Array antenna and antenna system

Abstract

An array antenna (10), the array antenna (10) comprising a first radiation layer (11), a first ground layer (12), a power division layer (13), and a coupling layer (14). The first radiation layer (11) comprises first radiation units (111); the power division layer (13) comprises a power division network (131) comprising a power division main port (132) and power division ports (133); and the coupling layer (14) comprises coupling units (141), and each coupling unit comprises a first transmission line (142) and a second transmission line (143) which are coupled. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the coupling units (141) and the power division network (131) are arranged in layers, and the structure of the coupling units (141) is simplified, so as to reduce the mutual influence of the coupling units (141) and the power division network (131). Moreover, the size of the array antenna (10) is reduced to achieve miniaturization, high integration level, and simple structure of the array antenna (10).

Description

Array antennas and antenna systems Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to an array antenna and an antenna system. Background Technology

[0002] Antennas, as devices that convert guided waves to free-space transmitted waves, play an irreplaceable role in wireless communication. As an essential component of any communication system, their performance directly impacts the overall performance of the entire system. In array antennas, with prolonged use, the transmission channels of each antenna experience amplitude and phase changes due to variations in the surrounding environment and the aging of components. This leads to deviations from the initially set amplitude and phase values, ultimately resulting in deteriorated radiation performance. Therefore, introducing real-time detection functionality into array antennas to identify amplitude and phase errors between feed points is crucial.

[0003] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of this disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an array antenna and an antenna system.

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an array antenna is provided, comprising:

[0007] First substrate;

[0008] The first radiating layer is located on one side of the first substrate and includes a plurality of first radiating units arranged in an array.

[0009] The first ground layer is located on the side of the first substrate away from the first radiating layer;

[0010] The second substrate is located on the side of the first ground layer that is away from the first substrate;

[0011] The power distribution layer is located on the side of the second substrate away from the first substrate and includes a power distribution network. The power distribution network has a power distribution main port and multiple power distribution ports, and the multiple power distribution ports correspond one-to-one with multiple first radiating units.

[0012] The coupling layer is located on a different metal layer from the power distribution layer and includes multiple coupling units corresponding to the multiple power distribution ports. Each coupling unit includes a first transmission line and a second transmission line coupled together. The feed end of the first transmission line is connected to a feed post. The feed output end of the first transmission line is connected to the corresponding first radiation unit. The detection end of the second transmission line is connected to the corresponding power distribution port. The isolation end of the second transmission line is connected to the first ground layer.

[0013] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the array antenna further includes a second radiating layer, the second radiating layer being located on the side of the first radiating layer away from the power layer, and being spaced apart from the first radiating layer;

[0014] The second radiation layer includes a plurality of second radiation units, each of which corresponds one-to-one with a plurality of first radiation units, and the line connecting the center point of each second radiation unit to the center point of the corresponding first radiation unit is perpendicular to the plane in which the first ground layer is located.

[0015] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the second radiating element is a rectangular patch or a circular patch.

[0016] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the coupling layer and the first radiating layer are located in the same metal layer.

[0017] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the coupling layer is located on the side of the power layer opposite to the first ground layer;

[0018] The array antenna further includes a second ground layer, which is located between the coupling layer and the power layer.

[0019] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the array antenna further includes a third substrate and a fourth substrate, and the second ground layer includes a third ground sublayer and a fourth ground sublayer;

[0020] The third substrate, the third grounding sublayer, the fourth grounding sublayer, and the fourth substrate are stacked sequentially in the direction of the power layer toward the coupling layer, and the third grounding sublayer and the fourth grounding sublayer are attached together.

[0021] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the coupling layer is located between the first ground layer and the power layer, and is located on the side of the second substrate opposite to the first ground layer;

[0022] The array antenna further includes a third ground layer, which is located between the coupling layer and the power layer.

[0023] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the array antenna includes a fifth substrate and a sixth substrate, and the third ground layer includes a fifth ground sublayer and a sixth ground sublayer;

[0024] The fifth substrate, the fifth grounding sublayer, the sixth grounding sublayer, and the sixth substrate are stacked sequentially in the direction of the coupling layer toward the power layer, and the fifth grounding sublayer and the sixth grounding sublayer are attached together.

[0025] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the first ground layer includes a first ground sublayer and a second ground sublayer;

[0026] The first grounding layer is located on the side of the first radiating layer away from the first substrate, and the second grounding layer is located on the side of the second substrate away from the power layer. The first grounding layer and the second grounding layer are attached together.

[0027] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the array antenna further includes an adhesive layer that adheres to and conducts the first ground sublayer and the second ground sublayer.

[0028] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the first transmission line and the second transmission line of the coupling unit are both U-shaped, and the opening sides of the first transmission line and the second transmission line are opposite to each other.

[0029] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the isolation end of the second transmission line is connected to a first isolation resistor.

[0030] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the first radiating element includes a radiating patch and a microstrip transmission line;

[0031] The edge of the radiating patch has a notch, and the first end of the microstrip transmission line is connected to the radiating patch at the notch, and the second end is connected to the feed end of the first transmission line.

