Antenna

Abstract

The present application provides an antenna. The antenna comprises at least one antenna assembly, the antenna assembly comprising an electromagnetic boundary and a radiation sub-array. The electromagnetic boundary comprises a reflective plate and a boundary assembly. The boundary assembly comprises a metal partition wall and a metal boundary wall. The radiation sub-array and the metal partition wall are provided on the reflective plate. The metal partition wall is provided on a side of the radiation sub-array, and the metal boundary wall is provided on the side of the metal partition wall away from the radiation sub-array. The metal partition wall and the metal boundary wall are spaced apart and are in a planar coupling arrangement. The metal boundary wall is planarly coupled to the metal partition wall, so that strong coupling is achieved between the metal boundary wall and the metal partition wall. In addition, by means of controlling the coupling area between the metal boundary wall and the metal partition wall, the distribution of coupling energy can be dynamically adjusted, so that the mutual coupling energy of the radiation sub-array is weakened, and the radiation performance of the antenna is optimized.

Description

antenna Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of mobile communication technology, and specifically relates to an antenna. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous evolution and development of mobile communication technology, fifth-generation mobile communication systems based on Massive MIMO technology can effectively meet people's growing demand for high-speed, multi-channel communications and significantly alleviate operators' spectrum resource shortages. However, with the rapid development of mobile communications, antenna resources are becoming increasingly scarce, necessitating the urgent need for miniaturized array antenna designs.

[0003] The miniaturization of array antennas inevitably reduces the spacing between the antenna's subarrays, making the mutual coupling problem between adjacent subarrays more serious. In addition, the antenna has a large number of subarrays, and multiple subarrays are mutually coupled with adjacent subarrays, causing a significant deterioration in the overall electrical performance of the antenna, such as poor coupling and distorted radiation patterns. This results in the performance of the miniaturized antenna being less than expected, affecting communication efficiency.

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to provide an antenna to solve at least one of the above problems.

[0005] To meet the various objectives of this application, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] To adapt to one of the purposes of the present application, an antenna is provided, comprising at least one antenna component, wherein the antenna component comprises an electromagnetic boundary and a radiating sub-array, the electromagnetic boundary comprises a reflector and a boundary component, the boundary component comprises a metal partition wall and a metal boundary wall, the radiating sub-array and the metal partition wall are arranged on the reflector, the metal partition wall is arranged on one side of the radiating sub-array, the metal boundary wall is arranged on a side of the metal partition wall away from the radiating sub-array, and the metal partition walls are spaced apart from each other and are planarly coupled.

[0007] Compared with the existing technology, this application has many advantages, including but not limited to:

[0008] On the one hand, the planar coupling between the metal boundary wall and the metal partition wall of the antenna of the present application enables strong coupling between the metal boundary wall and the metal partition wall, and by controlling the coupling area between the metal boundary wall and the metal partition wall, the distribution of the coupling energy can be dynamically adjusted to weaken the mutual coupling energy of the radiating sub-array and optimize the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0009] On the other hand, the metal boundary wall and the metal partition wall are coupled with each other to enhance the distribution of the coupled energy of the radiating component on the metal boundary wall, so that the radiating component can be decoupled, especially when the spacing distance between the various radiating components of the antenna is relatively close, which can greatly optimize the radiation performance of the antenna. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna according to a typical embodiment of the present application.

[0011] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of an antenna according to a typical embodiment of the present application.

[0012] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of two adjacent radiating components of an antenna in a typical embodiment of the present application.

[0013] FIG4 is a schematic side view of FIG3 .

[0014] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a metal boundary wall according to a typical embodiment of the present application.

[0015] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a metal boundary wall according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG1 , the antenna 100 includes at least one antenna assembly 140. Referring to FIG2 and FIG3 , the antenna assembly 140 includes an electromagnetic boundary and a radiating sub-array 120. The electromagnetic boundary includes a reflector 110 and a boundary assembly. The boundary assembly includes a metal partition 112 and a metal boundary wall 130. The reflector 110 is a longitudinally elongated structure, and the radiating sub-array 120 is disposed on the reflector 110. In this embodiment, the reflector 110 serves as the common ground for the antenna assembly 140.

