Antenna module and electronic device including same

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device may comprise: at least one processor including a processing circuit; a wireless communication circuit coupled to the at least one processor; and an antenna module coupled to the wireless communication circuit. The antenna module may comprise a circuit board on which a first radiator array for a first frequency band, a second radiator array for a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, and a third radiator array for a third frequency band lower than the first frequency band are arranged. The first radiator array may comprise patch radiators which are arranged on a first layer among a plurality of layers of the circuit board and have a first size. The second radiator array may include patch radiators which are arranged on a second layer, which is located above the first layer with respect to one surface of the circuit board, among the plurality of layers of the circuit board and have a second size smaller than the first size.

Description

Antenna module and electronic device including the same

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an antenna module and an electronic device comprising the antenna module.

[0002] The electronic device may include an antenna module for wireless communication with an external electronic device. The antenna module may include a plurality of antennas as an array antenna for beamforming.

[0003] The information described above may be provided as related art for the purpose of aiding understanding of the present disclosure. No judgment or determination is made as to whether any of the foregoing may be applied as prior art related to the present disclosure.

[0004] In exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device may include at least one processor comprising a processing circuit; a wireless communication circuit coupled to the at least one processor; and an antenna module coupled to the wireless communication circuit. The antenna module may include a circuit board on which a first radiator array for a first frequency band, a second radiator array for a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, and a third radiator array for a third frequency band lower than the first frequency band are arranged. The first radiator array may include patch radiators disposed on a first layer among a plurality of layers of the circuit board and having a first size. The second radiator array may include patch radiators disposed on a second layer of the circuit board above the first layer with respect to one side of the circuit board among a plurality of layers of the circuit board and having a second size smaller than the first size. The third radiator array may include patch radiators having a third size larger than the first size, which are disposed on a third layer of the circuit board that is below the first layer with respect to one surface among the plurality of layers of the circuit board. The patch radiators disposed on the second layer may be disposed overlappingly with the patch radiators disposed on the first layer, respectively. The patch radiators disposed on the third layer may include a patch radiator having a first patch portion that partially overlaps with one of two adjacent patch radiators among the patch radiators disposed on the first layer, and a second patch portion that partially overlaps with the other of the two adjacent patch radiators. The gap formed between the first patch portion and the second patch portion may be disposed in the region between the two adjacent patch radiators.

[0005] In exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, an antenna module is provided. The antenna module may include a circuit board having a first radiator array for a first frequency band, a second radiator array for a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, and a third radiator array for a third frequency band lower than the first frequency band; and a radio frequency (RF) processing circuit coupled to one side of the circuit board. The first radiator array may include patch radiators having a first size and disposed in a first layer among a plurality of layers of the circuit board. The second radiator array may include patch radiators having a second size smaller than the first size and disposed in a second layer of the circuit board above the first layer with respect to one side of the circuit board among a plurality of layers of the circuit board. The third radiator array may include patch radiators having a third size larger than the first size, which are disposed on a third layer of the circuit board that is below the first layer with respect to one surface among the plurality of layers of the circuit board. The patch radiators disposed on the second layer may be disposed overlappingly with the patch radiators disposed on the first layer, respectively. The patch radiators disposed on the third layer may include a patch radiator having a first patch portion that partially overlaps with one of two adjacent patch radiators among the patch radiators disposed on the first layer, and a second patch portion that partially overlaps with the other of the two adjacent patch radiators. The gap formed between the first patch portion and the second patch portion may be disposed in the region between the two adjacent patch radiators.

[0006] The above-described and other aspects, features, and advantages of specific embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which is taken into account together with the accompanying drawings:

[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an exemplary electronic device in a network environment according to various embodiments.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a drawing showing an example of an electronic device including an antenna module according to various embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing examples of radiator arrays of an antenna module according to various embodiments.

[0010] FIGS. 4a, FIGS. 4b, and FIGS. 4c are drawings illustrating examples of antenna modules including radiator arrays according to various embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the polarization direction of a radiator array in an antenna module according to various embodiments.

