Patch antenna

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a patch antenna may comprise: an upper surface including a metal conductor patch; a lower surface including a conductor ground; and a dielectric substrate disposed between the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein one edge of the metal conductor patch is deformed to be curved in a rectangular shape, and another edge facing the one edge is inclined.

Description

patch antenna

[0001] The present invention relates to a patch antenna, and more particularly, to a broadband patch antenna.

[0002] Patch antennas are a type of antenna primarily used in high-frequency bands. Patch antennas consist of a conductive ground plate, a dielectric substrate, and a metal conductive patch, with a low-loss, low-permittivity dielectric substrate interposed between a wide conductive ground plate and variously shaped metal conductive patches. Patch antennas are typically designed in shapes such as square, circle, triangle, or ring, and their size can be determined by the frequency. Patch antennas are small and lightweight, and their flat form allows for easy integration with printed circuit boards, making them easy to manufacture. Furthermore, patch antennas have the characteristic of strongly radiating or receiving radio waves in a specific direction, making them suitable for 5G beamforming technology. Patch antennas can be designed to operate across multiple frequency bands, enabling them to support the full 5G bandwidth.

[0003] However, patch antennas suffer from low efficiency due to their relatively narrow bandwidth and limited power transmission. Because the fractional bandwidth, which characterizes the antenna's characteristics, is less than 5%, additional design may be necessary to improve performance.

[0004] In particular, in 6G communications, the upper-mid band frequency band of 7 GHz to 8.5 GHz is being discussed as having a non-bandwidth of 18%, and technology is required to design many antennas in a dense space to increase data throughput.

[0005] The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a patch antenna capable of increasing the bandwidth.

[0006] In addition, a technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a patch antenna capable of arranging a large number of antennas in a dense space.

[0007] In addition, the technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the technical problems described above, and other technical problems may exist.

[0008] A patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an upper surface including a metal conductor patch, a lower surface including a conductor ground, and a dielectric substrate disposed between the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein the metal conductor patch has a shape in which one corner is curved from a rectangular shape, and an edge facing the one corner may be inclined.

[0009] In a patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, the metal conductor patch includes a feed, and the feed can penetrate from the upper surface to the lower surface.

[0010] In a patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, the metal conductor patch may include a circular slot.

[0011] In a patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, the curved corner of the metal conductor patch may further include a square slit.

[0012] A patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a stub, wherein the stub can be placed at a curved corner of the metal conductor patch.

[0013] In a patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, the stub may further include a ground.

[0014] In the patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, the square may be a square.

[0015] A 4-port patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention includes 4 patch antennas among the patch antennas described above, and the 4 patch antennas can be arranged in a 2x2 configuration by rotating 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to one patch antenna among the 4 patch antennas.

[0016] A 4-port patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a stub including a ground at the center of the four patch antennas.

[0017] In a 4-port patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, the stubs are arranged in a 1 / 4 circular shape for each of the 4 patch antennas, and each of the stubs may include a ground.

[0018] In a 4-port patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, the stub includes a rectangular protruding portion in a circular shape, and the rectangular protruding portion can be placed between the patch antennas.

[0019] In a 4-port patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, the ground may be placed at the center of the stub.

[0020] In a 4-port patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, the stub may include grounds corresponding to each of the four patch antennas.

[0021] A 4-port patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention may have a size of 25.5 mm x 25.5 mm.

[0022] In a 4-port patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the four patch antennas can be positioned at a certain distance from the neighboring patch antennas.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the filter bandwidth (FBW) of a patch antenna can be increased.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the size of the patch antenna can be reduced, so that a large number of patch antennas can be placed in a dense space.

[0025] In addition, the effects that can be obtained from the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects that are not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a 4-port patch antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 2a is a configuration diagram of a 4-port patch antenna according to a conventional technology, and FIG. 2b is a configuration diagram of a 4-port patch antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figures 2c and 2d are graphs comparing the performance of the 4-port patch antenna of Figure 2a and the 4-port patch antenna of Figure 2b.

[0029] FIGS. 3A to 3C are top views of patch antennas according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 3d is a cross-sectional view of a patch antenna according to the embodiments described above.

[0031] FIG. 3e is a graph showing the S parameters of the patch antennas illustrated in FIGS. 3a to 3c.

[0032] Figure 3f is a diagram showing the electric field distribution at a resonant frequency of 7.2 GHz, and Figure 3g is a diagram showing the electric field distribution at a resonant frequency of 8.2 GHz.