[0017] Specifically, the reflector 110 includes a supporting surface 111, on which the radiating sub-array 120 is disposed. Metal partition walls 112 are formed on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the reflector 110. The metal partition walls 112 are vertically disposed on the side edges of the reflector 110. In this embodiment, the metal partition walls 112 are formed by bending the reflector 110. In one embodiment, a dielectric plate is further disposed on the supporting surface 111 of the reflector 110, on which the radiating sub-array 120 is disposed.

[0018] 1 , the radiation sub-array 120 includes one or more radiation columns 121, each of which includes one or more radiation units 122. The radiation units 122 are sequentially arranged along the longitudinal direction of the reflector 110. The radiation columns 121 are arranged side by side along the width direction of the reflector 110. In this embodiment, the radiation sub-array 120 has only one radiation column 121.

[0019] 3 , the metal boundary wall 130 and the metal partition wall 112 are spaced apart along the width of the reflector 110. The metal boundary wall 130 is located on the side of the metal partition wall 112 away from the reflector 110 and is arranged parallel to the metal partition wall 112. The metal boundary wall 130 and the metal partition wall 112 are coupled to reduce the mutual coupling energy of the radiating sub-array 120 on the reflector 110, thereby improving the radiation performance of the antenna 100. The coupling area between the metal boundary wall 130 and the metal partition wall 112 is correlated with the decoupling strength.

[0020] In one embodiment, the metal boundary wall 130 is connected to the metal partition wall 112 via a connecting member made of an insulating material to prevent direct electrical connection between the metal boundary wall 130 and the metal partition wall 112. Preferably, the connecting member is a rivet.

[0021] In one embodiment, the metal partition wall 112 is positioned below 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the radiating elements 122 relative to the reflector 110, so as to facilitate coupling between the metal partition wall 122 and the radiating elements 122 and improve the decoupling efficiency of the metal boundary wall 130. Preferably, the height of the metal partition wall 112 relative to the reflector 110 is no greater than 1 / 3 of the height of the radiating elements 122 of the radiating sub-array.

[0022] 5 , the metal boundary wall 130 includes a dielectric substrate 131, a metal coupling sheet 132, and a metasurface structure 133. The dielectric substrate 131 includes a first surface 1311 and a second surface 1312, with the first surface 1311 and the second surface 1312 facing opposite directions. The metal coupling sheet 132 and the metasurface structure 133 can be disposed on either the first surface 1311 or the second surface 1312, or separately on the first surface 1311 and the second surface 1312. In this embodiment, the metal coupling sheet 132 and the metasurface structure 133 are disposed on the first surface 1311. In one embodiment, the height of the metal coupling sheet 132 in the thickness direction of the reflector 110 is equal to or greater than the height of the metal partition wall 122.

[0023] In this embodiment, in combination with Figures 3 and 4, in order to facilitate the planar coupling of the metal coupling plate 132 and the metal partition wall 112, the area facing each other of the metal coupling plate 132 and the metal partition wall 112 is increased, and the mutual coupling efficiency between the metal coupling plate 132 and the metal partition wall 112 is expanded, that is, the decoupling strength of the antenna is improved, and the radiation performance of the antenna is optimized.

[0024] In this embodiment, the projection of the metal coupling sheet 132 coincides or overlaps with the projection of the metal partition wall 112 in the projection direction of the first surface 1311 of the dielectric substrate 131. This represents the mutual coupling area between the metal coupling sheet 132 and the metal partition wall 112. The strength of the coupling energy also depends on the size of this mutual coupling area. This allows for dynamic adjustment of the coupling degree between adjacent elements of the antenna array, achieving a decoupling effect. Preferably, the overlap ratio between the projection of the metal coupling sheet 132 and the projection of the metal partition wall 112 in the projection direction of the first surface 1311 is between 10% and 100%.