[0032] According to any of the array antennas described in this disclosure, the transmission line lengths from the plurality of power divider ports to the power divider master port are all equal.

[0033] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an antenna system is provided, including the array antenna described in the foregoing aspect.

[0034] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0035] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0036] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0037] Figure 2 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the array antenna shown in Figure 1.

[0038] Figure 3 is a top view of a power distribution network provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0039] Figure 4 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the power divider network shown in Figure 3.

[0040] Figure 5 is a top view of a coupling unit provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0041] Figure 6 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the coupling unit shown in Figure 5.

[0042] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0043] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0044] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0045] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0046] Figure 11 is a side view of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0047] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0048] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of another array antenna provided in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0049] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of another array antenna provided in this embodiment.

[0050] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of another array antenna provided in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0051] Figure 16 shows the impedance matching curves of each power divider port obtained from the simulation of the array antenna shown in Figure 15.

[0052] Figure 17 shows the gain curve obtained from the simulation of the array antenna shown in Figure 15.

[0053] Figure 18 shows the impedance matching curve of the power divider port obtained from the simulation of the array antenna shown in Figure 15.

[0054] Figure 19 shows the coupling curve corresponding to the power divider port obtained from the simulation of the array antenna shown in Figure 15.

[0055] Figure 20 shows the phase curve of the feed end of the first transmission line obtained by simulation based on the array antenna shown in Figure 15.

[0056] Figure 21 shows the H-plane radiation pattern obtained from the simulation of the array antenna shown in Figure 15.

[0057] Figure 22 shows the V-plane radiation pattern obtained from the simulation of the array antenna shown in Figure 15.

[0058] Figure label:

[0059] 10. Array antenna;

[0060] 11. First radiating layer; 12. First grounding layer; 13. Power layer; 14. Coupling layer; 15. Second radiating layer; 16. Second grounding layer; 17. Third grounding layer; 18. Adhesive layer;

[0061] 21. First substrate; 22. Second substrate; 23. Third substrate; 24. Fourth substrate; 25. Fifth substrate; 26. Sixth substrate; 27. Seventh substrate;

[0062] 111. First radiating unit; 112. Radiating patch; 113. Microstrip transmission line; 114. Notch;

[0063] 121. First grounding layer; 122. Second grounding layer;

[0064] 131. Power divider network; 132. Power divider main port; 133. Power divider port; 134. First isolation resistor;

[0065] 141. Coupling unit; 142. First transmission line; 143. Second transmission line; 144. Second isolation resistor;

[0066] 151. Second radiating unit;

[0067] 161. Third grounding layer; 162. Fourth grounding layer;

[0068] 171. Fifth grounding layer; 172. Sixth grounding layer. Detailed Implementation

[0069] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and therefore detailed descriptions of them will be omitted. Furthermore, the drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0070] Although relative terms such as "up" and "down" are used in this specification to describe the relative relationship of one component of an icon to another, these terms are used only for convenience, such as according to the orientation of the examples shown in the accompanying drawings. It is understood that if the device of the icon is flipped upside down, the component described as "up" will become the component described as "down." When a structure is "up" of another structure, it may mean that the structure is integrally formed on the other structure, or that the structure is "directly" mounted on the other structure, or that the structure is "indirectly" mounted on the other structure through another structure.

[0071] The terms “a,” “one,” “the,” “the,” and “at least one” are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements / components / etc.; the terms “including” and “having” are used to indicate an open-ended inclusion and to mean that there may be other elements / components / etc. in addition to the listed elements / components / etc.; the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc., are used only as markers and are not a limitation on the number of objects.

[0072] Figure 1 illustrates an exploded view of an array antenna 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 illustrates an enlarged view of the coupling unit in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the array antenna 10 includes: a first substrate 21, a first radiating layer 11, a first ground layer 12, a second substrate 22, a power distribution layer 13, and a coupling layer 14. The first radiating layer 11 is located on one side of the first substrate 21 and includes a plurality of first radiating units 111 arranged in an array. The first ground layer 12 is located on the side of the first substrate 21 opposite to the first radiating layer 11. The second substrate 22 is located on the side of the first ground layer 12 opposite to the first substrate 21. The power distribution layer 13 is located on the side of the second substrate 22 opposite to the first substrate 21 and includes a power divider network 131. The power divider network 131 has a power divider main port 132 and a plurality of power divider ports 1. 33, multiple power divider ports 133 correspond one-to-one with multiple first radiation units 111; coupling layer 14, located in a different metal layer from the power divider layer 13, and includes multiple coupling units 141 corresponding one-to-one with the multiple power divider ports 133. Each coupling unit 141 includes a first transmission line 142 and a second transmission line 143 coupled together. The feed end of the first transmission line 142 is connected to a feed post (not shown in the figure). The feed output end of the first transmission line 142 is connected to the corresponding first radiation unit 111. The detection end of the second transmission line 143 is connected to the corresponding power divider port 133. The isolation end of the second transmission line 143 is connected to the first ground layer 12.