[0033] FIGS. 4A to 4D are top views of a 4-port patch antenna according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0034] Figures 4e and 4f are diagrams showing the electric field at the resonant frequency of the 4-port patch antenna of Figure 4d.

[0035] Figure 4g is a graph showing the correlation coefficient between the 4-port patch antennas of Figure 4d.

[0036] FIG. 5A is a top view of a 16-port patch antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 5b and FIG. 5c are diagrams showing electric fields at the resonant frequency of a 16-port patch antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 5d is a graph showing the efficiency of each 4-port patch antenna of a 16-port patch antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 5e is a graph showing correlation coefficients between 16-port patch antennas according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0041] However, the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited to some of the embodiments described, but can be implemented in various different forms, and within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention, one or more of the components between the embodiments can be selectively combined or substituted for use.

[0042] In addition, terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted as having a meaning that can be generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, unless explicitly and specifically defined and described, and terms that are commonly used, such as terms defined in a dictionary, may be interpreted in consideration of the contextual meaning of the relevant technology.

[0043] Additionally, the terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are intended to describe the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0044] In this specification, the singular may also include the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase, and when it is described as “A and / or at least one (or more) of B, C”, it may include one or more of all combinations that can be combined with A, B, C.

[0045] Additionally, in describing components of embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used.

[0046] These terms are intended only to distinguish one component from another, and are not intended to limit the nature, order, or sequence of the component.

[0047] And, when a component is described as being 'connected', 'coupled' or 'connected' to another component, it may include not only cases where the component is directly connected, coupled or connected to the other component, but also cases where the component is 'connected', 'coupled' or 'connected' by another component between the component and the other component.

[0048] Additionally, when described as being formed or arranged "above or below" each component, "above" or "below" includes not only cases where the two components are in direct contact with each other, but also cases where one or more other components are formed or arranged between the two components. Furthermore, when expressed as "above" or "below", it can include the meaning of a downward direction as well as an upward direction based on one component.

[0049] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a 4-port patch antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 1, a 4-port patch antenna (100) may include an upper surface (110) including a metal conductor patch, a lower surface (130) including a conductor ground, and a dielectric substrate (140) disposed between the upper surface and the lower surface.

[0051] A 4-port patch antenna (100) can transmit and receive signals using metal conductor patches (111, 112, 113, 114) included in the upper surface (110). In Fig. 1, four metal conductor patches (111, 112, 113, 114) are arranged in a 2x2 array on the upper surface (110) of the 4-port patch antenna (100).

[0052] Each metal conductor patch (e.g., metal conductor patch (111)) may have a square shape with one corner curved. The corners of the metal conductor patch (111) facing each other may be slanted. Since the shapes of the opposite corners of the metal conductor patch (111) are slanted and curved, a resonant current path may be created, thereby improving wideband reception performance. The curved corners of the metal conductor patch (111) may include a rectangular slit (116). The metal conductor patch (111) may include a circular slot (115) in the center. By using the slit (116) and the slot (115), the size of the patch antenna can be reduced. In addition, the metal conductor patch (111) may include a feed (117) for transmitting and receiving a signal.

[0053] Referring back to FIG. 1, the metal conductor patches (111, 112, 113, 114) arranged in a 2x2 configuration may be arranged so that their curved edges converge toward the center of the metal conductor patches (111, 112, 113, 114). A stub (118) may further be included in the center of the metal conductor patches (111, 112, 113, 114). The stub (118) may be included in the upper surface (110) of the 4-port patch antenna (100). The stub (118) may be added for impedance matching. The return loss may be reduced by the stub (118). The shape of the stub (118) may be, for example, circular, and preferably, may further include a protruding portion (119). The protruding portion (119) may have a rectangular shape and may be positioned between the metal conductor patches (111, 112, 113, 114). In one embodiment, the stub (118) may include at least one ground (120). For example, the stub (118) may include a ground connected to all of the metal conductor patches (111, 112, 113, 114). Alternatively, the stub (118) may include a plurality of grounds, each of which may be connected to a respective one of the metal conductor patches (111, 112, 113, 114). Alternatively, the stub (118) may include a separate ground that connects all of the grounds and the grounds connected to each of the metal conductor patches (111, 112, 113, 114).

[0054] According to one embodiment, the power supply (117) and the ground (120) can pass through the 4-port patch antenna (100). That is, the power supply (117) and the ground (120) can be connected from the upper surface (110) of the 4-port patch antenna (100) through the dielectric substrate (140) to the lower surface (130).

