to further optimize the filter performance.

[0055] In addition, in the conventional communication system, the input impedance of the antenna chip is 50 ohms. In this application, the input impedance of the antenna is matched with the filtering chip by adjusting the feeding structure of the antenna module 120. In this case, due to the influence of the coupling effect, the output impedance of the filter module 110 may not be 50 ohms. In this case, the impedance matching is achieved by adjusting the parameters such as the relative position and physical size of the feeding structure in the antenna module 120, rather than the input impedance of the filter module 110.

[0056] Another possible implementation method is to achieve impedance matching by adjusting the relevant parameters of the antenna module 120 and the filter module 110 together. In order to prevent extreme values ​​from occurring during the adjustment process and to prevent the processing process from being limited, the method of adjusting the filter module 110 and the antenna module 120 together can more flexibly achieve the impedance matching between the two. For example, when the impedance matching is achieved, the input impedance of the antenna module 120 and the output impedance of the filter module 110 are both 50 ohms or other values.

[0057] In order to achieve further miniaturization of the communication system, the antenna module 120 and the filter module 110 according to the present application can be further integrated.

[0058] As an alternative implementation, as shown in Fig. 3, the filter module 110 includes a multi-stage LC filter structure, and the multi-stage LC filter structure is connected in sequence. Optionally, the antenna module according to the present application includes a planar spiral inductor or a 3D spiral inductor. When the antenna module 120 includes a 3D spiral inductor, the 3D spiral inductor and the LC filter structure are connected, and the 3D spiral inductor is also configured as the LC filter structure.

[0059] In this application, the antenna module 120 is also used as an LC filter structure, which can achieve both impedance matching and antenna radiation characteristics. The spiral inductor itself has inductance characteristics, and its inductive reactance is related to the structure. By adjusting the line width, spiral pitch, etc. of the inductor, a parasitic capacitance can be generated, which is configured as an LC filter structure to achieve a certain filtering function.

[0060] In the present application, the adjustment to the input impedance of the antenna is realized by adjusting the structure of the spiral inductor, thereby directly achieving the matching between the filter structure and the antenna. Meanwhile, the LC filter structure formed by the 3D spiral inductor can be regarded as the final stage LC filter structure of the filter module 110, and therefore the impedance matching can be more easily realized. Meanwhile, the LC filter structure formed by the 3D spiral inductor has a filtering effect, which can reduce the LC filter structure in the filter module 110. For example, when a four-stage LC filter structure is required in a communication system, in the actual manufacturing, the LC filter structure in the filter module 110 can be manufactured to be a third order, and the 3D spiral inductor can function as the final stage LC filter structure, thus reducing the LC filter structure in the filter module 110 and utilizing the antenna module 120 to achieve a similar filtering effect.

[0061] In addition, in this embodiment, the filtering antenna works in the UWB frequency band, the spiral inductor is installed on the upper surface of the filter module 110, and the antenna module 120 is configured to be spaced apart from the ground at a specified interval. Accordingly, the antenna module 120 further includes a connecting pole 140, the filter module 110 includes a substrate 111, the 3D spiral inductor is installed on the filter module 110, and the 3D spiral inductor is electrically connected to the filter module through the connecting pole 140. The distance between the 3D spiral inductor and the substrate 111 is more than 200 μm, and a supporting pole may be further installed between the 3D spiral inductor and the filter module.

[0062] Optionally, the connecting pole 140 in the present application adopts a copper pole. The height of the copper pole can be adjusted to fine-tune the working frequency of the antenna module 120. The spiral inductor has a total height of 300 μm, a number of spiral turns of 5, a spiral angle of 12 degrees, a line width of 90 μm, and a line length of 650 μm.

[0063] In order to better generate parasitic capacitance by the 3D spiral inductor, the 3D spiral inductor is arranged in a broken line, so that the two coils that constitute the inductor and are connected are arranged in parallel, making the capacitance characteristics more pronounced.

[0064] Based on the above implementation, the present application further provides a communication system including the above antenna assembly.

[0065] As described above, the embodiments of the present application provide an antenna assembly and a communication system, and the antenna assembly includes a filter module and an antenna module, and the antenna module and the filter module are connected and integrated together, and the output impedance of the filter module and the input impedance of the antenna module are matched. On the other hand, compared to the conventional technology, the present application does not require an impedance matching circuit, which contributes to miniaturization of the communication system and reduces the insertion loss of the system. On the other hand, since the antenna module and the filter module are integrated together, further miniaturization can be achieved. In addition, since the output impedance of the filter module and the input impedance of the antenna module are matched, the requirement for impedance matching can be met.

