Artificial dielectric material, lens unit and manufacturing method therefor, and lens antenna

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are an artificial dielectric material, a lens unit and a manufacturing method therefor, and a lens antenna. The artificial dielectric material comprises a substrate and conductive materials, wherein the substrate is configured to be of a porous structure and is provided with a plurality of microporous chambers; and the conductive materials are arranged on side walls of the microporous chambers, and the shape of the microporous chambers and / or at least one of the shape, size, density and extension direction of the conductive material are adjusted to obtain different equivalent dielectric constants. The artificial dielectric material provided in the present application has a stable structure, is free of deformation after being used for a long time, is acid-resistant, waterproof and flame-retardant, and has a density less than 30 kg / m3; and the conductive materials do not fall off, and the relative positions between the conductive materials are fixed, such that contact is avoided, and an inter-modulation index of a base station antenna is not affected. Therefore, the artificial dielectric material and the manufacturing method therefor which are provided in the present application provide a higher degree of freedom for the design of a lens unit and a lens antenna.

Description

Artificial dielectric material, lens unit, manufacturing method and lens antenna

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent applications filed with the Patent Office of China on June 15, 2023, with application number 2023107096911 and application name “An artificial dielectric material and lens unit, manufacturing method and lens antenna” and filed with the Patent Office of China on May 27, 2024, with application number 202410667877X and application name “An artificial dielectric material and lens unit, manufacturing method and lens antenna”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to an artificial dielectric material and a lens unit, a manufacturing method and a lens antenna. Background Art

[0003] Signal coverage in narrow and long areas, such as high-speed railways, highways, rivers, and tunnels, has always been a difficult problem. This is because these scenarios are very long vertically, but the horizontal requirements are not high. Traditional base station antennas generally have horizontal and vertical beamwidths of approximately 65° and 10°, respectively. These waveforms do not effectively match signal coverage in narrow and long terrain. Therefore, even with high-gain linear array base station antennas, satisfactory coverage is difficult to achieve, and capacity cannot be guaranteed.

[0004] Lens antennas can achieve high gain and other performance by modifying the path difference of electromagnetic waves in space, achieving secondary beam focusing on the feed pattern. This focusing effect is effective for both vertical and horizontal beams, effectively addressing the shortcomings of linear array antenna patterns. This antenna is also suitable for signal coverage in scenarios such as large sports venues, densely populated residential areas, and coastal areas.

[0005] Artificial dielectric materials generally have a high density; insulating materials need to be provided on the conductive material itself or between the conductive materials, otherwise it will cause contact between the metal conductive micro-units, causing deterioration of the intermodulation index, which in itself increases the manufacturing cost and difficulty.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides an artificial dielectric material, a lens unit, a manufacturing method and a lens antenna.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides an artificial medium material, comprising:

[0009] A substrate configured as a porous structure and having a plurality of microporous chambers;

[0010] The conductive material is disposed on the sidewall of the microporous chamber, and the shape of the microporous chamber and / or at least one of the shape, size, and density of the conductive material are adjusted to obtain different equivalent dielectric constants.

[0011] In a second aspect, the present application provides a lens unit comprising the artificial medium material.

[0012] In a third aspect, the present application provides a method for manufacturing the lens unit, comprising the following steps:

[0013] Provide the substrate and cut it to the appropriate size;

[0014] The conductive material is disposed on the substrate, and the molding shape, size and distribution density are adjusted according to the lens design requirements during the arrangement to obtain different effective dielectric constants;

[0015] The substrate is made into a porous structure by a honeycomb preparation process, and the conductive material is located on the sidewalls of the microporous chamber;

[0016] The substrate is processed into a lens element.

[0017] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a lens antenna, comprising:

[0018] the lens unit;

[0019] The feeding unit is fixed in relative spatial position to the lens unit.

[0020] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a lens antenna, comprising:

[0021] A lens unit includes a substrate and a plurality of conductive materials, wherein the substrate is a porous structure having a plurality of microporous chambers, and the plurality of conductive materials are disposed on side walls of the plurality of microporous chambers; and

[0022] At least one feeding unit is arranged opposite to or adjacent to the lens unit, a radiation surface of the feeding unit is arranged opposite to at least a portion of the conductive material, and an angle between a polarization direction of the feeding unit and an extension direction of the conductive structure is less than or equal to a preset angle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present application is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments;

[0024] FIG1 is a top view of a spherical lens unit along the axis of the honeycomb structure in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG2 is a detailed view of the metal strips in the honeycomb structure in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG3 is a side view of the honeycomb microstructure in FIG2 ;

[0027] FIG4 is a schematic diagram showing that the long sides of the metal patterns are parallel to the honeycomb axis and are evenly arranged along the honeycomb axis in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a dual-polarized feed oscillator in an embodiment of the present application, with one polarization along the cell axis and the other polarization perpendicular to the cell axis;

[0029] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a structure in which a lens unit according to an embodiment of the present application is a rotatable structure and a feeding unit is relatively fixed;

[0030] FIG7 a is a schematic diagram of a structure in which a feeding unit is rotatable and a lens unit is relatively fixed, according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG7 b is a schematic structural diagram of a feeding unit and a lens unit in a rotatable structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of an embodiment of the present application in which the feeding unit is a single-polarized antenna and the extending direction of the conductive material is parallel to the axis of the microporous chamber;

[0033] FIG9 a is a schematic diagram of a partial structure in which the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material in the lens antenna provided in FIG8 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feeding unit is adjusted to a second angle range;

[0034] FIG9 b is another partial structural schematic diagram of the lens antenna provided in FIG8 , in which the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feeding unit is adjusted to a second angle range;

[0035] FIG10a is a schematic diagram of a partial structure in which the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material in the lens antenna provided in FIG8 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feeding unit is adjusted to a third angle range;

[0036] FIG10 b is another partial structural schematic diagram of the lens antenna provided in FIG8 , in which the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feeding unit is adjusted to a third angle range;

[0037] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a structure in which a feeding unit according to an embodiment of the present application can rotate around a lens unit on the equatorial plane of the lens unit;

[0038] FIG12a is a schematic structural diagram of a feeding unit provided in an embodiment of the present application when it moves toward different side walls of a microporous chamber;

[0039] FIG12 b is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present application in which the feeding unit is moved to face different side walls of the microporous chamber, and the angle between the polarization directions of the oscillators of the feeding unit can be adjusted to a third angle range or a first angle range;

[0040] FIG13a is a schematic diagram of a beam in which the second feeding unit is working and the first feeding unit and the third feeding unit are not working, provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG13 b is a schematic diagram of a beam in which the first feeding unit, the second feeding unit, and the third feeding unit are all in operation, provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG14a is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of an embodiment of the present application in which a conductive material is arranged along the axis of a microporous chamber and a feeding unit is a ±45° dual-polarized antenna;

[0043] FIG14 b is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of an embodiment of the present application in which a conductive material is arranged along the axis of a microporous chamber and a feeding unit is a 0° and 90° dual-polarized antenna;

[0044] FIG15 is a comparison diagram of the simulated directional patterns of the dual-polarized feed oscillator in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the polarization along the honeycomb axis is compared with and without the addition of a lens;

[0045] FIG16 is a comparison diagram of the simulated directional patterns of the dual-polarized feed oscillator in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the polarization is perpendicular to the honeycomb axis, with and without an additional lens;

[0046] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of a dual-polarized feed oscillator in an embodiment of the present application, where the two polarizations form an angle of ±45° with the honeycomb axis;

[0047] FIG18 is a comparison diagram of simulated directional patterns of a dual-polarized feed oscillator in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the polarization forms a +45° angle with the honeycomb axis, with and without an additional lens;

[0048] FIG19a is a schematic diagram showing that the long sides of the metal strips are perpendicular to the honeycomb axis and are evenly arranged along the honeycomb axis in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG19b is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a single-polarized antenna in which the conductive material and the feeding unit provided in FIG19a are provided;

[0050] FIG19c is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG19a, in which the feeding unit is a ±45° dual-polarized antenna;

[0051] FIG19d is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG19a, in which the feeding unit is a 0° and 90° dual-polarized antenna;

[0052] FIG20 a is a schematic diagram showing that the long sides of the metal strips in an embodiment of the present application are arranged in a staggered manner perpendicularly and transversely to the honeycomb axis and are evenly arranged along the honeycomb axis;

[0053] FIG20 b is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a single-polarized antenna in which the conductive material and the feeding unit provided in FIG20 a are provided;

[0054] FIG20c is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG20a, in which the feeding unit is a ±45° dual-polarized antenna;

[0055] FIG20 d is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG20 a , in which the feeding unit is a 0° and 90° dual-polarized antenna;

[0056] FIG21 a is a schematic diagram showing that the long sides of the metal strips in an embodiment of the present application form a +45° angle with the honeycomb axis and are evenly arranged along the honeycomb axis;

[0057] FIG21 b is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a single-polarized antenna in which the conductive material and the feeding unit provided in FIG21 a are provided;

[0058] FIG21c is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG21a, in which the feeding unit is a ±45° dual-polarized antenna;

[0059] FIG21 d is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG21 a, in which the feeding unit is a 0° and 90° dual-polarized antenna;

[0060] FIG22 a is a schematic diagram showing that the long sides of the metal strips in an embodiment of the present application form a -45° angle with the honeycomb axis and are evenly arranged along the honeycomb axis;

[0061] FIG22 b is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a single-polarized antenna in which the conductive material and the feeding unit provided in FIG22 a are provided;

[0062] FIG22c is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG22a, in which the feeding unit is a ±45° dual-polarized antenna;

[0063] FIG22 d is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG22 a , in which the feeding unit is a 0° and 90° dual-polarized antenna;

[0064] FIG23a is a schematic diagram showing that the long sides of the metal strips in an embodiment of the present application are staggered at an angle of ±45° with the honeycomb axis and are evenly arranged along the honeycomb axis;

[0065] FIG23 b is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a single-polarized antenna in which the conductive material and the feeding unit provided in FIG23 a are provided;

[0066] FIG23c is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG23a, in which the feeding unit is a ±45° dual-polarized antenna;

[0067] FIG23 d is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG23 a, in which the feeding unit is a 0° and 90° dual-polarized antenna;

