Leaky wave antenna and communication device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a leaky wave antenna and a communication device, aiming to improve the communication performance of the leaky wave antenna. According to the leaky wave antenna provided by the present application, a waveguide structure comprises a plurality of transmission channels, a plurality of slots are formed in an array on a grounding layer, each row of slots corresponds to one transmission channel, there are a plurality of radiators, and each radiator corresponds to one slot; there are a plurality of variable impedance devices, each variable impedance device corresponds to one slot and is located on the side of the slot facing the transmission channel, one end of each variable impedance device is grounded, and the other end of each variable impedance device is connected to one bias line. By means of a bias line, the variable impedance device connected to the bias line can be controlled so as to control the radiator corresponding to the variable impedance device to emit a signal outward; moreover, each variable impedance device is connected to one bias line, so that individual control over each radiator can be achieved, allowing for individual control of the beam formed by each transmission channel, improving the communication performance of the leaky wave antenna.

Description

Leaky antennas and communication equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application filed on November 29, 2023, with application number 202311628332.X and entitled "Leaky Wave Antenna and Communication Equipment", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, specifically to a leaky antenna and communication device. Background Technology

[0003] A leaky wave antenna comprises waveguides, radiators, and PIN diodes. Multiple waveguides are used, each with a transmission channel. These channels are arranged parallel and spaced apart, and each channel has multiple slots spaced apart along the signal transmission direction, forming a slot array. Multiple radiators are also used, arranged in an array, with each radiator corresponding to one slot. A PIN diode is placed between each slot and a transmission channel, with each PIN diode arrayed and one end grounded. The PIN diodes corresponding to each transmission channel are located in the same row, and the other ends of the PIN diodes in the same column are connected via the same bias line. During operation, the signal in the transmission channel is coupled through the slots to the corresponding radiator, causing the radiator to emit a signal. The state of the PIN diodes in the same column can be controlled via the bias line, thus controlling the signal's passage through the corresponding slot. However, since the other ends of the PIN diodes in the same column are connected via the same bias line, the waveguides form the same beam, resulting in poor communication performance for the leaky wave antenna.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of this application provide a leaky antenna and a communication device, which aim to improve the communication performance of the leaky antenna.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0007] On one hand, embodiments of this application provide a leaky wave antenna, including a waveguide structure, a ground layer, radiators, and variable impedance devices. The waveguide structure includes multiple transmission channels, which are arranged in parallel and spaced apart. Multiple slots are arrayed on the ground layer, with each row of slots corresponding to a transmission channel. There are multiple radiators, each corresponding to a slot and located on the side of the slot away from the transmission channel. There are multiple variable impedance devices, each corresponding to a slot and located on the side of the slot facing the transmission channel. One end of each variable impedance device is grounded, and the other end of each variable impedance device is connected to a bias line.

[0008] The leaky wave antenna provided in this application includes a waveguide structure comprising multiple transmission channels arranged in parallel and at intervals. Multiple slots are arrayed on the ground layer, with each row of slots corresponding to a transmission channel. Multiple radiators are included, each corresponding to a slot and located on the side of the slot facing away from the transmission channel. Multiple variable impedance devices are also included, each corresponding to a slot and located on the side of the slot facing the transmission channel. One end of each variable impedance device is grounded, and the other end is connected to a bias line. The variable impedance device connected to the bias line can be controlled to control the radiator corresponding to that variable impedance device to transmit signals outward. Since each variable impedance device is connected to a bias line, individual control of each radiator is possible, which in turn allows for individual control of the beam formed by each transmission channel, thus improving the communication performance of the leaky wave antenna.

[0009] In some embodiments, the leaky antenna further includes a first conductive layer, which is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the ground layer, and the first conductive layer is located on the side of the ground layer facing the transmission channel; the first conductive layer includes a plurality of pads and bias lines, each pad is grounded, and one end of each variable impedance is connected to a pad.

[0010] With the above settings, one end of the variable impedance is grounded through a pad, and the other end is connected to a bias line, which enables the variable impedance to be turned off or on by each bias line, and allows for individual control of whether the corresponding radiator emits a signal.

[0011] In some embodiments, a first conductive structure is provided between each pad and the ground layer, and the pad is connected to the ground layer through the first conductive structure.

[0012] With the above setup, since both the pads in the ground layer and the first conductive layer need to be grounded, after the first conductive structure connects the pads and the ground layer, it is only necessary to ground the pads or the ground layer to achieve grounding at the same time, which reduces the number of grounding lines for the leaky antenna and reduces the difficulty of making the grounding lines for the leaky antenna.

[0013] In some embodiments, the leaky antenna further includes a second conductive layer, which is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the ground layer, and the second conductive layer is located on the side of the ground layer away from the first conductive layer. The second conductive layer includes a plurality of spaced first wires, each of which is connected to a bias line.

[0014] With the above configuration, each bias line is connected to the corresponding first conductor. Energizing the first conductor is equivalent to energizing the bias line connected to it, thereby enabling the bias line to provide voltage to the variable impedance. Since the second conductive layer is located on the side of the ground layer away from the first conductive layer, that is, the first conductor and the bias line are not set on the same layer, the layout of the first conductor is flexible and can avoid the connection between adjacent first conductors, thereby avoiding the connection between adjacent bias lines.

[0015] In some embodiments, a second conductive structure is provided between each first conductor and its corresponding bias line, and the first conductor is connected to the corresponding bias line through the second conductive structure.

[0016] With the above configuration, since the first conductor and the bias line are not on the same layer, one end of the second conductive structure is connected to the first conductor, and the other end of the second conductive structure is connected to the corresponding bias line, thus realizing the connection between the first conductor and the corresponding bias line.

[0017] In some embodiments, a first clearance hole is provided on the grounding layer, and a second conductive structure passes through the first clearance hole.

[0018] With the above settings, since the grounding layer needs to be grounded, the second conductive structure passes through the first clearance hole, which insulates the second conductive structure from the grounding layer, preventing leakage between the second conductive structure and the grounding layer and thus avoiding the failure of the corresponding bias line.

[0019] In some embodiments, the leaky antenna further includes a third conductive layer, which is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the ground layer, and is located between the second conductive layer and the ground layer; the third conductive layer includes a plurality of spaced second conductors, each second conductor being connected to a bias line, several bias lines being connected to the second conductors, and the remaining bias lines being connected to the first conductors.