[0055] Below, a patch antenna designed to transmit and receive signals in the 7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz range, which is part of the upper-mid band frequency band (250) in 6G communication, is described as an example, even if no special explanation is given.

[0056] Figures 2a to 2d are drawings comparing an example of a patch antenna according to the present invention with a conventional patch antenna. The conventional patch antenna and the patch antenna according to the present invention may be antennas designed to transmit and receive signals in the range of 7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz.

[0057] Specifically, FIG. 2a is a configuration diagram of a 4-port patch antenna according to a conventional technology, and FIG. 2b is a configuration diagram of a 4-port patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2c and FIG. 2d are graphs comparing the performance of the 4-port patch antenna of FIG. 2a and the 4-port patch antenna of FIG. 2b.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 2A, a 4-port patch antenna (210) according to the prior art may have a size of 25.5 mm x 25.5 mm, and patch antennas (211, 212, 213, 214) of each port may be arranged in a 2x2 configuration. The spacing between neighboring patch antennas in the 4-port patch antenna (210) (e.g., the spacing between 211 and 212) may be 1.4 mm. A ground (GND) (215) may be arranged at the center of the 4-port patch antenna (210), and the diameter of the ground (215) may be 4.2 mm. Each patch antenna of each port may include a feed (216), and the spacing between feeds in neighboring patch antennas may be 2.78 mm.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 2b, a 4-port patch antenna (230) according to an embodiment of the present invention may have a size of 25.5 mm x 25.5 mm, and patch antennas (231, 232, 233, 234) of each port may be arranged in a 2x2 configuration. The spacing between neighboring patch antennas in the 4-port patch antenna (230) may be 1.4 mm. A ground (235) may be arranged at the center of the 4-port patch antenna (230), and the diameter of the ground (235) may be 4.2 mm. Each patch antenna of each port may include a feed (236), and the spacing between feeds in neighboring patch antennas may be 2.78 mm. The patch antenna of each port may include a circular slot (237) at the center. The corner (238) where the patch antennas of each port meet may be curved and may further include a rectangular slit (239). The curved motor may further include a protruding stub (240), and a ground (241) may be further arranged within the stub. The protruding stub (240) may be connected to all of the patch antennas of the four ports. In addition, the corner (242) facing the curved corner (238) of the patch antenna of each port may be slanted.

[0060] In summary, the 4-port patch antennas of FIGS. 2A and 2B have the same size of 25.5 mm x 25.5 mm, and are both configured in a 2x2 array. In addition, the spacing between each patch antenna is the same, and they include ground and feed antennas of the same size and location.

[0061] Fig. 2c is a graph showing the S parameters of the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2a and the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2b, and Fig. 2d is a graph showing the efficiency of the two 4-port patch antennas accordingly. In Fig. 2c, the S parameter is the S11 parameter, which represents the input reflection coefficient.

[0062] Specifically, looking at 7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz (250), which is part of the upper-mid band frequency band in 6G communications, the S parameter of the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2a is -13 dB and the antenna efficiency is 0.68 around 8.1 GHz, whereas the S parameter of the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2b is -11 dB and the antenna efficiency is 0.65. That is, although the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2a has a lower S parameter than the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2b around 8.1 GHz and thus has better antenna efficiency, the difference in antenna efficiency is not large at 0.03.

[0063] On the other hand, in most other bands, the S parameter of the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2b is lower than that of the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2a, and thus the efficiency of the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2b is higher than that of the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2a. In particular, at 7.025 GHz, the S parameter of the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2b is -8 dB, which is much lower than that of the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2a by -1 dB, and thus the antenna efficiency is also 0.68 and 0.22, which are much higher for the 4-port patch antenna of Fig. 2b.

[0064] In addition, the 4-port patch antenna of FIG. 2a has a large variation in S-parameters within the 7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz band, so that the efficiency of the antenna also changes significantly, whereas the 4-port patch antenna of FIG. 2b has a small variation in S-parameters within the 7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz band, so that the efficiency of the antenna may not change significantly.

[0065] That is, in addition to the absolute efficiency of the antenna, it can be seen from FIGS. 2c and 2d that the change in antenna efficiency within the frequency band of the 4-port patch antenna of FIG. 2b is better than that of the 4-port patch antenna of FIG. 2a.

