Feed array and antenna system

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a feed array and an antenna system. The feed array is divided into a plurality of feed groups, wherein each feed group includes a plurality of feeds arranged according to a preset topological structure, and any two adjacent feed groups are arranged in a staggered mode in a row direction and a column direction.

Description

Feed array and antenna system

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based on Chinese patent application CN202311566159.5, filed on November 22, 2023, entitled “A Feed Array and Antenna System”, and claims the priority of that patent application. All the contents disclosed therein are incorporated into this application by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of antennas, and in particular to a feed array and an antenna system. Background Art

[0004] Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) is a new type of antenna array composed of a feed array and a transmission array. Since the RIS array itself has the function of phase modulation, a group of feeds at different positions can generate beams in different directions, thereby realizing the beamforming function of the antenna array. The current feed array hardware architecture is a rectangular array composed of N rows and M columns of feeds, which uses a switching network and a combiner to feed the baseband signal into different feed groups in the array, thereby realizing beamforming and signal transmission. The common feed grouping method is rectangular grouping, that is, the rectangular feed array is divided into several groups of rectangular (n rows and m columns, n, m are positive integers) feed groups. According to functional requirements, the feeds in each feed group can receive the same baseband signal, or they can receive different baseband signals through the switching network. The feeds in different groups generally do not overlap.

[0005] In the case of non-overlapping feed groupings, limited by the number of available feeds and corresponding beams, a power reduction region exists between the beams generated by two adjacent feed groups. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of rectangular groupings and their corresponding beams in a transmissive RIS system. Figure 1 shows a partial view of rectangular feed groupings (Groups 1 and 2) and the beams formed by the corresponding array groups after transmissive RIS (Beams 1 and 2). A power reduction region can be seen between Beams 1 and 2.

[0006] To address the issue of reduced signal power between adjacent beams, the current approach is to design the hardware architecture so that the same feed can belong to different feed groups. A combiner can be used to aggregate the incoming signals from feeds belonging to adjacent rectangular array groups to form a new group, generating a beam aligned with the center of the original adjacent beams, thereby improving the issue of reduced signal power. Taking Figure 1 as an example, a portion of the feeds from Group 1 and Group 2 are taken to form Group 3, and a combiner is used to input the baseband signal into Group 3 to generate Beam 3, thereby improving the power reduction issue in the area between Beam 1 and Beam 2. The main problem with this hardware architecture is the need for an additional combiner to manage the beams, which increases the complexity of system design and beam management.

[0007] In summary, there is no good solution to the problem in related technologies that an additional combiner is required to manage beams, which increases the complexity of system design and beam management.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] The embodiments of the present application provide a feed array and antenna system to at least solve the problem in the related art that an additional combiner is required to manage beams, resulting in increased complexity in system design and beam management.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present application, a feed array is provided, which is divided into multiple feed groups, wherein each feed group includes multiple feeds arranged according to a preset topological structure, and any two adjacent feed groups are staggered in row and column directions.

[0011] In some embodiments, each feed in the feed array belongs to a feed group, and each feed belongs to only one feed group.

[0012] In some embodiments, the plurality of feed source groups are planar tessellated congruent polygons.

[0013] In some embodiments, the number of feeds in the feed group at the edge position of the feed array is less than or equal to the number of feeds in the feed group at the non-edge position.

[0014] In some embodiments, the feed arrays are aligned in row and column directions.

[0015] In some embodiments, the preset topology structure includes at least one of the following: a preset first topology; a preset first topology rotated 90°, 180° or 270°; a mirror symmetry of the preset first topology; a mirror symmetry of the preset first topology rotated 90°, 180° or 270°.

[0016] In some embodiments, the feed arrays are aligned in the row direction, with odd rows and even rows staggered; or, the feed arrays are aligned in the column direction, with odd columns and even columns staggered.

[0017] In some embodiments, the preset topological structure includes at least one of the following: a preset second topology, wherein the preset second topology is an staggered deformation of the preset first topology in the row direction or column direction; the preset second topology is rotated 90°, 180° or 270°; the mirror symmetry of the preset second topology; the mirror symmetry of the preset second topology is rotated 90°, 180° or 270°.

[0018] In some embodiments, each feed source group corresponds to one or more preset topological structures, wherein the multiple preset topological structures are staggered in the row direction and the column direction.