[0068] FIG24 a is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present application in which the long sides of the metal strips are randomly arranged at arbitrary angles to the honeycomb axis and at arbitrary intervals along the honeycomb axis;

[0069] FIG24 b is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG23 a , in which the feeding unit is a ±45° dual-polarized antenna;

[0070] FIG24 c is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a first microporous chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application, in which conductive materials with different extension directions are provided on different side walls, and the feeding unit is a ±45° dual-polarized antenna;

[0071] FIG24 d is a schematic diagram of a partial structure in which conductive materials with different extension directions are provided on different side walls of a microporous chamber provided by an embodiment of the present application, and the feeding unit is a 0° and 90° dual-polarized antenna;

[0072] FIG24e is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a second microporous chamber provided in an embodiment of the present application, in which conductive materials with different extension directions are provided on different side walls, and the feeding unit is a ±45° dual-polarized antenna;

[0073] FIG25 a shows metal patterns of different shapes in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG25 b is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the conductive material provided in FIG25 a , in which the feeding unit is a ±45° dual-polarized antenna;

[0075] FIG26 is a comparison of the measured vertical plane radiation patterns of the orthogonal dual-polarization feed source oscillator parallel to and perpendicular to the metal strips in the 1.7-2.7 GHz operating range when the metal strips are arranged as shown in FIG4 in an embodiment of the present application, before and after loading a 30 cm diameter lens;

[0076] Figure 27 is a comparison of the measured horizontal plane radiation patterns before and after loading a 30 cm diameter lens in the 1.7-2.7 GHz operating range, when the metal strips are distributed as shown in Figure 4 in an embodiment of the present application, with the two polarizations of the orthogonal dual-polarization feed oscillator parallel to the metal strips and perpendicular to the metal strips.

[0077] Figure numerals: lens antenna 1000, lens unit 100, microporous chamber 110, conductive material 200, feeding unit 300, substrate 10, first rotation drive structure 50, first drive motor 40, first arc track 31, third drive motor 32, third drive structure 33, first feeding unit 310, second feeding unit 320, third feeding unit 330, second rotation drive structure 51, second drive motor 41. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] The following describes in detail embodiments of the present application. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application and are not to be construed as limiting the present application.

[0079] In the description of this application, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientations, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on this application.

[0080] In the description of this application, "several" means one or more, "more" means at least two, "greater than," "less than," and "exceed" are understood to exclude the number itself, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the number itself. The terms "first" and "second" are used solely to distinguish technical features and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or as implicitly specifying the number or order of the technical features.

[0081] In the description of this application, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, and connecting should be understood in a broad sense. Technical personnel in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in this application after combining the specific content of the technical solution.

[0082] Referring to Figures 1 to 6 , the present application provides a lens antenna 1000, which includes a lens unit 100 and a feed unit 300. Optionally, the lens unit 100 can increase the gain of the beam radiated by the feed unit 300. Optionally, the lens unit 100 can reduce the horizontal beam width and the vertical beam width of the beam radiated by the feed unit 300, thereby increasing the gain of the beam radiated by the feed unit 300.

[0083] The lens unit 100 is designed to have a suitable equivalent dielectric constant, so that the electromagnetic wave signal emitted by the feeding unit 300 converges after passing through the lens unit 100 , that is, becomes a parallel or nearly parallel beam, thereby improving the beam gain.

[0084] The present application provides an artificial dielectric material with a suitable equivalent dielectric constant and improved beam gain.

[0085] 1 to 27 , the artificial dielectric material provided in the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application is applied to the lens unit 100 .

[0086] 2 and 3 , the artificial dielectric material includes a substrate 10 and a conductive material 200. It can be understood that the conductive material 200 is a metal pattern.

[0087] 1 to 3 , a substrate 10 is configured as a porous structure having a plurality of microporous chambers 110 ; a conductive material 200 is disposed on the sidewalls of the microporous chambers 110 , and the shape of the microporous chambers 110 and / or at least one of the shape, size, density, and extension direction of the conductive material 200 are adjusted to obtain different equivalent dielectric constants.

[0088] Please refer to Figure 5. At least one feeding unit 300 is arranged opposite to or adjacent to the lens unit 100. The radiating surface of the feeding unit 300 is arranged opposite to at least a portion of the conductive material 200. The angle between the polarization direction of the feeding unit 300 and the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is less than or equal to a preset angle. Optionally, the preset angle is 90°. The angle between the polarization direction of the feeding unit 300 and the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is less than or equal to 90°. For the lens antenna 1000, the beam of the lens antenna 1000 is related to the angle between the polarization direction of the feeding unit 300 and the extension direction of the conductive material 200. By designing the angle between the polarization direction of the feeding unit 300 and the extension direction of the conductive material 200 to be less than or equal to 90°, the beam gain of the lens antenna 1000 can be changed.

[0089] The extension direction of the conductive material 200 refers to the effective induction length direction of the spatial electromagnetic field of the conductive material. When the feeding unit 300 has two polarization directions of ±45°, the effective induction length direction of the spatial electromagnetic field of the conductive material is equivalent to both polarization directions of ±45°. In other words, if the conductive material is a normal shape, the extension direction of the conductive material can be the length direction, the width direction, or the diagonal direction. When the conductive material is rectangular, the extension direction of the conductive material can be the diagonal direction. When the conductive material 200 is a one-dimensional shape, the extension direction of the conductive material 200 can be the length direction.

[0090] In other words, the shape and size of the microporous chamber 110, as well as the shape, size, density, and extension direction of the conductive material 200 can all affect the equivalent dielectric constant of the artificial dielectric material. By designing the shape of the microporous chamber 110 to be a first preset shape and size, the shape of the conductive material 200 to be a second preset shape, the size of the conductive material 200 to be a preset size, the arrangement density of the conductive material 200 to be a preset density, and the extension direction of the conductive material 200 to be a preset extension direction, the equivalent dielectric constant of the artificial dielectric material can be made to be a preset dielectric constant. When the artificial dielectric material with the preset dielectric constant is used as the lens unit 100, it can change the electrical length of the electromagnetic waves entering it at all radiation angles of the feeding unit 300, thereby achieving parallel or nearly parallel beams when all electromagnetic waves are emitted from the lens unit 100, resulting in beam convergence, more concentrated energy, and higher gain.

[0091] Among them, the dielectric constant of the material of the substrate 10 is relatively low, about 1.6. And the substrate 10 is a porous structure, the component in the pores is air, and the dielectric constant of air is 1. Therefore, the equivalent dielectric constant of the substrate 10 in space is smaller than the dielectric constant of the material of the substrate 10. By arranging the conductive material 200 on the substrate 10, and the conductive material 200 is dispersed on the side wall of the microporous chamber 110 of the substrate 10, it is equivalent to doping the conductive material 200 in the substrate 10, which can reduce the weight while also increasing the equivalent dielectric constant of the artificial dielectric material to near the preset dielectric constant. The artificial dielectric material with the preset dielectric constant achieves increased gain. For example, after the "doped" conductive material 200 is arranged in the substrate 10, the equivalent dielectric constant of the artificial dielectric material can be easily increased to between 1-2, or higher, and the lens unit 100 formed by the artificial dielectric material has a lighter weight.

[0092] It can be understood that a large amount of conductive material 200 attached to the side wall of the microporous chamber 110 can be adjusted in size, distribution density, molded shape, relative orientation relationship between extension direction and oscillator polarization, etc. according to the lens design requirements, to produce equivalent different effective dielectric constants, and then obtain the desired spatial directional pattern performance, thereby solving the problem of low design freedom of existing artificial dielectric materials.

[0093] Specifically, for example, when the metal is in strip shape, refer to the equivalent dielectric constant calculation formula of artificial dielectric materials: ε=ε0(1+7.85N′w 2 ) (1)

[0094] Among them, ε0 is the dielectric constant of vacuum, N′ is the number of conductive materials 200 per unit cross-sectional space, and w is the effective length of the conductive material 200 in the polarization direction of the oscillator. The size, shape, and angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feeding unit 300 of the conductive material 200 will all affect the size of w, and the arrangement density of the conductive material 200 will affect the size of N′. In other words, the size, arrangement density, shape, and angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feeding unit 300 of the conductive material 200 all have an impact on the equivalent dielectric constant of the artificial dielectric material. In addition, the shape of the microporous chamber will affect the extension direction of the conductive material 200, and the size of the microporous chamber will affect the arrangement density of the conductive material 200. In the present application, the shape of the microporous chamber 110 is designed to be a first preset shape, the size of the microporous chamber is a first preset size, the shape of the conductive material 200 is a second preset shape, the size of the conductive material 200 is a second preset size, and the arrangement density of the conductive material 200 is a preset density, so that the equivalent length gain of the conductive material 200 in the polarization direction of the vibrator is higher, and the amount of conductive material 200 in the unit cross-sectional space is relatively more.

[0095] The size of the conductive material 200 is adjusted according to the lens design requirements, including designing the electrical length of the conductive material 200 in the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300 to be less than or equal to 1 / 20 of the wavelength of the center frequency of the frequency band supported by the feed unit 300. In this way, the conductive material 200 does not resonate, but only generates an electric dipole moment, which can be equivalent to a dielectric material, thereby forming the effect of the lens unit 100, so that the radiation source on one side of the lens unit 100 forms a nearly parallel beam after passing through the lens unit 100, achieving maximum energy concentration.

[0096] For example, the electrical length of the conductive material 200 in the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feeding unit 300 is designed to be less than 1 / 20 wavelength, and the arrangement density of the conductive material 200 is designed to be dense, which is equivalent to a lens unit 100 with a dielectric constant of 1-2. The electrical length of the conductive material 200 in the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feeding unit 300 is designed to be close to or equal to 1 / 20 wavelength, and the arrangement density of the conductive material 200 is designed to be sparse, which is equivalent to a lens unit 100 with a dielectric constant of 1-2. The electrical length of the conductive material 200 in the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feeding unit 300 is designed to be close to or equal to 1 / 20 wavelength, and the arrangement density of the conductive material 200 is designed to be dense, which is equivalent to a lens unit 100 with a dielectric constant of 1-2 or even greater.

