Antenna device and assembly method for antenna device

Abstract

This antenna device includes: a base including a phased array antenna module including a plurality of antenna elements; and a cover part covering at least a part of a region around the phased array antenna module in the base. The cover part is formed from a material containing at least an oxygen atom, with an organic polymerization compound as a base material.

Description

Antenna device and method for assembling antenna device

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-004011, filed on January 15, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses a configuration in which a substrate on which an antenna is disposed is provided with a magnetic pattern formed around the antenna from a composition containing magnetic particles and a polymerizable compound. In this configuration, the magnetic pattern absorbs electromagnetic waves, thereby suppressing unwanted reflection of electromagnetic waves around the antenna.

[0003] US Patent Application Publication No. 2023 / 0216175

[0004] In an antenna that transmits and receives millimeter waves in an ultra-high frequency band such as the 28 GHz band, even with a structure such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, there are cases in which the absorption of unwanted radio waves is insufficient.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an antenna device and an assembly method for the antenna device that can suppress unnecessary reflection of millimeter waves.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an antenna device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a substrate having a phased array antenna module with a plurality of antenna elements, and a cover portion on the substrate that covers at least a portion of the area surrounding the phased array antenna module, the cover portion having an organic polymer compound as a base material and formed from a material that contains at least oxygen atoms.

[0007] According to this configuration, the cover portion that covers at least a portion of the periphery of the phased array antenna module is formed from a material that uses an organic polymer compound as a base material and contains at least oxygen atoms. Oxygen atoms are thought to have the function of effectively absorbing millimeter waves. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the cover portion can suppress the reflection of unwanted radio waves.

[0008] A second aspect of the present disclosure is the antenna device according to the first aspect, wherein the cover portion is formed of a material further containing hydroxyl group molecules.

[0009] A third aspect of the present disclosure is the antenna device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the weight of oxygen atoms per unit area of ​​the cover portion is 0.245 g or more.

[0010] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the antenna device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the cover portion is provided separately from the substrate and configured to be detachable from the substrate.

[0011] Aspect 5 of the present disclosure is an antenna device according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the substrate has a silk-screened portion printed on the surface of the substrate around the phased array antenna module, and the cover portion has a notch that exposes the silk-screened portion.

[0012] Aspect 6 of the present disclosure is an antenna device according to aspect 5, wherein the substrate has a reference mark formed by the silk-screen printing section for aligning the phased array antenna module, and the notch is formed at least at the outer peripheral end of the substrate to expose the reference mark.

[0013] Aspect 7 of the present disclosure is an antenna device according to aspect 5 or 6, wherein the phased array antenna module is capable of transmitting or receiving first and second polarized waves having different vibration directions, the substrate has vibration direction marks formed by the silk-screen printing section that indicate the vibration directions of the first and second polarized waves, respectively, and the notch is formed to expose the vibration direction marks.

[0014] Aspect 8 of the present disclosure is an antenna device according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the substrate has a display unit that displays the driving status of the phased array antenna module, and the cover unit has a display exposure unit that exposes the display unit.

[0015] A ninth aspect of the present disclosure is an antenna device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the thickness of the cover portion is smaller than the protruding dimension of the phased array antenna module from the surface of the substrate.

[0016] A tenth aspect of the present disclosure is the antenna device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of the phased array antenna modules.

[0017] A method for assembling an antenna device according to aspect 11 of the present disclosure is a method for assembling an antenna device according to any one of aspects 1 to 10, in which the cover portion, which is provided separately from the substrate, is superimposed on the substrate, and the cover portion is fixed to the substrate with a detachable fixing device.

[0018] According to this method for assembling an antenna device, it is possible to easily suppress the reflection of unwanted radio waves, for example, when evaluating the performance of an antenna module, etc. Furthermore, after the evaluation is completed, the fixing device can be removed and the cover can be reused.