[0020] With the above configuration, when a bias line is connected to a corresponding second conductor, energizing the second conductor is equivalent to energizing the bias line connected to it, thereby enabling the bias line to provide voltage to the variable impedance device. Furthermore, since the third conductive layer is located between the second conductive layer and the ground layer (i.e., the second conductor and the bias line are not on the same layer), the layout of the second conductor is flexible, preventing adjacent second conductors from connecting, and consequently preventing corresponding adjacent bias lines from connecting. Simultaneously, since several bias lines are connected to the second conductor, and the remaining bias lines are connected to the first conductor, and the third and second conductive layers are not on the same layer, compared to embodiments where the leaky antenna only includes a second conductive layer, the third conductive layer can connect to other bias lines, increasing the number of radiators that can be placed in the leaky antenna, facilitating its expansion in the row or column direction.

[0021] In some embodiments, a third conductive structure is provided between each second conductor and its corresponding bias line, and the second conductor is connected to the corresponding bias line through the third conductive structure.

[0022] With the above configuration, since the second conductor and the bias line are not on the same layer, one end of the third conductive structure is connected to the second conductor, and the other end of the third conductive structure is connected to the corresponding bias line, thus realizing the connection between the second conductor and the corresponding bias line.

[0023] In some embodiments, a second clearance hole is provided on the grounding layer, and a third conductive structure passes through the second clearance hole.

[0024] With the above setup, since the grounding layer needs to be grounded, the third conductive structure passes through the second clearance hole, which insulates the third conductive structure from the grounding layer, preventing leakage between the third conductive structure and the grounding layer and thus avoiding the failure of the corresponding bias line.

[0025] In some embodiments, the leaky antenna further includes a plurality of pins, each pin being connected to a bias line, the center line of the pin being perpendicular to the ground plane.

[0026] With the above settings, each bias line is connected to the corresponding pin. Powering the pin is equivalent to powering the bias line connected to it, thereby enabling the bias line to provide voltage to the variable impedance. Since the center line of the pin is perpendicular to the ground plane, the bias line is avoided from being led out in the row or column direction, which can reduce the size of the leaky antenna in the row or column direction and facilitate the increase of the number of radiators in the row or column direction of the leaky antenna.

[0027] In some embodiments, the leaky antenna further includes a first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer, and a plurality of sockets arranged in an array. The first dielectric layer is stacked between the ground layer and the variable impedance; the second dielectric layer is stacked between the ground layer and the radiator; each socket passes through the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer, and each pin passes through a socket; the socket wall is provided with a conductive sidewall, which is connected to the corresponding bias line.

[0028] With the above setup, each pin is inserted into the corresponding socket, and the connection with the corresponding bias line is achieved through the conductive sidewall of the socket.

[0029] In some embodiments, the projection of a row of pins corresponding to a row of slots onto the waveguide structure is located between adjacent transmission channels.

[0030] With the above settings, the pins are positioned between adjacent transmission channels to prevent them from affecting the transmission of electromagnetic waves in the transmission channels.

[0031] In some embodiments, the leaky antenna further includes a power divider, which includes an input and a plurality of outputs, each output being connected to the input; each output is configured to transmit a signal to a transmission channel.

[0032] With the above settings, all output terminals can output electromagnetic waves with the same amplitude and phase, thereby ensuring that the electromagnetic waves transmitted in each transmission channel have the same amplitude and phase.

[0033] In some embodiments, there are two power dividers, one of which is located at one end of the transmission channel and the other at the other end of the transmission channel.

[0034] With the above setup, the power divider located at one end of the transmission channel is used to input electromagnetic waves into the transmission channel, and the power divider located at the other end of the transmission channel is used to integrate the electromagnetic waves transmitted from the transmission channel and discharge them into the air.

[0035] In some embodiments, the waveguide structure includes a base plate and a plurality of pillars disposed on the base plate, wherein the plurality of pillars are arranged in an array and a transmission channel is formed between two adjacent rows of pillars.

[0036] With the above setup, the two adjacent rows of pillars forming the transmission channel can prevent electromagnetic waves in the transmission channel from propagating to other transmission channels, prevent electromagnetic waves in adjacent transmission channels from interfering with each other, and reduce the loss generated when electromagnetic waves are transmitted in the transmission channel.

[0037] In some embodiments, the waveguide structure further includes a plurality of first ridge structures located within the transmission channel and extending along the signal transmission direction.

[0038] By setting up the first ridge structure in the transmission channel, it is equivalent to moving the ground plane into the transmission channel, limiting the electric field in the transmission channel, increasing the capacitance of the transmission channel, and reducing the cutoff frequency of the waveguide structure. This can reduce the frequency of the electromagnetic waves transmitted in the transmission channel, making them slow waves.

[0039] On the other hand, embodiments of this application also provide a communication device, which includes a radio frequency unit and the aforementioned leaky antenna, wherein the radio frequency unit is used to transmit radio frequency signals to the leaky antenna.

[0040] It is understood that the beneficial effects that the communication device provided in the above embodiments of this application can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects of the leaky antenna mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0041] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this application, the accompanying drawings used in some embodiments of this application will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only drawings of some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings. In addition, the drawings described below can be regarded as schematic diagrams and are not intended to limit the actual size of the product, the actual flow of the method, the actual timing of the signals, etc. involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the connection of communication devices in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 2 is an isometric view of the leaky antenna in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the waveguide structure in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the waveguide structure in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the waveguide structure in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky antenna in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky antenna in the embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky antenna in the embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 9 is a graph showing the amplitude curves of electromagnetic waves radiated by the radiator when the PIN diode is turned off or on at different frequencies of electromagnetic waves in the embodiments of this application.

[0051] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the radiator configuration of the control array in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 11 is a beam diagram formed according to the scheme in Figure 10 in the embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second conductive layer in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the first conductor and the radiator in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky antenna in the embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky antenna in the embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third conductive layer in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky antenna in the embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaky antenna in the embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 19 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the radiator and the pin in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 20 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the pins and the transmission channel in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the power divider in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 22 is a phase curve diagram of the electromagnetic waves output by each output terminal of the power divider at different frequencies of electromagnetic waves in the embodiments of this application.

[0064] Figure 23 is a curve showing the reflection coefficient of the electromagnetic waves output by each output terminal of the power divider at different frequencies in the embodiments of this application.

