Polarized reconfigurable phased-array antenna and communication apparatus

Abstract

A polarized reconfigurable phased-array antenna and a communication apparatus. The polarized reconfigurable phased-array antenna comprises a power divider layer, a plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters and a radiator layer, wherein the power divider layer comprises a plurality of power division output ends; the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters are located on one side of the power divider layer; the radiator layer comprises a plurality of radiators and is located on the sides of the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters that are away from the power divider layer; and the power divider layer, the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters and the radiator layer are arranged in a stacked manner in a first direction, each liquid crystal phase shifter comprises an input end and an output end, each radiator comprises a radiation patch and two input ends, a plurality of input ends of the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters are connected to the plurality of power division output ends, and the two input ends of each radiator are respectively connected to two output ends of two liquid crystal phase shifters. Thus, the polarized reconfigurable phased-array antenna can prevent a grating lobe and improve the performance of the antenna, and also has the advantages of low system complexity, a simple structure, a high integration level, low costs, low power consumption, etc.

Description

Polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202310738759.9 filed on June 20, 2023. The contents of the above-mentioned Chinese patent application disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as a part of this application. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] Phased array antennas modify the shape of their radiation patterns by controlling the feed phase of the array's radiating elements. This phase control shifts the direction of the antenna's maximum radiation pattern, achieving beam scanning. Compared to mechanically scanned antennas, phased array antennas offer advantages such as faster scanning speed and higher efficiency.

[0004] On the other hand, with the continuous development of communication technology, the application scenarios of wireless communication are becoming more and more diverse. Some communication devices need to receive or transmit linearly polarized signals, some need to receive or transmit left-hand circularly polarized signals, and some need to receive or transmit right-hand circularly polarized signals. Therefore, phased array antennas need to have polarization reconfiguration capabilities to meet different scenarios requiring different polarization characteristics.

[0005] An antenna's polarization characteristic is defined by the spatial orientation of the electric field strength vector of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the antenna in the direction of maximum radiation. Polarization types are categorized by the trajectory of the electric field strength vector tip. Antenna polarization characteristics can be divided into linear polarization, left-hand circular polarization, and right-hand circular polarization. Linear polarization can be further divided into horizontal polarization and vertical polarization; circular polarization can be further divided into circular polarization and elliptical polarization.

[0006] Circular polarization occurs when the angle between the plane of polarization of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the antenna and the normal to the Earth changes periodically from 0 to 360°. This means that the electric field remains constant in magnitude but changes in direction over time, and the trajectory of the electric field vector's end forms a circle when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Circular polarization occurs when the horizontal and vertical components of the electric field have equal amplitudes but differ in phase by 90° or 270°. Circular polarization is characterized by right-hand circular polarization when the plane of polarization rotates over time, forming a right-hand spiral with the direction of electromagnetic wave propagation. Conversely, left-hand circular polarization is characterized by a left-hand spiral.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna and a communication device. In the polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna, the two output ends of the power divider layer, the two corresponding liquid crystal phase shifters, and the corresponding radiators can form a polarization-reconfigurable radiating unit or array element; because the power divider layer, the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters, and the radiator layer are stacked along the first direction, a single radiating unit does not need to arrange the liquid crystal phase shifter and the radiator side by side, thereby greatly reducing the area of ​​the radiating unit. As a result, the polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna can significantly reduce the area of ​​a single radiating unit, thereby achieving a spacing of the radiating units that is no more than half of the operating wavelength, thereby preventing grating lobes and improving antenna performance. In addition, the polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna also has the advantages of low system complexity, simple structure, high integration, low cost, and low power consumption.

[0009] At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna, which includes: a power divider layer, including multiple power divider output ends; multiple liquid crystal phase shifters, located on one side of the power divider layer; and a radiator layer, including multiple radiators, and located on a side of the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters away from the power divider layer, each of the liquid crystal phase shifters includes an input end and an output end, each of the radiators includes a radiation patch and two input ends, the multiple input ends of the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters are connected to the multiple power divider output ends, and the two input ends of each radiator are respectively connected to the two output ends of two liquid crystal phase shifters, the power divider layer, the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters and the radiator layer are stacked along a first direction, and the overall extension direction of each liquid crystal phase shifter is perpendicular to the power divider layer or the radiator layer.

[0010] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the liquid crystal phase shifters includes: a ground electrode; a signal electrode; and a liquid crystal layer located between the ground electrode and the signal electrode, and the signal electrode and the ground electrode both extend along the first direction.

[0011] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the multiple radiators included in the radiator layer are arrayed along the second direction and the third direction to form a plurality of radiator rows arranged along the third direction, and the plurality of radiators in each radiator row are arranged along the second direction; the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters are arrayed along the second direction and the third direction to form a plurality of phase shifter rows arranged along the third direction, and the plurality of phase shifters in each phase shifter row are arranged along the second direction; the multiple phase shifter rows are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple radiator rows, and the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters in each phase shifter row are connected to the multiple radiators in the corresponding radiator row.

[0012] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the liquid crystal layers of multiple liquid crystal phase shifters in the same phase shifter row are interconnected to form a common liquid crystal layer; the common liquid crystal layer extends along the first direction and the second direction, and the multiple common liquid crystal layers of the multiple phase shifter rows are arranged at intervals along the third direction.

[0013] For example, a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure also includes: multiple first vertical interconnection structures, located between the power divider layer and the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters, and arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the multiple power divider output ends and the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters, each of the first vertical interconnection structures includes an input end and an output end, the input end of each first vertical interconnection structure is connected to the corresponding power divider output end, and the output end of each first vertical interconnection structure is connected to the corresponding liquid crystal phase shifter.

[0014] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the first vertical interconnection structures includes: a first metal carrier, including a first through hole; a first conductive structure, located in the first through hole; a first dielectric layer, located in the first through hole and insulating the first conductive structure from the first metal carrier; and a first metal pin, connected to the first metal carrier, one end of the first conductive structure serves as an input end of the first vertical interconnection structure, and the other end of the first conductive structure serves as an output end of the first vertical interconnection structure.

[0015] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of first metal carriers of a plurality of the first vertical interconnect structures are integrated into a first metal plate.

[0016] For example, a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure also includes: multiple second vertical interconnection structures, located between the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters and the radiator layer, and arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters and the multiple radiators, each of the second vertical interconnection structures includes an input end and an output end, the input end of each second vertical interconnection structure is connected to the corresponding liquid crystal phase shifter, and the output end of each second vertical interconnection structure is connected to the corresponding radiator.

[0017] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the second vertical interconnection structures includes: a second metal carrier, including a second through-hole; a second conductive structure, located in the second through-hole; a second dielectric layer, located in the second through-hole and insulating the second conductive structure from the second metal carrier; and a second metal pin, connected to the second metal carrier, one end of the second conductive structure serves as an input end of the second vertical interconnection structure, and the other end of the second conductive structure serves as an output end of the second vertical interconnection structure.