[0097] Among them, the aforementioned adjustment of the relative orientation relationship between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 on the side wall of the microporous chamber 110 and the dipole polarization is equivalent to a different effective dielectric constant, thereby obtaining the desired spatial radiation pattern performance. In other words, the beam (gain, width) of the lens antenna 1000 provided in the present application can change with the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the dipole polarization direction of the feeding unit 300. When the extension direction of the conductive material 200 changes, the electrical length of the conductive material 200 in the dipole polarization direction changes, causing the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 to change, thereby causing the beam (gain, width) of the lens antenna 1000 to change. When the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 is equal to or close to the preset dielectric constant, the lens antenna 1000 forms a nearly parallel beam, with a significant increase in beam gain and a significant decrease in beam width. The beam is relatively narrow and long, making it suitable for signal coverage in narrow and long areas such as high-speed railways, highways, rivers, and tunnels, or for signal coverage in scenarios requiring high gain, such as large sports venues, densely populated residential areas, and sea areas. When the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 is much smaller than the preset dielectric constant, the lens antenna 1000 exhibits a minimal increase in beam gain, a minimal decrease in beam width, a relatively wide beam, and a relatively short signal coverage distance. This allows for application in locations with a small number of terminal connections and a small amount of data transmission, and can also save antenna power consumption.

[0098] The relative orientation relationship between the conductive material 200 on the side wall of the microporous chamber 110 and the polarization direction of the vibrator of the feeding unit 300 is adjusted. In other words, the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 on the side wall of the microporous chamber 110 and the polarization direction of the vibrator of the feeding unit 300 is adjusted.

[0099] Optionally, the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feeding unit 300 is adjustable.

[0100] In an optional embodiment, the angle of the lens unit 100 is adjustable, thereby changing the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and further changing the effective induced electrical length of the conductive material 200 in the polarization direction of the vibrator.

[0101] In this embodiment, referring to FIG6 , the lens unit 100 is a rotatable structure (rotatable about the perpendicular midline L1 of the feed unit 300), while the position of the feed unit 300 is relatively fixed. Furthermore, the lens antenna 1000 includes a first rotation drive structure 50 and a first drive motor 40. One end of the first rotation drive structure 50 is connected to the output shaft of the first drive motor 40, and the other end of the first rotation drive structure 50 is electrically connected to the lens unit 100. Driven by the first drive motor 40, the first rotation drive structure 50 rotates and drives the lens unit 100 to rotate about the perpendicular midline L1 of the feed unit 300.

[0102] By adjusting the rotation angle of the lens unit 100, the extension direction of the conductive material 200 on the side wall of the microporous chamber 110 on the lens unit 100 is adjusted. For example, the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is adjusted from the same as the polarization direction of the oscillator, to intersecting with the polarization direction of the oscillator, or to perpendicular to the polarization direction of the oscillator, and then the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 is adjusted to be close to or equal to the preset dielectric constant, so as to form a relatively narrow and relatively long beam, which can be applied to signal coverage in narrow and long areas such as high-speed railways, highways, rivers and tunnels, or applied to signal coverage in scenarios requiring high gain such as large sports venues, densely populated residential areas, and sea areas; or, the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 is adjusted to be much smaller than the preset dielectric constant, so as to form a relatively wide and relatively short beam, which can be applied to places with a small number of terminal connections and a small amount of data transmission, and can save antenna power consumption. The above achieves reconfigurable radiation pattern.

[0103] In another optional embodiment, the angle of the feeding unit 300 is adjustable, thereby changing the polarization direction of the dipole of the feeding unit 300 and further changing the (effective induced) electrical length of the conductive material 200 in the polarization direction of the dipole.

[0104] In this embodiment, referring to FIG. 7 a , the feed unit 300 is a rotatable structure (rotatable about the perpendicular midline L1 of the feed unit 300), while the position of the lens unit 100 is relatively fixed. Furthermore, the lens antenna 1000 includes a first rotation drive structure 50 and a first drive motor 40 . One end of the first rotation drive structure 50 is connected to the output shaft of the first drive motor 40 , and the other end of the first rotation drive structure 50 is electrically connected to the feed unit 300 . Driven by the first drive motor 40 , the first rotation drive structure 50 rotates and drives the feed unit 300 to rotate about the perpendicular midline L1 of the feed unit 300 .

[0105] By adjusting the rotation angle of the feed unit 300, the angle between the extension direction (of the effective maximum induced electrical length) of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feed unit 300 is adjusted. For example, the extension direction (of the effective maximum induced electrical length) of the conductive material 200 is adjusted from being the same as the polarization direction of the dipole, to intersecting with the polarization direction of the dipole, or to being perpendicular to the polarization direction of the dipole, thereby adjusting the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 to be close to or equal to the preset dielectric constant, thereby forming a relatively narrow and relatively long beam for signal coverage in narrow and long areas such as high-speed railways, highways, rivers, and tunnels, or for signal coverage in scenarios requiring high gain, such as large sports venues, densely populated residential areas, and sea areas. Alternatively, the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 is adjusted to be much smaller than the preset dielectric constant to form a relatively wide and relatively short beam for application in locations with a small number of terminal signal connections and a small amount of data transmission, thereby saving antenna power consumption.

[0106] In another optional embodiment, please refer to Figure 7b, the angle of the lens unit 100 is adjustable, and the angle of the feeding unit 300 is adjustable. In this way, the extension direction (of the effective maximum induced electrical length) of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feeding unit 300 are changed, thereby changing the (effective maximum induced) electrical length of the conductive material 200 in the polarization direction of the oscillator.

[0107] In this embodiment, both the lens unit 100 and the feed unit 300 are rotatable structures (rotatable about the perpendicular midline L1 of the feed unit 300). Further, referring to FIG7b , the lens antenna 1000 includes a first rotation drive structure 50 and a first drive motor 40, and a second rotation drive structure 51 and a second drive motor 41. One end of the first rotation drive structure 50 is connected to the output shaft of the first drive motor 40, and the other end of the first rotation drive structure 50 is electrically connected to the lens unit 100. Driven by the first drive motor 40, the first rotation drive structure 50 rotates and drives the lens unit 100 to rotate about the perpendicular midline L1 of the feed unit 300. One end of the second rotation drive structure 51 is connected to the output shaft of the second drive motor 41, and the other end of the second rotation drive structure 51 is electrically connected to the feed unit 300. Driven by the second drive motor 41, the second rotation drive structure 51 rotates and drives the feed unit 300 to rotate about the perpendicular midline L1 of the feed unit 300.

[0108] Of course, in other embodiments, the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 in the lens antenna 1000 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feeding unit 300 is relatively fixed.

[0109] 1 to 27, the artificial medium material of the first embodiment of the present application is a porous structure with microporous chambers 110, which is stable and reliable, does not deform after long-term use, and is acid-resistant, waterproof, and flame-retardant, and has a heat resistance of less than 30kg / m 3 The density of the conductive material 200 is high; the conductive material 200 does not fall off, and the relative positions of the conductive materials 200 are fixed, preventing contact and affecting the intermodulation index of the base station antenna. Furthermore, this design can be mass-produced through honeycomb technology and processes such as printing, metal printing, and etching, thus solving the poor manufacturability problem of existing artificial dielectric materials.

[0110] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figures 1 to 3, each microporous chamber 110 is shaped like a hexagonal honeycomb, so that the substrate 10 is provided with a honeycomb structure. In other embodiments, the microporous chamber 110 is shaped like a polygon, a circle, an ellipse, or an irregular two-dimensional shape. In other embodiments, at least two microporous chambers 110 have the same shape or the shapes of the microporous chambers 110 are different. Polygonal shapes include, but are not limited to, triangles, quadrilaterals, rhombuses, etc.

[0111] In some embodiments of the present application, substrate 10 is made of aramid paper. It is understood that the artificial dielectric material substrate 10 is aramid paper, a lightweight, flame-retardant material that meets the fire rating requirements for raw materials used in base station antenna products. This raw material is not only lightweight and flame-retardant, but also moisture-resistant, has high bearing strength, and possesses strong weather resistance, fully meeting the weather resistance requirements for raw materials used in base station antennas and ensuring normal use for more than 10 years in outdoor environments of -55°C to +75°C. In other embodiments, substrate 10 is made of engineering plastics or flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs).

[0112] In some embodiments of the present application, the conductive material 200 is provided as a plurality of metal patterns, and at least one of the size, shape, extension direction, or spacing between adjacent metal patterns is adjusted to obtain different effective dielectric constants. In some embodiments, a large number of rectangular metal strips are printed on the honeycomb microstructure, and the number of metal strips attached to the honeycomb walls can be adjusted based on the desired effective dielectric constant.

[0113] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 4 , the metal patterns are evenly distributed, while in other embodiments, the metal patterns are unevenly distributed. It is understandable that a large number of metal strips attached to the side walls of the honeycomb microstructure may be evenly distributed or unevenly distributed.

[0114] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG. 4 , the long side direction of each metal pattern is the same as the polarization direction of the polarizer.

[0115] In other embodiments, the long side direction of at least one metal pattern is arranged at a preset angle to the polarization direction of the polarizer.

[0116] It can be understood that, referring to Figures 19a to 25b, the long sides of a large number of metal strips attached to the side walls of the honeycomb structure point to the polarization direction of the linear polarization oscillator of the base station antenna, which can be completely consistent, partially consistent, or even at completely arbitrary angles.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present application, the conductive material 200 is silver paste. It will be appreciated that the metal pattern attached to the honeycomb structure wall is fixed via a printing process, and the raw material of the metal strip is silver paste. In other embodiments, the printing process can be replaced by other metallization processes (such as printing and etching), and the raw material of the metal strip can also be other conductive materials (such as gold, copper, and tin).

[0118] 1 to 27 , the lens unit 100 according to the second embodiment of the present application includes the artificial medium material according to the first embodiment of the present application.

[0119] In some embodiments of the present application, lens unit 100 is configured as a three-dimensional structure. Preferably, lens unit 100 is structurally spherical. Specifically, the diameter of the sphere is generally selected to be 5 to 100 cm; it can also be any size that meets the design objectives of lens antenna 1000. In other embodiments, lens unit 100 can also be a cuboid, cube, ellipsoid, cylinder, or any other irregular three-dimensional shape.