[0065] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Communication equipment; 2. Indoor baseband processing unit; 3. Radio frequency unit; 4. Leaky wave antenna; 5. Waveguide structure; 6. Grounding layer; 7. Radiator; 8. Base plate; 9. Column; 10. Transmission channel; 11. First ridge structure; 12. Gap; 13. First radiator; 14. Second radiator; 15. Variable impedance device; 16. Bias line; 17. PIN diode; 18. First dielectric layer; 19. Second dielectric layer; 20. First prepreg; 21. First conductive layer; 22. Pad; 23. First conductive layer Structure; 24, Second conductive layer; 25, First conductor; 26, Second conductive structure; 27, Third dielectric layer; 28, Second prepreg; 29, First clearance hole; 30, Third conductive layer; 31, Second conductor; 32, Third conductive structure; 33, Second clearance hole; 34, Pin; 35, Hole; 36, Conductive sidewall; 37, Waveguide substructure; 38, First pillar; 39, Second pillar; 40, Third clearance hole; 41, Power divider; 42, Input terminal; 43, Output terminal; 44, Input channel; 45, Second ridge structure. Detailed Implementation

[0066] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0067] Hereinafter, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0068] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, directional terms such as "up," "down," "left," "right," "horizontal," and "vertical" are defined relative to the orientation of the components shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms are relative concepts, used for relative description and clarification, and can change accordingly depending on the orientation of the components in the accompanying drawings.

[0069] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium.

[0070] Referring to Figure 1, this application provides a communication device 1, which may include a communication base station, electronic devices, etc. In the implementation where the communication device 1 includes a communication base station, the communication device 1 may include a BBU (Building Baseband Unit, 2), an RRU (Radio Remote Unit, 3 in this embodiment), and a leaky antenna 4. One end of the radio remote unit 3 is connected to the building baseband unit 2, and the other end is connected to the leaky antenna 4. The building baseband unit 2 is used to perform channel encoding / decoding, baseband signal modulation / demodulation, and protocol processing, including generating control commands and generating radio frequency signals. The leaky antenna 4 is used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals. The radio remote unit 3 is used to send control commands and radio frequency signals to the leaky antenna 4, and also to transmit the radio frequency signals received by the leaky antenna 4 to the building baseband unit 2. The leaky antenna 4 in this embodiment should be understood as being used in conjunction with the radio remote unit 3. The leaky antenna 4 transmits the radio frequency signals sent by the radio remote unit 3 into the air as wireless signals. The leaky antenna 4 may include an electrically adjustable antenna, a mechanical antenna, etc.

[0071] It is understood that in this embodiment, the information exchange (including antenna control commands, transmitted operation results, etc.) between the radio frequency unit 3 and the leaky antenna 4 is conducted via a radio frequency coaxial cable. In the implementation of the communication device 1 including an electronic device, the electronic device may include a housing, the radio frequency unit 3, and the leaky antenna 4, both of which are disposed within the housing. The electronic device may also include a controller, which is also disposed within the housing and is electrically connected to the leaky antenna 4 and the radio frequency unit 3.

[0072] In the above implementations, the electronic device may include a wireless router or a mobile phone. In the implementation where the electronic device includes a wireless router, the leaky antenna 4 may include a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) antenna. In the implementation where the electronic device includes a mobile phone, the leaky antenna 4 may include a main antenna, a diversity antenna, or both, wherein the main antenna is responsible for both signal transmission and reception, and the diversity antenna is only responsible for receiving signals. In the implementation where the leaky antenna 4 includes both a main antenna and a diversity antenna, the signals received by the main antenna and the signals received by the diversity antenna can be combined to improve the reception performance of the leaky antenna 4.

[0073] Referring to Figure 2, the leaky antenna 4 provided in this embodiment may include a waveguide structure 5, a ground layer 6 (as shown in Figure 6), and a radiator 7. The waveguide structure 5 may include slot-gap waveguides, ridge-gap waveguides, etc. In this embodiment, the waveguide structure 5 is used to receive radio frequency signals (i.e., to receive electromagnetic waves) and couples the signals to the radiator 7, causing the radiator 7 to emit signals outwards. Referring to Figure 3, the waveguide structure 5 may include a base plate 8 and multiple pillars 9 disposed on the base plate 8. The multiple pillars 9 are arranged in an array, with a transmission channel 10 formed between adjacent rows of pillars 9 (in Figure 3, the x-direction is the column direction of the pillars, and the y-direction is the row direction of the pillars). Therefore, the waveguide structure 5 may include multiple transmission channels 10, each arranged parallel and spaced apart, with the extension direction of the transmission channel 10 parallel to the row direction of the pillar array. The signal received by the waveguide structure 5 is transmitted within each transmission channel 10 along the direction of the transmission channel 10. The main mode of electromagnetic wave propagation in the transmission channel 10 is the TE10 mode (where TE mode stands for transverse electric mode). The aforementioned base plate 8 and pillars 9 can both be made of metal. Through the above arrangement, the two adjacent rows of pillars 9 forming the transmission channels 10 can prevent electromagnetic waves in the transmission channel 10 from propagating to other transmission channels 10, prevent electromagnetic waves in adjacent transmission channels 10 from interfering with each other, and reduce the loss generated when electromagnetic waves propagate within the transmission channels 10. Referring to Figure 4, for example, the centerline of the column 9 can be perpendicular to the base plate 8, and the height of the column 9 (length along the direction parallel to the centerline) can be 2mm-6mm (e.g., 2mm, 4mm, 6mm, etc.). Referring to Figure 5, the projection of the column 9 on the base plate 8 can be a regular shape such as a circle or rectangle. Of course, the projection can also be other irregular shapes. In the implementation where the projection is a rectangle, the side length of the rectangle can be 0.6mm-1mm. For example, the rectangle can be a 0.8mm*0.8mm square. In the row direction, the distance between the centerlines of two adjacent columns 9 can be 2mm-6mm (e.g., 2mm, 4mm, 6mm, etc.). In the column direction, the distance between two adjacent columns 9 can be 6.8mm-8mm (e.g., 6.8mm, 7.4mm, 8mm).