[0018] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of second metal carriers of a plurality of the second vertical interconnect structures are integrated into a second metal plate.

[0019] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the two input ends of the radiator include a first input end and a second input end, and each of the radiators further includes: a first coupling structure, configured to couple the electromagnetic waves on the first input end to the radiating patch; and a second coupling structure, configured to couple the electromagnetic waves on the second input end to the radiating patch, and the first coupling structure and the second coupling structure are orthogonal.

[0020] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the radiators further includes: a first dielectric layer, located on one side of the radiating patch; a first conductive layer, located on a side of the first dielectric layer away from the radiating patch; a second dielectric layer, located on a side of the first conductive layer away from the first dielectric layer; a first stripline and a second stripline, located on a side of the second dielectric layer away from the first conductive layer; and a third dielectric layer, located on a side of the first stripline and the second stripline away from the second dielectric layer, the third dielectric layer including a first via and a second via, and the radiator further including a first feeding probe and a second A feeding probe, wherein the first feeding probe connects the first input end to the first stripline through the first via, and the second feeding probe connects the second input end to the second stripline through the second via. The first conductive layer includes a first coupling slot and a second coupling slot. The first coupling slot is configured to couple electromagnetic waves on the first stripline to the radiation patch. The second coupling slot is configured to couple electromagnetic waves on the second stripline to the radiation patch. The first coupling structure includes the first coupling slot and the first stripline. The second coupling structure includes the second coupling slot and the second stripline.

[0021] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the radiators further includes: a second conductive layer, located on a side of the third dielectric layer away from the first strip line and the second strip line, the second conductive layer surrounding the first input end and the second input end, and insulated from the first input end and the second input end.

[0022] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, each radiator further includes: a fourth dielectric layer, located on a side of the radiating patch away from the first dielectric layer; and a parasitic patch, located on a side of the fourth dielectric layer away from the radiating patch, the orthographic projection of the parasitic patch on the fourth dielectric layer covering the orthographic projection of the radiating patch on the fourth dielectric layer.

[0023] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the shapes of the first coupling slot and the second coupling slot are both H-shaped.

[0024] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first strip line and the second strip line are bent and have the same length.

[0025] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the shapes of the radiation patch include circle, ellipse, rectangle and regular N-gon, where N is a positive integer greater than 4.

[0026] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the power divider layer further includes a constant-amplitude power divider feeding network.

[0027] For example, in a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the power divider layer also includes an unequal power division feeding network, and the unequal power division feeding network is configured so that the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave signal output by the output end located at the edge of the power divider layer is smaller than the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave signal output by the output end at the center of the power divider layer.

[0028] At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device comprising any of the aforementioned polarization reconfigurable phased array antennas. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only relate to some embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than limiting the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG1 is an exploded schematic diagram of a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the hierarchical relationship of a polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a liquid crystal phase shifter provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a liquid crystal phase shifter provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG5 is a plan view of a radiator layer provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a first vertical interconnect structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG7A is a schematic structural diagram of another first vertical interconnect structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] FIG7B is a cross-sectional view of a first vertical interconnect structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a second vertical interconnect structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] FIG9A is a schematic structural diagram of another second vertical interconnect structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG9B is a cross-sectional view of a second vertical interconnect structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of a radiator provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] FIG11 is a top view of a radiator provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG12 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a radiator provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] FIG13 is a top view of another radiator provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG14 is a top view of another radiator provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] FIG15 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another radiator provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG16 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another radiator provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] FIG17 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another radiator provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0049] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a power divider layer provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0050] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of another power divider layer provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0051] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0053] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure should have the usual meanings understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which this disclosure belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0054] Since liquid crystal has the characteristic of continuously changing dielectric constant within a certain driving voltage range, liquid crystal phase shifters using liquid crystal as the dielectric layer have become a research hotspot.

[0055] On the other hand, the array element or radiating unit of a polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna includes a power splitter structure, two liquid crystal phase shifters, and a polarization-reconfigurable radiator. After passing through the power splitter structure, the electromagnetic wave signal is split into two signals with the same phase. These two electromagnetic wave signals are phase-shifted by two liquid crystal phase shifters and then fed into the polarization-reconfigurable radiator for linear polarization, left-hand circular polarization, and right-hand circular polarization. This radiating unit can achieve beam pointing control and polarization reconfiguration of the phased array antenna by adjusting the dynamic phase of the liquid crystal phase shifter without using a switching circuit.

[0056] However, in radiating elements using liquid crystal phase shifters, the juxtaposition of the liquid crystal phase shifter and the large area of ​​the liquid crystal phase shifter results in a larger radiating element. According to array antenna theory, the spacing between array elements in a phased array antenna should be no greater than half the operating wavelength to prevent grating lobes and improve antenna performance. Therefore, a new polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna architecture is needed to reduce element size and thus reduce element spacing.

[0057] In this regard, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna. The polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna includes a power divider layer, multiple liquid crystal phase shifters, and a radiator layer; the power divider layer includes multiple power divider output terminals; the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters are located on one side of the power divider layer; the radiator layer includes multiple radiators, and is located on a side of the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters away from the power divider layer; each liquid crystal phase shifter includes an input terminal and an output terminal, each radiator includes a radiating patch and two input terminals, the multiple input terminals of the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters are connected to the multiple power divider output terminals, and the two input terminals of each radiator are respectively connected to the two output terminals of the two liquid crystal phase shifters; the power divider layer, the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters, and the radiator layer are stacked along a first direction, and the overall extension direction of each liquid crystal phase shifter is perpendicular to the power divider layer or the radiator layer. The two output ends of the power divider layer, the two corresponding liquid crystal phase shifters, and the corresponding radiators can form a polarization-reconfigurable radiating unit or array element. Because the power divider layer, multiple liquid crystal phase shifters, and radiator layer are stacked along a first direction, and the overall extension direction of each liquid crystal phase shifter is perpendicular to the power divider layer or radiator layer, a single radiating unit does not need to have the liquid crystal phase shifter and radiator arranged side by side, and the liquid crystal phase shifter is placed vertically, thereby greatly reducing the area of ​​the radiating unit. As a result, the polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna can significantly reduce the area of ​​a single radiating unit, thereby achieving a spacing of radiating units no greater than half the operating wavelength, thereby preventing grating lobes and improving antenna performance. In addition, the polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna also has the advantages of low system complexity, simple structure, high integration, low cost, and low power consumption.

[0058] At least one embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device comprising the aforementioned polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna. Thus, the communication device has the advantages of fast scanning speed, high efficiency, wide application scenarios, excellent performance, low cost, low power consumption, and high integration.