[0025] 4 and 5 , along the thickness direction of the reflector 110, that is, the height direction of the dielectric substrate 131, the dielectric substrate 131 is divided from bottom to top into a first region 1313 and a second region 1314, wherein the first region 1313 (see H1) is arranged below 1 / 2 to 2 / 3 of the height of the radiation unit 122, and the second region 1314 (see H2) is arranged above 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the height of the radiation unit 122.

[0026] The metal coupling sheet 132 is arranged on the first area 1313, and the metasurface structure 133 is arranged on the second area 1314, so as to reasonably arrange the metal coupling sheet 132 and the metasurface structure 133. The combination of the metal coupling sheet 132 and the metasurface structure 133 can achieve the optimal decoupling effect to a greater extent, and there is also energy interaction between the metasurface and the metal boundary wall to improve the decoupling efficiency of the metal boundary wall 130.

[0027] 5 , a spacing region 134 is provided between the metal coupling sheet 132 and the metasurface structure 133. The spacing region 134 extends along the longitudinal direction of the reflector 110 to separate the metal coupling sheet 132 from the metasurface structure 133. In other words, the metal coupling sheet 132 and the metasurface structure 133 are provided on either side of the spacing region 134. Preferably, the spacing region 134 is in the shape of an elongated strip.

[0028] In this embodiment, the metal coupling plate 132 is a longitudinally elongated sheet structure extending along the longitudinal direction of the reflector 110. The metal coupling plate 132 balances the coupling between adjacent radiating sub-array 120 ports and the isolation between the oppositely polarized ports of the radiating sub-array 120, thereby optimizing the radiation characteristics of the antenna 100. In this embodiment, the metal coupling plate 132 has a rectangular sheet structure.

[0029] In another embodiment, referring to FIG6 , the metal coupling plate 132 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 1321. These protrusions 1321 are arranged protruding toward the spacing region 134. These protrusions 1321 are sequentially arranged along the longitudinal direction of the reflector 110. The provision of these protrusions 1321 balances the coupling between adjacent subarray ports and the isolation between oppositely polarized ports within a subarray. Furthermore, the protrusions 1321 are provided between two radiating elements to balance the isolation and coupling between ports within the array antenna, thereby further optimizing the radiation performance of the antenna 100. Preferably, the metal coupling plate 132, provided with the plurality of protrusions 1321, has a square wave structure.

[0030] 5 and 6 , the metasurface structure 133 includes one or more metasurface columns, each of which includes a plurality of metasurface units 1331. The plurality of metasurface units 1331 are sequentially arranged along the longitudinal direction of the reflector 110. In this embodiment, the center of the metasurface unit 1331 is provided with a circular structure; in other embodiments, the center of the metasurface unit 1331 may also be provided with any one of a triangular, square, pentagram, diamond, and elliptical structure.

[0031] The metasurface structure 133 is disposed above the metal coupling plate 132 relative to the reflector 110, and is also disposed above the metal partition wall 112 relative to the reflector 110. That is, in the projection direction of the first surface 1311, the projection of the metasurface structure 133 is disposed above the projection of the metal coupling plate 132 and the projection of the metal partition wall 112 relative to the reflector 110. The metasurface structure 133 has bandpass and phase delay characteristics, which can effectively extend the spatial distance of electromagnetic waves to reduce the mutual coupling effect of corresponding radiating sub-arrays 120. In particular, when the metal boundary wall 130 is disposed between two antenna assemblies 140, the metasurface structure 133 can reduce the mutual coupling effect between two adjacent radiating sub-arrays 120, thereby optimizing the radiation performance of the antenna 100.

[0032] Because the metasurface structure 133 and the metal coupling plate 132 are arranged one above the other, there is electromagnetic energy interaction between the metasurface structure 133 and the metal coupling plate 132. The combined action of the metasurface structure 133 and the metal coupling plate 132 can weaken the mutual coupling energy of the corresponding radiating sub-arrays 120, thereby optimizing the radiation performance of the radiating sub-arrays 120. In particular, when the metal boundary wall 130 is arranged between two antenna assemblies 140, the metasurface structure 133 and the metal coupling plate 132 work together to reduce the mutual coupling effect between the two adjacent radiating sub-arrays 120, thereby optimizing the radiation performance of the antenna 100.