[0074] It is understood that the signals transmitted in each transmission channel 10 can be signals of the same frequency or signals of different frequencies, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0075] Referring again to Figure 3, in the above embodiment, the waveguide structure 5 may further include multiple first ridge structures 11. These multiple first ridge structures 11 are located within the transmission channel 10, with each transmission channel 10 containing one first ridge structure 11, and the first ridge structure 11 extends along the signal transmission direction. The first ridge structure 11 is disposed on the base plate 8. Referring to Figure 4, the side of the first ridge structure 11 furthest from the base plate 8 is closer to the base plate 8 than the end of the column 9 furthest from the base plate 8; that is, the height of the first ridge structure 11 is less than the height of the column 9. Through this arrangement, the placement of the first ridge structure 11 within the transmission channel 10 is equivalent to moving the grounding plane within the transmission channel 10, limiting the electric field in the transmission channel 10, increasing the capacitance of the transmission channel 10, and reducing the cutoff frequency of the waveguide structure 5. It is understood that when the signal frequency is higher than the cutoff frequency, the signal can pass through; when the signal frequency is lower than the cutoff frequency, the signal output will be significantly attenuated. Therefore, by reducing the cutoff frequency of the waveguide structure 5, the first ridge structure 11 can reduce the frequency of the electromagnetic waves transmitted in the transmission channel 10, making them slow waves. Referring again to Figure 4, exemplarily, the length of the first ridge structure 11 in the row direction can be approximately equal to the length of the transmission channel 10; the width of the first ridge structure 11 in the column direction can be 2.3mm-2.7mm (e.g., 2.3mm, 2.5mm, 2.7mm), wherein the first ridge structure 11 in the column direction can be located at the center of two adjacent columns 9; the height of the first ridge structure 11 (the length of the first ridge structure 11 perpendicular to the surface where the base plate 8 connects to the first ridge structure 11) can be 2mm-2.4mm (e.g., 2mm, 2.2mm, 2.4mm). In some embodiments, the height of the first ridge structure 11 can vary periodically along the row direction, that is, the first ridge structure 11 includes a plurality of protrusions and a plurality of grooves that alternate sequentially along the row direction.

[0076] Referring again to Figures 4 and 6, in this embodiment, a ground layer 6 covers the waveguide structure 5. The ground layer 6 is parallel to and spaced apart from the base plate 8. A column 9 is located between the base plate 8 and the ground layer 6. The ground layer 6 can enclose the transmission channel 10. A radiator 7 is disposed on the side of the ground layer 6 away from the transmission channel 10 (as shown in Figure 2). Multiple slots 12 are arrayed on the ground layer 6, with each row of slots 12 corresponding to a transmission channel 10. The radiator 7 is located on the side of the slots 12 away from the transmission channel 10, and each radiator 7 corresponds to one slot 12. The signal in the transmission channel 10 can be coupled to the corresponding radiator 7 through the slots 12, causing the radiator 7 to emit a signal outward.

[0077] Referring to Figure 7, in some embodiments, each transmission channel 10 is provided with two rows of slots 12 (as shown in Figure 6), that is, each transmission channel 10 is provided with two rows of radiators 7. For example, referring to Figure 8, the waveguide structure 5 includes 16 rows of transmission channels 10, and the leaky antenna 4 includes 32 rows of radiators 7. Continuing to refer to Figure 7, in the embodiment where the spacing between two adjacent pillars 9 is 7.4 mm, the spacing between the geometric centers of two adjacent rows of radiators 7 can be 3.7 mm. The two rows of radiators 7 corresponding to the same transmission channel 10 include multiple first radiators 13 7 in the first row of radiators 7 and multiple second radiators 14 7 in the second row of radiators 7. The first straight line in the column direction of the first radiators 13 7 is located between two second straight lines in the column direction of two adjacent second radiators 14 7. For example, the spacing between the geometric centers of two adjacent first radiators 13 7 in the row direction is 3.4 mm, and the spacing between the geometric center of the first radiator 13 7 and the geometric center of its adjacent second radiator 14 7 in the row direction is 1.7 mm. In the above embodiment, the projection of the radiator 7 perpendicular to the array direction has a length of 2 mm in the row direction and a length of 2.1 mm in the column direction.

[0078] Referring again to Figure 6, in the above embodiment, the leaky antenna 4 may further include a variable impedance element 15. The variable impedance element 15 may include multiple elements, each variable impedance element 15 corresponds to a slot 12 and is located on the side of the slot 12 facing the transmission channel 10 (as shown in Figure 3). One end of each variable impedance element 15 is grounded, and the other end of each variable impedance element 15 is connected to a bias line 16. For example, the variable impedance 15 may include a PIN diode 17, one end of which is grounded and the other end is connected to a bias line 16. The bias line 16 is used to provide voltage to the PIN diode 17 to change the switching state of the PIN diode 17. Referring to Figures 6 and 9, Figure 9 shows the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the radiator 7 when the PIN diode 17 is off and the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the radiator 7 when the PIN diode 17 is on at different frequencies of electromagnetic waves. It can be seen that in the frequency range of 24GHz to 28GHz of electromagnetic waves, there is a significant difference between the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the radiator 7 when the PIN diode 17 is off and the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the radiator 7 when the PIN diode 17 is on. This indicates that whether the radiator 7 radiates electromagnetic waves can be controlled by turning the corresponding PIN diode 17 off or on through the bias line 16. In other words, within the electromagnetic wave frequency range of 24GHz to 28GHz, when the PIN diode 17 is in the off state, some electromagnetic waves in the transmission channel 10 can pass through the PIN diode 17 and couple to the corresponding radiator 7 through the gap 12, causing the radiator 7 to emit a signal outward; when the PIN diode 17 is in the on state, the electromagnetic waves in the transmission channel 10 will not pass through the PIN diode 17 and will continue to transmit along the transmission channel 10.

[0079] Referring again to Figure 6, in some embodiments, the leaky wave antenna 4 may include a first dielectric layer 18 and a second dielectric layer 19. The first dielectric layer 18 is stacked between the ground layer 6 and the variable impedance device 15; the second dielectric layer 19 is stacked between the ground layer 6 and the radiator 7. The radiator 7, the ground layer 6, and the variable impedance device 15 can be connected together via the first dielectric layer 18 and the second dielectric layer 19 to facilitate the assembly of the leaky wave antenna 4. Exemplarily, the first dielectric layer 18 and the second dielectric layer 19 can be bonded together using a first prepreg 20, wherein the first dielectric layer 18, the second dielectric layer 19, and the first prepreg 20 can all be made of insulating material. Exemplarily, the thickness of the first dielectric layer 18 is 0.508 mm, the thickness of the second dielectric layer 19 is 0.101 mm, and the thickness of the first prepreg 20 is 0.2 mm. The ground layer 6 is located between the first dielectric layer 18 and the first prepreg 20, and the first dielectric layer 18 covers the side of the waveguide structure 5 away from the base plate 8.

[0080] The leaky wave antenna 4 provided in this application includes a waveguide structure 5 comprising multiple transmission channels 10, which are arranged in parallel and spaced intervals. A ground layer 6 has an array of slots 12, with each row of slots 12 corresponding to one transmission channel 10. Multiple radiators 7 are included, each corresponding to one slot 12 and located on the side of the slot 12 facing away from the transmission channel 10. Multiple variable impedance devices 15 are also included, each corresponding to one slot 12 and located on the side of the slot 12 facing the transmission channel 10. One end of each variable impedance device 15 is grounded, and the other end is connected to a bias line 16. The bias line 16 controls the variable impedance device 15 connected to it, thereby controlling the radiator 7 corresponding to that variable impedance device 15 to transmit signals outwards. Since each variable impedance device 15 is connected to a bias line 16, individual control of each radiator 7 is possible, which in turn allows for individual control of the beam formed by each transmission channel 10, improving the communication performance of the leaky wave antenna 4.