[0019] According to the above-described aspects of the present disclosure, unnecessary reflection of radio waves in the ultra-high frequency band can be suppressed.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an antenna device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a development view of components constituting the antenna device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an antenna device according to a modified embodiment of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing information on the cover portion used in the examples. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing evaluation results of the phased array antenna module in the examples. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing evaluation results of the phased array antenna module at other angles in the examples. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing evaluation results of the phased array antenna module in the examples when a notch is provided in the cover portion. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing evaluation results of the phased array antenna module in other examples when a notch is provided in the cover portion.

[0021] An antenna device according to an embodiment and a method for assembling the antenna device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0022] [Antenna Device] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an antenna device 10 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is an exploded view of components constituting the antenna device 10 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in Fig. 1. The antenna device 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is used, for example, to evaluate a phased array antenna module (PAAM) 12. The antenna device 10 includes an evaluation board 11 and a cover unit 200. However, the antenna device 10 may also be used for other purposes.

[0023] The evaluation board 11 includes a phased array antenna module 12 to be evaluated and a substrate 15 on which the phased array antenna module 12 is provided. The evaluation board 11 evaluates the phased array antenna module 12 provided on the substrate 15 using, for example, an evaluation device 100 described below.

[0024] In a plan view, the phased array antenna module 12 is disposed in the center of the substrate 15. "Plan view" refers to a view from the thickness direction of the substrate 15. The phased array antenna module 12 has a plurality of antenna elements 14.

[0025] Each antenna element 14 transmits and receives first and second polarized waves whose vibration directions are orthogonal to each other. The direction in which the first polarized wave vibrates is referred to as the first direction. The direction in which the second polarized wave vibrates is referred to as the second direction. One of the first and second polarized waves is H pol. (H polarization, horizontal polarization). The other of the first and second polarized waves is V pol. (V polarization, vertical polarization). In the following description, it is assumed that the first polarized wave is H pol. and the second polarized wave is V pol. In the example shown in the figure, the first direction is the horizontal direction and is represented by the symbol H. The second direction is the vertical direction and is represented by the symbol V. In this embodiment, the first direction corresponds to the left-right direction on the paper surface of FIG. 1, and the second direction corresponds to the up-down direction on the paper surface of FIG. 1.

[0026] The antenna elements 14 are arranged two-dimensionally in the vertical and horizontal directions. In the illustrated example, eight antenna elements 14 are arranged in each of the vertical and horizontal directions, resulting in a total of 64 antenna elements 14 arranged two-dimensionally.

[0027] A silkscreen print section 18 is provided on the surface of the substrate 15. The silkscreen print section 18 is arranged around the phased array antenna module 12 (at the outer peripheral edge of the substrate 15). In this embodiment, the silkscreen print section 18 forms reference marks 181H and 181V and vibration direction marks 182H and 182V at predetermined positions on the surface of the substrate 15.

[0028] The reference marks 181H and 181V are used to align the evaluation board 11 when evaluating the phased array antenna module 12 using the evaluation device 100. The reference mark 181H is located on a line that passes through the center of the phased array antenna module 12 (the center in a planar view) and extends in the width direction of the evaluation board 11. The reference mark 181V is located on a line that passes through the center of the phased array antenna module 12 (the center in a planar view) and extends in the up-down direction of the evaluation board 11. In this embodiment, the width direction of the evaluation board 11 corresponds to the left-right direction on the paper surface of FIG. 1 , and the up-down direction of the evaluation board 11 corresponds to the up-down direction on the paper surface of FIG. 1 . The reference marks 181H and 181V are marks for visually identifying the horizontal and vertical centers of the phased array antenna. When evaluating the phased array antenna 12, an operator uses a cross laser or the like to align the center of the phased array antenna 12 with the center of the horn antenna used for evaluation. During alignment, the laser beams emitted in a cross shape from the cross laser device are aligned with the reference marks 181H and 181V, respectively, which makes it easy to align the center of the horn antenna with the center of the phased array antenna 12.

[0029] The polarization vibration direction marks 182H and 182V indicate the vibration directions (polarization directions) of the first and second polarizations transmitted and received by each antenna element 14. The polarization vibration direction mark 182H indicates a first direction, which is the vibration direction of the first polarization. The polarization vibration direction mark 182V indicates a second direction, which is the vibration direction of the second polarization.

