Miniaturized high-gain millimeter wave antenna and satellite system

Abstract

Provided in the present invention are a miniaturized high-gain millimeter wave antenna and a satellite system. The millimeter wave antenna comprises a first metal plate, a dielectric plate, a second metal plate and a feeding assembly, wherein the first metal plate, the dielectric plate and the second metal plate are sequentially stacked and connected; a slot antenna array is formed on the first metal plate, and comprises several slot structures staggered and spaced apart from each other; the feeding assembly is electrically connected to the first metal plate; and several metal vias are formed around the slot antenna array formed by the several slot structures, the metal vias penetrating the dielectric plate and being connected to the first metal plate and the second metal plate. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter wave antenna in the present invention has a compact and simple structure, and the entire antenna can achieve radiation patterns of sum and difference beams, thereby better covering incoming waves in different directions and effectively improving the radiation gain of the antenna.

Description

Miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna and satellite system Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a miniaturized high-gain millimeter wave antenna and a satellite system. Background Art

[0002] 5G millimeter wave technology is a critical foundation for 5G applications. Millimeter wave refers to a special type of electromagnetic wave with a wavelength of 1 to 10 mm and a frequency of 30 GHz to 300 GHz. Compared to frequency bands below 6 GHz, millimeter wave offers unique advantages such as wide bandwidth, low air interface latency, and flexible air interface configuration. It can meet the requirements of future wireless communications for system capacity, transmission rate, and differentiated applications. 3GPP defines the 5G frequency band range in TS 38.104, "NR: Base Station Radio Transmission and Receive," which establishes the minimum RF characteristics and performance requirements for 5G NR base stations (5G frequency band information can also be found in TS 38.101-1 and TS 38.101-2). 5G NR includes some LTE bands and also adds some new bands (n50, n51, n70, and above). At present, the 5G frequency bands most likely to be deployed globally are n77, n78, n257, n258 and n260, which are 3.3GHz-4.2GHz, 4.4GHz-5.0GHz and millimeter wave bands 26GHz / 28GHz / 39GHz.

[0003] Conventional antenna units used to implement millimeter-wave array antennas are patch antennas. For example, Qualcomm's conventional millimeter-wave on-chip antenna is in patch form. Patch antennas are simple, but due to their large size, they occupy more space when forming larger arrays. In addition, if microstrip lines and power dividers are used to feed patch antennas in the millimeter-wave band, there will be significant energy leakage, and the radiation pattern is fixed, making it impossible to detect in different directions.

[0004] In view of this, it is indeed necessary for the present invention to propose a miniaturized high-gain millimeter wave antenna and a satellite system using the antenna.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a miniaturized high-gain millimeter wave antenna to solve the problem.

[0007] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a miniaturized, high-gain millimeter-wave antenna, which includes a first metal plate, a dielectric plate, a second metal plate, and a feeding assembly. The first metal plate, the dielectric plate, and the second metal plate are stacked and connected in sequence. A slot antenna array is provided on the first metal plate, and the slot antenna array includes a plurality of slot structures, which are arranged at intervals and staggered. The feeding assembly is electrically connected to the first metal plate. A plurality of metal vias are provided around the slot antenna array formed by the plurality of slot structures. The metal vias pass through the dielectric plate and connect the first metal plate and the second metal plate.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first metal plate and the second metal plate are both arranged in a rectangular shape. In the horizontal direction, a plurality of the gap structures are arranged at intervals, and adjacent gap structures are arranged at intervals to form interval gaps.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, in the vertical direction, a plurality of the slot structures are arranged at intervals, and adjacent slot structures are arranged at intervals and staggered.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the gap structures are located directly below the spacing gaps and are spaced apart along the horizontal direction.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the slot antenna array is configured as a two-row slot antenna array.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the slot antenna array includes a first slot structure, a second slot structure and a third slot structure, and the first slot structure, the second slot structure and the third slot structure are arranged to be spaced and crossed to form a triangle.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the metal via is configured as a cylindrical metal via, and the radius of the metal via is in the range of 0.1-0.5 mm.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the gap structure is configured in a rectangular or L-shape.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the feeding assembly includes a first feeding structure and a second feeding structure. After the first feeding structure and the second feeding structure are connected, they are electrically connected to the first metal plate.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present invention, the second feeding structure extends along the direction of the first feeding structure, so that the feeding component is a horn-shaped gradient microstrip line.