[0081] In the above embodiments, it is possible to individually control whether the corresponding radiator 7 (as shown in Figure 6) emits a signal. Referring to Figure 10, the black squares represent radiators 7 not emitting signals, and the gray squares represent radiators 7 emitting signals. Controlling the radiator 7 to emit signals according to the first scheme in the first row of Figure 10 results in the shape of the first radiator in the first row of Figure 11; controlling the radiator 7 to emit signals according to the second scheme in the first row of Figure 10 results in the shape of the second radiator in the first row of Figure 11, and so on. It can be seen that controlling the radiators 7 of the array according to different schemes can form beams at different angles, increasing the scanning range of the leaky antenna 4. Furthermore, during the scanning process, the aperture area of ​​the leaky antenna 4 is the total area of ​​the leaky antenna 4, improving the aperture efficiency of the leaky antenna 4.

[0082] Referring again to Figure 6, in this embodiment, the leaky antenna 4 further includes a first conductive layer 21. The first conductive layer 21 is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the ground layer 6, and the first conductive layer 21 is located on the side of the ground layer 6 facing the transmission channel 10 (as shown in Figure 3). In the above implementation of the leaky antenna 4 including a first dielectric layer 18, the first conductive layer 21 is located on the side of the first dielectric layer 18 away from the ground layer 6. The first conductive layer 21 includes a plurality of pads 22 and each bias line 16. Each pad 22 is grounded, and one end of each variable impedance 15 is connected to a pad 22. In the above implementation of the leaky antenna 4 including a PIN diode 17, each pad 22 is located on the side of the first dielectric layer 18 away from the ground layer 6 and on the side close to the corresponding PIN diode 17. The end of the pad 22 close to the PIN diode 17 is connected to one end of the PIN diode 17, and the end of the pad 22 away from the PIN diode 17 is used for grounding. Each bias line 16 is located on the side of the first dielectric layer 18 away from the ground layer 6 and is located near the end of the corresponding PIN diode 17 away from the pad 22. The end of the bias line 16 near the PIN diode 17 is connected to the end of the PIN diode 17 away from the pad 22. The bias line 16 is used to provide voltage to the PIN diode 17. With the above configuration, one end of the variable impedance 15 is grounded through the pad 22, and the other end is connected to a bias line 16. This allows each variable impedance 15 to be turned on or off through each bias line 16, and allows individual control of whether the corresponding radiator 7 emits a signal.

[0083] Referring again to Figure 6, in this embodiment, the leaky antenna 4 further includes multiple first conductive structures 23. Each first conductive structure 23 is disposed between each pad 22 and the corresponding ground layer 6, and the pad 22 is connected to the ground layer 6 through the first conductive structure 23. In the implementation where the leaky antenna 4 includes a first dielectric layer 18, the first conductive structure 23 penetrates the first dielectric layer 18, one end of the first conductive structure 23 is connected to the pad 22, and the other end of the first conductive structure 23 is connected to the ground layer 6. With the above configuration, since both the ground layer 6 and the pad 22 in the first conductive layer 21 need to be grounded, after the first conductive structure 23 connects the pad 22 and the ground layer 6, only the pad 22 needs to be grounded or the ground layer 6 needs to be grounded, so that the ground layer 6 and the pad 22 can be grounded simultaneously, reducing the number of grounding lines of the leaky antenna 4 and reducing the difficulty of manufacturing the grounding lines of the leaky antenna 4.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the first conductive structure 23 is connected to the pad 22, which is located to the left of the PIN diode 17, so the PIN diode 17 is located to the right of the first conductive structure 23. The first conductive structure 23 is connected to the portion of the ground layer 6 located to the left of the gap 12 along a direction perpendicular to the array direction through the first dielectric layer 18, so that the gap 12 is also located to the right of the first conductive structure 23. Therefore, when the PIN diode 17 is in the off state, the electromagnetic wave transmission can be prevented from being affected by the grounded first conductive structure 23 during the process of passing through the PIN diode 17 and the gap 12.

[0085] Referring again to Figure 6, in this embodiment, the leaky antenna 4 further includes a second conductive layer 24. The second conductive layer 24 is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the ground layer 6, and is located on the side of the ground layer 6 away from the first conductive layer 21. The second conductive layer 24 includes a plurality of spaced first conductors 25, each of which is connected to a bias line 16. With the above arrangement, each bias line 16 is connected to the corresponding first conductor 25. Therefore, energizing the first conductor 25 is equivalent to energizing the bias line 16 connected to it, thereby enabling the bias line 16 to provide voltage to the variable impedance device 15. Since the second conductive layer 24 is located on the side of the ground layer 6 away from the first conductive layer 21, that is, the first conductors 25 and the bias lines 16 are not arranged on the same layer, the layout of the first conductors 25 is flexible, which can avoid the connection between adjacent first conductors 25, and thus avoid the connection between corresponding adjacent bias lines 16.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the leaky wave antenna 4 further includes multiple second conductive structures 26, and the first conductor 25 is connected to the corresponding bias line 16 through the second conductive structures 26. Through this arrangement, since the first conductor 25 and the bias line 16 are not on the same layer, one end of the second conductive structure 26 is connected to the first conductor 25, and the other end of the second conductive structure 26 is connected to the corresponding bias line 16, thus realizing the connection between the first conductor 25 and the corresponding bias line 16.

[0087] Referring again to Figure 6, in the implementation of the leaky antenna 4 including a first dielectric layer 18 and a second dielectric layer 19, the leaky antenna 4 may further include a third dielectric layer 27. The third dielectric layer 27 is located on the side of the second dielectric layer 19 opposite to the first dielectric layer 18. The third dielectric layer 27 is bonded to the second dielectric layer 19 via a second prepreg 28, wherein both the third dielectric layer 27 and the second prepreg 28 may be made of insulating material. In this implementation, the radiator 7 is located on the side of the third dielectric layer 27 opposite to the first dielectric layer 18. For example, the thickness of the third dielectric layer 27 is 0.508 mm, and the thickness of the second prepreg 28 is 0.2 mm. In conjunction with the above embodiments, the second conductive layer 24 is located between the second dielectric layer 19 and the second prepreg 28. One end of the second conductive structure 26 is connected to the bias line 16, and the other end of the second conductive structure 26 passes through the first dielectric layer 18, the first prepreg 20, and the second dielectric layer 19 perpendicular to the array direction and is connected to the first wire 25.