[0019] In some embodiments, multiple feed groups are connected to the baseband signal of the antenna system through a switch network and a radio frequency link and form a beam respectively, wherein the beam direction corresponding to each feed group is different.

[0020] According to another embodiment of the present application, an antenna system is provided, which includes the feed array described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0021] The embodiments of the present application improve the arrangement of the feed array so that adjacent feed groups are staggered in both the horizontal and vertical directions, thereby improving the power reduction in the middle area of ​​adjacent beams, and further solving the problem in related technologies of needing to add additional combiners to manage beams, resulting in increased complexity in system design and beam management. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of rectangular grouping and corresponding beams in a transmissive RIS system;

[0023] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the hardware architecture of a feed array according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an arrangement of feed groups in a feed array according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of feed grouping and corresponding beams according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a topological structure of a preset first topology according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of feed grouping and corresponding beams according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a staggered feed array according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a topological structure of a preset second topology according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0031] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0032] In one embodiment of the present application, a feed array is provided that can be applied to an antenna, in particular a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) antenna, which is a new type of antenna array composed of a feed array and a transmission array. The hardware architecture of the feed array is a rectangular array composed of N rows and M columns of feeds.

[0033] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the hardware architecture of a feed array according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG2 , each rectangle represents a feed, and the feed array is composed of multiple rows and columns of feeds.

[0034] In this embodiment, the feed array is divided into a plurality of feed groups, each of the feed groups includes a plurality of feeds arranged according to a preset topological structure, and any two adjacent feed groups are staggered in the row direction and the column direction.

[0035] The embodiment of the present application changes the grouping method of the feed groups so that adjacent feed groups are staggered in both the horizontal and vertical directions. This improves the power reduction in the middle area of ​​adjacent beams without increasing the complexity of system design and beam management, thereby solving the problem in related technologies of requiring additional combiners to manage beams, which increases the complexity of system design and beam management.

[0036] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an arrangement of feed groups in a feed array according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, multiple feed groups are densely packed in a plane to cover the entire feed array.

[0037] In this embodiment, each of the feed sources in the feed source array belongs to one feed source group, and each of the feed sources belongs to only one feed source group.

[0038] In this embodiment, the plurality of feed source groups are congruent polygons that are tacked together in a plane. This application does not limit the shape of the polygons, and the shape of each feed source group can refer to the description of the preset topological structure in this application.

[0039] In some embodiments, the number of feed sources in the feed source groups at edge positions of the feed source array is less than or equal to the number of feed sources in the feed source groups at non-edge positions. The number of feed sources in each feed source group may be the same or different.

[0040] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of feed source groups and corresponding beams according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , feed source groups 1 , 2 , and 3 correspond to beams 1 , 2 , and 3 , respectively.

[0041] In this embodiment, feed group 2 is located at the edge of the feed array, and the number of feeds contained in feed group 2 is different from that of feed groups 1 and 3. Compared with the beams corresponding to the rectangular groupings in Figure 1, the beams corresponding to the feed group in Figure 4 have better coverage in the embodiment of the present application, which can improve the situation where the power in the middle area between two adjacent beams drops significantly, thereby solving the problem in related technologies of needing to add additional combiners to manage beams, which increases the complexity of system design and beam management.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present application, the grouping method of the feed group should meet the following conditions:

[0043] (1) Any feed in the feed array belongs to a certain feed group and only to one feed group;

[0044] (2) Any two adjacent feed source groups are staggered in the row direction and the column direction.

[0045] In the embodiment of the present application, the row direction and the column direction may also be replaced by the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

[0046] In the embodiment of the present application, the judgment basis of condition (2) may include: there is at least one feed in each feed group set, and the intersection of the row and column of the array where the feed is located and the adjacent feed group set is empty. There may be exceptions for feed groups at the edge.

[0047] In this embodiment, the purpose of condition (1) is to remove the combiner from the hardware architecture and only use the feeds within a specific group for beamforming, thereby reducing hardware complexity. The role of condition (2) is to constrain the shape of the feed grouping to ensure that the feeds in two adjacent feed groups are staggered in rows and columns, thereby improving the signal power between adjacent beams.

[0048] The embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on the topological structure of a single feed group and the specific distribution of multiple feed groups in a feed array. As long as the above conditions are met, the technical effect of improving the power reduction in the middle area of ​​adjacent beams can be achieved.