[0120] 1 to 27 , a method for manufacturing a lens unit 100 according to an embodiment of a third aspect of the present application may be the method for manufacturing the lens unit 100 according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present application, and includes the following steps:

[0121] Providing a substrate 10 and cutting it into appropriate sizes;

[0122] The conductive material 200 is disposed on the substrate 10. During the arrangement, the molding shape and distribution density are adjusted according to the lens design requirements to obtain different effective dielectric constants.

[0123] The substrate 10 is made into a honeycomb structure through a honeycomb preparation process, and the conductive material 200 is located on the sidewalls of the microporous chamber 110;

[0124] The substrate 10 is processed into the lens unit 100 .

[0125] It is understandable that the aramid paper is first cut into appropriate sizes, then printed with a certain number of metal strips, and then goes through a series of honeycomb production processes to produce honeycomb structure raw materials for secondary processing by mechanical equipment into specific three-dimensional shape lens units 100 for use.

[0126] It is understandable that based on the equivalent theory of artificial media, the dielectric constant of the natural medium can be equivalent by distributing metal strips of a certain density in a certain spatial area. Specifically, the desired equivalent dielectric constant is obtained by attaching metal strips of a certain density to the side walls of the paper-based hexagonal microstructure through printing and other processes. According to the principles of ray tracing, the gain and beam width of the desired directional pattern are designed to determine the size of the spherical lens with a certain dielectric constant; the above work can be simulated using electromagnetic simulation software; according to the theory and simulation results, the manufacturing process of honeycomb aramid paper is used for physical processing, and then the accuracy of the simulation data is tested and verified.

[0127] In some embodiments of the present application, the conductive material 200 is formed into a metal pattern through a printing process and attached to the sidewalls of the microporous chamber 110. It is understood that the certain number of metal patterns attached to the sidewalls of the honeycomb microstructure are rectangular thin metal strips with a thickness of 5 to 10 μm, or other thickness dimensions designed according to actual requirements; the shape of the metal strips can also be square, circular, elliptical, or even any shape; the thickness of the metal strips can also be increased, and they can be cubes, cuboids, spheres, ellipsoids, or any other three-dimensional metal bodies.

[0128] 1 to 27 , the lens antenna 1000 of the fourth embodiment of the present application may be a lens base station antenna. The lens antenna 1000 includes the lens unit 100 and the feeding unit 300 of the second embodiment of the present application. The spatial positions of the feeding unit 300 and the lens unit 100 are relatively fixed.

[0129] As can be understood, referring specifically to Figures 5 and 15-17 , lens antenna 1000 includes a honeycomb-structured paper-based artificial dielectric spherical lens unit 100, a base station antenna element feed unit 300, and other auxiliary connecting components. The honeycomb-structured paper-based artificial dielectric spherical lens unit 100 is made of a paper-based artificial dielectric material with a hexagonal honeycomb microstructure and has a spherical appearance. The base station antenna element feed unit 300 forms a structurally integrated whole with the spherical lens unit 100 via other auxiliary connecting components. Specifically, the feed unit 300 is secured to the edge of the lens unit 100 via the auxiliary connecting components.

[0130] In some embodiments of the present application, the polarization mode of the feeding unit 300 is orthogonal dual-linear polarization; in other embodiments, the polarization mode may also be other polarization modes such as elliptical or circular polarization.

[0131] In some embodiments of the present application, the artificial dielectric lens has a single beam and a single-band feed. The relative position of the feed and the paper-based lens unit 100 can be varied to obtain different directivity patterns. Furthermore, the feed can be placed not only outside the lens but also inside the lens to obtain a specific directivity pattern. Furthermore, the number of feeds can be more than one, or multiple.

[0132] In this embodiment, the lens unit 100 may be spherical or cylindrical, etc. Take the spherical lens unit 100 as an example.

[0133] 8 , in the first embodiment, the feeding unit 300 is a single-polarization antenna, that is, the feeding unit 300 includes a symmetrical dipole with one polarization direction. The conductive material 200 is in the shape of a long strip (or linear structure).

[0134] Please refer to FIG. 4 . The conductive material 200 is a one-dimensional structure, such as a metal strip. The extending direction of the metal strip is parallel to the axis of the microporous chamber.

[0135] Please refer to Figure 8. The feeding unit 300 includes a single-polarization oscillator. The extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200 is the same as or forms a small angle with the polarization direction of the polarization oscillator. In other words, the length direction of the conductive material 200 is close to or equal to the maximum effective induction length of the conductive material 200 in the polarization direction of the oscillator. According to the above formula (1), the benefit of w in the conductive material 200 provided in this embodiment is the largest. In other words, the conductive material 200 makes a large contribution to the improvement of the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100. With a relatively short length of the conductive material 200, the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 can be greatly improved. In this way, the amount of conductive material 200 in the unit space can be increased, thereby providing space for increasing the N′ value in formula (1). While satisfying the requirement of increasing the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 to the preset equivalent dielectric constant, the lens unit 100 can have a relatively small size and a light weight.

[0136] For example, the long side direction of the conductive material 200 is the axial direction of the microporous chamber, and the polarization direction of the polarizer of the feeding unit 300 is also the axial direction of the microporous chamber.

[0137] The angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feeding unit 300 may be adjustable or non-adjustable.

[0138] Referring to FIG. 8 , this embodiment, in conjunction with the aforementioned embodiments, includes three adjustable angles between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feed unit 300. This embodiment allows the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feed unit 300 to be adjusted to a first angle range, where the first angle range includes a range of 0° and near 0°. For example, the first angle range is [0° to n°), where n can be one of 5 to 30. Within the first angle range, the conductive material 200 maximizes the benefit of increasing the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100, facilitating the formation of a lens unit 100 with a dielectric constant close to or equal to a predetermined value, thereby forming a first beam with a relatively narrow beam, relatively strong directionality, and relatively high gain. This beam can be applied to signal coverage in narrow and long areas such as high-speed railways, highways, rivers, and tunnels, or in scenarios requiring narrow beams or high gain, such as large sports venues, densely populated residential areas, and sea areas.

[0139] Please refer to Figures 9a and 9b. This embodiment can also adjust the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feeding unit 300 to a second angle range, wherein the second angle range includes a range of 45° and close to 45°. For example, the second angle range is [n°~45°~m°), and m can be one of 45 to 60. In the second angle range, the conductive material 200 has a relatively large benefit in improving the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100, which is conducive to the formation of the second beam. The width of the second beam is greater than the width of the first beam, the directivity of the second beam is less than the directivity of the first beam, and the gain of the second beam is less than the gain of the first beam.

[0140] Please refer to Figures 10a and 10b. This embodiment can also adjust the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feeding unit 300 to a third angle range, wherein the third angle range includes a range of 90° and close to 90°. For example, the third angle range is [m°~90°], and m can be one of 60-90. In the third angle range, the conductive material 200 has a relatively large benefit in improving the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100, which is conducive to forming a third beam. The width of the third beam is greater than the width of the second beam, the directivity of the third beam is less than the directivity of the second beam, and the gain of the third beam is less than the gain of the second beam, so as to form a relatively wide beam with relatively weak directivity, so as to be applied to places with a small number of terminal signal connections and a small amount of data transmission tasks, and to save antenna power consumption.

[0141] Of course, in this embodiment, switching among the first angle range, the second angle range, and the third angle range, or switching between the first angle range and the third angle range, for example, switching between 0° and 90° can be achieved.

[0142] Please refer to Figure 11. In a second embodiment, based on the first embodiment, the feeding unit 300 can rotate around the lens unit 100 in the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100. Specifically, the lens antenna 1000 also includes a first arc track 31, a third drive motor 32 and a third drive structure 33 (driven by the third drive motor 32). The first arc track 31 is arranged along the equatorial plane. The third drive structure 33 connects the third drive motor 32 and the feeding unit 300. The third drive motor 32 drives the feeding unit 300 to rotate around the lens unit 100 in the equatorial plane, thereby achieving beam scanning. The first arc track 31 is an arc tooth, and the third drive structure 33 is a gear meshing with the first arc track 31.

[0143] For example, referring to FIG12a, a plurality of conductive materials 200 are arranged in a circle on the multiple side walls of the microporous chamber 110, and the third drive motor 32 drives the feed unit 300 to move to different positions to achieve high-gain beam scanning in the horizontal direction. For example, after the lens unit 100 is set, the original horizontal beam width of the feed unit 300 is reduced from 65° to 33° (the ellipse in FIG12a is a beam schematic diagram), and the feed unit 300 can be driven (for example, by the third drive motor 32 in FIG11) to move to different positions to ensure that the feed unit 300 can have a wider coverage range. In other embodiments, the position of the feed unit 300 can be set unchanged, and the position of the lens unit 100 changes relative to the position of the feed unit 300 to achieve beam scanning. In Figure 12a, the solid line feed unit 300 represents the current position, the dotted line box in the upper left corner of the feed unit 300 represents a position (not limited to this position) where the feed unit 300 can move along the arc, and the dotted line box in the upper right corner of the feed unit 300 represents another position where the feed unit 300 can move along the arc. The solid line beam in the middle of the three elliptical beams is the beam formed by the feed unit 300 after the lens effect at the current position, and the dotted line beam on the left of the three elliptical beams is the beam formed by the feed unit 300 moving along the arc to the upper right corner position after the lens effect. The dotted line beam on the right of the three elliptical beams is the beam formed by the feed unit 300 moving along the arc to the upper left corner position after the lens effect.

[0144] The three elliptical beams in FIG12a are a greatly reduced scale diagram. In practice, the three elliptical beams may be adjacent, close together, or partially overlap. The same is true for subsequent figures with multiple beams, and will not be described in detail.

[0145] In specific applications, optionally, referring to Figure 12b, the lens antenna 1000 provided by the present application can also be used in occasions where the flow of people such as the venue changes, and the extension direction of the feed unit 300 and the position of the feed unit 300 are adjusted according to the data transmission task amount. When there are fewer users in the venue, the data transmission task amount is small, and the feed unit 300 can be rotated around the perpendicular to the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200 to be perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the polarization direction of the polarization oscillator, so as to form a wide beam covering a wider range, for example, covering 65°, to meet the needs of the venue where there are fewer users and the data transmission task amount is small. Optionally, if the local number of people in the venue is dense, the data transmission task amount is large at this time, and the feed unit 300 can be rotated around the perpendicular to the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200 to be the same or nearly the same as the polarization direction of the polarization oscillator, so as to form a narrower beam with large gain, for example, covering 33°, (increasing the number of beams and carrier frequencies at the same time) to meet the situation where the number of people in the venue is dense and the data transmission task amount is large.