[0088] In the above implementation, a first clearance hole 29 is provided on the grounding layer 6, and the second conductive structure 26 passes through the first clearance hole 29. With the above arrangement, since the grounding layer 6 needs to be grounded, the second conductive structure 26 passes through the first clearance hole 29, which makes the second conductive structure 26 insulated from the grounding layer 6, avoiding leakage between the second conductive structure 26 and the grounding layer 6, which would cause the corresponding bias line 16 to fail.

[0089] In the implementation of the leaky antenna 4, which includes a first dielectric layer 18 and a second dielectric layer 19, since the ground layer 6 is located between the first dielectric layer 18 and the first prepreg 20, during the process of bonding the first dielectric layer 18 and the second dielectric layer 19 through the first prepreg 20, part of the first prepreg 20 fills the first clearance hole 29. After the second conductive structure 26 passes through the first clearance hole 29, there is a part of the first prepreg 20 made of insulating material between the second conductive structure 26 and the ground layer 6, thereby achieving insulation between the second conductive structure 26 and the ground layer 6.

[0090] In the above implementation, one end of the second conductive structure 26 is connected to the bias line 16, which is located to the right of the PIN diode 17. Therefore, the PIN diode 17 is located to the left of the second conductive structure 26. The second conductive structure 26 passes through the first dielectric layer 18, the first prepreg 20, and the second dielectric layer 19 perpendicular to the array direction and is connected to the first wire 25, so that the gap 12 and the radiator 7 are also located to the left of the second conductive structure 26. Therefore, when the PIN diode 17 is in the off state, during the process of electromagnetic waves passing through the PIN diode 17 and the gap 12 and transmitting to the radiator 7, the second conductive structure 26 can be prevented from affecting the transmission of electromagnetic waves.

[0091] Referring to Figures 12 and 13, in the above implementation, there is a gap between the plane perpendicular to the row direction where the first conductor 25 is located and the plane perpendicular to the row direction where the radiator 7, the gap 12, and the PIN diode 17 are located. Referring to Figure 14, in the vertical direction of the figure, although the first conductor 25 is located between the second dielectric layer 19 and the second prepreg 28, in the horizontal direction of the figure, the first conductor 25 is located on the right side of the radiator 7, the gap 12, and the PIN diode 17 as a whole. This is to prevent the first conductor 25 from affecting the transmission of electromagnetic waves when the PIN diode 17 is in the off state and the electromagnetic waves pass through the PIN diode 17 and the gap 12 and are transmitted to the radiator 7.

[0092] Referring again to FIG15, in this embodiment of the application, the leaky antenna 4 may further include a third conductive layer 30. The third conductive layer 30 is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the ground layer 6. The third conductive layer 30 is located between the second conductive layer 24 and the ground layer 6. The third conductive layer 30 includes a plurality of spaced second conductors 31. Each second conductor 31 is connected to a bias line 16. Several bias lines 16 are connected to the second conductors 31. The remaining bias lines 16 are connected to the first conductor 25.

[0093] With the above configuration, a bias line 16 is connected to the corresponding second conductor 31. Energizing the second conductor 31 is equivalent to energizing the bias line 16 connected to it, thereby enabling the bias line 16 to provide voltage to the variable impedance device 15. Since the third conductive layer 30 is located between the second conductive layer 24 and the ground layer 6, meaning the second conductor 31 and the bias line 16 are not on the same layer, the layout of the second conductor 31 is flexible, preventing adjacent second conductors 31 from connecting, and consequently preventing corresponding adjacent bias lines 16 from connecting. Simultaneously, since several bias lines 16 are connected to the second conductor 31, and the remaining bias lines 16 are connected to the first conductor 25, and the third conductive layer 30 and the second conductive layer 24 are not on the same layer, compared to the embodiment where the leaky antenna 4 only includes the second conductive layer 24, the third conductive layer 30 can connect to other bias lines 16, increasing the number of radiators 7 that can be installed in the leaky antenna 4, facilitating the expansion of the leaky antenna 4 in the row or column direction.

[0094] In the above embodiment, the leaky antenna 4 further includes multiple third conductive structures 32, and the second conductor 31 is connected to the corresponding bias line 16 through the third conductive structures 32. Through this arrangement, since the second conductor 31 and the bias line 16 are not on the same layer, one end of the third conductive structure 32 is connected to the second conductor 31, and the other end of the third conductive structure 32 is linked to the corresponding bias line 16, thus realizing the connection between the second conductor 31 and the corresponding bias line 16.

[0095] In the implementation of the leaky antenna 4, which includes a first dielectric layer 18, a second dielectric layer 19, and a third dielectric layer 27, the third conductive layer 30 is located between the second dielectric layer 19 and the first prepreg 20. One end of the third conductive structure 32 is connected to the bias line 16, and the other end of the third conductive structure 32 passes through the first dielectric layer 18 and the first prepreg 20 along a direction perpendicular to the array and is connected to the second wire 31.

[0096] In the above implementation, a second clearance hole 33 is provided on the grounding layer 6, and the third conductive structure 32 passes through the second clearance hole 33. Through the above arrangement, since the grounding layer 6 needs to be grounded, the third conductive structure 32 passing through the second clearance hole 33 insulates the third conductive structure 32 from the grounding layer 6, avoiding leakage between the third conductive structure 32 and the grounding layer 6, which would cause the corresponding bias line 16 to fail.

[0097] In the implementation of the leaky antenna 4 including the first dielectric layer 18 and the second dielectric layer 19, since the ground layer 6 is located between the first dielectric layer 18 and the first prepreg 20, during the process of bonding the first dielectric layer 18 and the second dielectric layer 19 through the first prepreg 20, part of the first prepreg 20 fills the second clearance hole 33. After the third conductive structure 32 passes through the second clearance hole 33, there is a part of the first prepreg 20 made of insulating material between the third conductive structure 32 and the ground layer 6, thereby achieving insulation between the third conductive structure 32 and the ground layer 6.

[0098] In the above implementation, one end of the third conductive structure 32 is connected to the bias line 16, which is located to the right of the PIN diode 17. Therefore, the PIN diode 17 is located to the left of the third conductive structure 32. The third conductive structure 32 penetrates the first dielectric layer 18 and the first prepreg 20 perpendicular to the array direction and is connected to the second wire 31, so that the gap 12 and the radiator 7 are also located to the left of the third conductive structure 32. Thus, when the PIN diode 17 is in the off state, during the process of electromagnetic waves passing through the PIN diode 17 and the gap 12 and transmitting to the radiator 7, the third conductive structure 32 can be prevented from affecting the transmission of electromagnetic waves.