[0049] In some embodiments, the feed arrays are aligned in row and column directions.

[0050] In some embodiments, based on the alignment of the feed array in the row and column directions, the preset topology structure includes at least one of the following: a preset first topology; the preset first topology is rotated 90°, 180° or 270°; the mirror symmetry of the preset first topology; the mirror symmetry of the preset first topology is rotated 90°, 180° or 270°.

[0051] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the topological structure of the preset first topology in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, based on the alignment of the feed array in the row direction and the column direction, the preset first topology may include any one of the structures a to k.

[0052] The topological structure of the preset first topology shown in Figure 5 is only an example, and the preset first topology in the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the preset first topology structure can also be composed of any one or more structures from a to k.

[0053] In this embodiment, the feed arrays can be grouped according to any preset first topology. The topological structures of the feed groups in the same feed array can be exactly the same, or can include one or more variations of the same topological structure. The variations of the topological structure can include rotation and mirroring.

[0054] In some embodiments, each feed group in the feed array may correspond to one or more of the preset topological structures, wherein the multiple preset topological structures are staggered in the row and column directions. That is, each feed may correspond to only one preset first topology, or may include a combination of multiple preset first topologies. When a single topology can meet the basic conditions of the grouping method, the combination of multiple topologies also meets the basic conditions of the above-mentioned grouping method.

[0055] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of feed source groups and corresponding beams according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , feed source groups 1 and 2 correspond to beams 1 and 2, respectively. Feed source groups 1 and 2 are defined by the areas enclosed by two solid-line boxes.

[0056] In this embodiment, each feed source group in FIG. 6 is formed by combining two feed source groups in FIG. 4 .

[0057] In this embodiment, the grouping of feed groups in any of the above embodiments can be recombined to derive a new grouping. Because the two groups of feeds determined by this grouping are staggered in both the horizontal and vertical directions, the problem of power drop in the middle area between adjacent beam coverage can be alleviated.

[0058] In other embodiments, the feed arrays are aligned in the row direction, with odd rows and even rows staggered; or, the feed arrays are aligned in the column direction, with odd columns and even columns staggered.

[0059] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a staggered feed array according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the staggered arrangement of the feed array is divided into the following two ways:

[0060] Horizontal staggered arrangement 72 and vertical staggered arrangement 74.

[0061] In this embodiment, horizontal staggered arrangement 72 means that the feed arrays are aligned in the row direction, with odd and even rows staggered. Vertical staggered arrangement 74 means that the feed arrays are aligned in the column direction, with odd and even columns staggered.

[0062] In an embodiment of the present application, by changing the arrangement of the feed array, it is also possible to ensure that adjacent feed groups are staggered in the horizontal or vertical direction, thereby alleviating the problem of low power in the coverage area between adjacent beams.

[0063] In some embodiments, based on the staggered arrangement of the feed array in the row direction or column direction, the preset topology structure includes at least one of the following: a preset second topology, wherein the preset second topology is a staggered deformation of the preset first topology in the row direction or column direction; the preset second topology is rotated 90°, 180° or 270°; the mirror symmetry of the preset second topology; the mirror symmetry of the preset second topology is rotated 90°, 180° or 270°.

[0064] In some embodiments, the preset second topology can be based on the preset first topology, and its topological structure can be staggered in alternate rows or columns. The staggering scheme can be staggered upward or downward. Correspondingly, each preset first topology can produce at most 4 different preset second topologies after staggered deformation.

[0065] In this embodiment, the staggered deformation of the preset first topological structure includes at least one of the following:

[0066] Odd-numbered rows are staggered to the left / even-numbered rows are staggered to the right;

[0067] Odd-numbered rows are staggered to the right / even-numbered rows are staggered to the left;

[0068] Odd columns stagger upwards / even columns stagger downwards;

[0069] Odd columns stagger downwards / even columns stagger upwards.

[0070] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a topological structure of a preset second topology according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, taking the C structure of the preset first topology in Figure 5 as an example, four preset second topologies C-0 to C-3 may be generated after staggered deformation.

[0071] In this embodiment, C-0 and C-1 are respectively generated by interlacing C structures in alternate rows in the horizontal direction, and C-2 and C-3 are respectively generated by interlacing C structures in alternate columns in the vertical direction.