[0059] The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna and communication device provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exploded view of a polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the hierarchical relationship of a polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0061] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna 100 includes a power divider layer 110, multiple liquid crystal phase shifters 120 and a radiator layer 130; the power divider layer 110 includes multiple power divider output ends 114; the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters 120 are located on one side of the power divider layer 110; the radiator layer 130 includes multiple radiators 140, and is located on the side of the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters 120 away from the power divider layer 110; each liquid crystal phase shifter 120 includes an input end and an output end, and each radiator 140 includes a radiation patch 149 and two input ends 142. The multiple input ends of the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters 120 are connected to the multiple power divider output ends 114, and the two input ends of each radiator 140 are respectively connected to the two output ends of the two liquid crystal phase shifters 120. The power divider layer 110, multiple liquid crystal phase shifters 120, and the radiator layer 130 are stacked along a first direction X, with each liquid crystal phase shifter 120 extending perpendicularly to the power divider layer 110 or the radiator layer 130. It should be noted that to clearly illustrate the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters, the number of liquid crystal phase shifters in FIG1 is not the actual number; the number of liquid crystal phase shifters and the number of radiators may not be equal.

[0062] In the polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, multiple input ends of multiple liquid crystal phase shifters are connected to multiple power divider output ends, and the two input ends of each radiator are respectively connected to the two output ends of two liquid crystal phase shifters, so that the electromagnetic wave signals on the two power divider output ends can be phase-modulated by the two liquid crystal phase shifters, so that the two electromagnetic wave signals produce a phase difference, and then polarized on the radiator. For example, when the electromagnetic wave signals output from the two power divider output ends are phase-modulated by the two liquid crystal phase shifters, so that the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals modulated by the two liquid crystal phase shifters is 0 degrees, the two electromagnetic wave signals modulated by the two liquid crystal phase shifters can be fed into the radiation patch of the radiator through the two input ends of the corresponding radiator, and a linearly polarized wave is generated on the radiation patch; when the electromagnetic wave signals output from the two power divider output ends are phase-modulated by the two liquid crystal phase shifters, so that the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals modulated by the two liquid crystal phase shifters is +90 degrees. , the two electromagnetic wave signals modulated by the two liquid crystal phase shifters can be fed into the radiating patch of the radiator through the two input ends of the corresponding radiator, and a right-handed circularly polarized wave is generated on the radiating patch. When the electromagnetic wave signals output from the two power splitter output ends are phase-modulated by the two liquid crystal phase shifters so that the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals modulated by the two liquid crystal phase shifters is -90 degrees, the two electromagnetic wave signals modulated by the two liquid crystal phase shifters can be fed into the radiating patch of the radiator through the two input ends of the corresponding radiator, and a left-handed circularly polarized wave is generated on the radiating patch. Thus, the two output ends of the power splitter layer, the two corresponding liquid crystal phase shifters, and the corresponding radiator can form a polarization-reconfigurable radiating unit or array element.

[0063] On the other hand, because the power divider layer, multiple liquid crystal phase shifters, and radiator layer are stacked along the first direction, a single radiating unit does not need to have the liquid crystal phase shifter and radiator arranged side by side (or on the same layer), and the liquid crystal phase shifter is placed vertically, which can greatly reduce the area of ​​the radiating unit. As a result, the polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna can reduce the area of ​​a single radiating unit, thereby achieving a spacing of radiating units no greater than half the operating wavelength, thereby preventing grating lobes and improving antenna performance. In addition, the polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna also has the advantages of low system complexity, simple structure, high integration, low cost, and low power consumption.

[0064] It should be noted that the polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a plurality of the above-mentioned radiating units or array elements, so that the phases of the plurality of radiating units can be adjusted so that the electromagnetic waves emitted by different radiating units have different phases, thereby realizing the beam scanning function by utilizing the principles of constructive interference and destructive interference. In addition, the above-mentioned radiating units can also be used to receive various polarized waves; for example, when the above-mentioned radiating units receive circularly polarized waves (including left-handed circularly polarized waves and right-handed circularly polarized waves), the circularly polarized waves can be decomposed into two orthogonal linearly polarized waves at the radiating patch of the radiator, and respectively transmitted to the power divider layer through two connected liquid crystal phase shifters.

[0065] It should be noted that the aforementioned circularly polarized waves include true circularly polarized waves and elliptically polarized waves. When the axial ratio of a circularly polarized wave is 1, it is a true circularly polarized wave; when the axial ratio of a circularly polarized wave is greater than 1, it is an elliptically polarized wave. For example, when the phase difference between two electromagnetic wave signals modulated by two liquid crystal phase shifters is not ±90 degrees and is not 0 degrees, an elliptically polarized wave can be generated by the radiator.

[0066] In the phased array antenna provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the overall extension direction of each liquid crystal phase shifter 120 can be parallel to the first direction and perpendicular to the power divider layer 110 or the radiator layer 130, that is, each liquid crystal phase shifter 120 is arranged vertically relative to the power divider layer 110. As a result, the phased array antenna can further reduce the area of ​​the positive projection of each liquid crystal phase shifter on the power divider layer 110, thereby reducing the area of ​​each radiating unit. It should be noted that the phase adjustment range of the liquid crystal phase shifter is generally related to the area occupied by the liquid crystal phase shifter, in particular, the length of the signal electrode. Therefore, the size of the liquid crystal phase shifter in the extension direction of the signal electrode is relatively large. By placing the liquid crystal phase shifter vertically, the phased array antenna can greatly reduce the positive projection of the liquid crystal phase shifter on the power divider layer or the radiator layer.

[0067] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a liquid crystal phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a liquid crystal phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each liquid crystal phase shifter 120 includes a ground electrode 121, a signal electrode 122, and a liquid crystal layer 123 located between the ground electrode 121 and the signal electrode 122.

[0068] Since liquid crystal is a state of aggregation of matter between solid and liquid, the dielectric anisotropy of the liquid crystal material and the free rotation of the molecules allow the material in this state to change its dielectric constant and thus its phase constant when subjected to external stimulation (electric field or magnetic field). Therefore, by applying a driving voltage to the signal electrode 122 and grounding the ground electrode 121, the bias voltage on the signal electrode 122 can be controlled to change the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal material in the liquid crystal layer 123, thereby controlling the phase delay output by the liquid crystal phase shifter. In addition, the bias voltage on the signal electrode of the liquid crystal phase shifter corresponds to the phase delay, and this correspondence is called the V-Phase characteristic of the liquid crystal phase shifter. In other words, the phase shift amount of the liquid crystal phase shifter 120 can be controlled by controlling the driving voltage applied to the signal electrode 122.

[0069] In some examples, the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal layer may be nematic liquid crystal, cholesteric liquid crystal, smectic liquid crystal, etc., and may also be negative liquid crystal or positive liquid crystal.

[0070] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , one end of the signal electrode 122 may serve as an input end of the liquid crystal phase shifter 120 , and the other end of the signal electrode 122 may serve as an output end of the liquid crystal phase shifter 120 .