[0030] A display unit 19 is provided on the substrate 15. The display unit 19 displays the operating state of the phased array antenna module 12. The display unit 19 is, for example, an LED lamp. The LED lamp serving as the display unit 19 is lit, for example, when the phased array antenna module 12 is transmitting or receiving radio waves, and is not lit when the phased array antenna module 12 is not transmitting or receiving radio waves.

[0031] The cover unit 200 covers at least a portion of the area surrounding the phased array antenna module 12 on the substrate 15. In this embodiment, the cover unit 200 is plate-shaped and provided separately from the evaluation board 11. The cover unit 200 may be sheet-shaped and provided separately from the evaluation board 11. The cover unit 200 is formed in a rectangular shape having external dimensions (external diameter dimensions in a plan view) equivalent to those of the substrate 15 (evaluation board 11). An opening 201 is formed in the center of the cover unit 200 in a plan view to expose the phased array antenna module 12. Because the opening 201 is formed, the cover unit 200 in this embodiment is formed in a rectangular frame shape.

[0032] The cover unit 200 is attached to and overlaps the substrate 15. That is, the cover unit 200 is attached to and overlaps the substrate 15 so that the thickness direction of the cover unit 200 is the same as the thickness direction of the substrate 15. The cover unit 200 covers the substrate 15 around the phased array antenna module 12 while exposing the phased array antenna module 12 through the opening 201. The cover unit 200 suppresses unnecessary reflected waves and the like from the substrate 15 around the phased array antenna module 12.

[0033] 3 , the thickness T of the cover portion 200 is preferably smaller than the protrusion dimension K of the phased array antenna module 12 from the surface of the substrate 15 (the surface facing the cover portion 200). This is because, if the thickness T of the cover portion 200 is larger than the protrusion dimension K of the phased array antenna module 12 from the surface of the substrate 15, there is a possibility that the radio waves transmitted and received by the phased array antenna module 12 will be blocked by the cover portion 200.

[0034] In this embodiment, the cover 200 is configured to be detachable from the evaluation board 11. For example, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the substrate 15 has insertion holes 15h in multiple locations (for example, the four corners). The cover 200 has through-holes 202 at positions that communicate with the insertion holes 15h when the cover 200 is placed on the substrate 15.

[0035] The cover unit 200 is attached to the evaluation board 11 with the cover unit 200 placed on the substrate 15 by fastening screws 210 that pass through the through holes 202 and into the insertion holes 15h. Furthermore, with the cover unit 200 attached to the evaluation board 11, the cover unit 200 can be removed from the evaluation board 11 by removing the multiple fastening screws 210. Here, if the insertion holes 15h have female threads, the fastening can be achieved by threading the fastening screws 210 into the insertion holes 15h. However, even if the insertion holes 15h do not have female threads, fastening can be achieved by using nuts together with the fastening screws 210. In these examples, the fastening screws 210 and nuts are examples of "fasteners." Instead of the fastening screws 210, thumbscrews, pins, and the like can be used as appropriate as fasteners.

[0036] 1 and 2, the cover portion 200 has a notch 220 that exposes the silk-screened portion 18 formed on the substrate 15. In this embodiment, the notch 220 includes a first notch 221 and a second notch 222.

[0037] The first notch 221 is formed at both horizontal and vertical ends of the cover part 200. The first notch 221 is formed at least at the outer peripheral end of the substrate 15 so as to expose the reference marks 181H and 181V.

[0038] 2 , the first notch 221 is preferably set so that a notch depth dimension a from the outer peripheral edge of the cover portion 200 to the inner edge of the first notch 221 (i.e., the edge of the first notch 221 that is farthest from the outer peripheral edge of the cover portion 200) satisfies the following formula (1) relative to a dimension b from the inner edge of the first notch 221 to the inner peripheral edge of the opening 201: b / (a+b)>0.8 (1) If the notch depth dimension a of the first notch 221 does not satisfy the above formula (1), an increased amount of unwanted reflected waves from the substrate 15 around the phased array antenna module 12 pass through the first notch 221, which may adversely affect the performance of the phased array antenna module 12.