[0073] In this embodiment, the electromagnetic wave radiation is achieved by connecting the first transmission line 142 to the feed post and the first radiating element 111, ensuring the antenna performance of the array antenna 10. The amplitude and phase detection of the electromagnetic wave at the feed end of the first transmission line 142 are achieved through the connection of the power divider network 131 to the second transmission line 143 and the coupling between the second transmission line 143 and the first transmission line 142, thereby enabling the detection of the transmission channel of the first radiating element 111. Thus, each antenna element of the array antenna 10 forms an electromagnetic wave radiation channel and an electromagnetic wave amplitude and phase detection channel, facilitating the assurance of the antenna performance of the array antenna 10 and extending its service life. Furthermore, the layered arrangement of the coupling unit 141 and the power divider network 131 simplifies the structure of the coupling unit 141, effectively reducing the size of the array antenna 10 and minimizing the mutual influence between the coupling unit 141 and the power divider network 131, facilitating the realization of a miniaturized, highly integrated, and structurally simple array antenna 10.

[0074] The first substrate 21 and the second substrate 22 can be made of the same or different materials. Taking the first substrate 21 as an example, it can be a commonly used PCB insulating material such as polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber laminate, phenolic paper laminate, or phenolic glass cloth laminate, or it can be a rigid material with low microwave loss such as quartz or glass. In addition, the first substrate 21 can be a single-layer board structure or a multi-layer composite board structure. The first radiating layer 11, the first ground layer 12, the power layer 13, and the coupling layer 14 can all be low-resistance, low-loss metal layers such as copper, gold, and silver, and can be directly fabricated on the corresponding substrates by methods such as magnetron sputtering, thermal evaporation, and electroplating. For example, the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 22 are both made of ZYF300CA_L material with a dielectric constant of 3 and a thickness of 0.762 mm. The first radiating layer 11, the first ground layer 12, and the power layer 13 are all copper metal layers. The first radiating layer 11 and the first ground layer 12 are printed on both sides of the first substrate 21, and the power layer 13 is printed on the side of the second substrate 22 opposite to the first substrate 21. The first substrate 21 and the second substrate 22 are fixed by fasteners (such as plastic rivets).

[0075] In practical applications, for detecting the amplitude and phase of the detection channel at the feed ends of each first transmission line 142, a detection wave can be fed into the power divider port 132 of the power divider network 131. This detection wave can be split along the power divider network 131 to each power divider port 133, and then coupled to the first transmission line 142 along the second transmission line 143. At this time, the amplitude and phase of each detection wave can be detected at the feed end of the first transmission line 142. Then, based on the amplitude and phase of the detection waves at each feed end, the amplitude and phase error between multiple feed ends can be determined. When electromagnetic waves are fed into the first transmission line 142 through the feed column, the amplitude and phase of the electromagnetic waves fed into each first transmission line 142 can be adjusted according to the difference in amplitude and phase between multiple feed ends to ensure the radiation performance of the array.

[0076] In the power divider network 131, the transmission line lengths from the main power divider port 132 to each power divider port 133 are all equal to ensure that when the detection wave is coupled from the second transmission line 143 to the first transmission line 142, the detection waves of each power divider port 133 have the same amplitude and phase. That is, the amplitude difference and phase difference of the detection waves between each power divider port 133 are both 0. Thus, the amplitude and phase differences between multiple feed ends can be determined directly based on the amplitude and phase differences of the detection waves detected at the feed end of the first transmission line 142, thereby simplifying the adjustment of the electromagnetic waves fed into each feed post.

[0077] Of course, the transmission line lengths from the main power distribution port 132 to each power distribution port 133 in the power distribution network 131 can also be unequal or not equal, as long as the amplitude difference and phase difference of the detected wave between each power distribution port 133 can be determined in advance. Then, based on the amplitude difference and phase difference of the detected wave detected at the feed end of the first transmission line 142, as well as the amplitude difference and phase difference of the detected wave between each power distribution port 133, the amplitude and phase differences between multiple feed ends can be determined.

[0078] For example, as shown in Figure 1, the first radiation layer 11 includes a set of four first radiation units 111 spaced apart along a straight line, the coupling layer 14 includes a set of four corresponding coupling units 141, and the power divider network 131 has four corresponding power divider ports 133, with the transmission line lengths from the four power divider ports 133 to the main power divider port 132 being equal. Thus, when a detection wave is fed into the main power divider port 132 of the power divider network 131, it can be ensured that the amplitude and phase of the detection wave shunted to the four power divider ports 133 are the same, and are (5dB, 270 degrees). Consequently, the detection wave at each power divider port 133 is coupled to the first transmission line 142 via the second transmission line 143, and the amplitude and phase of the detection wave detected at the feed end of each first transmission line 142 are (5dB, 270 degrees), (4.9dB, 272 degrees), and (4.8dB, 268 degrees), respectively. When the amplitude and phase of the electromagnetic waves fed into each feed post connected to each feed terminal are (5dB, 270 degrees), (5.1dB, 268 degrees), (5.2dB, 272 degrees), and (5.1dB, 271 degrees), respectively, the amplitude and phase of the electromagnetic waves fed into each feed post are (5dB, 270 degrees), (5.1dB, 268 degrees), (5.2dB, 272 degrees), and (5.1dB, 271 degrees), respectively, so as to ensure that after the adjustment of the first transmission line 142 of each coupling unit 141, the amplitude and phase of the electromagnetic waves fed into each first radiation unit 111 are (5dB, 270 degrees).