[0071] In some examples, because the liquid crystal phase shifter is placed vertically, this arrangement can significantly reduce the area of ​​each radiating element compared to a horizontally placed liquid crystal phase shifter. In this case, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the signal electrode 122 and the ground electrode 121 of the liquid crystal phase shifter 120 both extend along the first direction X.

[0072] In some examples, the materials of the ground electrode 121 and the signal electrode 122 may include metals, alloys, conductive metal oxides, or combinations thereof. For example, the metal may be selected from at least one of nickel, platinum, vanadium, chromium, copper, zinc, gold, aluminum, magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, titanium, indium, yttrium, lithium, gadolinium, silver, tin, lead, cesium, and barium; the alloy may be an alloy of one or more of nickel, platinum, vanadium, chromium, copper, zinc, gold, aluminum, magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, titanium, indium, yttrium, lithium, gadolinium, silver, tin, lead, cesium, and barium; and the conductive metal oxide may be selected from at least one of zinc oxide, indium oxide, tin oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), and fluorine-doped tin oxide. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these, and the materials of the ground electrode and the signal electrode can be set according to the transmission efficiency requirements.

[0073] In some examples, the ground electrode may have a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure. When the ground electrode has a multi-layer structure, the multi-layer structure of the ground electrode may include lithium fluoride / aluminum (LiF / Al), lithium oxide / aluminum (Li2O / Al), lithium quinoline complex / aluminum, lithium fluoride / calcium (LiF / Ca), or barium fluoride / calcium (BaF2 / Ca). Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these.

[0074] In some examples, the materials of the ground electrode and the signal electrode may be the same or different.

[0075] In some examples, the ground electrode and the signal electrode are both made of copper; that is, the ground electrode and the signal electrode are both made of copper. Thus, the tunable phase shifter reduces transmission loss of microwave electromagnetic signals while lowering costs.

[0076] In some examples, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna 100 may further include a driving circuit 150, which is electrically connected to the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters 120, thereby controlling the phase shift of the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters 120. It should be noted that the V-Phase characteristics of the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters can be stored in a memory chip of the driving circuit. After the driving circuit obtains the transmitted angular pointing information, it calculates the theoretical phase distribution of each liquid crystal phase shifter, then reads the array calibration data and the V-Phase characteristics of the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters from the memory chip. The theoretical phase distribution is superimposed with the calibration data to obtain the final phase distribution of each liquid crystal phase shifter. The driving circuit then issues a driving voltage based on the V-Phase characteristics of each liquid crystal phase shifter, thereby controlling each liquid crystal phase shifter to achieve corresponding phase modulation, thereby pointing the beam of the phased array antenna to the desired position.

[0077] In some examples, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna 100 may further include a drive cable 155, one end of which is connected to the drive circuit 150 and the other end is connected to the liquid crystal phase shifter 120. It should be noted that, for the sake of clarity, Figure 2 only shows one liquid crystal phase shifter 120 connected to the drive circuit 150 via the drive cable 155, and does not show the connection between other liquid crystal phase shifters and the drive circuit.

[0078] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the driving circuit 150 is disposed on the side of the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters 120 in the second direction Y, so that the driving circuit 150 can be electrically connected to the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters 120 .

[0079] Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of a radiator layer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 5, radiator layer 130 includes multiple radiators 140 arranged in an array along a second direction Y and a third direction Z, forming multiple radiator rows 140R arranged along the third direction Z. The multiple radiators 140 in each radiator row 140R are arranged along the second direction Y. It should be noted that the second direction and the third direction are both different from the first direction; for example, both the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to the first direction.

[0080] In some examples, the center distance between two adjacent radiators 140 in the second direction Y is less than half the operating wavelength, and the center distance between two adjacent radiators 140 in the third direction Z is less than half the operating wavelength. Thus, the phased array antenna can prevent grating lobes and improve antenna performance.

[0081] In some examples, as shown in FIG1 and FIG2 , the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters 120 are also arrayed along the second direction Y and the third direction Z to form a plurality of phase shifter rows 120R arranged along the third direction. The plurality of phase shifters 120 in each phase shifter row 120R is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of radiator rows 140R. The plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters 120 in each phase shifter row 120R is connected to the plurality of radiators 140 in the corresponding radiator row 140R. It should be noted that the number of liquid crystal phase shifters 120 and the number of radiators 140 correspondingly arranged in the phase shifter rows 120R and radiator rows 140R are not equal. For example, one radiator 140 may be connected to two liquid crystal phase shifters 120, and the number of liquid crystal phase shifters 120 correspondingly arranged in the phase shifter rows 120R and radiator rows 140R is twice the number of radiators 140. Of course, in practical applications, algorithms can also be used to enable multiple radiators to share one or more liquid crystal phase shifters. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure do not strictly limit the number of liquid crystal phase shifters correspondingly arranged in the phase shifter rows and radiator rows to twice the number of radiators, as long as for a radiator, its two input ends are connected to two different liquid crystal phase shifters.

[0082] In some examples, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 , the liquid crystal layers 123 of multiple liquid crystal phase shifters 120 in the same phase shifter row 120R are interconnected to form a common liquid crystal layer 1230. The common liquid crystal layer 1230 extends along a first direction X and a second direction Y. The common liquid crystal layers 1230 of multiple phase shifter rows 120R are spaced apart along a third direction. As a result, the area occupied by each liquid crystal phase shifter 120 on the plane formed by the second and third directions is relatively small, resulting in a smaller area for the radiating units or elements of the phased array antenna, making it easy to achieve a spacing between the radiating units or elements that is less than half the operating wavelength.

[0083] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the size of the liquid crystal layer 123 of the liquid crystal phase shifter 120 in the third direction Z is smaller than the sizes in the first direction X and the second direction Y.

[0084] In some examples, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna 100 may also include a plurality of drive cables 155, and the plurality of drive cables 155 are arranged corresponding to the plurality of phase shifter rows 120R. One drive cable 155 can be respectively connected to a plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters 120 in a phase shifter row 120R.

[0085] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the plurality of driving cables 155 are arranged along the third direction Z.

[0086] In some examples, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna 100 further includes a plurality of first vertical interconnect structures 160, located between the power divider layer 110 and the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters 120, and corresponding to each of the plurality of power divider output terminals 114 and the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters 120. Each first vertical interconnect structure 160 includes an input terminal and an output terminal, with the input terminal of each first vertical interconnect structure 160 connected to the corresponding power divider output terminal 114, and the output terminal of each first vertical interconnect structure 160 connected to the corresponding liquid crystal phase shifter 120. Because the power divider layer, the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters, and the radiator layer are stacked along the first direction X, the use of these plurality of first vertical interconnect structures 160 can improve signal connection stability and anti-interference capabilities of the phased array antenna 100. Furthermore, the use of these plurality of first vertical interconnect structures can further reduce the space occupied by the polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna, improving its compactness.