[0012] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the electric field of the patch portions of the radiator array in an antenna module according to various embodiments.

[0013] FIGS. 7a and 7b are drawings illustrating examples of antenna modules including radiator arrays according to various embodiments.

[0014] FIGS. 8A and FIGS. 8B are drawings illustrating examples of antenna modules including radiator arrays according to various embodiments.

[0015] FIGS. 9a and 9b are cross-sectional views illustrating examples of antenna modules including RF (radio frequency) processing circuits and radiator arrays according to various embodiments.

[0016] FIGS. 10a, FIG. 10b, and FIG. 10c are graphs showing S-parameters according to radiator arrangement structures according to various embodiments.

[0017] FIGS. 11a, FIGS. 11b, and FIGS. 11c are graphs showing radiation efficiency according to radiator arrangement structures according to various embodiments.

[0018] FIGS. 12a and FIGS. 12b are graphs showing polarization isolation according to radiator arrangement structures according to various embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing examples of radiation patterns by radiator array according to various embodiments.

[0020] FIGS. 14a and FIGS. 14b are drawings illustrating examples of electronic devices including antenna modules according to various embodiments.

[0021] FIGS. 15a and FIGS. 15b are drawings illustrating examples of electronic devices including antenna modules according to various embodiments.

[0022] The terms used in this disclosure are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. A singular expression may include a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art described in this disclosure. Terms used in this disclosure that are defined in a general dictionary may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning as they have in the context of the relevant technology, and are not to be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this disclosure. In some cases, even terms defined in this disclosure are not to be interpreted to exclude the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0023] In the various embodiments of the present disclosure described below, a hardware-based approach is described as an example. However, since the various embodiments of the present disclosure include techniques using both hardware and software, the various embodiments of the present disclosure do not exclude a software-based approach.

[0024] Terms referring to components of an electronic device used in the following description (e.g., substrate, PCB (printed circuit board), FPCB (flexible PCB), PBA (printed board assembly), module, antenna element, circuit, processor, chip, component, or device), terms referring to components of an antenna (e.g., antenna element, antenna radiator, radiator, patch radiator, conductive part, conductive pattern, coil, conductive member, radiating member, radiating material, radiating component, antenna structure, antenna structure, feed part, feed member, RF (radio frequency) line, RF line structure, connecting member, connecting part, contact member), terms referring to the location of a component (e.g., part, location, area, point), terms referring to a physically separated space between one part and another (e.g., gap, slot, gap, opening, hole), terms referring to the shape of a component (e.g., structure, structural part, support, contact part, or flange, protrusion), terms referring to connections between structures (e.g., connection part, connecting part, contact part, contact part, support part, support part, connection Terms such as structure, support structure, contact structure, conductive member, conductive pad, conductive pattern, or assembly; terms referring to open structures (e.g., slot, slit, or opening); and terms referring to circuits (e.g., PCB, FPCB, signal line, ground line, feeding line, data line, RF signal line, antenna line, RF path, RF module, RF circuit, splitter, divider, coupler, or combiner) are provided as examples for convenience of explanation. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the terms described below, and other terms having equivalent technical meanings may be used. Additionally, terms such as '...part', '...device', '...object', or '...' used belowTerms such as 'body' may mean at least one shape structure or a unit that processes a function.

[0025] Additionally, in this disclosure, expressions of "greater than" or "less than" may be used to determine whether a specific condition is satisfied or fulfilled; however, this is merely for the purpose of expressing an example and does not exclude descriptions of "greater than" or "less than." Conditions described as "greater than" may be replaced with "greater than," conditions described as "less than" may be replaced with "less than," and conditions described as "greater than and less than" may be replaced with "greater than and less than." Furthermore, "A" to "B" below refer to at least one of elements from A (including A) to B (including B). Below, "C" and / or "D" refers to including at least one of "C" or "D," i.e., {'C', 'D', 'C' and 'D'}.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in an exemplary network environment according to various embodiments.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 1, in a network environment (100), an electronic device (101) may communicate with an electronic device (102) through a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network) or with at least one of an electronic device (104) or a server (108) through a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) through a server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), memory (130), input module (150), sound output module (155), display module (160), audio module (170), sensor module (176), interface (177), connection terminal (178), haptic module (179), camera module (180), power management module (188), battery (189), communication module (190), subscriber identification module (196), or antenna module (197). In various embodiments, at least one of these components (e.g., connection terminal (178)) may be omitted from the electronic device (101), or one or more other components may be added. In various embodiments, some of these components (e.g., sensor module (176), camera module (180), or antenna module (197)) may be integrated into a single component (e.g., display module (160)).