[0017] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first feeding structure is configured in a trapezoidal shape, and the second feeding structure is configured in a rectangular shape.

[0018] As a further improvement of the present invention, the upper bottom edge of the first feeding structure is connected to the second feeding structure, and the lower bottom edge of the first feeding structure is connected to the first metal plate.

[0019] Another object of the present invention is to provide a satellite system to better utilize the above-mentioned miniaturized high-gain millimeter wave antenna.

[0020] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a satellite system, which includes the aforementioned miniaturized high-gain millimeter wave antenna.

[0021] The present invention provides a miniaturized, high-gain millimeter-wave antenna, comprising a first metal plate, a dielectric plate, a second metal plate, and a feed assembly. The first metal plate, the dielectric plate, and the second metal plate are sequentially stacked and connected. The first metal plate is provided with a slot antenna array, comprising a plurality of slot structures, the plurality of slot structures being staggered and arranged at intervals. The feed assembly is electrically connected to the first metal plate. The slot antenna array formed by the plurality of slot structures is surrounded by a plurality of metal vias, which pass through the dielectric plate and connect the first and second metal plates. The miniaturized, high-gain millimeter-wave antenna of the present invention is not only compact and simple in structure, but the antenna as a whole can also achieve a radiation pattern of sum and difference beams, thereby better covering waves arriving from different directions and effectively improving the radiation gain of the antenna. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to the present invention.

[0023] FIG2 is a diagram showing the S11 simulation results of the miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna of the present invention.

[0024] FIG3 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the electric field distribution within the slot structure of the miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna of the present invention.

[0025] FIG4 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the far-field pattern of the miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna of the present invention.

[0026] FIG5 is a diagram showing the in-band gain simulation results of the miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna of the present invention.

[0027] The descriptions of the reference numerals are as follows: first metal plate 10 , second metal plate 20 , first slot structure 301 , second slot structure 302 , third slot structure 303 , metal via 40 , slot antenna array 30 , first feeding structure 50 , second feeding structure 51 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The following is a detailed description of the miniaturized, high-gain millimeter-wave antenna proposed by the present invention, using the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the drawings are highly simplified and not precisely scaled, and are intended solely to facilitate and clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the structures shown in the drawings are often portions of the actual structure. In particular, different drawings may require different emphasis and, in some cases, use different scales.

[0029] In the current existing technology, patch antennas are either large in size, occupy a large space, and have significant energy leakage when fed, and the radiation pattern is fixed, making it impossible to detect different directions. Therefore, the present invention provides a miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna, and the radiation pattern is special compared to the conventional millimeter-wave pattern, which can better detect signals in different angle ranges. In other words, the antenna as a whole can achieve a radiation pattern of sum and difference beams, thereby better covering waves from different directions and effectively improving the radiation gain of the antenna.

[0030] This miniaturized, high-gain millimeter-wave antenna can be used in satellite systems because both the sum beam and the difference beam are very narrow. Once the incoming wave direction shifts by a small angle, the signal strength received by the receiving end will change significantly. Therefore, it can be used to measure the precise incoming wave direction or to obtain information on whether the incoming wave direction has shifted.

[0031] The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna of the present invention includes a first metal plate 10, a dielectric plate, a second metal plate 20, and a feeding assembly. The first metal plate 10, the dielectric plate, and the second metal plate 20 are stacked and connected in sequence. A slot antenna array 30 is provided on the first metal plate 10. The slot antenna array 30 includes a plurality of slot structures, and the plurality of slot structures are arranged at intervals and staggered. The feeding assembly is electrically connected to the first metal plate 10. A plurality of metal vias 40 are provided around the slot antenna array 30 formed by the plurality of slot structures. The metal vias 40 pass through the dielectric plate and connect the first metal plate 10 and the second metal plate 20.

[0032] This configuration not only enables compactness and high gain, but also creates a sum-and-difference beam radiation pattern, providing better coverage for incoming waves from different directions. A sum-and-difference beam is a narrow beam with the highest gain in the direction of the antenna's main radiation, called a sum beam, while a beam with two lobes is called a difference beam. This type of sum-and-difference beam has important applications in radar antenna design. The main beam directions corresponding to the sum-and-difference beams are different, allowing a single antenna array to receive or transmit waves from different directions. Furthermore, for the difference beam, the center direction aligns precisely with the null point of the pattern, while moving away from the center direction rapidly transforms into two main beams. This characteristic can be used to precisely measure the incoming wave direction. For example, if the incoming wave direction is aligned with the center point of the difference beam pattern, a slight deviation from the center direction will align with the left and right main lobes of the difference beam. This slight angular deviation is clearly reflected in the received signal power. Therefore, as long as the received signal power remains unchanged, it can be determined that the incoming wave direction has not shifted angularly.