[0039] The second notch 222 is formed on the inner periphery of the cover part 200. The second notch 222 is formed at a position that overlaps with the polarization vibration direction marks 182H and 182V when the cover part 200 is superimposed on the evaluation board 11, and is formed so as to expose the polarization vibration direction marks 182H and 182V.

[0040] The cover unit 200 may further have a display exposing portion 230 (another notch different from the notch 220). The display exposing portion 230 is formed at a position that overlaps with the display unit 19 when the cover unit 200 is superimposed on the evaluation board 11, and is formed so as to expose the display unit 19.

[0041] (Material for forming the cover portion) The cover portion 200 is formed of a material that uses an organic polymer compound as a base material and contains at least oxygen atoms. ２ Preferably, the weight of oxygen per carbon dioxide particle is 0.245 g or more. Furthermore, the cover portion 200 is preferably formed from a material that further contains hydroxyl group molecules.

[0042] Examples of the base material for forming the cover portion 200 include silicone resin, butadiene rubber, and epoxy resin. When these base materials do not contain oxygen atoms or hydroxyl group molecules, it is preferable to add an additive containing oxygen atoms or hydroxyl group molecules to the base material. Examples of additives containing oxygen atoms or hydroxyl group molecules include conductive carbon black and alumina (Al), which is used as a thermally conductive filler. ２ O ３ ), boron nitride (BN), aluminum nitride (AlN), etc. can be exemplified.

[0043] As described above, the antenna device 10 of this embodiment includes a substrate 15 having a phased array antenna module 12 with a plurality of antenna elements 14, and a cover portion 200 that covers at least a portion of the area surrounding the phased array antenna module 12 on the substrate 15, and the cover portion 200 is formed from a material that uses an organic polymer compound as a base material and contains at least oxygen atoms.

[0044] According to this configuration, the cover 200, which covers at least a portion of the area surrounding the phased array antenna module 12, is formed from a material that uses an organic polymer compound as a base material and that contains at least oxygen atoms. Oxygen atoms are thought to have the function of effectively absorbing millimeter waves. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the cover 200 can suppress the reflection of unwanted radio waves.

[0045] The cover 200 is also made of a material that further contains hydroxyl group molecules. Hydroxyl group molecules are thought to have the ability to more effectively absorb millimeter waves. Therefore, this configuration can further improve the ability to suppress the reflection of unwanted radio waves.

[0046] Furthermore, if the weight of oxygen per unit area of ​​the cover portion 200 is 0.245 g or more, the performance of suppressing the reflection of unwanted radio waves can be more effectively exhibited.

[0047] Moreover, the cover unit 200 is provided separately from the substrate 15 and is configured to be detachable from the substrate 15. With this configuration, the cover unit 200 is attached to the substrate 15 only when it is necessary to suppress the reflection of unwanted radio waves, and the cover unit 200 can be removed in other cases.

[0048] Furthermore, the substrate 15 is a substrate for evaluating the phased array antenna module 12. With this configuration, a plurality of substrates 15 each equipped with different types of phased array antenna modules 12 to be evaluated are prepared, and when evaluating each type of phased array antenna module 12, by attaching the cover unit 200 to the substrate 15, it is possible to evaluate the phased array antenna module 12 while suppressing reflection of unwanted radio waves.

[0049] Furthermore, a silkscreen print 18 is provided on the surface of the substrate 15 around the phased array antenna module 12, and the cover unit 200 has a notch 220 that exposes the silkscreen print 18. With this configuration, even when the cover unit 200 is attached to the substrate 15 equipped with the phased array antenna module 12, the silkscreen print 18 printed on the surface of the substrate 15 can be seen through the notch 220.

[0050] Furthermore, the substrate 15 has reference marks 181H and 181V formed by the silk-screen printing unit 18 for aligning the phased array antenna module 12, and the first notch 221 is formed to expose the reference marks 181H and 181V at least at the outer peripheral edge of the substrate 15. With this configuration, even when the cover unit 200 is attached, the reference marks 181H and 181V can be seen through the first notch 221, allowing the phased array antenna module 12 to be aligned.