[0146] In Figure 12b, the solid line feed unit 300 represents the current position, the dotted line box in the upper left corner of the feed unit 300 represents a position (not limited to this position) where the feed unit 300 can move along the arc, and the dotted line box in the upper right corner of the feed unit 300 represents another position where the feed unit 300 can move along the arc. The solid line beam in the middle of the three elliptical beams is the beam formed by the feed unit 300 after the lens effect at the current position. Since the vibrator direction (polarization direction) of the feed unit 300 is perpendicular to the extension direction of the conductive material 200 at this time, the beam is a wide beam. The feed unit 300 can be rotated to the same extent that the vibrator direction (polarization direction) of the feed unit 300 is the same as the extension direction of the conductive material 200. The dotted line beam on the left of the three elliptical beams is the beam formed after the feed unit 300 moves along the arc to the upper right corner position and passes through the lens effect. The dotted beam on the right of the three elliptical beams is a beam formed after the feeding unit 300 moves along an arc to the upper left corner and is acted upon by a lens.

[0147] Referring to FIG. 13 a , the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that there are multiple feeding units 300. Each feeding unit 300 faces a surface of the microporous chamber 110. For example, there are two feeding units 300, and the cross-section of the microporous chamber 110 is circular, triangular, square, rectangular, diamond-shaped, etc.

[0148] Optionally, referring to FIG. 13 a , there are three feeding units 300 , and the cross-section of the microporous chamber 110 is triangular, hexagonal, or the like.

[0149] For example, the microporous chamber 110 has a hexagonal cross-section and includes three feed units 300: a first feed unit 310, a second feed unit 320, and a third feed unit 330. The first feed unit 310, the second feed unit 320, and the third feed unit 330 are respectively aligned with three different sidewalls of the microporous chamber 110. At least one feed unit 300 can adjust the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300.

[0150] Refer to Figure 13a. In specific applications, optionally, the lens antenna 1000 provided by the present application can also be used in occasions where the flow of people in a venue changes, and the extension direction and the number of operations of the feed unit 300 are adjusted according to the data transmission task amount. When there are fewer users in the venue, the data transmission task amount is small, and one or both of the first feed unit 310, the second feed unit 320, and the third feed unit 330 are working, which can reduce the power consumption of the antenna. For example, the switch unit controls the second feed unit 320 located in the middle position to work, and the first feed unit 310 in the upper left corner and the third feed unit 330 in the upper right corner are not working. The second feed unit 320 can be rotated around the perpendicular bisector to the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200 perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the polarization direction of the polarization oscillator, so as to form a wide beam covering a wider range, for example, covering 65°, to meet the needs of fewer users in the venue and when the data transmission task amount is small.

[0151] Please refer to Figure 13b. Optionally, if the number of people in the venue is dense and the data transmission task is large, the first feeding unit 310, the second feeding unit 320, and the third feeding unit 330 are all working. The polarization direction of the polarization vibrator of the first feeding unit 310 is the same as or nearly the same as the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200, the polarization direction of the polarization vibrator of the second feeding unit 320 is the same as or nearly the same as the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200, and the polarization direction of the polarization vibrator of the third feeding unit 330 is the same as or nearly the same as the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200, so as to form three adjacent narrow beams with high gain. For example, each beam covers 40° to cover a horizontal width range of 120°, so as to meet the demand of large data transmission tasks in the case where the number of people in the local area of ​​the venue is dense.

[0152] For places where 360° signal coverage may be required, multiple groups of lens antennas 1000 can be set up to provide signal coverage within a 360° range.

[0153] 14a and 14b , the fourth embodiment differs from the first to third embodiments in that the feeding unit 300 includes a dual-polarization element. The polarization directions of the feeding unit 300 are two orthogonal directions, specifically including but not limited to ±45° polarization and vertical and horizontal polarization.

[0154] In this embodiment, when there is only one feeding unit 300, the lens unit 100 and the feeding unit 300 are arranged to be relatively rotatable to switch to a first state: the feeding unit 300 includes a dual-polarization vibrator, and the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the dual-polarization direction of the feeding unit 300 are both 45°; or switch to a second state: the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as one polarization direction; or switch to a third state: the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as the other polarization direction.

[0155] When there are two or more feeding units 300 , each feeding unit 300 can be switched to the first state, the second state, or the third state.

[0156] Furthermore, the feeding unit 300 can also rotate around the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100 to achieve beam scanning.

[0157] For the lens unit 100 shown in Figures 4 and 5, the initial posture of the lens unit 100 can be determined based on different feeding units 300. For example, in the first embodiment, the initial posture of the lens unit 100 is determined based on the extension direction (longitudinal direction) of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the polarizer being the same. In embodiments 1-4, the initial posture of the lens unit 100 is determined based on the extension direction (longitudinal direction) of the conductive material 200 and the two polarization directions of the polarizer both being 45 degrees.

[0158] Furthermore, Figures 19a to 25b provide several other embodiments.

[0159] 19a and 19b , in the fifth embodiment, the metal strips in the artificial dielectric lens are oriented perpendicular to the honeycomb axis. Feed unit 300 is a single-polarized antenna. The metal strips extend perpendicular to the axis of microporous chamber 110.

[0160] The angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feed unit 300 may be adjustable or non-adjustable. In a non-adjustable embodiment, this embodiment forms a beam with a relatively wide width and relatively low gain. In an adjustable embodiment, this embodiment can refer to the adjustment method, adjustment means, and adjustment effect of the first embodiment described above.

[0161] Please also refer to FIG11 . In the sixth embodiment, based on the fifth embodiment, the feeding unit 300 can rotate around the lens unit 100 on the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100. This embodiment can be roughly referred to the third embodiment, but this embodiment differs from the third embodiment in that, when adjusting the position of the feeding unit 300 in the third embodiment, since the longitudinal direction of the conductive material 200 is the axial direction of the microporous chamber 110, it is not necessary to rotate the feeding unit 300 to face the side wall of the microporous chamber 110. The conductive material 200 can always be kept parallel to or facing the radiation surface of the feeding unit 300.

[0162] Please refer to Figures 12a and 12b. In this embodiment, since the length direction of the conductive material 200 is perpendicular to the axis of the microporous chamber 110, the feeding unit 300 needs to be rotated to face the side wall of the microporous chamber 110. If the cross-section of the microporous chamber 110 is hexagonal, the feeding unit 300 can be rotated to positions facing three adjacent side walls of the microporous chamber 110 respectively. In this way, the conductive material 200 is parallel to or facing the radiation surface of the feeding unit 300. The conductive material 200 has a greater effect on increasing the equivalent dielectric constant and ensures that the formed beam has good symmetry.

[0163] 13 a and 13 b , the seventh embodiment is different from the fifth embodiment in that there are multiple feeding units 300 , each of which faces a side wall of the microporous chamber 110 .

[0164] For example, the microporous chamber 110 has a hexagonal cross-section and includes three feed units 300: a first feed unit 310, a second feed unit 320, and a third feed unit 330. The first feed unit 310, the second feed unit 320, and the third feed unit 330 are respectively aligned with three adjacent sidewalls of the microporous chamber 110. At least one feed unit 300 can adjust the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300.

[0165] Please refer to Figure 13a. In specific applications, optionally, the lens antenna 1000 provided in the present application can also be used in occasions where the flow of people in a venue changes, and the extension direction and the number of operations of the feed unit 300 are adjusted according to the amount of data transmission tasks. When there are fewer users in the venue, the amount of data transmission tasks is small, and one or both of the first feed unit 310, the second feed unit 320, and the third feed unit 330 are working, which can reduce the power consumption of the antenna. For example, the second feed unit 320 located in the middle position is working, and when the second feed unit 320 is in the initial position, the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200 is perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the polarization direction of the polarization oscillator, so as to form a wide beam covering a wider range, for example, covering 65°, to meet the needs of fewer users in the venue and when the amount of data transmission tasks is small.

[0166] Optionally, please refer to FIG13b. If the number of people in the venue is dense and the data transmission task is large, the first feeding unit 310, the second feeding unit 320, and the third feeding unit 330 are all working. The first feeding unit 310 and / or the lens unit 100 are rotated so that the polarization direction of the polarizer of the first feeding unit 310 is the same or nearly the same as the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200. The second feeding unit 320 and / or the lens unit 100 are rotated so that the polarization direction of the second feeding unit 320 is the same or nearly the same as the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200. The polarization direction of the vibrator is the same as or nearly the same as the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200. The third feeding unit 330 and / or the lens unit 100 are rotated so that the polarization direction of the polarized vibrator of the third feeding unit 330 is the same as or nearly the same as the extension direction (long side direction) of the conductive material 200 to form three adjacent narrow beams with high gain. For example, each beam covers 40° to cover a horizontal width range of 120°, meeting the needs of a large number of people in a local area of ​​the venue and a large amount of data transmission tasks at this time.

[0167] Referring to Figures 19c and 19d , the eighth embodiment differs from the fifth to seventh embodiments in that the feeding unit 300 is a dual-polarized oscillator. The polarization directions of the feeding unit 300 are two orthogonal directions, specifically including but not limited to ±45° polarization and horizontal and vertical polarization.

[0168] In this embodiment, when there is only one feeding unit 300, the lens unit 100 and the feeding unit 300 are arranged to be relatively rotatable to switch to a first state: the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the two polarization directions are both 45°; or switch to a second state: the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as one polarization direction; or switch to a third state: the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as the other polarization direction.

[0169] When there are two or more feeding units 300 , each feeding unit 300 can be switched to the first state, the second state, or the third state.

[0170] Furthermore, the feeding unit 300 can also rotate around the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100 to achieve beam scanning.