[0028] The processor (120) can control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) by executing software (e.g., a program (140)), for example, and can perform various data processing or operations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or operations, the processor (120) can store commands or data received from other components (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) in volatile memory (132), process the commands or data stored in volatile memory (132), and store the resulting data in non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) or an auxiliary processor (123) that can operate independently or together with it (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor). For example, if the electronic device (101) includes a main processor (121) and an auxiliary processor (123), the auxiliary processor (123) may be configured to use lower power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a designated function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as part thereof. Accordingly, the processor (120) may include various processing circuits and / or multiple processors. For example, the term "processor" as used in the claims herein may include various processing circuits including at least one processor, and at least one of the at least one processor may be configured to perform the various functions described herein individually and / or collectively in a distributed manner.When "one processor," "at least one processor," and "one or more processors" as used herein are described as being configured to perform multiple functions, these terms include, but are not limited to, situations where, for example, one processor performs part of the mentioned functions and other processor(s) perform other parts of the mentioned functions, and situations where a single processor can perform all the mentioned functions. Additionally, at least one processor may include a combination of processors performing various mentioned / disclosed functions, for example, and may be performed in a distributed manner. At least one processor may execute program instructions to achieve or perform various functions.

[0029] The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., display module (160), sensor module (176), or communication module (190)) on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., image signal processor or communication processor) may be implemented as part of another functionally related component (e.g., camera module (180) or communication module (190)). According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., neural network processing unit) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may be generated through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, on the electronic device (101) itself where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm may include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers.An artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the examples described above. In addition to the hardware structure, the artificial intelligence model may include a software structure, either additionally or substantially.

[0030] The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120) or sensor module (176)). The data may include, for example, software (e.g., program (140)) and input or output data for related commands. The memory (130) may include volatile memory (132) or non-volatile memory (134).

[0031] The program (140) may be stored as software in memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

[0032] The input module (150) can receive commands or data to be used for a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) from outside the electronic device (101) (e.g., user). The input module (150) may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0033] The sound output module (155) can output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device (101). The sound output module (155) may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver may be used to receive incoming calls. According to one embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from the speaker or as part thereof.

[0034] The display module (160) can visually provide information to an external (e.g., user) of the electronic device (101). The display module (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling said device. According to one embodiment, the display module (160) may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of the force generated by said touch.

[0035] The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal or, conversely, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through the input module (150) or output sound through the sound output module (155) or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (e.g., speaker or headphones) connected directly or wirelessly to the electronic device (101).

[0036] The sensor module (176) can detect the operating state of the electronic device (101) (e.g., power or temperature) or the external environmental state (e.g., user state) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an accelerometer sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biosensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0037] The interface (177) may support one or more specified protocols that can be used for the electronic device (101) to be connected directly or wirelessly to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0038] The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) can be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0039] The haptic module (179) can convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration or movement) or an electrical stimulus that can be perceived by the user through tactile or kinesthetic senses. According to one embodiment, the haptic module (179) may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulation device.