[0087] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a first vertical interconnect structure provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, each first vertical interconnect structure 160 includes a first metal carrier 161, a first conductive structure 162, a first dielectric layer 163, and a first metal pin 164. The first metal carrier 161 includes a first through-hole 161H. The first conductive structure 162 is located in the first through-hole 161H. The first dielectric layer 163 is located in the first through-hole 161H and insulates the first conductive structure 162 from the first metal carrier 161. The first metal pin 164 is connected to the first metal carrier 161. One end of the first conductive structure 162 serves as the input end of the first vertical interconnect structure 160, and the other end of the first conductive structure 162 serves as the output end of the first vertical interconnect structure 160.

[0088] In some examples, referring to Figures 3 and 4 , when the liquid crystal phase shifter 120 includes a ground electrode 121 and a signal electrode 122, one end of the signal electrode 122 may be connected to the first conductive structure 162 to serve as an input end of the liquid crystal phase shifter, and one end of the ground electrode 121 may be connected to the first metal pin 164 to apply a common signal to the ground electrode 121 through the first metal pin 164.

[0089] 6 , each first vertical interconnect structure 160 includes two first metal pins 164 symmetrically distributed on both sides of the first through hole 161H. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to this, and each first vertical interconnect structure may also include other numbers of first metal pins.

[0090] In some examples, the first vertical interconnection structure provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure includes but is not limited to the specific structure shown in Figure 6. The above-mentioned first vertical interconnection structures can also use independently packaged RF connectors such as SMP and SSMP to achieve vertical interconnection.

[0091] Figure 7A is a schematic diagram of another first vertical interconnect structure provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7B is a cross-sectional view of a first vertical interconnect structure provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 7A and 7B, the multiple first metal carriers 161 of the multiple first vertical interconnect structures 160 are integrated into a first metal plate 1610. In other words, the integration of the multiple first vertical interconnect structures facilitates installation and further reduces costs.

[0092] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B , each first vertical interconnect structure 160 includes two first metal pins 164 symmetrically distributed on both sides of the first through hole 161H.

[0093] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B , the first conductive structure 162 of each first vertical interconnect structure 160 may extend out of the surface of the first metal carrier 161 so as to be directly pressed against the power divider output terminal, thereby improving installation efficiency and reducing costs.

[0094] In some examples, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna 100 further includes a plurality of second vertical interconnect structures 170, located between the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters 120 and the radiator layer 130, corresponding one-to-one to each of the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters 120 and the plurality of radiators 140. Each second vertical interconnect structure 170 includes an input and an output. The input of each second vertical interconnect structure 170 is connected to the corresponding liquid crystal phase shifter 120, and the output of each second vertical interconnect structure 170 is connected to the corresponding radiator 140. Because the power divider layer, the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters, and the radiator layer are stacked along the first direction, the use of these plurality of second vertical interconnect structures 170 can improve signal connection stability and anti-interference capabilities.

[0095] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a second vertical interconnect structure provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, each second vertical interconnect structure 170 includes a second metal carrier 171, a second conductive structure 172, a second dielectric layer 173, and a second metal pin 174. The second metal carrier 171 includes a second through-hole 171H. The second conductive structure 172 is located in the second through-hole 171H. The second dielectric layer 173 is located in the second through-hole 171H and insulates the second conductive structure 172 from the second metal carrier 171. The second metal pin 174 is connected to the second metal carrier 171. One end of the second conductive structure 172 serves as the input end of the second vertical interconnect structure 170, and the other end of the second conductive structure 172 serves as the output end of the second vertical interconnect structure 170.

[0096] In some examples, referring to Figures 3 and 4, when the liquid crystal phase shifter 120 includes a ground electrode 121 and a signal electrode 122, one end of the signal electrode 122 can be connected to the second conductive structure 172 to serve as the output end of the liquid crystal phase shifter, and one end of the ground electrode 121 can be connected to the second metal pin 174 to apply a common signal to the ground electrode 121 through the second metal pin 174, or the ground electrodes 121 of multiple liquid crystal phase shifters 120 can be interconnected to improve consistency.

[0097] 8 , each second vertical interconnect structure 170 includes two second metal pins 174 symmetrically distributed on both sides of the second through hole 171H. Of course, the disclosed embodiments include but are not limited to this, and each second vertical interconnect structure may also include other numbers of second metal pins.

[0098] In some examples, the second vertical interconnection structure provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure includes but is not limited to the specific structure shown in Figure 8. The above-mentioned second vertical interconnection structures can also use independently packaged RF connectors such as SMP and SSMP to achieve vertical interconnection.

[0099] Figure 9A is a schematic diagram of another second vertical interconnect structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 9B is a cross-sectional view of a second vertical interconnect structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 9A and 9B, multiple second metal carriers 171 of multiple second vertical interconnect structures 170 are integrated into a second metal plate 1710. In other words, the multiple second vertical interconnect structures are integrated into one body, facilitating installation and further reducing costs.

[0100] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B , each second vertical interconnect structure 170 includes two second metal pins 174 symmetrically distributed on both sides of the second through hole 171H.

[0101] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B , the first conductive structure 172 of each second vertical interconnect structure 170 may extend out of the surface of the second metal carrier 171 so as to be directly pressed against the input end of the radiator, thereby improving installation efficiency and reducing costs.

[0102] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a radiator provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 11 is a top view of a radiator provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the cross-section of a radiator provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0103] As shown in Figures 10, 11, and 12, the two input ports 142 of the radiator 140 include a first input port 142A and a second input port 142B. Each radiator 140 also includes a first coupling structure 147 and a second coupling structure 148. The first coupling structure 147 is configured to couple electromagnetic waves at the first input port 142A to a radiating patch 149, while the second coupling structure 148 is configured to couple electromagnetic waves at the second input port 142B to the radiating patch 149. The first coupling structure 147 and the second coupling structure 148 are orthogonal to each other. As a result, the two electromagnetic wave signals input from the first input port 142A and the second input port 142B can be polarized at the radiating patch 149, generating various types of polarized waves.

[0104] For example, as shown in Figures 10, 11, and 12, when the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals input through the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B is 0 degrees, a linearly polarized wave can be generated on the radiation patch 149. When the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals input through the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B is +90 degrees, a right-handed circularly polarized wave can be generated on the radiation patch 149. When the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals input through the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B is -90 degrees, a left-handed circularly polarized wave can be generated on the radiation patch 149. Therefore, the radiator is a polarization reconfigurable radiator.