[0171] With specific reference to FIG20a, in this embodiment, the metal strips in the artificial dielectric lens have two orientations, which are parallel or perpendicular to the axial direction of the microporous chamber 110. When the microporous chamber 110 is a honeycomb, the two oriented metal strips are parallel or perpendicular to the axial direction. With specific reference to FIG20a, the two oriented metal strips can be alternately arranged on the same side wall. Alternatively, the two orientations are arranged on different side walls. Compared with the conductive material 200 with one extension direction, this embodiment can be adapted to feed units 300 with a variety of different polarization directions. Regardless of the polarization direction of the feed unit 300, an effective current along the polarization direction can be formed on the conductive material 200 on the lens unit 100, thereby achieving an improvement in the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100, and thereby achieving an improvement in the beam gain of the feed unit 300.

[0172] 20b, in the ninth embodiment, the feed unit 300 is a single-polarization oscillator. In the initial state, the polarization direction of the feed unit 300 forms a 45° angle with the two oriented metal strips, so that both oriented metal strips have a dielectric constant increase benefit, so that the beam of the feed unit 300 after the lens unit 100 has good symmetry in the vertical and horizontal directions. Of course, the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300 can be adjusted to form the aforementioned first beam or second beam, and then applied to the corresponding scenarios respectively.

[0173] 11, 12a, and 12b, in a tenth embodiment, based on the ninth embodiment, the feeding unit 300 can rotate around the lens unit 100 on the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100. Optionally, the two orientations are provided on different sidewalls to achieve beam reconstruction, for example, reconstruction from the first beam to the third beam, or reconstruction from the third beam to the first beam.

[0174] 13 a and 13 b , the eleventh embodiment is different from the ninth embodiment in that there are multiple feeding units 300 , each of which faces one surface of the microporous chamber 110 .

[0175] Optionally, there are three feeding units 300 , and the cross-section of the microporous chamber 110 is triangular, hexagonal, etc.

[0176] For example, the microporous chamber 110 has a hexagonal cross-section and includes three feed units 300: a first feed unit 310, a second feed unit 320, and a third feed unit 330. The first feed unit 310, the second feed unit 320, and the third feed unit 330 are respectively aligned with three different sidewalls of the microporous chamber 110. At least one feed unit 300 can adjust the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300.

[0177] For another example, in combination with Figure 12b, the lens unit 100 is rotated so that the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is approximately parallel to the polarization directions of the first feeding unit 310 and the third feeding unit 330, and the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is approximately perpendicular to the polarization direction of the second feeding unit 320, so as to form a beam with large gain on both sides and a large width in the middle, which is used in scenarios where the transmission task volume on both sides is relatively large and the transmission task volume in the middle is relatively small.

[0178] For another example, in combination with reference to Figure 13b, the polarization directions of the first feeding unit 310 and the third feeding unit 330 are adjusted to be nearly parallel to the extension direction of the conductive material 200, so as to form a beam coverage with a small width and high gain in the middle and on both sides, so as to be applied to scenarios with relatively large transmission tasks covering a wide range.

[0179] 20c, in the twelfth embodiment, unlike the ninth to eleventh embodiments, the feeding unit 300 is a dual-polarization oscillator. The polarization directions of the feeding unit 300 are two orthogonal directions, specifically including but not limited to ±45° polarization and horizontal and vertical polarization.

[0180] In the initial state, the polarization direction of the feed unit 300 forms a 45° angle with the two oriented metal strips, thereby ensuring that the beam of the feed unit 300 after being acted upon by the lens unit 100 has good symmetry in the vertical and horizontal directions. Of course, the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300 can be adjusted to form the aforementioned first beam or second beam, which can then be applied to corresponding scenarios.

[0181] In this embodiment, when there is only one feeding unit 300, the lens unit 100 and the feeding unit 300 are arranged to be relatively rotatable to switch to a first state: referring to FIG20c , the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the two polarization directions are both 45°; or switch to a second state: referring to FIG20d , the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as one polarization direction; or switch to a third state: the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as the other polarization direction.

[0182] Furthermore, there may be multiple feeding units 300. Each feeding unit 300 faces one surface of the microporous chamber 110. When there are two or more feeding units 300, each feeding unit 300 can be switched to the first state, the second state, or the third state.

[0183] Furthermore, the feeding unit 300 can also rotate around the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100 to achieve beam scanning.

[0184] 21 a , in this embodiment, the metal strips in the artificial dielectric lens are oriented at an angle of +45° to the axis of the honeycomb (microporous chamber 110 ) and are in a uniform direction.

[0185] 21b , in the thirteenth embodiment, the feed unit 300 is a single-polarized antenna, that is, the feed unit 300 includes a pair of symmetrical dipoles. The dipoles have a single polarization direction. The angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feed unit 300 may or may not be adjustable.

[0186] In an embodiment in which the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the vibrator of the feeding unit 300 is adjustable, the angle between the polarization directions of the vibrator is adjusted from along the axis of the microporous chamber 110 to along the extension direction of the conductive material 200. Beam width adjustment and beam gain adjustment can be achieved by rotating 45 degrees. The rotation angle is reduced, the design requirements for the rotation drive structure are reduced, and it is easier to implement.

[0187] 11 , 12 a , and 12 b , in a fourteenth embodiment, based on the thirteenth embodiment, the feeding unit 300 can rotate around the lens unit 100 in the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100. In this embodiment, since the length direction of the conductive material 200 forms a 45° angle with the axial direction of the microporous chamber 110, the conductive material 200 has a certain effective electrically induced length in the axial direction of the microporous chamber 110. This eliminates the need to rotate the feeding unit 300 to face the sidewall of the microporous chamber 110, nor does it necessarily require the conductive material 200 to always be parallel to or face the radiation surface of the feeding unit 300. In other words, during the continuous rotation of the feeding unit 300, the conductive material 200 can generate a current in the polarization direction of the feeding unit 300 under radiation field coupling, thereby modifying the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100.

[0188] 13 a and 13 b , in the fifteenth embodiment, unlike the thirteenth embodiment, there are multiple feeding units 300 , each of which faces a side wall of the microporous chamber 110 .

[0189] For example, the microporous chamber 110 has a hexagonal cross-section and includes three feed units 300: a first feed unit 310, a second feed unit 320, and a third feed unit 330. The first feed unit 310, the second feed unit 320, and the third feed unit 330 are respectively aligned with three adjacent sidewalls of the microporous chamber 110. At least one feed unit 300 can adjust the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300.

[0190] 21 c , in the sixteenth embodiment, unlike the thirteenth to fifteenth embodiments, the feeding unit 300 is a dual-polarized oscillator. The polarization directions of the feeding unit 300 are two orthogonal directions, specifically including but not limited to ±45° polarization and horizontal and vertical polarization.

[0191] In this embodiment, when there is only one feeding unit 300, the lens unit 100 and the feeding unit 300 are arranged to be relatively rotatable to switch to the first state: referring to Figure 21c, the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the two polarization directions are both 45°; or switch to the second state: referring to Figure 21d, the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as one polarization direction; or switch to the third state: the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as the other polarization direction.

[0192] When there are two or more feeding units 300 , each feeding unit 300 can be switched to the first state, the second state, or the third state.

[0193] Furthermore, the feeding unit 300 can also rotate around the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100 to achieve beam scanning.

[0194] 22a, in this embodiment, the metal strips in the artificial dielectric lens are oriented at an angle of -45° to the axis of the honeycomb (microporous chamber 110) and in a uniform direction.

[0195] 22b , in a seventeenth embodiment, the feed unit 300 is a single-polarized antenna, that is, the feed unit 300 includes a pair of symmetrical dipoles. The dipoles have a single polarization direction. The angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the dipole of the feed unit 300 may or may not be adjustable.

[0196] In an embodiment in which the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the vibrator of the feeding unit 300 is adjustable, the angle between the polarization directions of the vibrator is adjusted from along the axis of the microporous chamber 110 to along the extension direction of the conductive material 200. Beam width adjustment and beam gain adjustment can be achieved by rotating 45 degrees. The rotation angle is reduced, the design requirements for the rotation drive structure are reduced, and it is easier to implement.

[0197] 11 , 12 a , and 12 b , in an eighteenth embodiment, based on the seventeenth embodiment, the feeding unit 300 can rotate around the lens unit 100 in the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100. In this embodiment, since the length direction of the conductive material 200 forms a 45° angle with the axial direction of the microporous chamber 110, the conductive material 200 has a certain effective electrical length in the axial direction of the microporous chamber 110. Therefore, it is not necessary to rotate the feeding unit 300 to face the side wall of the microporous chamber 110, nor is it necessary to always keep the conductive material 200 parallel to or facing the radiation surface of the feeding unit 300. In other words, during the continuous rotation of the feeding unit 300, the conductive material 200 can generate a current in the polarization direction of the feeding unit 300 under the coupling of the radiation field, thereby modifying the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100.

[0198] 13 a and 13 b , in the nineteenth embodiment, unlike the seventeenth embodiment, there are multiple feeding units 300 , each of which faces a side wall of the microporous chamber 110 .

[0199] For example, the microporous chamber 110 has a hexagonal cross-section and includes three feed units 300: a first feed unit 310, a second feed unit 320, and a third feed unit 330. The first feed unit 310, the second feed unit 320, and the third feed unit 330 are respectively aligned with three adjacent sidewalls of the microporous chamber 110. At least one feed unit 300 can adjust the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300.

[0200] 22c , in the twentieth embodiment, unlike the seventeenth to nineteenth embodiments, the feeding unit 300 is a dual-polarization oscillator. The polarization directions of the feeding unit 300 are two orthogonal directions, specifically including but not limited to ±45° polarization and horizontal and vertical polarization.

[0201] In this embodiment, when there is only one feeding unit 300, the lens unit 100 and the feeding unit 300 are arranged to be relatively rotatable to switch to the first state: referring to Figure 22c, the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the two polarization directions are both 45°; or switch to the second state: referring to Figure 22d, the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as one polarization direction; or switch to the third state: the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as the other polarization direction.

[0202] When there are two or more feeding units 300 , each feeding unit 300 can be switched to the first state, the second state, or the third state.

[0203] Furthermore, the feeding unit 300 can also rotate around the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100 to achieve beam scanning.

[0204] 23a, in this embodiment, the metal strips in the artificial dielectric lens are oriented to alternately form angles of +45° and -45° with the honeycomb (microporous chamber 110) axis.