[0040] The camera module (180) can capture still images and video. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0041] The power management module (188) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented, for example, as at least part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0042] The battery (189) can supply power to at least one component of the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0043] The communication module (190) can support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between an electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., cellular communication module, short-range wireless communication module, or GNSS (global navigation satellite system) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., LAN (local area network) communication module, or power line communication module). The corresponding communication module among these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device (104) through a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, WiFi (wireless fidelity) direct, or IrDA (infrared data association)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) can identify or authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199) using subscriber information (e.g., International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

[0044] The wireless communication module (192) can support 5G networks and next-generation communication technologies following 4G networks, for example, new radio access technology. NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (massive machine type communications (mMTC)), or high reliability and low latency (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC)). The wireless communication module (192) can support a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate, for example. The wireless communication module (192) can support various technologies for securing performance in the high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large-scale antenna. The wireless communication module (192) can support various requirements specified in the electronic device (101), external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (104)), or network system (e.g., second network (199)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) may support a Peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for eMBB realization, loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for mMTC realization, or U-plane latency (e.g., downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) each 0.5 ms or less, or round trip 1 ms or less) for URLLC realization.

[0045] An antenna module (197) can transmit a signal or power to or from an external source (e.g., an external electronic device). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include an antenna comprising a radiator comprising a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as a first network (198) or a second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas, for example, by a communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and an external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, other components (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module (197).

[0046] According to various embodiments, the antenna module (197) may form a mmWave antenna module. According to one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent to a first surface (e.g., bottom surface) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a specified high frequency band (e.g., mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas) disposed on or adjacent to a second surface (e.g., top surface or side surface) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving a signal of the specified high frequency band.

[0047] At least some of the above components can be connected to each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)) and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other.

[0048] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) through a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102, or 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations performed on the electronic device (101) may be performed on one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, if the electronic device (101) needs to perform a function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service instead of performing the function or service itself or additionally. One or more external electronic devices that receive the above request may execute at least part of the requested function or service, or additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may provide the result as is or additionally processed as at least part of the response to the request. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device (101) may provide ultra-low latency services using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (108) may be an intelligent server using machine learning and / or neural networks. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) or the server (108) may be included within the second network (199).The electronic device (101) can be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a drawing showing an example of an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) including an antenna module according to various embodiments.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device (101) may include an antenna module (200) (e.g., the antenna module (197) of FIG. 1). The electronic device (101) may perform wireless communication with an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)) through the antenna module (200). The antenna module (200) may be electrically and / or operationally connected to the processor (120) and wireless communication module (192) of the electronic device (101). For example, the electronic device (101) may include a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) (204) for electrically connecting the antenna module (200) to the processor (120) and wireless communication module (192) of the electronic device (101). The flexible printed circuit board (204) can electrically connect the antenna module (200) to the printed circuit board (210) of the electronic device (101). A processor (120) and a wireless communication module (192) may be placed on the printed circuit board (210) of the electronic device (101), and the antenna module (200) may be electrically connected to the processor (120) and / or the wireless communication module (192) through the flexible printed circuit board (204) and the printed circuit board (210).

[0051] The electronic device (101) may include a housing (260). For example, the housing (260) may include a side wall (270), a support portion (280), and a back cover (290). The support portion (280) may provide a structure for supporting or accommodating various parts of the electronic device (101). For example, parts of the electronic device (101), such as a first printed circuit board (210) and an antenna module (200), may be placed on the support portion (280). The side wall (270) may wrap around the edge of the support portion (280) to at least partially form (or define) the side of the electronic device (101). The back cover (290) may be seated on the side wall (270) (and / or the support portion (280)). The back cover (290) can cover the internal space of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the support portion (280) or parts of the electronic device (101) placed on the support portion (280)) and can at least partially form (or define) the rear surface of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the surface facing the (-)z-axis).

[0052] According to one embodiment, the antenna module (200) may be placed within the housing (260) of the electronic device (101). For example, the antenna module (200) may be placed adjacent to a side wall (270). For example, the antenna module (200) may be placed on a support portion (280) so as to face the inner surface of the side wall (270).