[0033] In one embodiment, relative to the reflector 110, the metasurface structure 133 is arranged between 1 / 2 of the height of the radiation unit 122 and the top position of the radiation unit 122, so as to facilitate the interaction between the metasurface structure 133 and the radiation unit 122, thereby improving the decoupling efficiency of the metal boundary wall 130 and optimizing the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG1 , the antenna 100 includes a plurality of antenna assemblies 140, which are arranged side by side. Two adjacent antenna assemblies 140 share a common metal boundary wall 130. Specifically, referring to FIG2 , FIG3 , and FIG4 , two adjacent radiating assemblies are referred to as a first antenna assembly 150 and a second antenna assembly 160. A first metal partition wall 152 of the first antenna assembly 150 and a second metal partition wall 162 of the second antenna assembly 160 are adjacent to, spaced apart from, and arranged opposite each other. A gap 170 is formed between the first metal partition wall 152 and the second metal partition wall 162, and the metal boundary wall 130 is disposed within the gap 170.

[0035] 4 , the first surface 1311 of the dielectric substrate 131 of the metal boundary wall 130 faces the first metal partition wall 152, while the second surface 1312 of the dielectric substrate 131 faces the second metal partition wall 162. The metal coupling plate 132 is planarly coupled to the first and second metal partition walls 152, 162, respectively. When the first radiating sub-array 153 of the first antenna assembly 150 and the second radiating sub-array 163 of the second antenna assembly 160 mutually couple, the metal coupling plate 132 obtains mutual coupling energy from the first and second metal partition walls 152, 162, respectively, thereby reducing the mutual coupling energy between the adjacent first and second radiating sub-arrays 153, 163, and optimizing the radiation performance of the antenna 100.

[0036] In this embodiment, in combination with Figures 3 and 4, the metal boundary wall 130 is inserted into the insertion gap 170 along the longitudinal direction of the reflector 110. By controlling the length of the metal boundary wall 130 inserted into the insertion gap 170, the coupling area between the metal coupling piece 132 and the first metal partition wall 152 and the second metal partition wall 162 is adjusted to control the coupling strength between the metal coupling piece 132 and the first metal partition wall 152 and the second metal partition wall 162. When the length of the metal boundary wall 130 inserted into the insertion gap 170 is longer, the mutual coupling energy between the metal coupling piece 132 and the first metal partition wall 152 and the second metal partition wall 162 is stronger, and the mutual coupling energy between the first radiation sub-array 153 and the second radiation sub-array 163 is lower, so as to achieve the purpose of coupling adjustment and realize dynamic decoupling.

[0037] The metal boundary wall 130 is disposed between the adjacent first antenna component 150 and the second antenna component 160. The metal coupling plate 132, the metasurface structure 133, and the metal partition wall 112 interact with each other to enhance the distribution of the coupling energy between the adjacent first antenna component 150 and the second antenna component 160 on the metal boundary wall 130, thereby enabling decoupling of the two adjacent antenna components 140. This greatly optimizes the radiation performance of the antenna 100, especially when the spacing between the first antenna component 150 and the second antenna component 160 of the antenna 100 is relatively close, and facilitates miniaturization of the antenna 100.

[0038] In a further embodiment, in combination with Figures 1 and 2, two adjacent antenna components 140 among the multiple antenna components 140 of the antenna 100 share a metal boundary wall 130, and the antenna component 140 at the edge of the antenna 100 is also loaded with the metal boundary wall 130 on the side away from the center of the antenna 100 to further optimize the radiation performance of the antenna 100.