[0079] In conjunction with the above, when the array antenna 10 is applied to an antenna system, the antenna system can ensure that the array antenna 10 radiates electromagnetic waves normally, and at the same time, adjust the electromagnetic waves fed into each feed post based on the detection wave fed into the power divider network 131, so as to calibrate the electromagnetic waves fed into each feed end, ensure the radiation performance of each antenna element (first radiating element 111), and thus ensure the antenna effect of the array antenna 10.

[0080] In some implementations, the power splitting network 131 of the power splitting layer 13 includes multiple two-stage power splitters cascaded together. In this way, the connection between a power splitting master port 132 and multiple power splitting ports 133 can be achieved through multiple one-to-two two-stage power splitters, while ensuring that the transmission line length from the power splitting master port 132 to each power splitting port 133 is the same.

[0081] In some implementations, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a first isolation resistor 134 is connected between the two branches of each two-stage power divider. By setting the first isolation resistor 134, the isolation between the two branches is improved, and the mutual influence generated when the detection wave is shunt along the two branches is avoided, thereby further ensuring that the amplitude and phase between the output ports of each two-stage power divider are the same.

[0082] For example, the power divider network 131 includes a first-stage network and a second-stage network. The first-stage network includes one two-stage power divider, and the second-stage network includes two two-stage power dividers. Both the first-stage and second-stage power dividers are provided with a first isolation resistor 134 connected between the two branches and having a resistance of 100 ohms. The input terminal of the first-stage power divider serves as the power divider port 132 of the power divider network 131, and the two output terminals are respectively connected to the input terminals of the two two-stage power dividers of the second stage. The output terminals of the two two-stage power dividers serve as the power divider ports 133 of the power divider network 131.

[0083] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the first radiation layer 11 includes a first radiation unit 111 that can radiate single-polarized electromagnetic waves, such as linearly polarized electromagnetic waves or circularly polarized electromagnetic waves, or dual-polarized electromagnetic waves, such as linearly polarized electromagnetic waves of ±45 degrees or horizontally and vertically polarized electromagnetic waves.

[0084] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the first radiating unit 111 includes a radiating patch 112 and a microstrip transmission line 113; the edge of the radiating patch 112 has a notch 114, the first end of the microstrip transmission line 113 is connected to the radiating patch 112 at the notch 114, and the second end is connected to the feed end of the first transmission line 142.

[0085] Thus, by setting the notch 114 at the upper edge of the radiating patch 112, the impedance matching between the microstrip line and the first radiating unit 111 is optimized, thereby improving the transmission effect of electromagnetic waves between the first transmission line 142 and the first radiating unit 111.

[0086] The radiating patch 112 can be a rectangular patch, a circular patch, etc., and in some cases, the radiating patch 112 can also be provided with chamfers, grooves, slits, etc., to achieve polarization adjustment of the electromagnetic waves radiated on the radiating patch 112. This disclosure does not limit this aspect.

[0087] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG7 or FIG8, the array antenna 10 further includes a second radiating layer 15, which is located on the side of the first radiating layer 11 away from the power layer 13 and is spaced apart from the first radiating layer 11. The second radiating layer 15 includes a plurality of second radiating elements 151, which correspond one-to-one with a plurality of first radiating elements 111, and the line connecting the center point of each second radiating element 151 and the corresponding first radiating element 111 is perpendicular to the plane where the first ground layer 12 is located.

[0088] Thus, by setting a corresponding second radiation unit 151 directly above each first radiation unit 111, coupling between the two corresponding radiation units is achieved, thereby facilitating the improvement of the bandwidth of the electromagnetic waves radiated by the array antenna 10; at the same time, a resonant cavity is formed between the two corresponding radiation units, thereby facilitating the resonance of the electromagnetic waves in the resonant cavity and improving the gain effect of the array antenna 10.

[0089] The first radiating unit 111 and the second radiating unit 151 can be fixedly connected by plastic isolation posts to achieve the spacing between them. The spacing between the first radiating unit 111 and the second radiating unit 151 can be greater than or equal to 4 mm and less than or equal to 9 mm. For example, the spacing between the first radiating unit 111 and the second radiating unit 151 can be 4.0 mm, 5.0 mm, 6.0 mm, 7.15 mm, 8.0 mm, 9.0 mm, etc.

[0090] The size of the patch of the second radiating unit 151 can be the same as or different from the size of the radiating patch 112 included in the first radiating unit 111; the shape of the patch of the second radiating unit 151 can be the same as or different from the shape of the radiating patch 112 included in the first radiating unit 111, as long as the line connecting the center points of the corresponding two radiating units is perpendicular to the plane where the first ground layer 12 is located, that is, as long as the line connecting the radiation center of the first radiating unit 111 and the radiation center of the second radiating unit 151 is parallel to the thickness direction of the first substrate 21.