[0051] Furthermore, the phased array antenna module 12 is capable of transmitting or receiving first and second polarized waves having different vibration directions, and the substrate 15 has polarization vibration direction marks 182H and 182V formed by the silk-screen printing unit 18, which indicate the vibration directions of the first and second polarized waves, respectively, and the second notch 222 is formed to expose the polarization vibration direction marks 182H and 182V. With this configuration, even when the cover unit 200 is attached, the polarization vibration direction marks 182H and 182V can be seen through the second notch 222, and the vibration direction of the radio waves can be ascertained.

[0052] Furthermore, the substrate 15 has a display unit 19 that displays the operating state of the phased array antenna module 12, and the cover unit 200 has a display exposure unit 230 that exposes the display unit 19. With this configuration, even when the cover unit 200 is attached, the display unit 19 can be viewed through the display exposure unit 230, and it can be determined whether the phased array antenna module 12 is transmitting or receiving radio waves, for example.

[0053] Furthermore, the thickness T of the cover portion 200 is smaller than the protrusion dimension K of the phased array antenna module 12 from the surface of the substrate 15. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the cover portion 200 from blocking radio waves transmitted and received by the phased array antenna module 12.

[0054] [Method of Assembling the Antenna Device] When evaluating the phased array antenna module 12, the antenna device 10 is assembled using an evaluation board 11 having the phased array antenna module 12 to be evaluated mounted on a substrate 15.

[0055] (Step of Overlaying the Cover Section on the Substrate) To assemble the antenna device 10 , first, the cover section 200 , which is provided separately from the substrate 15 , is overlaid on the substrate 15 .

[0056] (Step of fixing the cover unit to the substrate) Next, the cover unit 200 is fixed to the substrate 15 by means of fixing screws 210, which serve as detachable fasteners. In this embodiment, the cover unit 200 is attached to the evaluation board 11 in a state where it is superimposed on the substrate 15, by means of fixing screws 210 that are inserted through the through holes 202 and into the insertion holes 15h.

[0057] The antenna device 10 assembled in this manner is used to evaluate the phased array antenna module 12 to be evaluated. After the evaluation of the phased array antenna module 12 is completed, the cover 200 is removed from the evaluation board 11 by removing the multiple fixing screws 210.

[0058] The method of assembling the antenna device 10 of this embodiment is a method of assembling the antenna device 10 as described above, and includes the steps of overlaying the cover part 200, which is provided separately from the substrate 15, on the substrate 15, and fixing the cover part 200 to the substrate 15 with fixing screws 210 which serve as removable fixing devices.

[0059] According to this method of assembling the antenna device 10, the cover unit 200 is superimposed on the substrate 15 having the phased array antenna module 12 mounted thereon and fixed to the substrate 15 with a detachable fastener, thereby making it possible to suppress reflection of unwanted radio waves. In this way, by attaching the cover unit 200 only when evaluating the phased array antenna module 12, it is no longer necessary to prepare cover units 200 for each substrate 15. This makes it possible to reduce the cost of the cover unit 200.

[0060] The technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0061] For example, in the above embodiment, one phased array antenna module 12 is provided for one substrate 15. However, as shown in Fig. 4, for example, a plurality of (four in Fig. 4) phased array antenna modules 12 may be provided for one substrate 15. In this case, too, by providing a cover 200 on the substrate 15 on which the plurality of phased array antenna modules 12 are provided, it is possible to suppress reflection of unwanted radio waves.

[0062] In addition, in the above embodiment, the cover unit 200 is configured to be detachable from the substrate 15 on which the phased array antenna module 12 is mounted in order to evaluate the phased array antenna module 12, but this is not limiting. For example, the cover unit 200 may be provided integrally with the substrate 15 by applying a material for forming the cover unit 200 as described above to the surface of the substrate 15 on which the phased array antenna module 12 is mounted.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the cover unit 200 has the notch 220 and the display exposing portion 230 that expose the silk-screened portion 18 formed on the substrate 15. However, some of the first notch 221, the second notch 222, and the display exposing portion 230, which are exemplified as the notch 220, may be omitted. Also, instead of the notch 220 and the display exposing portion 230, the cover unit 200 may be printed in the same manner as the silk-screened portion 18 formed on the substrate 15.