[0066] FIGS. 3A to 3C are top views of patch antennas according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0067] Specifically, FIG. 3A is a top view of a patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3A, the patch antenna (310) may be an antenna that has a modified square shape. Specifically, the patch antenna (310) may have one corner that is curved (311). The curved corner (311) may be a corner that contacts another patch antenna when a plurality of patch antennas are arranged. This corner may be referred to as an internal corner in the present invention because it is located at a position where it contacts another patch antenna. The patch antenna (310) may have a corner that is inclined (chamfer) (312) in the opposite direction to the curved corner (311). According to an embodiment, the patch antenna (310) may include a feed (313) therein.

[0068] For example, a patch antenna (310) of FIG. 3A for transmitting and receiving a signal of 7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz may have a side length (314) of 12.65 mm, a radius (315) of a curve at a curved corner (311) may be 4.04 mm, and a length (316) of a slanted portion of the corner may be 3.71 mm.

[0069] FIG. 3b is a top view of a patch antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 3B, the patch antenna (320) may be a modified version of the patch antenna (310) of FIG. 3A. Specifically, the patch antenna (320) may further include a stub (321) at a curved corner portion of the patch antenna (310) of FIG. 3A for impedance matching. The stub (321) may be grounded by including a ground (322) therein. Other configurations may be the same as the patch antenna (310) of FIG. 3A. For example, the patch antenna (320) of FIG. 3B for transmitting and receiving signals of 7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz may have the same length of one side, the radius of the curve at the curved corner, and the length of the inclined portion among the corners as the patch antenna (310) of FIG. 3A.

[0071] FIG. 3c is a top view of a patch antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 3C, the patch antenna (330) may be a modified version of the patch antenna (320) of FIG. 3B. Specifically, the patch antenna (330) may include a circular slot (331) therein. The patch antenna (330) may also include a rectangular slit (332) at a curved corner. By utilizing the circular slot (331) included in the interior of the patch antenna (330) and the rectangular slit (332) included at the curved corner, the size of the patch antenna (330) can be reduced. Similar to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the patch antenna (330) of FIG. 3C may also include a feed (333) therein.

[0073] For example, a patch antenna (330) for transmitting and receiving a signal of 7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz may have a side length (334) of 12.25 mm, a radius (335) of a curve at a curved corner may be 3.84 mm, and a length (336) of an inclined portion of the corner may be 3.53 mm. A diameter (337) of a circular slot (331) included in the interior of the patch antenna (330) may be 3.6 mm. A length (338) of a rectangular slit (332) included in a curved corner of the patch antenna (330) may be 1.6 mm, and a width (339) may be 0.4 mm.

[0074] FIG. 3d is a cross-sectional view of a patch antenna according to the embodiments described above.

[0075] The cross-sections of the patch antennas illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 3C may be similar. Referring to FIG. 3D, the upper surface (341) of the patch antenna may be a metal conductive patch that operates as an antenna, and the lower surface (342) may be a conductor that operates as a ground. A dielectric substrate (343) may be disposed between the upper surface (341) and the lower surface (342) of the patch antenna. For example, in a patch antenna for transmitting and receiving signals of 7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz, the thickness of the dielectric substrate (343) may be 1.02 mm, the dielectric constant (Dk) may be 2.2, and the dielectric loss (Df) may be 0.0004. When examining the cross-section of the patch antenna, a penetrating ground (344) and a feed (345) may be confirmed.

[0076] Fig. 3e is a graph showing the S parameter of the patch antenna illustrated in Figs. 3a to 3c. Similar to Fig. 2c, the S parameter is an S11 parameter, which represents the input reflection coefficient.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 3e, the S parameter (351) of the patch antenna illustrated in FIG. 3a is lowest at the center frequency of the signal to be transmitted and received (7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz), and compared to the S parameter of the conventional patch antenna illustrated in FIG. 2c, it can be confirmed that the wideband reception performance is improved. That is, it can be confirmed that the wideband reception performance is improved due to the curved corners and the slanted corners in the shape of the patch antenna.

[0078] Referring back to FIG. 3e, it can be seen that the S parameter (352) of the patch antenna illustrated in FIG. 3b is lower than the S parameter (351) of the patch antenna illustrated in FIG. 3a. This may indicate that the efficiency of the patch antenna is improved by reducing the reflection loss. In other words, it can be confirmed that adding a grounded stub to the curved corner of the patch antenna can reduce the reflection loss.