[0053] An electronic device (101) according to one embodiment may include a bracket (202) that supports and accommodates an antenna module (200). The bracket (202) is fixed to a support portion (280) in a state of accommodating the antenna module (200), thereby protecting the antenna module (200) and maintaining the position of the antenna module (200) in a fixed position. For example, the bracket (202) may include a through hole (205) through which a fastener passes. The fastener may pass through the through hole (205) and be coupled to the support portion (280). For example, the fastener may include a screw, but is not limited thereto.

[0054] mmWave communication technology can rapidly transmit large amounts of data by utilizing high frequency bands (e.g., FR2 band, particularly frequency bands between about 24 GHz and about 39 GHz). These frequency bands provide a significantly wider bandwidth compared to existing mobile networks, thereby enabling very fast data transmission speeds. However, due to the short wavelength of the millimeter wave band, signal loss is significant and can be easily blocked by obstacles. To mitigate this, array antennas composed of multiple elements and beamforming technology are applied to base stations and terminals to reduce signal loss. Antenna modules according to various embodiments of the present disclosure (e.g., antenna module (200)) can support frequencies in new frequency ranges (e.g., FR3 between about 7.125 GHz and about 24.25 GHz) as well as frequency bands (e.g., about 7 GHz band, between about 12.7 GHz and about 13.25 GHz, between about 14.8 GHz and about 15.35 GHz). Through the frequency band of the new frequency range mentioned above, data transmission speed can be improved and latency reduced. The frequency band has less signal loss than the mmWave band, so a wider signal reach area can be provided.

[0055] The following table shows the link budget between electronic devices (101) (e.g., UE (user equipment)) and external electronic devices (e.g., BS (base station)) by frequency band.

[0056] User Equipment (UE) Specification Item 7GHz 12GHz 15GHz 28GHz Free space path loss (FSPL) @ 1km 109 dB (decibel) 114 dB 116 dB 121 dB Path loss difference from @ 28GHz -12 dB -7 dB -5 dB 0 dB Wavelength 42 mm 25 mm 20 mm 10 mm 25 mm Number of antennas mountable (N) ~1 ea ~2 ea. ~2 ea.5 ea. N Array Antenna Gain (Antenna element gain = 1 dB) 1 dB 4 dB 4 dB 8 dB Uplink transmit power 23 dBm (decibel-milliwatts) 20 dBm 20 dBm 14 dBm Receive power @ 1km -85 dBm -90 dBm -92 dBm -99 dBm Baseband Station (BS) Specification Item 7GHz 12GHz 15GHz 28GHz Array Antenna Size (Number of Antennaes) 4.2cm x 8.4cm (2x4) 5cm x 10cm (4x8) 8cm x 8cm (8x8) 8.6cm x 8.6cm (16x16) Array Antenna Gain (Antenna element gain = 1 dB) 10 dB 16 dB 19 dB 25 dB Downlink Transmit Power 23 dBm 20 dBm 20 dBm 14 dBm Receive Power @ 1km (Downlink, Cond. power = 14 dBm) -76 dBm -77 dBm -77 dBm -82 dBm

[0057] Referring to [Table 1], it can be understood that the path loss in the 7 GHz band is about 12 dB lower than that in the 28 GHz band, while the 12 GHz and 15 GHz bands are improved by about 7 dB and about 5 dB, respectively. It can be understood that when the electronic device (101) transmits at a frequency of about 28 GHz, the received power reaching a base station at a distance of about 1 km is very low at the level of about -99 dBm, and the signal reach area of ​​millimeter wave communication is very limited. According to one embodiment, beamforming technology may be used to overcome high path loss and provide a wider signal reach area than millimeter wave. For beamforming technology, an array antenna having a plurality of antenna elements may be used. An antenna module (200) may include a plurality of antenna elements. The antenna module (200) may obtain beamforming gain using the plurality of antenna elements. For example, the antenna module (200) can increase beamforming gain and improve coverage by adjusting the difference between phases of RF signals applied to a plurality of antenna elements. The antenna module (200) may include antenna elements for each frequency band. An antenna module (200) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may support various frequency bands. According to one embodiment, the antenna module (200) may support a first frequency band, a second frequency band, and a third frequency band. For example, the first frequency band may be a frequency band belonging to FR (frequency range) 2 (e.g., about 24.25 GHz or higher). For example, the first frequency band may include a frequency of about 26 GHz. For example, the second frequency band may be a frequency band belonging to FR2. For example, the second frequency band may include a frequency of about 39 GHz. For example, the above third frequency band is FR 3 (e.g., approximately 7.125 GHz or higher, approximately 24.It may be a frequency band belonging to the range of less than 25 GHz.