[0091] For example, as shown in FIG7, the patches of the first radiating unit 111 and the second radiating unit 151 are both rectangular, or as shown in FIG8, the patch of the first radiating unit 111 is rectangular and the patch of the second radiating unit 151 is circular. Of course, the second radiating unit 151 can also be a patch of other shapes, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0092] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG9, the array antenna 10 further includes a seventh substrate 27, which is located on the side of the first radiating layer 11 away from the first substrate 21 and is spaced apart from the first radiating layer 11, and the second radiating layer 15 is located on the surface of the seventh substrate 27.

[0093] In this way, the seventh substrate 27 can support multiple second radiation units 151, which facilitates the spacing between the second radiation units 151 and the first radiation unit 111.

[0094] The material of the seventh substrate 27 can be referenced from the first substrate 21 described above. For example, the seventh substrate 27 is a ZYF300CA_L board material with a dielectric constant of 3 and a thickness of 0.762 mm. In addition, the second radiating unit 151 can be located on the surface of the seventh substrate 27 facing the first radiating unit 111, or it can be located on the surface of the seventh substrate 27 away from the first radiating unit 111.

[0095] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG10 or FIG11, the first ground layer 12 includes a first ground sub-layer 121 and a second ground sub-layer 122; the first ground sub-layer 121 is located on the side of the first radiation layer 11 away from the first substrate 21, and the second ground sub-layer 122 is located on the side of the second substrate 22 away from the power layer 13, and the first ground sub-layer 121 and the second ground sub-layer 122 are attached together.

[0096] Thus, since the first grounding layer 121 and the second grounding layer 122 can be formed on the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 22 respectively, gaps between the first grounding layer 121 and the first substrate 21, and between the second grounding layer 122 and the second substrate 22 are effectively avoided. This ensures the grounding effect of the first radiation layer 11 and the power distribution layer 13, thereby simultaneously ensuring the radiation effect of the first radiation unit 111 and the transmission effect of the detection wave on the power distribution network 131.

[0097] The dimensions of the second grounding sublayer 122 can be set according to the dimensions of the second substrate 22, and the dimensions of the second substrate 22 can be set according to the size of the area occupied by the power divider network 131. For example, the width and length of the second substrate 22 are both smaller than the length and width of the first substrate 21, and the length and width of the second grounding sublayer 122 are both smaller than the length and width of the first grounding layer 12.

[0098] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG12, the array antenna 10 further includes an adhesive layer 18, which adheres to and conducts the first ground sub-layer 121 and the second ground sub-layer 122.

[0099] Thus, by setting the adhesive layer 18, the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 22 are fixedly connected, avoiding the process of opening holes when fixing the first substrate 21 and the second substrate 22; it also achieves seamless conduction between the first grounding sublayer 121 and the second grounding sublayer 122, so as to effectively improve the third-order passive intermodulation performance of the array antenna 10.

[0100] The adhesive layer 18 can be a conductive adhesive layer, as long as it has both adhesive and conductive properties. For example, the adhesive layer 18 can be a resin adhesive layer mixed with conductive particles.

[0101] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2 or FIG6, the first transmission line 142 and the second transmission line 143 of the coupling unit 141 are both U-shaped, and the opening sides of the first transmission line 142 and the second transmission line 143 are opposite to each other.

[0102] Thus, by combining the arrangement direction of a group of first radiating elements 111 in the array antenna 10 and the distribution of the power divider network 131, the feed end of the first transmission line 142 can be directly opposite the first radiating element 111, while the second transmission line 143 can have an overlapping area with the power divider network 131 in the thickness direction of the first substrate 21, thereby facilitating the reduction of the structural size of the array antenna 10 and realizing the miniaturization of the array antenna 10.

[0103] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2 or FIG6, a second isolation resistor 144 is connected to the isolation end of the second transmission line 143. Thus, the second isolation resistor 144 effectively isolates the second transmission line 143 from the first ground layer 12, preventing the first ground layer 12 from affecting the detection wave propagating on the second transmission line 143, thereby affecting the accuracy of amplitude and phase detection of the detection wave at each feed end. For example, the resistance of the second isolation resistor 144 is 50 ohms.

[0104] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG11 or FIG12, the coupling layer 14 and the first radiating layer 11 are located in the same metal layer.

[0105] Thus, the coupling unit 141 and the first radiating unit 111 can be fabricated on one side surface of the first substrate 21 in a single process, thereby simplifying the fabrication process of the array antenna 10 and simplifying the structural composition of the array antenna 10, so as to realize a low-profile (i.e., low-height) array antenna 10.

[0106] The first substrate 21 has a metal pillar corresponding to each coupling unit 141. One end of the metal pillar is connected to the isolation end of the second transmission line 143, and the other end of the metal pillar is connected to the first ground layer 12 (or the first ground sub-layer 121).

[0107] In some other embodiments, as shown in FIG13, the coupling layer 14 is located on the side of the power layer 13 away from the first ground layer 12, and the array substrate further includes a second ground layer 16, which is located between the coupling layer 14 and the power layer 13.