[0072] FIG8 is only an example of the staggered deformation of the preset first topology of the C structure. According to the above staggered deformation rules, any preset first topology can be derived into four different preset second topologies after staggered deformation, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0073] In some embodiments, each feed group in the feed array may correspond to one or more of the preset topologies, wherein the multiple preset topologies are staggered in the row and column directions. That is, each feed may correspond to only one preset second topology, or may include a combination of multiple preset second topologies.

[0074] In some embodiments, the multiple feed source groups are connected to the baseband signal of the antenna system through a switch network and a radio frequency link and form a beam respectively, wherein the beam direction corresponding to each feed source group is different.

[0075] In this embodiment, after the feed sources are grouped, different feed source groups can be selected through a switch network to form beams in corresponding directions. Since the feed source groups are interleaved with each other, the power reduction in the middle area of ​​adjacent beams can also be improved.

[0076] In this embodiment of the present application, users can provide feedback on the optimal beam based on the quality of adjacent beams and select the corresponding feed group for communication. This embodiment of the present application can improve the problem of reduced signal power between adjacent beams by simply grouping feeds or changing the feed arrangement, without using a combiner, thereby reducing the complexity of system design and beam management.

[0077] In another embodiment of the present application, an antenna system is provided. The antenna system includes the feed array in any of the above embodiments.

[0078] In some embodiments, the antenna array in the antenna system includes a feed array and a transmission array, and each feed group in the feed array forms a beam after passing through the transmission array (transmission RIS).

[0079] In some embodiments, the antenna system further includes a switching network and a generating device for generating a baseband signal. Each feed source group is connected to the generating device through the control of the switching network, and the switching of the feed source groups can be achieved under the control of the switching network.

[0080] Through the embodiments of the present application, the signal power of the middle area covered by adjacent beams can be improved without using a combiner.

[0081] For specific examples in this embodiment, reference may be made to the examples described in the above embodiments and exemplary implementation modes, and this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0082] Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the modules or steps of the present application described above can be implemented using a general-purpose computing device, they can be concentrated on a single computing device, or distributed across a network composed of multiple computing devices, they can be implemented using program code executable by the computing device, and thus, they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device, and in some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a different order than herein, or they can be fabricated into separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. Thus, the present application is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

[0083] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the principles of the present application shall be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A feed array, the feed array being divided into a plurality of feed groups, wherein: Each of the feed source groups includes a plurality of feed sources arranged according to a preset topological structure, and any two adjacent feed source groups are staggered in the row direction and the column direction.

2. The feed array according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the feed sources in the feed source array belongs to one of the feed source groups, and each of the feed sources belongs to only one of the feed source groups.

3. The feed array according to claim 1, wherein: The multiple feed source groups are congruent polygons that are densely packed in a plane.

4. The feed array according to claim 3, wherein: The number of feed sources in the feed source group at the edge position in the feed source array is less than or equal to the number of feed sources in the feed source group at the non-edge position.

5. The feed array according to claim 1, wherein: The feed source arrays are aligned in row and column directions.

6. The feed array according to claim 5, wherein: The preset topological structure includes at least one of the following: Preset a first topology; The preset first topology is rotated by 90°, 180° or 270°; The mirror symmetry of the preset first topology; The mirror-symmetric rotation of the preset first topology is 90°, 180° or 270°.

7. The feed array according to claim 1, wherein: The feed source arrays are aligned in the row direction, with odd-numbered rows and even-numbered rows arranged alternately; or, the feed source arrays are aligned in the column direction, with odd-numbered columns and even-numbered columns arranged alternately.

8. The feed array according to claim 7, wherein: The preset topological structure includes at least one of the following: Preset a second topology, wherein the preset second topology is a staggered deformation of the preset first topology in a row direction or a column direction; The preset second topology is rotated by 90°, 180° or 270°; The preset second topology is mirror-symmetric; The mirror-symmetric rotation of the preset second topology is 90°, 180° or 270°.

9. The feed array according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the feed source groups corresponds to one or more of the preset topological structures, wherein the multiple preset topological structures are arranged alternately in the row direction and the column direction.

10. The feed array according to claim 1, wherein: The multiple feed source groups are connected to the baseband signal of the antenna system through a switch network and a radio frequency link and form a beam respectively, wherein the beam direction corresponding to each feed source group is different.

11. An antenna system, comprising the feed array as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

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