[0064] In addition, within the scope of the present disclosure, it is possible to replace the components in the above-described embodiments with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate.

[0065] Example An antenna device 10 equipped with the above-described cover portion 200 was verified, and the results are shown below. An evaluation board 11 was prepared in which a phased array antenna module 12 was mounted on a 160 mm x 160 mm substrate 15. The cover portion 200 was 160 mm x 160 mm in size and had a 50 mm x 44 mm opening 201 that matched the phased array antenna module 12, and was formed from multiple types of materials as shown below.

[0066] Example 1 Product name: Conductive rubber sheet DR0501 (manufactured by AS ONE Corporation) Material: Conductive rubber (base material: butadiene rubber, additive: conductive carbon black) Thickness: 1.0 mm Contains oxygen atoms: Yes Contains hydroxyl group molecules: Yes Structural formula: Butadiene rubber - formula (2) below, Conductive carbon black - formula (3) below

[0067] Example 2 Product name: Radio wave absorber sheet SF-28.0MB (manufactured by E&C Engineering Co., Ltd.) Material: Base material: silicone resin Thickness: 0.9 mm Contains oxygen atoms: Yes Contains hydroxyl group molecules: No Structural formula: The following formula (4), where R = CH3

[0068] Example 3 Product name: Glass epoxy material FR-4 (manufactured by Yumoto Electric Co., Ltd.) Material: Glass epoxy resin Thickness: 1.0 mm Contains oxygen atoms: Yes Contains hydroxyl group molecules: No Structural formula: Formula (5) below Example 4 Product name: Glass epoxy material FR-4 (manufactured by Yumoto Electric Co., Ltd.) Material: Glass epoxy resin Thickness: 0.5 mm Contains oxygen atoms: Yes Contains hydroxyl group molecules: No Structural formula: Formula (5) above

[0069] Comparative Example 1 Product name: Table Conductive Mat (manufactured by MonotaRO Co., Ltd.) Material: Antistatic layer: nitrile butadiene rubber, conductive layer: natural rubber + styrene butadiene rubber + nitrile butadiene rubber Thickness: 2.0 mm Contains oxygen atoms: None Contains hydroxyl group molecules: None Structural formula: Formulas (6) and (7) below

[0070] FIG. 5 shows the composition formula, thickness, molecular weight, oxygen molecular weight, weight of the cover portion 200 formed to the above size, oxygen content, oxygen content rate, weight of oxygen per unit area, and weight of hydroxyl groups per unit area for each of the above Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1.

[0071] The cover parts 200 of Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 described above were attached to the evaluation board 11, and the phased array antenna module 12 was evaluated. In Comparative Example 2, the phased array antenna module 12 was evaluated using only the evaluation board 11, without the cover part 200 attached.

[0072] The phased array antenna module 12 was evaluated in an anechoic chamber. A signal was input to the phased array antenna module 12 using a local transmission signal generator and a vector signal generator, and radio waves including an RF signal in the 28 GHz frequency band were transmitted from the phased array antenna module 12. During this evaluation, the antenna device 10 equipped with the phased array antenna module 12 was rotated around the vertical axis relative to the horn antenna within a range of -90° to 90°.

[0073] The radio waves transmitted from the phased array antenna module 12 were received by a horn antenna installed at a position 1 m horizontally away from the phased array antenna module 12. The beam pattern intensity of the radio waves received by the horn antenna was measured by a signal intensity receiver (signal analyzer or power sensor).