[0099] Referring to Figure 16, in the above implementation, there is a gap between the plane perpendicular to the row direction where the second conductor 31 is located and the plane perpendicular to the row direction where the radiator 7, the gap 12, and the PIN diode 17 are located. Referring to Figure 17, in the vertical direction of the figure, although the second conductor 31 is located between the first dielectric layer 18 and the first prepreg 20, in the horizontal direction of the figure, the second conductor 31 is located on the right side of the radiator 7, the gap 12, and the PIN diode 17 as a whole. This is to prevent the second conductor 31 from affecting the transmission of electromagnetic waves when the PIN diode 17 is in the off state and the electromagnetic waves pass through the PIN diode 17 and the gap 12 and are transmitted to the radiator 7.

[0100] Referring to Figure 18, in this embodiment of the application, the leaky antenna 4 may also include a plurality of pins 34, each pin 34 being connected to a bias line 16, and the center line of the pin 34 being perpendicular to the ground layer 6.

[0101] With the above settings, each bias line 16 is connected to the corresponding pin 34. Powering the pin 34 is equivalent to powering the bias line 16 connected to it, thereby enabling the bias line 16 to provide voltage to the variable impedance device 15. Since the center line of the pin 34 is perpendicular to the ground layer 6, the bias line 16 is avoided from being led out in the row or column direction, which can reduce the size of the leaky antenna 4 in the row or column direction, making it easier to increase the number of radiators 7 in the row or column direction of the leaky antenna 4.

[0102] In the implementation where the leaky antenna 4 also includes a first dielectric layer 18 and a second dielectric layer 19, the leaky antenna 4 further includes an array of multiple sockets 35, each socket 35 penetrating the first dielectric layer 18 and the second dielectric layer 19; a conductive sidewall 36 is provided on the wall of the socket 35, and the conductive sidewall 36 is connected to the corresponding bias line 16; each pin 34 passes through a socket 35. Through the above arrangement, each pin 34 is inserted into the corresponding socket 35, and the connection with the corresponding bias line 16 is achieved through the conductive sidewall 36 of the socket 35. As shown in the figure, the pin 34 can protrude from the bottom of the first conductive layer 21. Correspondingly, the top of the pin 34 can be soldered to the conductive sidewall 36 to facilitate soldering. In this way, the pin 34 and the conductive sidewall 36 can be connected, so that energizing the pin 34 is equivalent to energizing the conductive sidewall 36 of the corresponding socket 35, and thus equivalent to energizing the corresponding bias line 16. At the same time, the relative position of the pin 34 and the conductive sidewall 36 can be fixed to prevent the pin 34 from falling out of the conductive sidewall 36 or from having poor contact with the conductive sidewall 36.

[0103] Understandably, the end of pin 34 furthest from radiator 7 can be connected to other plug-in devices to control the corresponding variable impedance device 15. This plug-in device may include a jack or other circuit board.

[0104] Referring to Figures 19 and 20, in the above implementation, the waveguide structure 5 may include a base plate 8 and a plurality of waveguide substructures 37 extending in the row direction disposed on the base plate 8. The plurality of waveguide substructures 37 are spaced apart in the column direction. The waveguide substructure 37 includes a plurality of first pillars 38 extending in the row direction and a plurality of second pillars 39 extending in the row direction. A row of first pillars 38 and a row of second pillars 39 in the same waveguide substructure 37 form a transmission channel 10.

[0105] In the above implementation, the projection of a row of pins 34 corresponding to a row of slots 12 onto the waveguide structure 5 is located between adjacent transmission channels 10. That is, a row of pins 34 is located between a row of second pillars 39 in one waveguide substructure 37 and a row of first pillars 38 adjacent to it belonging to another waveguide substructure 37. Through the above arrangement, the pins 34 being located between adjacent transmission channels 10 can prevent the pins 34 from affecting the transmission of electromagnetic waves in the transmission channels 10.

[0106] Referring again to Figure 18, in the above implementation, the grounding layer 6 may further include a third clearance hole 40, through which the conductive sidewall 36 passes. Since the grounding layer 6 needs to be grounded, the conductive sidewall 36 passing through the third clearance hole 40 insulates the conductive sidewall 36 from the grounding layer 6, preventing leakage between the conductive sidewall 36 and the grounding layer 6, which could cause the corresponding bias line 16 to fail.

[0107] In the implementation of the leaky antenna 4, which includes a first dielectric layer 18 and a second dielectric layer 19, since the ground layer 6 is located between the first dielectric layer 18 and the first prepreg 20, during the process of bonding the first dielectric layer 18 and the second dielectric layer 19 through the first prepreg 20, part of the first prepreg 20 fills the third clearance hole 40. After the conductive sidewall 36 passes through the third clearance hole 40, there is a portion of the first prepreg 20 made of insulating material between the conductive sidewall 36 and the ground layer 6, thereby achieving insulation between the conductive sidewall 36 and the ground layer 6.

[0108] Referring to Figure 21, in this embodiment, the leaky antenna 4 further includes a power divider 41. The power divider 41 includes an input terminal 42 and multiple output terminals 43, each of which is connected to the input terminal 42. Each output terminal 43 is configured to send a signal to a transmission channel 10 (as shown in Figure 3). Through the above settings, all output terminals 43 can output electromagnetic waves with the same amplitude and phase, thereby ensuring that the electromagnetic waves transmitted in each transmission channel 10 have the same amplitude and phase. Referring to Figure 22, the horizontal axis represents the frequency of the input electromagnetic wave, and the vertical axis represents the phase of the electromagnetic waves output by each output terminal 43. S2,1 represents the phase of the electromagnetic wave output by the first output terminal 43 when an electromagnetic wave is input from the input terminal 42; S3,1 represents the phase of the electromagnetic wave output by the second output terminal 43 when an electromagnetic wave is input from the input terminal 42, and so on. (Only S1,1 to S9,1 are marked in the figure.) It can be seen that the curves of S2,1 to S9,1 overlap, indicating that the phases of the electromagnetic waves output by each output terminal 43 are the same. Please refer to Figure 23. The horizontal axis represents the frequency of the input electromagnetic wave, and the vertical axis represents the reflection coefficients measured at input terminal 42 and each output terminal 43. S1,1 represents the reflection coefficient measured at input terminal 42 when an electromagnetic wave is input; S2,1 represents the reflection coefficient measured at the first output terminal 43 when an electromagnetic wave is input from input terminal 42; S3,1 represents the reflection coefficient measured at the second output terminal 43 when an electromagnetic wave is input from input terminal 42, and so on. (Only S1,1 to S9,1 are labeled in the figure.) Since all output terminals 43 output electromagnetic waves with the same amplitude and phase, the curves S2,1 to S9,1 coincide. As shown in Figure 23, within the electromagnetic wave frequency range of 24GHz to 28GHz, all output terminals 43 have low reflection coefficients.