[0205] Compared to a conductive material 200 extending in a single direction, this embodiment is adaptable to feed units 300 with multiple polarization directions. Regardless of the polarization direction of the feed unit 300, the conductive material 200 on the lens unit 100 can generate an effective current along the polarization direction, thereby improving the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 and enhancing the beam gain of the feed unit 300.

[0206] With specific reference to FIG23b, in the twenty-first embodiment, the feed unit 300 is a single-polarization oscillator. In the initial state, the polarization direction of the feed unit 300 forms a 45° angle with the two oriented metal strips, respectively, so that both oriented metal strips have a dielectric constant increase benefit, so that the beam of the feed unit 300 after the lens unit 100 has good symmetry in the vertical and horizontal directions. Of course, the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300 can be adjusted to form the aforementioned first beam or second beam, and then applied to the corresponding scenarios respectively.

[0207] 11, 12a, and 12b, in a twenty-second embodiment, based on the twenty-first embodiment, the feeding unit 300 can rotate around the lens unit 100 in the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100. Optionally, the two orientations are provided on different sidewalls to achieve beam reconfiguration, for example, reconfiguring from the first beam to the third beam, or reconfiguring from the third beam to the first beam.

[0208] 13 a and 13 b , in the twenty-third embodiment, unlike the twenty-first embodiment, there are multiple feeding units 300 , each of which faces one surface of the microporous chamber 110 .

[0209] Optionally, there are three feeding units 300 , and the cross-section of the microporous chamber 110 is triangular, hexagonal, etc.

[0210] For example, the microporous chamber 110 has a hexagonal cross-section and includes three feed units 300: a first feed unit 310, a second feed unit 320, and a third feed unit 330. The first feed unit 310, the second feed unit 320, and the third feed unit 330 are respectively aligned with three different sidewalls of the microporous chamber 110. At least one feed unit 300 can adjust the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300.

[0211] Further optionally, with reference to FIG. 13 b , the polarization direction of at least one of the first feeding unit 310 , the second feeding unit 320 and the third feeding unit 330 and the extension direction of the conductive material 200 are adjustable.

[0212] For example, the polarization direction of the second feeding unit 320 is adjusted to be perpendicular to the extension direction of the conductive material 200 to form a beam coverage with large width in the middle and on both sides, so as to be applied to scenarios with wide coverage and relatively small transmission tasks.

[0213] For another example, in combination with Figure 12b, the lens unit 100 is rotated so that the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is approximately parallel to the polarization directions of the first feeding unit 310 and the third feeding unit 330, and the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is approximately perpendicular to the polarization direction of the second feeding unit 320, so as to form a beam with large gain on both sides and a large width in the middle, which is used in scenarios where the transmission task volume on both sides is relatively large and the transmission task volume in the middle is relatively small.

[0214] For another example, in combination with reference to Figure 13b, the polarization directions of the first feeding unit 310 and the third feeding unit 330 are adjusted to be nearly parallel to the extension direction of the conductive material 200, so as to form a beam coverage with a small width and high gain in the middle and on both sides, so as to be applied to scenarios with relatively large transmission tasks covering a wide range.

[0215] 23c , in the twenty-fourth embodiment, unlike the twenty-first to twenty-third embodiments, the feeding unit 300 is a dual-polarization oscillator. The polarization directions of the feeding unit 300 are two orthogonal directions, specifically including but not limited to ±45° polarization and horizontal and vertical polarization.

[0216] In the initial state, the polarization direction of the feed unit 300 forms a 45° angle with the two oriented metal strips, thereby ensuring that the beam of the feed unit 300 after being acted upon by the lens unit 100 has good symmetry in the vertical and horizontal directions. Of course, the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the polarization direction of the oscillator of the feed unit 300 can be adjusted to form the aforementioned first beam or second beam, which can then be applied to corresponding scenarios.

[0217] In this embodiment, when there is only one feeding unit 300, the lens unit 100 and the feeding unit 300 are arranged to be relatively rotatable to switch to the first state: with reference to Figure 23c, the extension direction of the conductive material 200 and the two polarization directions are both 45°; or switch to the second state: with reference to Figure 23d, the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as one polarization direction; or switch to the third state: the extension direction of the conductive material 200 is the same as the other polarization direction.

[0218] Furthermore, there may be multiple feeding units 300. Each feeding unit 300 faces one surface of the microporous chamber 110. When there are two or more feeding units 300, each feeding unit 300 can be switched to the first state, the second state, or the third state.

[0219] Furthermore, the feeding unit 300 can also rotate around the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100 to achieve beam scanning.

[0220] 24a and 24b , in this embodiment, the metal strips in the artificial dielectric lens are oriented at arbitrary angles to the axial direction of the honeycomb (microporous chamber 110), and the strip spacing is also randomly determined. In this embodiment, the conductive material 200 extends in multiple directions. Compared to conductive materials 200 with one or two extension directions, this embodiment has more extension directions for the conductive material 200, so it can be consistent with the polarization direction of feed units 300 with multiple different rotational directions, and can be adapted to feed units 300 with more different polarization directions. Regardless of the polarization direction of the feed unit 300, the conductive material 200 on the lens unit 100 can generate a more effective current with a higher gain along the polarization direction, thereby achieving an improvement in the equivalent dielectric constant of the lens unit 100 and thereby achieving an increase in the beam gain of the feed unit 300. For the feed unit 300, the setting rotational direction of the feed unit 300 is more flexible and unrestricted.

[0221] 24a and 24b , when the conductive material 200 extends in one or two directions, the lens unit 100 exhibits a certain degree of selectivity for the feed unit 300, i.e., it enhances the gain of the beams of the feed units 300 in certain specific rotation directions. The more directions the conductive material 200 extends, the weaker the lens unit 100's selectivity for the feed units 300, achieving a gain enhancement effect for the beams of the feed units 300 in any rotation direction.

[0222] In any of the embodiments, specifically referring to Figures 24c to 24e, the microporous chamber 110 has a plurality of sidewalls, and the conductive material 200 on each sidewall extends in the same or different directions. The conductive material 200 on different sidewalls extends in the same or different directions. For example, the conductive material 200 on two adjacent sidewalls extends in perpendicular directions. For example, the conductive material 200 on two adjacent sidewalls extends in directions along the axis of the microporous chamber 110 and perpendicular to the axis of the microporous chamber 110, respectively; or, the conductive material 200 on two adjacent sidewalls extends in directions along the axis of the microporous chamber 110 and perpendicular to the axis of the microporous chamber 110, respectively.

[0223] Furthermore, referring specifically to FIG. 25 a , different metal shapes are shown. In addition to rectangles, circular, elliptical, etc. shapes can also be used in artificial dielectric materials.

[0224] In other words, the conductive material 200 may also be a two-dimensional structure. For example, the shape of the conductive material 200 may also include a rectangle, a circle, an ellipse, a cross, a positive direction, and the like.

[0225] In other words, referring specifically to Figure 25b, the feeding unit 300 includes a dual-polarization oscillator, and the extension direction of the conductive material 200 includes a first direction and a second direction, the first direction is the same as one polarization direction of the feeding unit 300, and the second direction is the same as another polarization direction of the feeding unit 300.

[0226] The conductive material 200 is a two-dimensional structure having an effective electrical length in at least two directions. For example, when the conductive material 200 is in the shape of a rectangle, it has an effective electrical length in both the length direction and the width direction of the rectangle. Thus, the beam width of the dual-polarization feeding unit 300 along the length direction and the width direction of the conductive material 200 can be reduced in both the length direction and the width direction of the conductive material 200, thereby improving the beam gain.

[0227] Optionally, the dual-polarization feeding unit 300 may rotate around the lens unit 100 on the equatorial plane of the lens unit 100 to achieve beam scanning.

[0228] Optionally, there are multiple feeding units 300. Each feeding unit 300 faces a surface of the microporous chamber 110, so that multiple high-gain beams together cover a wider range.

[0229] It should be noted that with the continuous construction of commercial mobile communication networks, various signal coverage scenarios have put forward requirements for both coverage and large capacity. At the same time, the coexistence of 3G, 4G and 5G signals will become the norm for quite some time. The frequencies of electromagnetic waves are mainly in the four frequency bands of 698-960MHz, 1710-2690MHz, 3.3-3.8GHz, and 4.8-5.0GHz. Therefore, the operating frequency of the feed unit 300 of the present application is 1710-2690MHz, and the feed source can also operate in different communication frequency bands such as 698-960MHz, 3.3-3.8GHz, and 4.8-5.0GHz. According to the maximum power direction of the desired spatial pattern, its position can be moved arbitrarily within 360° along the edge of the lens structure.

[0230] In some embodiments of the present application, the lens unit 100 is configured as a spherical shape. To minimize the volume of the entire antenna, the lens unit 100 is located directly above the feed unit 300, and the lens unit 100 and the feed unit 300 are seamlessly attached to each other. In other embodiments, the lens unit 100 can also be away from or wrap around the dipole feed to form various desired spatial radiation patterns.

[0231] It can be understood that compared with traditional linear array base station antennas, the lens base station antenna proposed in this application, referring to Figures 15 and 16, Figure 18, Figure 26 and Figure 27, does not require multiple array units and complex feeding networks to obtain a spatial radiation pattern with higher gain; and the vertical plane of the radiation pattern can be designed to be relatively wide, which is used for uniform coverage of communication signals in long strips and other areas over long distances; since the density of the paper-based honeycomb structure is low, and the entire antenna has only one lens unit 100 and one feeding vibrator unit, the base station antenna proposed in this application has a smaller appearance size and weight, and is more suitable for engineering installation in actual network construction; the simple and compact structure is also more suitable for large-scale production in the industry.

[0232] 1 , which shows a spherical lens made of the artificial dielectric material proposed in this application, and a pattern observed when viewed from above along the axis of the honeycomb micro-units, all microstructures are honeycomb-shaped.

[0233] 2 and 3 show the subunits of the honeycomb artificial dielectric lens structure. Strips of metal are attached to the structure walls. Since the strips have long and short sides, there is an orientation direction for the long side.

[0234] 4, 15, and 16, an embodiment is provided, wherein the feed uses a 1.7-2.7 GHz dual-polarization dipole unit, and the lens uses a unit with a diameter of 10 cm, and corresponding simulation results at a frequency of 2.2 GHz are given.