[0079] Referring back to FIG. 3e, the S parameter (353) of the patch antenna illustrated in FIG. 3c can be compared with the S parameter (352) of the patch antenna illustrated in FIG. 3b to confirm that the S parameter is within a certain range in the entire frequency band (7.025 GHz to 8.4 GHz) of the signal to be transmitted and received. That is, in the patch antenna illustrated in FIG. 3c, it can be confirmed that the S parameter is constant in the entire frequency band of the signal to be transmitted and received, rather than in a specific frequency band.

[0080] In summary, the patch antenna illustrated in Fig. 3c, which can have consistent performance across the entire frequency band of the signal to be transmitted and received, may be the most desirable patch antenna shape.

[0081] Referring to the S parameter (353) of the patch antenna illustrated in FIG. 3c in FIG. 3e, it can be seen that there are two resonant frequencies (f1, f2). The two resonant frequencies are determined by the diagonal length of the patch antenna and may be 7.2 GHz and 8.2 GHz. FIG. 3f shows the electric field distribution at the resonant frequency of 7.2 GHz, and FIG. 3g shows the electric field distribution at the resonant frequency of 8.2 GHz.

[0082] FIGS. 4A to 4D are top views of a 4-port patch antenna according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0083] Specifically, FIG. 4A is a top view of a 4-port patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4A, the 4-port patch antenna (410) may be a patch antenna in which the patch antennas of FIG. 3C are arranged in a 2x2 configuration. More specifically, the 4-port patch antenna (410) may be a patch antenna in which the patch antennas of FIG. 3C are arranged to rotate 90 degrees in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The 4-port patch antenna (410) may have a size of 25.5 mm x 25.5 mm. The spacing between the patch antennas of each port may be 1.4 mm.

[0084] FIG. 4b is a top view of a 4-port patch antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 4B, the 4-port patch antenna (420) may be a patch antenna having a different shape of a central stub (421) compared to the 4-port patch antenna (410) of FIG. 4A. If the stub positioned at the center of the 4-port patch antenna (410) in FIG. 4A has a shape in which a circle is divided into four equal parts and positioned at regular intervals, the shape of the stub (421) positioned at the center of the 4-port patch antenna (420) in FIG. 4B may have a shape in which a rectangle (423) protrudes in four directions from a circle (422). The protruding portion (423) may be positioned between the patch antennas of each port. The length of the protruding portion (423) may be 2.78 mm, and the width may be 0.4 mm.

[0086] FIG. 4c is a top view of a 4-port patch antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0087] Referring to FIG. 4C, the 4-port patch antenna (430) may have different numbers and positions of grounds arranged in the central stub compared to the 4-port patch antenna (420) of FIG. 4B. Specifically, the shape of the stub (431) arranged in the center of the 4-port patch antenna (430) of FIG. 4C may be identical to the shape of the stub (421) arranged in the center of the 4-port patch antenna (420) of FIG. 4B. However, while the 4-port patch antenna (420) of FIG. 4B includes four grounds (424-1, 424-2, 424-3, 424-4) in the centrally arranged stub (421), the 4-port patch antenna (430) of FIG. 4C may include only one ground (432) in the centrally arranged stub (431). In FIG. 4b, each of the four grounds (424-1, 424-2, 424-3, 424-4) can be connected to the patch antenna of each port, and in FIG. 4c, one ground (432) can be connected to all of the patch antennas of each port.

[0088] According to one embodiment, the grounds (424-1, 424-2, 424-3, 424-4) of the 4-port patch antenna (420) in FIG. 4b may be positioned at a certain distance from the center of the 4-port patch antenna (420). The ground (432) of the 4-port patch antenna (430) in FIG. 4c may be positioned at the exact center. The radius of the ground (432) positioned at the center may be 4.2 mm.

[0089] FIG. 4d is a top view of a 4-port patch antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 4d, the 4-port patch antenna (440) may have a shape that combines the 4-port patch antenna (420) of FIG. 4b and the 4-port patch antenna (430) of FIG. 4c. That is, the 4-port patch antenna (440) of FIG. 4d may have a shape in which a stub (441) disposed at the center is a rectangular shape (443) protruding in four directions from a circle (442) as in FIGS. 4b and 4c, and may include a total of five grounds (444-1, 444-2, 444-3, 444-4, 444-5).

[0091] Figures 4e and 4f are diagrams showing the electric field at the resonant frequency of the 4-port patch antenna of Figure 4d.

[0092] Specifically, Fig. 4e shows the electric field at a resonant frequency of 7.2 GHz, and Fig. 4f shows the electric field at a resonant frequency of 8.2 GHz. Referring to Figs. 4e and 4f, the electric fields at the two resonant frequencies can be distributed orthogonally to each other.