[0108] This facilitates the separation of the coupling unit 141 from the first radiation unit 111, preventing the detection wave from being affected by the first radiation unit 111 when it is coupled and transmitted between the first transmission line 142 and the second transmission line 143 of the coupling unit 141, thereby further ensuring the accuracy of the amplitude and phase detected at each feed end.

[0109] The second ground layer 16 is connected to the first ground layer 12, thereby enabling the power divider network 131 and the coupling unit 141 to be relatively grounded. Additionally, as shown in Figure 13, the array substrate also includes a third substrate 23 and a fourth substrate 24. The third substrate 23 is located between the power divider layer 13 and the second ground layer 16, and the fourth substrate 24 is located between the second ground layer 16 and the coupling layer 14. The first substrate 21, second substrate 22, third substrate 23, and fourth substrate 24 all have metal pillars, which connect the feed end of the first transmission line 142 to the first radiation unit 111, and the metal pillars on the third substrate 23 and fourth substrate 24 connect the coupling end of the second transmission line 143 to the power divider port 133.

[0110] The second grounding layer 16 can be a single-layer grounding metal layer or a double-layer grounding metal layer. For example, as shown in Figure 13, the second grounding layer 16 includes a third grounding sub-layer 161 and a fourth grounding sub-layer 162; the third substrate 23, the third grounding sub-layer 161, the fourth grounding sub-layer 162, and the fourth substrate 24 are stacked sequentially in the direction of the power layer 13 toward the coupling layer 14, and the third grounding sub-layer 161 and the fourth grounding sub-layer 162 are attached together.

[0111] In this way, a third grounding layer 161 can be formed on the surface of the third substrate 23 away from the power distribution layer 13, and a fourth grounding layer 162 and a coupling layer 14 can be formed on both sides of the fourth substrate 24, respectively. This effectively avoids gaps between the third grounding layer 161 and the third substrate 23, and between the fourth grounding layer 162 and the fourth substrate 24. This ensures the grounding effect of the power distribution layer 13 and the coupling layer 14, and simultaneously ensures the transmission effect of the detection wave on the power distribution network 131, as well as the transmission effect of the electromagnetic wave on the first transmission line 142 of the coupling unit 141 and the transmission effect of the detection wave on the second transmission line 143.

[0112] The third grounding layer 161 and the fourth grounding layer 162 can be fixedly bonded together by the third substrate 23 and the fourth substrate 24. Alternatively, as described above, an adhesive layer 18 can be provided between the third grounding layer 161 and the fourth grounding layer 162 to achieve a fixed connection between the third substrate 23 and the fourth substrate 24, avoiding the need for drilling holes when fixing the third substrate 23 and the fourth substrate 24. At the same time, seamless conduction between the third grounding layer 161 and the fourth grounding layer 162 is achieved, thereby effectively improving the third-order passive intermodulation performance of the array antenna 10.

[0113] It should be noted that an active layer 13 is included between the second substrate 22 and the third substrate 23. In this case, as described above, holes can be drilled in the second substrate 22 and the third substrate 23 for fixed connection using fasteners (such as plastic rivets). A third grounding layer 161 and a fourth grounding layer 162 are included between the third substrate 23 and the fourth substrate 24. In this case, the third substrate 23 and the fourth substrate 24 can be fixedly connected using the adhesive layer 18 between the third grounding layer 161 and the fourth grounding layer 162. Alternatively, as described above, holes can be drilled in the third substrate 23 and the fourth substrate 24 for fixed connection using fasteners (such as plastic rivets). Of course, holes can also be drilled directly in the first substrate 21, the second electrode plate, the third substrate 23, and the fourth substrate 24 for a one-time fixed connection using fasteners (such as plastic rivets). This disclosure does not limit this approach.

[0114] In some other embodiments, as shown in FIG14, the coupling layer 14 is located between the first ground layer 12 and the power layer 13, and is located on the side of the second substrate 22 away from the first ground layer 12. The array antenna 10 also includes a third ground layer 17, which is located between the coupling layer 14 and the power layer 13.

[0115] This facilitates the separation of the coupling unit 141 from the first radiation unit 111, preventing the detection wave from being affected by the first radiation unit 111 when it is coupled and transmitted between the first transmission line 142 and the second transmission line 143 of the coupling unit 141, thereby further ensuring the accuracy of the amplitude and phase detected at each feed end.

[0116] The third ground layer 17 is connected to the first ground layer 12, thereby enabling the power divider network 131 and the coupling unit 141 to be relatively grounded. Additionally, as shown in Figure 14, the array substrate also includes a fifth substrate 25 and a sixth substrate 26. The fifth substrate 25 is located between the coupling layer 14 and the third ground layer 17, and the sixth substrate 26 is located between the third ground layer 17 and the power divider layer 13. The second substrate 22, the fifth substrate 25, and the sixth substrate 26 all have metal pillars. The metal pillars on the second substrate 22 connect the feed end of the first transmission line 142 to the first radiating unit 111, and the metal pillars on the fifth substrate 25 and the sixth substrate 26 connect the coupling end of the second transmission line 143 to the power divider port 133.

