Dual-band patch array antenna

Abstract

A dual-band patch array antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention relates to a dual-band patch array antenna installed in a gateway for communication with a low earth orbit artificial satellite. The dual-band array antenna includes: a first substrate on which first antenna patches for radiating a signal of a first frequency band are formed; a second substrate which is disposed below the first substrate and on which second antenna patches are disposed to radiate a signal of a second frequency band; a third substrate which is disposed below the second substrate and on which a first feed network is disposed to supply a signal of the first frequency band to the first antenna patches; and a fourth substrate which is disposed below the third substrate and on which the ground plane is formed and under which a second feed network is formed to supply a signal of the second frequency band to the second antenna patches, wherein the fourth substrate has formed therein first slots for aperture coupled feeding between the first feeding network and the first antenna patches and second slots for aperture coupled feeding between the second feeding network and the second antenna patches.

Description

Dual-band patch array antenna

[0001] The present invention relates to a dual-band patch array antenna, and more particularly, to a dual-band patch array antenna installed in a gateway for communication with a low-orbit satellite.

[0002]

[0003] Currently, global space development is transitioning from the old space era, which was led by the government, to the new space era, which signifies the era of private sector-led space development. Space development, which was previously focused on military purposes between major powers, is evolving into a space industry where the private sector, with its challenging and innovative spirit, is pioneering new markets and generating economic benefits.

[0004] In particular, major private companies, centered around SpaceX in the United States, are attempting to overcome the barriers to entry into space development through cost reductions such as reusable rockets and small satellites.

[0005] Meanwhile, with the recent commercialization of 6th generation mobile communications (6G) approaching, interest is gathering on low-orbit satellite communications, which are being discussed as essential. To achieve this, a gateway antenna is needed to perform the function of connecting low-orbit satellites and ground networks, as well as to control low-orbit satellites.

[0006] In the case of the gateway antenna currently being installed, a dish-shaped parabolic antenna with a parabolic reflector is generally applied, unlike the user antenna which is composed of a flat beam steering antenna.

[0007] These parabolic antennas have the problem that the operating rate of the satellite antenna is affected by various external factors such as wind, and there are many restrictions on installation conditions because a reflector of at least 4 meters must be applied.

[0008]

[0009] A dual-band patch array antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention aims to solve the above-described problems by achieving the following solutions.

[0010] The present invention provides a dual-band patch array antenna that can improve installation and accessibility through a compact and lightweight structure of an antenna for a gateway.

[0011] Additionally, it provides a dual-band array antenna that can overcome installation restrictions due to external factors such as wind.

[0012] The problems solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field from the description below.

[0013]

[0014] A dual-band patch array antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention relates to a dual-band patch array antenna installed in a gateway for communication with a low-orbit satellite, comprising: a first substrate having a first antenna patch for radiating a signal of a first frequency band arranged on an upper portion thereof; a second substrate disposed below the first substrate and having a second antenna patch for radiating a signal of a second frequency band arranged on an upper portion thereof; a third substrate disposed below the second substrate and having a first feed network disposed above the first antenna patch for supplying a signal of a first frequency band to the first antenna patch; and a fourth substrate disposed below the third substrate and having a ground plane formed above the first feed network and having a second feed network disposed below the second feed network for supplying a signal of a second frequency band to the second antenna patch; wherein the fourth substrate is formed with a first slot for aperture-coupled feeding between the first feed network and the first antenna patch and a second slot for aperture-coupled feeding between the second feed network and the second antenna patch.

[0015] It is preferable that the first frequency band is an S band frequency band, and the second frequency band is an X band frequency band.

[0016] The first antenna patch and at least one second antenna patch positioned corresponding to the first antenna patch are defined as one antenna unit,

[0017] It is preferable that an opening be formed in the area of ​​the first antenna patch that overlaps with the second antenna patch.

[0018] The antenna unit preferably includes a plurality of second antenna patches arranged in a 2*2 array and one first antenna patch arranged in an area corresponding to the plurality of second antenna patches, and a 2*2 opening corresponding to the plurality of second antenna patches is formed in the first antenna patch.

[0019] It is preferable that at least one of the first antenna patch and the second antenna patch is formed in a trimmed square shape.

[0020] It is preferable that the above opening be formed in a trimmed square shape to correspond to the second antenna patch.

[0021] It is preferable that the first slot is formed in an area corresponding to the first antenna patch, and the second slot is formed in an area corresponding to the second antenna patch.

[0022] It is preferable that the above first power supply network is formed so as to pass through an area corresponding to the first slot but not through an area corresponding to the second slot.