[0066] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application. Those skilled in the art may have various modifications and variations in the present application. As long as it does not deviate from the spirit and principle of the present application, any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc., will fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0067] For those skilled in the art, the present application is not limited to the matters in the above exemplary embodiments, and the present application may be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic characteristics of the present application. Therefore, the embodiments are illustrative, and the scope of the present application is determined by the claims, not the above description, and includes all modifications within the scope of the claims and the scope equivalent to the claims. The reference signs in the claims should not be considered as limiting the relevant claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0068] The present application provides an antenna assembly and a communication system, the antenna assembly including a filter module and an antenna module, the antenna module and the filter module being connected and integrated together. The output impedance of the filter module and the input impedance of the antenna module are matched. On the other hand, compared to the prior art, the present application does not require an impedance matching circuit, which contributes to miniaturization of the communication system and reduces the insertion loss of the system. On the other hand, since the antenna module and the filter module are integrated together, further miniaturization can be achieved. In addition, since the output impedance of the filter module and the input impedance of the antenna module are matched together, the requirement for impedance matching can be met.

[0069] In addition, the antenna assembly and the communication system according to the present application can be implemented and applied to various industrial applications, for example, the antenna assembly and the communication system according to the present application can be applied to the antenna technical field. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 100 Antenna Assembly 110 Filter Module 120 Antenna Module 111 Substrate 140 Connecting column

Claims

1. a filter module and an antenna module, the antenna module and the filter module being connected and integrated together; The output impedance of the filter module and the input impedance of the antenna module are matched, The filter module includes a multi-stage LC filter structure, and the multi-stage LC filter structure is sequentially connected; the antenna module includes a 3D spiral inductor, and the 3D spiral inductor and the LC filter structure are connected; The 3D spiral inductor constitutes an LC filter structure as a final stage LC filter structure. An antenna assembly comprising:

2. The antenna assembly further comprises a connecting pole, the filter module comprises a substrate, the 3D spiral inductor is disposed on the filter module, and the 3D spiral inductor is connected to the filter module through the connecting pole.

2. The antenna assembly of claim 1 .

3. The connecting pole is made of copper, and the height of the copper pole can be adjusted to fine-tune the operating frequency of the antenna module.

3. An antenna assembly as claimed in claim 2.

4. A support pillar is provided between the 3D spiral inductor and the filter module.

2. The antenna assembly of claim 1 .

5. The 3D spiral inductor is arranged in a polygonal line.

2. The antenna assembly of claim 1 .

6. The antenna assembly further includes an LC network, the LC network being connected between the antenna module and the filter module, and the filter module and the antenna module achieving impedance matching through the LC network.

2. The antenna assembly of claim 1 .

7. The LC network includes a T-type network, a Pi-type network, and an L-type network.

7. An antenna assembly as claimed in claim 6.

8. The LC network includes an inductor and a capacitor, and by adjusting configuration parameters of the capacitor and the inductor, matching between the output impedance of the filter module and the input impedance of the antenna module is achieved.

7. An antenna assembly as claimed in claim 6.

9. The capacitors in the LC network adopt a planar capacitor structure or a multilayer capacitor structure.

9. An antenna assembly as claimed in claim 8.

10. At least one of a capacitive reactance and an inductive reactance of the final-stage LC filter structure is adjustable so as to match an output impedance of the final-stage LC filter structure with an input impedance of the antenna module.

2. The antenna assembly of claim 1 .

11. a method of adjusting only the capacitive reactance or only the inductive reactance of the final-stage LC filter structure, or an adjustment method of adjusting both the capacitive reactance and the inductive reactance of the final-stage LC filter structure, thereby matching an output impedance of the final-stage LC filter structure with an input impedance of the antenna module; When adjusting the capacitive reactance, the distance between the electrodes of the capacitor and the thickness of the electrodes are adjusted, and when adjusting the inductive reactance, the width, thickness, helix radius, helix height, helix angle and number of turns of the inductor are adjusted.

11. An antenna assembly as claimed in claim 10.

12. The antenna module includes a direct feed structure or an electromagnetic field coupling feed structure, and the position and size of the direct feed structure or the electromagnetic field coupling feed structure are adjustable to match the impedance between the filter module and the antenna module.

2. The antenna assembly of claim 1 .

13. Equipped with an antenna assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12 A communication system comprising:

Images