[0117] The third grounding layer 17 can be a single-layer grounding metal layer or a double-layer grounding metal layer. For example, as shown in Figure 14, the third grounding layer 17 includes a fifth grounding sub-layer 171 and a sixth grounding sub-layer 172; the fifth substrate 25, the fifth grounding sub-layer 171, the sixth grounding sub-layer 172, and the sixth substrate 26 are stacked sequentially in the direction of the coupling layer 14 toward the power layer 13, and the fifth grounding sub-layer 171 and the sixth grounding sub-layer 172 are attached together.

[0118] In this way, a fifth grounding sublayer 171 can be formed on the surface of the fifth substrate 25 away from the coupling layer 14, and a sixth grounding sublayer 172 and a power layer 13 can be formed on both sides of the sixth substrate 26, respectively. This effectively avoids gaps between the fifth grounding sublayer 171 and the fifth substrate 25, and between the sixth grounding sublayer 172 and the sixth substrate 26. In other words, the grounding effect of the power layer 13 and the coupling layer 14 is guaranteed, thereby simultaneously guaranteeing the transmission effect of the detection wave on the power divider network 131, as well as the transmission effect of the electromagnetic wave on the first transmission line 142 of the coupling unit 141 and the transmission effect of the detection wave on the second transmission line 143.

[0119] The fifth grounding sublayer 171 and the sixth grounding sublayer 172 can be fixedly bonded together by the fifth substrate 25 and the sixth substrate 26. Alternatively, as described above, an adhesive layer 18 can be provided between the fifth grounding sublayer 171 and the sixth grounding sublayer 172 to achieve a fixed connection between the fifth substrate 25 and the sixth substrate 26, avoiding the need for drilling holes when fixing the fifth substrate 25 and the sixth substrate 26. At the same time, seamless conduction between the fifth grounding sublayer 171 and the sixth grounding sublayer 172 can be achieved, thereby effectively improving the third-order passive intermodulation performance of the array antenna 10.

[0120] It should be noted that an active layer 13 is included between the second substrate 22 and the fifth substrate 25. In this case, as described above, holes can be drilled in the second substrate 22 and the fifth substrate 25 for fixed connection using fasteners (such as plastic rivets). A fifth grounding layer 171 and a sixth grounding layer 172 are included between the fifth substrate 25 and the sixth substrate 26. In this case, the fifth substrate 25 and the sixth substrate 26 can be fixedly connected using an adhesive layer 18 between the fifth grounding layer 171 and the sixth grounding layer 172. Alternatively, as described above, holes can be drilled in the fifth substrate 25 and the sixth substrate 26 for fixed connection using fasteners (such as plastic rivets). Of course, holes can also be drilled directly in the first substrate 21, the second electrode plate, the fifth substrate 25, and the sixth substrate 26 for a one-time fixed connection using fasteners (such as plastic rivets). This embodiment does not limit this approach.

[0121] The array antenna 10 shown in Figure 15 includes a first radiating layer 11, a second radiating layer 15, a power distribution layer 13, a coupling layer 14, a first grounding sublayer 121, and a second grounding sublayer 122. The coupling layer 14 is disposed on the same layer as the first radiating layer 11. The array antenna 10 includes four antenna elements (i.e., four first radiating elements 111, four second radiating elements 151, four coupling elements 141, and four power distribution ports 133). The first substrate 21, the second substrate 22, and the seventh substrate 27 are all made of ZYF300CA_L material with a dielectric constant of 3 and a thickness of 0.762 mm. The spacing between the first radiating element 111 and the seventh substrate 27 is 7.15 mm.

[0122] Simulation of the array antenna 10 yields the impedance matching curves S22 (power divider port 133a), S33 (power divider port 133b), S44 (power divider port 133c), and S55 (power divider port 133d) for the four power divider ports 133, as shown in Figure 16; the gain curve, as shown in Figure 17; the impedance matching curve of the main power divider port 132, as shown in Figure 18; and the coupling curve S21 (power divider port 133a) for each power divider port 133, as shown in Figure 19. Ports 133a), S33 (power divider port 133b), S44 (power divider port 133c), and S55 (power divider port 133d); the phase curves G1 (power divider port 133a), G2 (power divider port 133b), G3 (power divider port 133c), and G4 (power divider port 133d) of the feed terminals of each first transmission line 142 as shown in Figure 20; and the radiation patterns of the array antenna 10 in the H-plane and V-plane as shown in Figures 21 and 22, respectively.