[0093] Figure 4g is a graph showing the correlation coefficient between the 4-port patch antennas of Figure 4d.

[0094] Referring to Fig. 4g, the envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) between the patch antennas of each port may not be identical, but may be similar. If the correlation coefficient between the patch antennas is greater than 0.1, it can be considered that there is a correlation. However, referring to Fig. 4g, since the correlation coefficients between the patch antennas of each port are all less than 0.04, it can be considered that there is no correlation.

[0095] FIG. 5A is a top view of a 16-port patch antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0096] Referring to FIG. 5A, it can be confirmed that the 16-port patch antenna (500) is a 2x2 arrangement of the 4-port patch antennas illustrated in FIG. 4B. Specifically, the 16-port patch antenna (500) may be a patch antenna including patch antennas (501 to 516) of the first to sixteenth ports. The size of the 16-port patch antenna (500) may be 54.4 mm x 54.4 mm. The spacing between the 4-port patch antennas may be 3 mm. The 4-port patch antenna is described in FIG. 4B and is therefore omitted here.

[0097] FIG. 5b and FIG. 5c are diagrams showing electric fields at the resonant frequency of a 16-port patch antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0098] Specifically, Fig. 5b shows the electric field at a resonant frequency of 7.2 GHz, and Fig. 5c shows the electric field at a resonant frequency of 8.2 GHz. Referring to Figs. 5b and 5c, the electric fields at the two resonant frequencies can be distributed orthogonally to each other.

[0099] FIG. 5d is a graph showing the efficiency of each 4-port patch antenna of a 16-port patch antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0100] Specifically, this is a graph showing the efficiency of the patch antennas of the first to fourth ports. The patch antennas of the first to fourth ports may be the patch antennas (501 to 504) of the first to fourth ports of FIG. 5A. Referring to FIG. 5D, it can be confirmed that the efficiency of each of the four-port patch antennas is almost similar regardless of the position of the four-port patch antenna.

[0101] FIG. 5e is a graph showing correlation coefficients between 16-port patch antennas according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0102] Referring to Fig. 5e, the correlation coefficient may vary depending on the location of the patch antenna, but since all are less than 0.1, they can be considered as having no correlation. According to one embodiment, the correlation coefficient can be derived from a 3D far-field radiation pattern through Ansys HFSS analysis.

[0103] Although the above description focuses on examples, these are merely examples and do not limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and applications not exemplified above are possible without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. For example, each component specifically shown in the examples can be modified and implemented. In addition, differences related to such modifications and applications should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. Top surface including a metal conductor patch; The lower surface including the conductor ground; and Including a dielectric substrate disposed between the upper surface and the lower surface, The above metal conductor patch is a patch antenna having a rectangular shape with one corner curved, and a corner facing the one corner is inclined.

2. In paragraph 1, The above metal conductor patch includes a power supply, The above-mentioned power supply is a patch antenna that penetrates from the upper surface to the lower surface.

3. In paragraph 1, A patch antenna, wherein the metal conductor patch includes a circular slot.

4. In paragraph 1, A patch antenna, wherein the curved corner of the metal conductor patch further includes a rectangular slit.

5. In paragraph 1, Including more stubs, A patch antenna, wherein the stub is placed on a curved corner of the metal conductor patch.

6. In paragraph 5, The above stub is a patch antenna further including a ground.

7. In paragraph 1, The above square is a square patch antenna.

8. Including four patch antennas according to any one of clauses 1 to 4, The above four patch antennas are arranged in a 2x2 configuration, with the four patch antennas being rotated 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise based on one of the four patch antennas.

9. In paragraph 8, A four-port patch antenna further comprising a stub including a ground at the center of the four patch antennas.

10. In paragraph 9, The above stubs are arranged in a 1 / 4 circular shape for each of the four patch antennas. A four-port patch antenna, each of the above stubs including a ground.

11. In paragraph 9, The above stub comprises a rectangular protruding portion in a circular shape, The above rectangular protruding portion is a 4-port patch antenna placed between the above patch antennas.

12. In paragraph 9, A 4-port patch antenna, wherein the ground is placed at the center of the stub.

13. In paragraph 9, A 4-port patch antenna, wherein the stub includes grounds corresponding to each of the four patch antennas.

14. In paragraph 8, A 4-port patch antenna with an overall size of 25.5mm x 25.5mm.

15. In paragraph 8, A 4-port patch antenna, wherein each of the above four patch antennas is positioned at a certain distance from the neighboring patch antennas.

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