[0033] Furthermore, the first metal plate 10 and the second metal plate 20 are both arranged in a rectangular shape, and in the horizontal direction, several of the slot structures are spaced apart, and adjacent slot structures are spaced apart to form spaced gaps. That is, some of the slot structures are spaced apart along the horizontal direction, and some of the slot structures are spaced apart and staggered along the vertical direction. Specifically, in the horizontal direction, adjacent slot structures are spaced apart to form spaced gaps; in the vertical direction, several of the slot structures are spaced apart, and adjacent slot structures are spaced apart and staggered. The slot structures are directly below the spaced gaps and spaced apart along the horizontal direction. Preferably, the slot antenna array 30 in the millimeter wave antenna of the present invention is configured as two rows of slot antenna arrays 30, and the slot antenna array 30 includes a first slot structure 301, a second slot structure 302, and a third slot structure 303, and the first slot structure 301, the second slot structure 302, and the third slot structure 303 are spaced apart and cross-arranged to form a triangle. The first slot structure 301 , the second slot structure 302 and the third slot structure 303 constitute a triangular radiating unit. The radiating units are arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, and adjacent radiating units are arranged opposite to each other to form a larger radiating unit.

[0034] In one embodiment of the present invention, the dielectric plate is configured as a dielectric plate with a thickness of 0.5808 mm and a dielectric constant of 2.2. The back of the antenna is a complete metal floor, namely the second metal plate 20. The front of the antenna is provided with a slot antenna array 30, which is arranged periodically to achieve high gain. Preferably, the slot antenna array 30 is arranged in two rows, each row having seven slot structures, for a total of fourteen slot antennas forming the slot antenna array 30. This antenna array achieves compactness and high gain while also producing a radiation pattern of sum and difference beams, thereby better covering waves from different directions. The number of antennas in the horizontal direction is not limited in the present invention. The greater the number of antennas provided, the higher the gain of the resulting pattern. Based on the principle of precise angle measurement of the difference beam described above, the higher the antenna gain, the easier it is to determine the deviation of the incoming wave direction. Therefore, the number of slot structures in the horizontal direction must be greater than or equal to six. Furthermore, the slot structure is preferably configured in a rectangular or L-shape. The slot structure of the present invention is preferably rectangular, as rectangular slot structures have relatively pure polarization characteristics when radiating. If there is no special requirement for the polarization of the antenna, other forms of slot structures may be used, such as an L-shaped slot structure.

[0035] Furthermore, the slot antenna array 30 formed by the plurality of slot structures is surrounded by a plurality of metal vias 40. These metal vias 40 pass through the dielectric plate and connect the first metal plate 10 and the second metal plate 20. Specifically, the via structures surrounding the slot structures act as metal walls, confining energy within the antenna slot structure. These vias are all metalized vias, and the vertical metal vias 40 can be thought of as metal cylinders that connect the first metal plate 10 and the second metal plate 20. Therefore, these metal cylinders pass through the dielectric plate in the middle and directly connect to the metal layers above and below.