[0123] Referring to Figure 16, it can be seen that the four power divider ports 133 (power divider ports 133a, 133b, 133c, and 133d) of the array antenna 10 have good impedance matching in the 3.4–3.6 GHz frequency band, and the impedance matching is less than -15 dB. Referring to Figure 17, it can be seen that the gain of the array antenna 10 in the 3.4–3.6 GHz frequency band is greater than 14.2 dB, ensuring the high gain characteristics of the array antenna 10. Referring to Figure 18, it can be seen that the reflection coefficient of the power divider port 132 of the array antenna 10 in the 3.4–3.6 GHz frequency band is less than -25 dB, ensuring a better reflection coefficient. Referring to Figure 19, it can be seen that the array antenna 10 in the 3.4–3.6 GHz frequency band has good impedance matching in the 3.4–3.6 GHz frequency band. Within the 0.6 GHz frequency band, the coupling degrees corresponding to the four power divider ports 133 (power divider port 133a, power divider port 133b, power divider port 133c, and power divider port 133d) are all between -24.75 and -23.88 dB to ensure the consistency of the coupling degrees of each power divider port 133. As shown in Figure 20, within the 3.4–3.6 GHz frequency band, the phase difference between the feed ends of each first transmission line 142 is less than or equal to 2 degrees, thereby ensuring the phase consistency of the feed ends of each first transmission line 142. As shown in Figures 21 and 22, the array antenna 10 has the characteristics of high pattern convergence and low dispersion within the 3.4–3.6 GHz frequency band, thereby ensuring the radiation performance of the array antenna 10.

[0124] This disclosure also provides an antenna system including the array antenna 10 described in the above embodiments.

[0125] In conjunction with the array antenna 10 described above, this antenna system can not only ensure the radiation performance of the array antenna 10, but also calibrate the amplitude and phase of the electromagnetic waves fed into each feed terminal based on the detection of the feed terminals of each first transmission line 142, so as to ensure the antenna performance of the antenna system and extend its service life.

[0126] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An array antenna, wherein, include: First substrate; The first radiating layer is located on one side of the first substrate and includes a plurality of first radiating units arranged in an array. The first ground layer is located on the side of the first substrate away from the first radiating layer; The second substrate is located on the side of the first ground layer that is away from the first substrate; The power distribution layer is located on the side of the second substrate away from the first substrate and includes a power distribution network. The power distribution network has a power distribution main port and multiple power distribution ports, and the multiple power distribution ports correspond one-to-one with multiple first radiating units. The coupling layer is located on a different metal layer from the power distribution layer and includes multiple coupling units corresponding to the multiple power distribution ports. Each coupling unit includes a first transmission line and a second transmission line coupled together. The feed end of the first transmission line is connected to a feed post. The feed output end of the first transmission line is connected to the corresponding first radiation unit. The detection end of the second transmission line is connected to the corresponding power distribution port. The isolation end of the second transmission line is connected to the first ground layer.

2. The array antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The array antenna further includes a second radiating layer, which is located on the side of the first radiating layer away from the power layer and is spaced apart from the first radiating layer. The second radiation layer includes a plurality of second radiation units, each of which corresponds one-to-one with a plurality of first radiation units, and the line connecting the center point of each second radiation unit to the center point of the corresponding first radiation unit is perpendicular to the plane in which the first ground layer is located.

3. The array antenna as described in claim 2, wherein, The second radiating unit is a rectangular patch or a circular patch.

4. The array antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The coupling layer and the first radiating layer are located in the same metal layer.

5. The array antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The coupling layer is located on the side of the power layer that is away from the first ground layer; The array antenna further includes a second ground layer, which is located between the coupling layer and the power layer.

6. The array antenna as claimed in claim 5, wherein, The array antenna further includes a third substrate and a fourth substrate, and the second ground layer includes a third ground sublayer and a fourth ground sublayer; The third substrate, the third grounding sublayer, the fourth grounding sublayer, and the fourth substrate are stacked sequentially in the direction of the power layer toward the coupling layer, and the third grounding sublayer and the fourth grounding sublayer are attached together.

7. The array antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The coupling layer is located between the first ground layer and the power layer, and is located on the side of the second substrate opposite to the first ground layer; The array antenna further includes a third ground layer, which is located between the coupling layer and the power layer.

8. The array antenna as claimed in claim 7, wherein, The array antenna includes a fifth substrate and a sixth substrate, and the third ground layer includes a fifth ground sublayer and a sixth ground layer; The fifth substrate, the fifth grounding sublayer, the sixth grounding sublayer, and the sixth substrate are stacked sequentially in the direction of the coupling layer toward the power layer, and the fifth grounding sublayer and the sixth grounding sublayer are attached together.

9. The array antenna as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The first grounding layer includes a first grounding sublayer and a second grounding sublayer; The first grounding layer is located on the side of the first radiating layer away from the first substrate, and the second grounding layer is located on the side of the second substrate away from the power layer. The first grounding layer and the second grounding layer are attached together.

10. The array antenna as claimed in claim 9, wherein, The array antenna further includes an adhesive layer that bonds and conducts between the first grounding sublayer and the second grounding sublayer.

11. The array antenna as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The first transmission line and the second transmission line of the coupling unit are both U-shaped, and the opening sides of the first transmission line and the second transmission line are opposite to each other.

12. The array antenna as claimed in claim 11, wherein, The isolation end of the second transmission line is connected to a first isolation resistor.

13. The array antenna as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The first radiating unit includes a radiating patch and a microstrip transmission line; The edge of the radiating patch has a notch, and the first end of the microstrip transmission line is connected to the radiating patch at the notch, and the second end is connected to the feed end of the first transmission line.

14. The array antenna as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The transmission line lengths from each of the multiple power divider ports to the main power divider port are all equal.

15. An antenna system, wherein, Includes the array antenna as described in any one of claims 1-14.

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