[0039] In one embodiment, the metal coupling plate 132 is covered with an insulating layer. This insulating layer allows the metal boundary wall 130 to contact the metal partition wall 112. Specifically, the metal coupling plate 132 and the metal partition wall 112 are separated by the insulating layer, thereby coupling the metal coupling plate 132 to the metal partition wall 112, thereby reducing the size of the antenna 100. In this embodiment, the first surface 1311 of the metal boundary wall 130 is in contact with the first metal partition wall 152, and the second surface 1312 of the metal boundary wall 130 is in contact with the second metal partition wall 162. Preferably, the insulating layer is an insulating coating sprayed onto the metal coupling plate 132.

[0040] In one embodiment, the metal coupling piece 132 of the metal boundary wall 130 and the metasurface structure 133 are printed on the dielectric substrate 131 .

[0041] In one embodiment, the antenna 100 includes four antenna assemblies 140 arranged side by side. The radiating subarray 120 of each antenna assembly 140 includes a radiating column 121, and each radiating column 121 includes two oppositely polarized signal input ports. Furthermore, a feed network is provided on the reflector 110 to feed power to each radiating element 122 of the antenna 100.

[0042] To sum up, the antenna of the present application is arranged with metal boundary walls spaced apart on the side of the metal partition wall, and is coupled to the metal partition wall through the metal coupling plate on the metal boundary wall to reduce the mutual coupling energy of the radiating sub-array arranged on the reflector, optimize the radiation characteristics, and improve the radiation performance of the antenna.

Claims

1. An antenna, characterized in that: The invention comprises at least one antenna component, wherein the antenna component comprises an electromagnetic boundary and a radiation subarray, the electromagnetic boundary comprises a reflector and a boundary component, the boundary component comprises a metal partition wall and a metal boundary wall, the radiation subarray and the metal partition wall are arranged on the reflector, the metal partition wall is arranged on one side of the radiation subarray, the metal boundary wall is arranged on a side of the metal partition wall away from the radiation subarray, and the metal partition walls are spaced apart from each other and are arranged in a planar coupling manner.

2. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal boundary wall comprises a dielectric substrate and a metal coupling sheet arranged on the dielectric substrate, and the metal coupling sheet is planarly coupled with the metal partition wall.

3. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coupling area between the metal boundary wall and the metal partition wall is associated with the decoupling strength.

4. The antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: An insulating layer is provided on the metal coupling sheet and / or the metal partition wall.

5. The antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: Relative to the reflection plate, the top of the metal coupling plate is higher than the metal partition wall, and the metal coupling plate is arranged below 2 / 3 of the height of the radiation unit.

6. The antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that A super surface structure is also provided on the dielectric substrate, and the super surface structure includes a plurality of super surface units. Relative to the reflector, the super surface structure is provided in the dielectric substrate region above the metal coupling sheet.

7. The antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that: Relative to the reflector, the metasurface structure is disposed in a region above 1 / 2 of the height of the radiation unit.

8. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: Relative to the reflection plate, the height of the metal partition wall is not greater than 1 / 3 of the height of the radiation unit of the radiation sub-array.

9. The antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that The dielectric substrate comprises a first surface and a second surface which are opposite to each other, and the metal coupling sheet and / or the metasurface structure are arranged on the first surface or the second surface.

10. The antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that A spacing area is provided between the super surface structure and the metal coupling sheet.

11. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal coupling sheet is in the form of a rectangular sheet; Alternatively, the metal coupling sheet is in the form of a rectangular sheet, and a plurality of protrusions are provided on a side of the metal coupling sheet away from the reflection plate, and the plurality of protrusions are arranged at intervals.

12. The antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The antenna comprises one or more antenna components, and each antenna component is provided with the boundary component on at least one side of its reflection plate.

13. The antenna according to claim 12, characterized in that The multiple antenna components are arranged in parallel, and a plug-in gap is formed between two adjacent antenna components. The two sides of the plug-in gap are each a boundary component of the two adjacent antenna components, and the two adjacent antenna components share the same metal boundary wall, which is inserted in the plug-in gap.

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