[0036] As one embodiment of the present invention, the antenna is preferably arranged in an overall rectangular shape, wherein the antenna array area has dimensions L = 70 mm and W = 8 mm. It should be noted that L increases with the number of antennas in each row, while W is inversely proportional to the antenna's operating frequency; the higher the frequency, the smaller W. Specifically, the metal vias 40 are preferably cylindrical, with a radius ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 mm. Preferably, the metal vias 40 of the present invention are cylindrical with a radius of 0.2 mm, connecting the first metal plate 10 and the second metal plate 20. Several metal vias 40 are spaced apart, with the spacing between adjacent metal vias 40 being less than or equal to 1 mm. This arrangement creates a complete metal wall structure, preventing electromagnetic waves from escaping beyond the row of metal vias 40. If the spacing between the metal vias 40 is too large, the electromagnetic waves will not be confined, and energy will escape through the gaps between the metal vias 40. It should be noted that if the cylindrical radius of the metal via 40 is too small, the processing accuracy requirements will also become correspondingly higher. As long as it can be achieved, it will not have a significant impact on the actual antenna performance; if the radius of the metal via 40 is too large, it will be difficult to regard a row of metal vias 40 as a metal wall, which will also affect the distribution of the electromagnetic field, thereby affecting the antenna performance.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the width W of the antenna array area determines the periodic distribution of the electric field in the width direction. In this embodiment, the electric field is required to be distributed according to 1.5 sinusoidal periods in the W direction, so that the electric fields in the upper and lower rows of metal slot structures can be in the same direction. In addition, the slot length of the slot structure is preferably 4.44mm, and the width is preferably 0.5mm. With this arrangement, the resonant frequency of the antenna is at 22.8GHz and 24.4GHz. G1 in the figure refers to the horizontal distance between the first slot structure 301 and the third slot structure 303, and G2 refers to the vertical distance between the first slot structure 301 and the third slot structure 303. The present invention preferably has G = 8.87mm ± 0.1 and G2 = 3.5mm ± 0.1. In this way, the technical effects of antenna sum difference beam and high gain can be achieved.

[0038] Furthermore, the feeding assembly includes a first feeding structure 50 and a second feeding structure 51. After the first feeding structure 50 and the second feeding structure 51 are connected, they are electrically connected to the first metal plate 10. The second feeding structure extends along the direction of the first feeding structure so that the feeding assembly is a horn-shaped tapered microstrip line. Preferably, the first feeding structure 50 is configured in a trapezoidal shape, and the second feeding structure 51 is configured in a rectangular shape. The upper bottom edge of the first feeding structure 50 is connected to the second feeding structure 51, and the lower bottom edge of the first feeding structure 50 is connected to the first metal plate 10. Specifically, the slot antenna array 30 is fed by a tapered microstrip line structure. The tapered structure here refers to the first feeding structure 50. The first feeding structure 50 is configured in a trapezoidal shape. The lower bottom edge of the first feeding structure 50 is connected to the first metal plate 10, and the upper bottom edge of the first feeding structure 50 is connected to the second feeding structure 51. The second feeding structure 51 is configured as a long rectangular microstrip line structure. This arrangement utilizes the width variation of the hypotenuse of the trapezoidal first feed structure 50 to transition from a larger trapezoidal base to a smaller one. This gradual change ensures that the impedance of the segmented trapezoidal strip line gradually changes without abrupt impedance changes, thus ensuring good antenna matching characteristics. Of course, the first feed structure 50 and the second feed structure 51 may also have other structural forms, as long as they can achieve the above-mentioned feeding effect, and are not limited here.

[0039] Specifically, the upper and lower bases of the first feeding structure 50 of the present invention are W1 and W2 respectively, and the height of the trapezoid is L1. Preferably, W1=3mm, W2=1.61mm, and L1=4mm. The first feeding structure 50 is the key to the transition from the microstrip line to the slot antenna array 30, that is, it affects the matching resonance depth of the antenna. Generally speaking, the upper and lower bases of the first feeding structure 50 correspond to the input impedance of the antenna system and the 50 ohm feeding impedance respectively; the height L1 of the first feeding structure 50 is greater than 3mm. The larger L1 is, the better the matching is. When L1 is greater than 6mm, the effect of continuing to increase the size of L1 on matching optimization is not so obvious. The feeding component in the present invention allows the overall impedance characteristics of the antenna to slowly change to near 50 ohms. This is because the smaller the width of the microstrip line, the greater the impedance to the antenna.

[0040] As shown in FIG2 , the S11 simulation result diagram of the millimeter wave antenna of the present invention is given. It can be seen from the figure that the antenna has obvious resonance at 22.8 GHz and 24 GHz. It can be seen that the antenna has achieved good dual-frequency resonance characteristics. As shown in FIG3 , the simulation results of the electric field distribution in the slot of the millimeter wave antenna at 24.4 GHz and 22.8 GHz are given. It can be seen from the figure that the electric field in the slot of the millimeter wave antenna is arranged in phase from top to bottom near 24.4 GHz. Therefore, the directional pattern of the antenna at the frequency point is superimposed in phase, thus showing a sum beam characteristic. It should be noted that the above-mentioned sum beam characteristic refers to the far field. The beam shows a sum beam. As can be seen from FIG3 , when the sum beam is formed, the electric field in each slot structure is in the same direction. Therefore, the radiation realized by these electric fields in the far field is superimposed in phase, so it is a sum beam. The sum beam concentrates the radiation of multiple slot structure units to one angle, and the energy is more concentrated, so the gain is higher. However, the electric field in the slot structure of the antenna at the 22.8 GHz frequency point is reversed, so a differential beam is achieved in the far field.