[0105] In some examples, as shown in Figures 10, 11 and 12, each radiator 140 further includes a first dielectric layer 1431, a first conductive layer 1441, a second dielectric layer 1432, a first stripline 145A, a second stripline 145B and a third dielectric layer 1433; the first dielectric layer 1431 is located on one side of the radiation patch 149; the first conductive layer 1441 is located on the side of the first dielectric layer 1431 away from the radiation patch 149; the second dielectric layer 1432 is located on the side of the first conductive layer 1441 away from the first dielectric layer 1431; the first stripline 145A and the second stripline 145B are located on the side of the second dielectric layer 1432 away from the first conductive layer 1441; and the third dielectric layer 1433 is located on the side of the first stripline 145A and the second stripline 145B away from the second dielectric layer 1432.

[0106] The third dielectric layer 1433 includes a first via hole H1 and a second via hole H2. The radiator 140 also includes a first feeding probe P1 and a second feeding probe P2. The first feeding probe P1 connects the first input end 142A to the first strip line 145A through the first via hole H1, and the second feeding probe P2 connects the first input end 142A to the first strip line 145A through the second via hole H2. The second input terminal 142B is connected to the second stripline 145B. The first conductive layer 1441 includes a first coupling slot 144A and a second coupling slot 144B. The first coupling slot 144A is configured to couple electromagnetic waves on the first stripline 145A to the radiating patch 149, and the second coupling slot 144B is configured to couple electromagnetic waves on the second stripline 145B to the radiating patch 149. The first coupling structure 147 includes the first coupling slot 144A and the first stripline 145A to couple electromagnetic waves on the first input terminal 142A to the radiating patch 149. The second coupling structure 148 includes the second coupling slot 144B and the second stripline 145B to couple electromagnetic waves on the second input terminal 142B to the radiating patch 149. It should be noted that the stripline includes two line electrodes and a dielectric layer between the line electrodes, thereby improving anti-interference capabilities.

[0107] In some examples, as shown in Figures 10, 11, and 12, the first coupling slot 144A and the second coupling slot 144B are both H-shaped. Thus, the radiator can improve the impedance bandwidth and antenna directivity.

[0108] For example, as shown in Figures 10, 11, and 12, an H-shaped first coupling slot 144A and an H-shaped second coupling slot 144B are orthogonal. For example, the first coupling slot 144A includes two parallel sub-slots and a connecting slot connecting the two parallel sub-slots, and the second coupling slot 144B also includes two parallel sub-slots and a connecting slot connecting the two parallel sub-slots. The extending direction of the connecting slot of the first coupling slot 144A is perpendicular to the extending direction of the connecting slot of the second coupling slot 144B.

[0109] In some examples, as shown in Figures 10, 11, and 12, the first stripline 145A and the second stripline 145B are bent and have the same length, thereby improving the impedance uniformity of the two electromagnetic wave signals coupled to the radiation patch 149.

[0110] In some examples, as shown in FIG12 , each radiator 140 further includes a second conductive layer 1442 located on a side of the third dielectric layer 1433 away from the first and second stripline 145A, 145B. The second conductive layer 1442 surrounds the first and second input terminals 142A, 142B and is insulated from the first and second input terminals 142A, 142B. Thus, in addition to employing stripline technology, the radiator can further prevent signal interference or crosstalk between the radiator and the liquid crystal phase shifter.

[0111] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 , the orthographic projection of the radiation patch 149 on the first conductive layer 1441 overlaps with the orthographic projections of the first coupling slot 144A and the second coupling slot 144B on the first conductive layer 1441 .

[0112] In some examples, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, the orthographic projection of one end of the first microstrip line 145A away from the first input terminal 142A on the first conductive layer 1441 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the connecting gap of the first coupling gap 144A on the first conductive layer 1441; the orthographic projection of one end of the second microstrip line 145B away from the second input terminal 142B on the first conductive layer 1441 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the connecting gap of the second coupling gap 144B on the first conductive layer 1441.

[0113] In some examples, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, the orthographic projections of the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B on the first conductive layer 1441 are both circular. Of course, embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these, and the orthographic projections of the first input terminal and the second input terminal on the first conductive layer may also be other shapes.

[0114] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 , the first microstrip line 145A includes a U-shaped bend portion, and the second microstrip line 145B includes an L-shaped bend portion.

[0115] In some examples, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the radiation patch 149 is circular. Of course, embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to this, and the radiation patch may also be elliptical, circular, rectangular, or other regular N-gons, where N is a positive integer greater than 4.

[0116] Figure 13 is a top view of another radiator provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 14 is a top view of another radiator provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Unlike the radiator shown in Figure 11, the radiating patch 149 in the radiator shown in Figure 13 is rectangular or square in shape, while the radiating patch 149 in the radiator shown in Figure 14 is a regular hexagon.

[0117] In some examples, the material of the first dielectric layer can be commonly used printed circuit board insulation materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber, phenolic paper, and phenolic glass cloth, or can be made of a low-loss rigid material such as quartz, glass, or resin. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these, and the first dielectric layer can also be made of other suitable materials.

[0118] In some examples, the material of the second dielectric layer can be polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber, phenolic paper, phenolic glass cloth, or other commonly used insulating materials for printed circuit boards. Alternatively, the second dielectric layer can be made of a low-loss rigid material such as quartz, glass, or resin. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these, and the first dielectric layer can also be made of other suitable materials.

[0119] In some examples, the material of the third dielectric layer can be commonly used printed circuit board insulation materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber, phenolic paper, and phenolic glass cloth, or can be made of a low-loss rigid material such as quartz, glass, or resin. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these, and the first dielectric layer can also be made of other suitable materials.

[0120] In some examples, the thickness of the first dielectric layer, the second dielectric layer, and the third dielectric layer may range from 100 micrometers to 10 millimeters.

[0121] In some examples, the materials of the first and second conductive layers can be low-resistance, low-loss metals such as copper, gold, silver, aluminum, or alloys thereof. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these, and the first and second conductive layers can also be made of other suitable materials.

[0122] In some examples, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer can be formed by magnetron sputtering, evaporation, electroplating, or the like.

[0123] Figure 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another radiator provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 15, compared to the radiator shown in Figure 12, the radiator shown in Figure 15 further includes a fourth dielectric layer 1434 and a parasitic patch 146. Fourth dielectric layer 1434 is located on the side of radiating patch 149 away from first dielectric layer 1431. Parasitic patch 146 is located on the side of fourth dielectric layer 1434 away from radiating patch 149, with the orthographic projection of parasitic patch 146 on fourth dielectric layer 1434 overlapping the orthographic projection of radiating patch 149 on fourth dielectric layer 1434. Therefore, by providing the aforementioned parasitic patch, the radiator can further improve impedance bandwidth, antenna directivity, and other performance.

[0124] In some examples, the fourth dielectric layer may be made of commonly used printed circuit board insulation materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber, phenolic paper, and phenolic glass cloth, or may be made of a low-loss rigid material such as quartz, glass, or resin. Of course, the disclosed embodiments include but are not limited to these, and the first dielectric layer may also be made of other suitable materials.