[0109] Referring again to FIG21, in an embodiment of this application, a communication device 1 is provided, wherein one end of the radio frequency unit 3 (as shown in FIG1) is connected to the indoor baseband processing unit 2 (as shown in FIG1), and the other end of the radio frequency unit 3 is connected to the input terminal 42.

[0110] Referring again to Figure 21, in the above implementation, an input channel 44 is provided between the input terminal 42 and each output terminal 43 of the power divider 41. The power divider 41 may also include a second ridge structure 45, with a second ridge structure 45 provided in each input channel 44, and the second ridge structure 45 extending along the signal transmission direction. By providing the second ridge structure 45 in the input channel 44, the cutoff frequency of the electromagnetic waves in each input channel 44 of the power divider 41 is reduced, which can lower the resonant frequency of the electromagnetic waves. To maintain the resonant frequency of the electromagnetic waves, the size of the power divider 41 in the arrangement direction of each input channel 44 can be reduced. Therefore, reducing the cutoff frequency of the electromagnetic waves in each input channel 44 of the power divider 41 is beneficial for reducing the size of the power divider 41 in the arrangement direction of each input channel 44.

[0111] Referring again to Figure 21, in some embodiments, the power divider 41 may include one. Referring to Figure 2, the left side of the waveguide structure 5 is the power divider 41, and the right side of the waveguide structure 5 is the absorbing material, which is used to absorb electromagnetic waves transmitted from the transmission channel 10 (as shown in Figure 3).

[0112] In other embodiments, there are two power dividers 41, one located at one end of the transmission channel 10 and the other at the other end. With this arrangement, the power divider 41 at one end of the transmission channel 10 is used to input electromagnetic waves into the transmission channel 10, while the power divider 41 at the other end of the transmission channel 10 is used to integrate and discharge the electromagnetic waves transmitted from the transmission channel 10 into the air.

[0113] In the above embodiment, the input terminal 42 of the power divider 41 located at one end of the transmission channel 10 is used to connect to the radio frequency unit 3, while the output terminal 43 of the power divider 41 located at the other end of the transmission channel 10 can be provided with a wave-absorbing material. In this way, after the electromagnetic waves transmitted from the power divider 41 in the transmission channel 10 are integrated, the wave-absorbing material can absorb the transmitted electromagnetic waves.

[0114] It should be noted that, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection or an integral connection; they can also refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; or they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0115] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit them; although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some or all of the technical features therein; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A leaky wave antenna, characterized in that, include: A waveguide structure comprising multiple transmission channels, wherein the transmission channels are arranged in parallel and spaced apart. A grounding layer, wherein an array of slots is arranged on the grounding layer, and each row of slots corresponds to one of the transmission channels; A radiator, wherein there are multiple radiators, each of which corresponds to one of the slots and is located on the side of the slot away from the transmission channel; A plurality of variable impedances are provided, each of which corresponds to one of the slots and is located on the side of the slot facing the transmission channel. One end of each variable impedance is grounded and the other end of each variable impedance is connected to a bias line.

2. The leaky wave antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The leaky antenna further includes a first conductive layer, which is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the ground layer, and the first conductive layer is located on the side of the ground layer facing the transmission channel; the first conductive layer includes a plurality of pads and each of the bias lines, each of the pads is grounded, and one end of each of the variable impedances is connected to one of the pads.

3. The leaky wave antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the pads is provided with a first conductive structure between it and the ground layer, and the pads are connected to the ground layer through the first conductive structure.

4. The leaky wave antenna according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The leaky antenna further includes a second conductive layer, which is parallel to and spaced apart from the ground layer. The second conductive layer is located on the side of the ground layer away from the first conductive layer. The second conductive layer includes a plurality of spaced first conductors, each of which is connected to a bias line.

5. The leaky wave antenna according to claim 4, characterized in that, A second conductive structure is provided between each of the first conductors and the corresponding bias line, and the first conductor is connected to the corresponding bias line through the second conductive structure.

6. The leaky wave antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that, A first clearance hole is provided on the grounding layer, and the second conductive structure passes through the first clearance hole.

7. The leaky wave antenna according to any one of claims 4-6, characterized in that, The leaky antenna further includes a third conductive layer, which is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the ground layer, and is located between the second conductive layer and the ground layer; the third conductive layer includes a plurality of spaced second conductors, each second conductor is connected to a bias line, several bias lines are connected to the second conductors, and the remaining bias lines are connected to the first conductors.

8. The leaky wave antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that, A third conductive structure is provided between each of the second conductors and the corresponding bias line, and the second conductors are connected to the corresponding bias line through the third conductive structure.

9. The leaky wave antenna according to claim 8, characterized in that, A second clearance hole is provided on the grounding layer, and the third conductive structure passes through the second clearance hole.

10. The leaky wave antenna according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The leaky antenna also includes a plurality of pins, each pin being connected to a bias line, the center line of the pin being perpendicular to the ground plane.

11. The leaky wave antenna according to claim 10, characterized in that, The leaky antenna further includes a first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer, and a plurality of sockets arranged in an array. The first dielectric layer is stacked between the ground layer and the variable impedance; the second dielectric layer is stacked between the ground layer and the radiator; each socket penetrates the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer, and each pin passes through one socket; the socket wall is provided with a conductive sidewall, and the conductive sidewall is connected to the corresponding bias line.

12. The leaky-wave antenna according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The projection of the row of pins corresponding to the row of slots on the waveguide structure is located between adjacent transmission channels.

13. The leaky wave antenna according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The leaky antenna further includes a power divider, which includes an input terminal and multiple output terminals, each of which is connected to the input terminal; each of the output terminals is configured to transmit a signal to one of the transmission channels.

14. The leaky-wave antenna according to claim 13, characterized in that, There are two power dividers, one of which is located at one end of the transmission channel and the other at the other end of the transmission channel.

15. The leaky-wave antenna according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, The waveguide structure includes a base plate and multiple pillars disposed on the base plate. The arrangement of the multiple pillar arrays forms the transmission channel between two adjacent rows of pillars.

16. The leaky-wave antenna according to claim 15, characterized in that, The waveguide structure also includes a plurality of first ridge structures, which are located within the transmission channel and extend along the signal transmission direction.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The radio frequency unit and the leaky antenna according to any one of claims 1-16, wherein the radio frequency unit is used to transmit radio frequency signals to the leaky antenna.

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