[0023] It is preferable that the above second power supply network be formed so as to pass through an area corresponding to the second slot but not through an area corresponding to the first slot.

[0024] The above antenna units are provided in multiple M*N arrays,

[0025] The second power supply network preferably includes one supply line that receives power from an external source and a plurality of branch lines that branch off from the supply line at least once and extend toward a plurality of antenna units, and a phase shifter that shifts the phase of a signal transmitted from the supply line and supplies power to the second antenna patch is preferably arranged in the branch lines.

[0026] It is preferable that the above phase shifter be composed of a pin diode.

[0027]

[0028] A dual-band array antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention can be expected to have the effect of overcoming installation restrictions due to external factors such as wind and internal factors such as large size / heavy weight by applying a flat-plate beam steering antenna structure without applying a parabolic-shaped reflector.

[0029] In addition, it is configured to enable dual-band communication for both satellite control communication and data downloading from satellites, and it is expected that the size of the gateway antenna can be significantly reduced in a stacked format.

[0030] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field from the description below.

[0031]

[0032] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a dual-band patch array antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of Figure 1.

[0034] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of BB` of Figure 1.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a plan view projecting the configurations of the lower layer of a dual-band array antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a 4 x 8 array embodiment of a dual-band patch array antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 6 is a plan view projecting the configurations of the lower layer in Figure 5.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of an antenna system to which a dual-band array antenna is applied according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039]

[0040] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Regardless of the drawing numbers, identical or similar components will be given the same reference numbers and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0041] Furthermore, when describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related known technologies will be omitted if they are deemed to obscure the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, it should be noted that the attached drawings are intended solely to facilitate understanding of the spirit of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the spirit of the present invention.

[0042]

[0043] Hereinafter, a dual-band patch array antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0044] A dual-band patch array antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention relates to a dual-band patch array antenna installed in a gateway for communication with a low-orbit satellite, and is configured such that a first substrate (100), a second substrate (200), a third substrate (300), and a fourth substrate (400) are laminated and formed as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0045] The first substrate (100) placed at the top is configured to have a first antenna patch (110) placed thereon that radiates a signal of a first frequency band, wherein the first frequency band may be an S-band frequency band of 2 to 4 GHz.

[0046] Additionally, the first antenna patch (110) can be formed in a trimmed square shape that is advantageous for transmitting and receiving circularly polarized waves.

[0047] The second substrate (200) is configured to be placed below the first substrate (100), and a second antenna patch (210) that radiates a signal of a second frequency band is placed on the upper portion, wherein the second frequency band may be an X-band frequency band of 8 to 12 GHz.

[0048] The second antenna patch (210), like the first antenna patch (110), can be formed in a trimmed square shape that is advantageous for transmitting and receiving circularly polarized waves.

[0049] Meanwhile, the second antenna patch (210) is formed with a smaller area than the first antenna patch (110), and a plurality of them can be formed in an area corresponding to one first antenna patch (110).

[0050] For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, four second antenna patches (210) can be arranged in a 2 x 2 array at positions corresponding to the first antenna patch (110), and at this time, one first antenna patch (110) and four corresponding second antenna patches (210) can be defined as one antenna unit (10).

[0051] Meanwhile, an opening (111) is formed in the first antenna patch (110) to minimize overlap with the signal of the second antenna patch (210).

[0052] In particular, when the second antenna patches (210) are arranged in a 2 x 2 array as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a total of four openings (111) in a 2 x 2 array are formed at positions corresponding to the second antenna patches (210) arranged in a 2 x 2 array among the first antenna patches (110).

[0053] In addition, when the second antenna patch (210) is formed in a trimmed square shape, it is preferable that the opening (111) of the first antenna patch (110) is also formed in a trimmed square shape so as to correspond to the shape of the second antenna patch (210).

[0054] The third substrate (300) is configured to be placed below the second substrate (200), and a first power supply network (310) for supplying a first frequency band signal to the first antenna patch (110) is placed on the upper portion.

[0055] The fourth substrate (400) is placed below the third substrate (300), and a second power supply network (420) for supplying a second frequency band signal to the second antenna patch (210) is placed below it.

[0056] In particular, a dual-band patch array antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to feed antenna patches using an aperture coupled feed method to ensure a wide bandwidth and a simple structure.

[0057] To this end, a ground plane (410) is formed on the upper portion of the fourth substrate (400), and further, a first slot (430) for open-coupled feeding between the first feed network (310) and the first antenna patch (110), and a second slot (440) for open-coupled feeding between the second feed network (320) and the second antenna patch (210) are formed on the fourth substrate (400).