[0125] In some examples, the parasitic patch and the radiating patch may be made of the same material. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to this, and the parasitic patch and the radiating patch may also be made of different materials.

[0126] In some examples, the parasitic patch and the radiating patch may be made of low-resistance, low-loss metals such as copper, gold, silver, aluminum, or alloys thereof. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these, and the parasitic patch and the radiating patch may also be made of other suitable materials.

[0127] Figure 16 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another radiator provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 16, the radiator 140 includes a radiating patch 149, a fifth dielectric layer 1435, and a third conductive layer 1443. The fifth dielectric layer 1435 is disposed between the radiating patch 149 and the third conductive layer 1443. The third conductive layer 1443 surrounds the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B and is insulated from the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B. The radiator 140 also includes a third feeding probe P3 and a fourth feeding probe P4. The third feeding probe P3 passes through the fifth dielectric layer 1435 and connects the first input terminal 142A to the radiating patch 149. The fourth feeding probe P4 passes through the fifth dielectric layer 1435 and connects the second input terminal 142B to the radiating patch 149. As a result, the radiator has the advantage of a simple structure, directly feeding the two electromagnetic wave signals at the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B into the radiating patch 149.

[0128] In some examples, as shown in FIG16 , a first line between a position where the third feeding probe P3 is connected to the radiation patch 149 and the center of the radiation patch 149 and a second line between a position where the fourth feeding probe P4 is connected to the radiation patch 149 and the center of the radiation patch 149 are perpendicular to each other.

[0129] In some examples, as shown in FIG16 , two electromagnetic wave signals modulated by two liquid crystal phase shifters can be fed into the radiation patch 149 through the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B respectively through the third feeding probe P3 and the fourth feeding probe P4, and form various types of polarized waves at the radiation patch 149 .

[0130] For example, as shown in FIG16 , when the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals input through the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B is 0 degrees, a linearly polarized wave can be generated on the radiation patch 149. When the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals input through the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B is +90 degrees, a right-handed circularly polarized wave can be generated on the radiation patch 149. When the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals input through the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B is -90 degrees, a left-handed circularly polarized wave can be generated on the radiation patch 149. Therefore, the radiator is a polarization reconfigurable radiator.

[0131] In some examples, the material of the fifth dielectric layer can be polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber, phenolic paper, phenolic glass cloth, or other commonly used insulating materials for printed circuit boards. Alternatively, the material can be a low-loss rigid material such as quartz, glass, or resin. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these, and the first dielectric layer can also be made of other suitable materials.

[0132] FIG17 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another radiator provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 17, the radiator 140 includes a radiation patch 149, a sixth dielectric layer 1436, a fourth conductive layer 1444, a seventh dielectric layer 1437, a first microstrip line 181 and a second microstrip line 182; the sixth dielectric layer 1436 is located between the radiation patch 149 and the fourth conductive layer 1444, and the seventh dielectric layer 1437 is located between the fourth conductive layer 1444 and the first microstrip line 181 and the second microstrip line 182; the fourth conductive layer 1444 includes a third coupling slot 144C and a fourth coupling slot 144D; the first microstrip line 181 is connected to the first input end 142A and couples the electromagnetic waves on the first input end 142A to the radiation patch 149 through the third coupling slot 144C, and the second microstrip line 182 is connected to the second input end 142B and couples the electromagnetic waves on the second input end 142B to the radiation patch 149 through the fourth coupling slot 144D. Therefore, the radiator can be coupled and fed using a microstrip line, and the required circular polarization / linear polarization can also be achieved on the radiation patch with fewer layers.

[0133] In some examples, as shown in FIG17 , two electromagnetic wave signals modulated by two liquid crystal phase shifters can be fed into the radiation patch 149 through the first input end 142A and the second input end 142B through the first microstrip line 181 , the second microstrip line 182 , the third coupling slot 144C, and the fourth coupling slot 144D, respectively, and form various types of polarized waves at the radiation patch 149 .

[0134] For example, as shown in FIG17 , when the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals input through the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B is 0 degrees, a linearly polarized wave can be generated on the radiation patch 149. When the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals input through the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B is +90 degrees, a right-handed circularly polarized wave can be generated on the radiation patch 149. When the phase difference between the two electromagnetic wave signals input through the first input terminal 142A and the second input terminal 142B is -90 degrees, a left-handed circularly polarized wave can be generated on the radiation patch 149. Therefore, the radiator is a polarization reconfigurable radiator.

[0135] In some examples, the sixth dielectric layer may be made of commonly used printed circuit board insulation materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber, phenolic paper, and phenolic glass cloth, or may be made of a low-loss rigid material such as quartz, glass, or resin. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these, and the first dielectric layer may also be made of other suitable materials.

[0136] In some examples, the seventh dielectric layer may be made of commonly used printed circuit board insulation materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber, phenolic paper, or phenolic glass cloth, or may be made of a low-loss rigid material such as quartz, glass, or resin. Of course, the disclosed embodiments include but are not limited to these, and the first dielectric layer may also be made of other suitable materials.

[0137] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of a power splitter layer provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 18, the power splitter layer 110 utilizes a constant-amplitude power splitter feed network. In this case, the constant-amplitude power splitter feed network includes an input terminal 112 and multiple output terminals 114, and is configured to distribute the electromagnetic wave signal input from the input terminal 112 to the multiple output terminals 114 with equal amplitude. Of course, the embodiments of the present disclosure include but are not limited to these, and the power splitter layer may include other forms of Wilkinson power splitters or waveguide power splitters.

[0138] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of another power splitter layer provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 19, the power splitter layer 110 may also utilize an unequal power-dividing feed network, configured such that the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave signal outputted by the output terminals 114 at the edge of the power splitter layer 110 is smaller than the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave signal outputted by the output terminals 114 at the center of the power splitter layer 110. Consequently, a phased array antenna utilizing this power splitter layer can achieve amplitude weighting, thereby realizing a low sidelobe design for the phased array antenna in a specific direction.

[0139] For example, as shown in Figure 19, the width of the microstrip line or conductor corresponding to the output end 114 located at the center of the power divider layer 110 can be increased so that the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave signal output by the output end 114 located at the edge of the power divider layer 110 is smaller than the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave signal output by the output end 114 at the center of the power divider layer 110.

[0140] At least one embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a communication device. Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 20, the communication device 500 includes a polarization-reconfigurable phased array antenna 100 provided in any of the above embodiments. As a result, the communication device has advantages such as fast scanning speed, high efficiency, wide application scenarios, excellent performance, low cost, low power consumption, and high integration.

[0141] Furthermore, the communication device can perform beam scanning using the phased array antenna and polarization adjustment or reconfiguration using the liquid crystal antenna array to meet different scenarios requiring different polarization characteristics, thereby achieving high communication performance. Furthermore, due to the small size of the liquid crystal antenna array, the communication device can also be miniaturized.