[0235] Referring specifically to Figure 4, there is a schematic diagram of the distribution of metal strips on one of the side walls of the honeycomb structure. Referring specifically to Figure 5, there is a schematic diagram of the relative structure of the dual-polarization feed and the honeycomb artificial dielectric lens ball. In this example, one polarization of the dual-polarization feed is aligned with the long side of the metal strip. The other polarization is perpendicular to the long side of the metal strip. Referring specifically to Figure 15, there is a diagram showing the change in the vertical plane pattern of an oscillator with a polarization direction aligned with the direction of the metal strip, with or without a loaded lens. The dotted line shows the case of a single oscillator, and the solid line shows the result of the loaded lens. The vertical plane pattern becomes narrower, and the gain is significantly improved. Referring specifically to Figure 16, there is a diagram showing the change in the vertical plane pattern of an oscillator with a polarization direction aligned with the direction of the metal strip, with or without a loaded lens. The dotted line shows the case of a single oscillator, and the solid line shows the result of the loaded lens. The vertical plane pattern becomes narrower, and the gain is slightly improved. As can be seen from Figures 15 and 16, when the polarization direction is aligned with the long side of the metal, greater gain can be achieved.

[0236] Figure 17 shows a dual-polarization feed at a 45° angle to the cell axis; gain is also achieved. Figure 18 compares the directional patterns of one polarization in a dual-polarization feed with and without a lens. The dashed line shows the case of a single oscillator, while the solid line shows the result of adding a lens. The vertical pattern narrows, resulting in a modest gain improvement.

[0237] In the above cases, at the 2.2GHz frequency, the specific gain comparison is as follows:

[0238] As can be seen from the table, all three lens loading conditions (1-3) above can achieve increased gain; the highest increase is 1.37dBi when the polarization direction and the lens metal strip are oriented in the same direction. Larger lens diameters and appropriate accompanying metal design can achieve gain levels of 15dBi or higher, comparable to conventional linear array base station antennas. It should be noted that larger lens unit 100 dimensions result in a greater increase in beam gain and a greater reduction in beamwidth. For example, when the lens unit 100 is 20mm to 30mm in size, the horizontal beamwidth is 30°-40°, and the vertical beamwidth is 30°-40°.

[0239] Furthermore, Figures 26 and 27 provide a specific embodiment.

[0240] 26 and 27 , when the feed source is still a dual-polarized dipole with a typical gain requirement of 15 dBi, a 30 cm diameter lens unit 100 is used. Comparisons of the vertical and horizontal plane patterns of vertically and horizontally polarized dipoles at 2.5 GHz are shown. Compared to the case without lens loading, the gain of the horizontally polarized dipole is increased by approximately 1 dBi, while the gain of the vertically polarized dipole is increased by approximately 6 dBi.

[0241] In summary, this application specifically relates to the field of base station antennas for 5th generation (5G) mobile communication networks. The lens antenna 1000 technology proposed in this patent is also compatible with 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile communication commercial frequency bands, and is also compatible with 6th generation (6G) high frequency bands, such as millimeter wave (mmWave) operating frequency bands. Compared with existing technologies, the technology in this application has the following advantages:

[0242] First, the paper-based artificial dielectric material with a honeycomb structure of the present application has a stable structure, does not deform after long-term use, and the metal does not fall off;

[0243] Second, the Dk value of the paper-based artificial dielectric material with a honeycomb structure of the present application is obtained through a printing process, and the design is flexible.

[0244] Third, in the paper-based artificial dielectric material with a honeycomb structure of the present application, the relative positions of the metal particles are fixed and will not come into contact with each other, thereby affecting the intermodulation index of the base station antenna.

[0245] Fourth, the paper-based material of the present application is heat-resistant and can withstand long-term radiation of high-power base station antenna signals.

[0246] Fifth, the lens unit 100 of the present application is light in weight and convenient for engineering construction.

[0247] Sixth, the lens unit 100 of the present application is applicable to feed sources within a relatively wide frequency band.

[0248] Seventh, the lens unit 100 of the present application is moisture-proof and flame-retardant, and is suitable for long-term outdoor use for 10 to 30 years.

[0249] Eighth, the lens unit 100 of the present application is easy to manufacture and is more suitable for mass industrial production.

[0250] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0251] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes can be made within the scope of knowledge possessed by ordinary technicians in the technical field without departing from the purpose of the present application.

Claims

1. An artificial medium material, characterized in that: include: A substrate is configured as a porous structure and has a plurality of microporous chambers; The conductive material is arranged on the side wall of the microporous chamber, and the shape of the microporous chamber and / or at least one of the shape, size and density of the conductive material are adjusted to obtain different equivalent dielectric constants.

2. The artificial medium material according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shape of each of the microporous chambers is a hexagonal honeycomb, so that the substrate is arranged as a honeycomb structure, and the substrate is made of aramid paper.

3. The artificial medium material according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive material is arranged as a plurality of metal patterns, and at least one of the shape, orientation or spacing between adjacent metal patterns of the metal patterns is adjusted to obtain different equivalent dielectric constants.

4. The artificial medium material according to claim 3, characterized in that: The metal pattern is a metal sheet in a rectangular, square, circular, elliptical or irregular two-dimensional shape, or the metal pattern is a sphere, cuboid, cube, ellipsoid, cylinder or irregular three-dimensional metal body; and / or the metal patterns are evenly distributed, or the metal patterns are unevenly distributed; and / or the long side direction of each of the metal patterns is the same as the polarization direction of the polarizer, or the long side direction of at least one of the metal patterns is arranged at an angle of a preset angle to the polarization direction of the polarizer; And / or at least two of the metal patterns have the same shape or different shapes.

5. The artificial medium material according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate is made of engineering plastic or flexible circuit board; And / or the shape of the microporous chamber is polygonal, circular, elliptical or irregular two-dimensional, and at least two of the microporous chambers have the same shape, or the shapes of the microporous chambers are different.

6. A lens unit, characterized in that: include: The artificial medium material according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A method for manufacturing a lens unit according to claim 6, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Provide the substrate and cut it to the appropriate size; The conductive material is disposed on the substrate, and the molding shape, size and distribution density are adjusted according to the lens design requirements during the arrangement to obtain different effective dielectric constants; The substrate is made into a porous structure by a honeycomb preparation process, and the conductive material is located on the side wall of the microporous chamber; The substrate is processed into a lens element.

8. The method for manufacturing a lens unit according to claim 7, wherein: The conductive material is formed into a metal pattern through printing, metal printing and etching processes and is attached to the side wall of the microporous chamber.

9. A lens antenna, characterized in that: include: The lens unit according to claim 6; The feeding unit is relatively fixed in spatial position with respect to the lens unit.

10. The lens antenna according to claim 9, characterized in that: The polarization mode of the feeding unit is orthogonal dual-line polarization; And / or the lens unit is located directly above the feeding unit or deviates from the directly above position, and the lens unit and the feeding unit are seamlessly close to each other or are arranged with a gap; And / or the lens unit is cylindrical, elliptical, spherical, or ellipsoidal.

11. A lens antenna, characterized in that: include: The lens unit comprises a substrate and a plurality of conductive materials, wherein the substrate is a porous structure, the substrate has a plurality of microporous chambers, and the plurality of conductive materials are arranged on the side walls of the plurality of microporous chambers; and At least one feeding unit is arranged opposite to or adjacent to the lens unit, a radiation surface of the feeding unit is arranged opposite to at least a portion of the conductive material, and an angle between a polarization direction of the feeding unit and an extension direction of the conductive structure is less than or equal to a preset angle.

12. The lens antenna according to claim 11, wherein: The beam of the lens antenna changes as the angle between the extending direction of the conductive material and the polarization direction of the feeding unit changes.

13. The lens antenna according to claim 12, wherein: The angle between the extending direction of the conductive material and the polarization direction of the feeding unit is adjustable.

14. The lens antenna according to claim 13, wherein: The lens unit is a rotatable structure, and the position of the feeding unit is relatively fixed; or, the feeding unit is a rotatable structure, and the position of the lens unit is relatively fixed; both the lens unit and the feeding unit are rotatable structures.

15. The lens antenna according to claim 13, wherein: When the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material and the polarization direction of the feeding unit is adjusted to a first angle range, the feeding unit forms a first beam after passing through the lens unit; When the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material and the polarization direction of the feeding unit is adjusted to a second angle range, the feeding unit forms a second beam after passing through the lens unit; When the angle between the extension direction of the conductive material and the polarization direction of the feeding unit is adjusted to a third angle range, the feeding unit forms a third beam after passing through the lens unit; Among them, the maximum value of the first angle range is smaller than the minimum value of the second angle range, the maximum value of the second angle range is smaller than the minimum value of the third angle range, the beam width of the first beam is smaller than the beam width of the second beam, and the beam width of the second beam is smaller than the beam width of the third beam; the beam gain of the first beam is greater than the beam gain of the second beam, and the beam gain of the second beam is greater than the beam gain of the third beam.

16. The lens antenna according to claim 13, wherein: The feeding unit is capable of rotating around the lens unit on an equatorial plane of the lens unit.

17. The lens antenna according to claim 13, wherein: The microporous chamber has a plurality of side walls, and the number of the feeding units is plural.

18. The lens antenna according to claim 11, wherein: The feeding unit includes a single-polarization dipole, and the extending direction of the conductive material is the same as the polarization direction of the feeding unit.

19. The lens antenna according to claim 11, wherein: The feeding unit includes a dual-polarization oscillator, and the extension direction of the conductive material and the dual-polarization direction of the feeding unit are both 45 degrees; or, the extension direction of the conductive material is parallel to one of the dual-polarization directions of the feeding unit, and the extension direction of the conductive material is perpendicular to the other of the dual-polarization directions of the feeding unit.

20. The lens antenna according to claim 11, wherein: The feeding unit includes a dual-polarization oscillator, and the extending direction of the conductive material includes a first direction and a second direction, the first direction is the same as one polarization direction of the feeding unit, and the second direction is the same as another polarization direction of the feeding unit.

21. The lens antenna according to any one of claims 11 to 20, characterized in that: The microporous chamber has a plurality of side walls, and the extending directions of the conductive materials on each of the side walls are the same or different; and the extending directions of the conductive materials on different side walls are the same or different.

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