[0058] At this time, the first slot (430) is preferably formed in an area corresponding to the first antenna patch (110) as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the second slot (440) is preferably formed in an area corresponding to the second antenna patch (120) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

[0059] In addition, the first power supply network (310) can minimize frequency interference between two bands by forming it so that it passes through the area corresponding to the first slot (430) as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, but does not pass through the area corresponding to the second slot (440).

[0060] Likewise, the second power supply network (420) can minimize frequency interference between two bands by forming it so as to pass through the area corresponding to the second slot (440) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, but not the area corresponding to the first slot (430).

[0061] Meanwhile, as described above, when one first antenna patch (110) and at least one second antenna patch (210) positioned corresponding to the first antenna patch (110) are defined as one antenna unit (10), a plurality of antenna units (10) can be arranged to form one flat-panel dual-band patch array antenna system.

[0062] For example, when the antenna unit (10) is composed of one first antenna patch (110) and four second antenna patches (210), a flat dual-band patch array antenna system can be configured by arranging the antenna units (10) in a 4 x 8 array as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and at this time, beam steering can be configured to be possible by appropriately shifting the phase of the feed signal transmitted to each antenna unit (10).

[0063] To this end, the second power supply network (420) may include one supply line (421) that receives power from the outside as illustrated in FIG. 7, and a plurality of branch lines (422) that branch off from the supply line (421) at least once and extend toward a plurality of antenna units (10).

[0064] A phase shifter (500) may be placed in the branch line (422) to shift the phase of a signal transmitted from the supply line and supply it to the second antenna patch (210) of the antenna unit (10).

[0065] As shown in FIG. 7, when the antenna units (10) are arranged in an 8 x 2 array, at least 6 phase shifters (500) must be arranged, and when more antenna units (10) are arranged, more phase shifters (500) are required. Therefore, when the antenna units (10) are arranged to ensure high performance of the planar dual-band patch array antenna, a problem of increased cost may arise due to the arrangement of many phase shifters (500).

[0066] To overcome these problems, it is preferable that the phase shifter (500) be composed of a pin diode.

[0067] By applying the above-described dual-band patch array antenna, the weight and volume can be minimized, and the effect of providing a dual-band patch array antenna system capable of beam steering can be expected.

[0068]

[0069] While the present invention has been described in detail using preferred embodiments, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and should be construed in accordance with the appended claims. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a dual-band patch array antenna installed in a gateway for communication with a low-orbit satellite, A first substrate having a first antenna patch disposed thereon for radiating a signal of a first frequency band; A second substrate disposed below the first substrate and having a second antenna patch disposed above the first substrate that radiates a signal of a second frequency band; A third substrate disposed on the lower portion of the second substrate and having a first power supply network disposed on the upper portion thereof for supplying a first frequency band signal to the first antenna patch; and A fourth substrate disposed on the lower portion of the third substrate, having a ground plane formed on the upper portion, and having a second power supply network disposed on the lower portion for supplying a second frequency band signal to the second antenna patch; Including, A dual-band patch array antenna, characterized in that a first slot for aperture-coupled feeding between the first feed network and the first antenna patch and a second slot for aperture-coupled feeding between the second feed network and the second antenna patch are formed on the fourth substrate.

2. In claim 1, A dual-band patch array antenna, characterized in that the first frequency band is an S-band frequency band and the second frequency band is an X-band frequency band.

3. In claim 1, The first antenna patch and at least one second antenna patch positioned corresponding to the first antenna patch are defined as one antenna unit, A dual-band patch array antenna characterized in that an opening is formed in an area of ​​the first antenna patch that overlaps the second antenna patch.

4. In claim 3, The antenna unit includes a plurality of second antenna patches arranged in a 2*2 array and one first antenna patch arranged in an area corresponding to the plurality of second antenna patches, A dual-band patch array antenna characterized in that the first antenna patch has a plurality of 2*2 openings corresponding to the second antenna patches.

5. In claim 3, A dual-band patch array antenna, characterized in that at least one of the first antenna patch and the second antenna patch is formed in a trimmed square shape.

6. In claim 5, A dual-band patch array antenna characterized in that the above opening is formed in a trimmed square shape to correspond to the second antenna patch.

7. In claim 3, A dual-band patch array antenna, characterized in that the first slot is formed in an area corresponding to the first antenna patch, and the second slot is formed in an area corresponding to the second antenna patch.

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