[0142] For example, the above-mentioned communication device may be a satellite communication device, a ground terminal, a receiver, a vehicle-mounted radar, a mobile phone, a navigator, or other electronic product with communication functions.

[0143] There are a few points to note:

[0144] (1) The drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure only relate to the structures related to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and other structures may refer to conventional designs.

[0145] (2) Unless there is any conflict, the features of the same embodiment and different embodiments of the present disclosure may be combined with each other.

[0146] The above are only specific embodiments of the present disclosure, but the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna, comprising: A power divider layer, including a plurality of power divider output terminals; A plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters, located on one side of the power divider layer; as well as a radiator layer, comprising a plurality of radiators, and located on a side of the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters away from the power divider layer, Each of the liquid crystal phase shifters includes an input end and an output end, each of the radiators includes a radiation patch and two input ends, the multiple input ends of the multiple liquid crystal phase shifters are connected to the multiple power division output ends, and the two input ends of each of the radiators are respectively connected to the two output ends of the two liquid crystal phase shifters. The power divider layer, the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters and the radiator layer are stacked along a first direction, and the overall extension direction of each of the liquid crystal phase shifters is perpendicular to the power divider layer or the radiator layer.

2. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the liquid crystal phase shifters comprises: Grounding electrode; a signal electrode; and a liquid crystal layer, located between the ground electrode and the signal electrode, Wherein, the signal electrode and the ground electrode both extend along the first direction.

3. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 2, wherein: The plurality of radiators included in the radiator layer are arranged in an array along the second direction and the third direction to form a plurality of radiator rows arranged along the third direction, and the plurality of radiators in each of the radiator rows are arranged along the second direction; The plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters are arrayed along the second direction and the third direction to form a plurality of phase shifter rows arranged along the third direction, and the plurality of phase shifters in each of the phase shifter rows are arranged along the second direction; The plurality of phase shifter rows are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of radiator rows, and the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters in each phase shifter row are connected to the plurality of radiators in the corresponding radiator row.

4. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 3, wherein: The liquid crystal layers of the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters in the same phase shifter row are interconnected to form a common liquid crystal layer; The common liquid crystal layer extends along the first direction and the second direction, and the plurality of common liquid crystal layers of the plurality of phase shifter rows are arranged at intervals along the third direction.

5. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: A plurality of first vertical interconnect structures are located between the power divider layer and the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters and are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of power divider output ends and the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters, respectively. Each of the first vertical interconnection structures comprises an input end and an output end, the input end of each of the first vertical interconnection structures is connected to the corresponding power divider output end, and the output end of each of the first vertical interconnection structures is connected to the corresponding liquid crystal phase shifter.

6. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 5, wherein: Each of the first vertical interconnect structures comprises: A first metal carrier including a first through hole; A first conductive structure, located in the first through hole; A first dielectric layer, located in the first through hole and insulating the first conductive structure from the first metal carrier; and A first metal pin is connected to the first metal carrier, One end of the first conductive structure serves as an input end of the first vertical interconnect structure, and the other end of the first conductive structure serves as an output end of the first vertical interconnect structure.

7. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 6, wherein: A plurality of first metal carriers of a plurality of the first vertical interconnect structures are integrated into a first metal plate.

8. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: a plurality of second vertical interconnect structures, located between the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters and the radiator layer, and arranged correspondingly to the plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters and the plurality of radiators, respectively; Each of the second vertical interconnection structures includes an input end and an output end, the input end of each of the second vertical interconnection structures is connected to the corresponding liquid crystal phase shifter, and the output end of each of the second vertical interconnection structures is connected to the corresponding radiator.

9. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 8, wherein: Each of the second vertical interconnect structures comprises: a second metal carrier including a second through hole; A second conductive structure, located in the second through hole; a second dielectric layer, located in the second through hole and insulating the second conductive structure from the second metal carrier; and A second metal pin is connected to the second metal carrier, One end of the second conductive structure serves as an input end of the second vertical interconnect structure, and the other end of the second conductive structure serves as an output end of the second vertical interconnect structure.

10. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 9, wherein: A plurality of second metal carriers of a plurality of the second vertical interconnect structures are integrated into a second metal plate.

11. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The two input ends of the radiator include a first input end and a second input end, and each of the radiators further includes: a first coupling structure configured to couple the electromagnetic wave on the first input end to the radiation patch; and a second coupling structure configured to couple the electromagnetic wave on the second input end to the radiation patch, Wherein, the first coupling structure and the second coupling structure are orthogonal.

12. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 11, wherein: Each of the radiators further comprises: A first dielectric layer, located on one side of the radiation patch; A first conductive layer, located on a side of the first dielectric layer away from the radiation patch; a second dielectric layer, located on a side of the first conductive layer away from the first dielectric layer; A first stripline and a second stripline are located on a side of the second dielectric layer away from the first conductive layer; and a third dielectric layer, located on a side of the first stripline and the second stripline away from the second dielectric layer, The third dielectric layer includes a first via hole and a second via hole, and the radiator further includes a first feeding probe and a second feeding probe, the first feeding probe connects the first input end to the first stripline through the first via hole, and the second feeding probe connects the second input end to the second stripline through the second via hole. The first conductive layer includes a first coupling slot and a second coupling slot, wherein the first coupling slot is configured to couple the electromagnetic wave on the first stripline to the radiation patch, and the second coupling slot is configured to couple the electromagnetic wave on the second stripline to the radiation patch. The first coupling structure includes the first coupling slot and the first stripline, and the second coupling structure includes the second coupling slot and the second stripline.

13. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 12, wherein: Each of the radiators further comprises: A second conductive layer is located in the third dielectric layer away from the first stripline and the second stripline On one side, The second conductive layer surrounds the first input end and the second input end, and is insulated from the first input end and the second input end.

14. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 12, wherein: Each of the radiators further comprises: a fourth dielectric layer, located on a side of the radiation patch away from the first dielectric layer; and a parasitic patch, located on a side of the fourth dielectric layer away from the radiation patch, The orthographic projection of the parasitic patch on the fourth dielectric layer covers the orthographic projection of the radiation patch on the fourth dielectric layer.

15. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 12, wherein: The first coupling slot and the second coupling slot are both H-shaped.

16. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to claim 12, wherein: The first strip line and the second strip line are bent and have the same length.

17. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein: The shapes of the radiation patch include circle, ellipse, rectangle and regular N-gon, where N is a positive integer greater than 4.

18. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein: The power divider layer also includes an equal-amplitude power divider feeding network.

19. The polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein: The power divider layer also includes an unequal power division feeding network, The unequal power division feeding network is configured so that the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave signal outputted by the output end at the edge of the power divider layer is smaller than the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave signal outputted by the output end at the center of the power divider layer.

20. A communication device comprising the polarization reconfigurable phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

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