[0041] Figure 4 shows the simulation results of the far-field radiation pattern of the millimeter-wave antenna of the present invention. As can be seen from the figure, the antenna achieves a sum beam at the 24.4 GHz frequency with a gain of 13.69 dBi, and a difference beam at the 22.8 GHz frequency with a gain of 12.18 dBi, thus achieving excellent sum and difference beam characteristics. Figure 5 shows the simulation results of the in-band gain of the millimeter-wave antenna of the present invention. As can be seen from the figure, the antenna's in-band gain is greater than 11 dBi, demonstrating that high-gain radiation characteristics are achieved in the 22-25 GHz range.

[0042] In summary, the present invention provides a miniaturized, high-gain millimeter-wave antenna, comprising a first metal plate 10, a dielectric plate, a second metal plate 20, and a feed assembly. The first metal plate 10, the dielectric plate, and the second metal plate 20 are stacked and connected in sequence. The first metal plate 10 is provided with a slot antenna array 30, which includes a plurality of slot structures, which are staggered and arranged at intervals. The feed assembly is electrically connected to the first metal plate 10. The slot antenna array 30 formed by the plurality of slot structures is surrounded by a plurality of metal vias 40, which pass through the dielectric plate and connect the first metal plate 10 and the second metal plate 20. The miniaturized, high-gain millimeter-wave antenna of the present invention is not only compact and simple in structure, but the antenna as a whole can also achieve a radiation pattern of sum and difference beams, thereby better covering waves arriving from different directions and effectively improving the antenna's radiation gain.

[0043] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other. In addition, the different parts between the various embodiments can also be used in combination with each other, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0044] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Any changes and modifications made by ordinary technicians in the field of the present invention based on the above disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna, characterized in that: The millimeter-wave antenna includes a first metal plate, a dielectric plate, a second metal plate, and a feeding component. The first metal plate, the dielectric plate, and the second metal plate are sequentially stacked and connected. A slot antenna array is formed on the first metal plate. The slot antenna array includes a plurality of slot structures, and the plurality of slot structures are arranged at intervals and staggered; the feeding component is electrically connected to the first metal plate; a plurality of metal vias are formed around the slot antenna array formed by the plurality of slot structures. The metal vias penetrate through the dielectric plate and connect the first metal plate and the second metal plate.

2. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 1, wherein: Both the first metal plate and the second metal plate are rectangularly arranged. In the horizontal direction, the plurality of slot structures are arranged at intervals, and adjacent slot structures are arranged at intervals to form an interval gap.

3. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the vertical direction, the plurality of slot structures are arranged at intervals, and adjacent slot structures are arranged at intervals and staggered.

4. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 3, wherein: The slot structure is directly below the interval gap and is arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction.

5. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 2, wherein: The slot antenna array is configured as a two-row slot antenna array.

6. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that: The slot antenna array includes a first slot structure, a second slot structure, and a third slot structure. The first slot structure, the second slot structure, and the third slot structure are arranged at intervals and crosswise to form a triangle.

7. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The metal via is configured as a cylindrical metal via, and the radius range of the metal via is 0.1 - 0.5 mm.

8. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slot structure is configured as a rectangle or an L shape.

9. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The feeding component includes a first feeding structure and a second feeding structure. After the first feeding structure and the second feeding structure are connected, they are electrically connected to the first metal plate.

10. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second feeding structure extends along the direction where the first feeding structure is located, so that the feeding component is a horn-shaped tapered microstrip line.

11. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 10, wherein: The first feeding structure is configured as a trapezoid, and the second feeding structure is configured as a rectangle.

12. The miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to claim 11, wherein: The upper bottom edge of the first feeding structure is connected to the second feeding structure, and the lower bottom edge of the first feeding structure is connected to the first metal plate.

13. A satellite system, characterized in that: The satellite system includes the miniaturized high-gain millimeter-wave antenna according to any one of claims 1 - 12.

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