[0074] 6 and 7 show the evaluation results of Examples 1 to 4, which used a cover containing oxygen, and Comparative Example 2, which did not have a cover. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , it was confirmed that, in Examples 1 to 4, which used a cover containing oxygen, the beam pattern intensity indicated by the distribution of effective isotropic radiated power was higher than in Comparative Example 2, which did not have a cover, even when the phased array antenna module 12 was rotated. Among Examples 1 to 4, Example 4, which had the lowest oxygen weight per unit area, lost the left-right symmetry of the beam pattern. However, Examples 1 to 3, which had a higher oxygen weight per unit area than Example 4, obtained well-balanced beam patterns. In particular, it was confirmed that Example 1, which included hydroxyl groups, had particularly high effective isotropic radiated power compared to Examples 2 to 4.

[0075] 5, Examples 1 to 4 were effective in suppressing the influence of unwanted reflected waves on the beam pattern from the substrate 15 surrounding the phased array antenna module 12. This effect was particularly effective in Examples 1 to 3, and Example 1, which contained hydroxyl groups, achieved a particularly high effect. From these results, it can be said that it is preferable that the weight of oxygen per unit area of ​​the cover portion 200 be 0.245 g or more.

[0076] Next, when a notch 220 (first notch 221) is provided in the cover portion 200, the influence of the notch depth on the antenna performance was examined. Here, the cover portion 200 was made of the material of Example 1 above. Four types of cover portion 200 were prepared, with the dimension a+b from the outer peripheral edge of the cover portion 200 to the inner peripheral edge of the opening 201 being 5 cm, and the notch depth dimension a of the first notch 221 being 1 cm (Example 5), 2 cm (Example 6), 3 cm (Example 7), and 4 cm (Example 8).

[0077] These four types of cover portions 200 were attached to the evaluation board 11, and the phased array antenna module 12 was evaluated in the same manner as described above. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8 , in Example 5, in which the notch depth dimension a was 1 cm, no particular effect on the beam pattern was observed. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 9 , in Example 6, in which the notch depth dimension a was 2 cm, a reduction in the peak of the beam pattern was confirmed. In Example 7, in which the notch depth dimension a was 3 cm, and in Example 8, in which the notch depth dimension a was 4 cm, a more significant reduction in the peak of the beam pattern was also confirmed. This confirms that it is preferable to set the notch depth dimension a of the first notch 221 so as to satisfy the above formula (1).

[0078] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Antenna device 12... Phased array antenna module 14... Antenna element 15... Substrate 18... Silk-screened section 19... Display section 181H, 181V... Reference mark 182H, 182V... Polarized wave vibration direction mark 200... Cover section 210... Fixing screw (fixing device) 220... Notch 221... First notch (notch) 222... Second notch (notch) 230... Display exposure section

Claims

1. A substrate provided with a phased array antenna module including a plurality of antenna elements, and a cover portion covering at least a part of a region around the phased array antenna module on the substrate, wherein the cover portion is formed of a material containing at least an oxygen atom with an organic polymer compound as a base material, the antenna device.

2. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the cover portion is formed of a material further containing a hydroxyl group molecule.

3. The antenna device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the weight of oxygen per unit area of the cover portion is 0.245 g or more.

4. The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover portion is provided separately from the substrate and is configured to be detachable from the substrate.

5. Among the surfaces of the substrate, a silk printing portion is provided around the phased array antenna module, and the cover portion has a notch for exposing the silk printing portion. The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The substrate has a reference mark for aligning the phased array antenna module formed by the silk printing portion, and the notch is formed so as to expose the reference mark at at least an outer peripheral end portion of the substrate. The antenna device according to claim 5.

7. The phased array antenna module is capable of transmitting or receiving a first polarization wave and a second polarization wave having different vibration directions, the substrate has vibration direction marks formed by the silk printing portion indicating the vibration directions of the first polarization wave and the second polarization wave respectively, and the notch is formed so as to expose the vibration direction marks. The antenna device according to claim 5 or 6.

8. The substrate has a display portion for displaying a driving state of the phased array antenna module, and the cover portion has a display exposure portion for exposing the display portion. The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the thickness of the cover portion is smaller than a protruding dimension of the phased array antenna module from the surface of the substrate.

10. The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the substrate includes a plurality of the phased array antenna modules.

11. A method for assembling the antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the method including: overlapping the cover portion provided separately from the substrate on the substrate; and fixing the cover portion to the substrate with a detachable fixture.

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