[0058] Although a bar-type electronic device is illustrated in FIG. 2, the form factor illustrated in FIG. 2 is merely exemplary and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. Even if the device is of a foldable type, a flip type, and / or a rollable type, if it is an electronic device including an antenna module (200) which will be described in more detail below, it may be understood as an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0059] In FIG. 2, an example is described in which an antenna module (200) is placed within an electronic device (101), which is a terminal for performing communication with a network, but various embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. It is understood that the structure according to the embodiments of the present disclosure described in more detail later may be applied not only to the electronic device (101) but also to an antenna module within base station equipment (e.g., a base station, or a radio unit (RU) of a base station) for performing communication with the electronic device (101). Base station equipment supporting multiple frequency bands may include an antenna module having a module structure according to the descriptions of FIG. 3 through 9b.

[0060] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating examples of radiator arrays of an antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)) according to various embodiments. An array antenna may be used for beamforming technology. The array antenna may include antenna elements. Each antenna element may include a radiator. Radiators may be arranged at intervals of approximately 0.5 of a wavelength (e.g., free space wavelength) (e.g., 0.5λ, where λ is the length of the wavelength). The arrangement of radiators may be referred to as a radiator array.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 3, the antenna module (200) may include a circuit board (305) (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)) and radiator arrays included in the circuit board (305). The radiator arrays may include a first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band, a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band, and a third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band. For example, the first frequency band may fall within FR (frequency range) 2 (e.g., about 24.25 GHz or higher). The second frequency band may fall within FR2. The frequency of the second frequency band may be higher than the frequency of the first frequency band. For example, the first frequency band may include a frequency of about 28 GHz. The second frequency band may include a frequency of about 39 GHz. The third frequency band may fall within FR 3 (e.g., about 7.125 GHz or higher). It may fall within the range of less than 24.25 GHz. The frequency of the third frequency band may be lower than the frequency of the first frequency band. As an example, but not limited to, the third frequency band may be the approximately 12 GHz band or the approximately 15 GHz band of [Table 1].

[0062] The circuit board (305) may include a plurality of layers. A conductive portion (e.g., metal) formed on each layer may be used as an antenna radiator. For example, the conductive portion may have a patch shape. The first radiator array (310) may include patch radiators. For example, the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) may be arranged according to a 1x5 array. The patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) may include a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), a first-4 patch radiator (314), and / or a first-5 patch radiator (315). The second radiator array (320) may include patch radiators. For example, the patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) may be arranged according to a 1x5 array. The patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) may include a second-1 patch radiator (321), a second-2 patch radiator (322), a second-3 patch radiator (323), a second-4 patch radiator (324), and / or a second-5 patch radiator (325). The third radiator array (330) may include patch radiators. For example, the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be arranged according to a 1x2 array. The patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) may include a third-1 patch radiator (331) and / or a third-2 patch radiator (332).

[0063] The operating frequency of a signal and the wavelength of a signal are inversely proportional to each other. A patch radiator can be designed to have a size (e.g., half wavelength) proportional to the wavelength of the operating frequency in order to efficiently radiate or receive radio waves through resonance. The size of the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., about 28 GHz band) may be larger than the size of the patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band (e.g., about 39 GHz band). The size of the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be larger than the size of the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310). The patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., about 28 GHz band) and the patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band (e.g., about 39 GHz band) may be arranged in an overlapping manner. The antenna module (200) can function as a dual-band stacked antenna. According to one embodiment, when the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis), the patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) can be completely overlapped with the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310). For example, the second-1 patch radiator (321) of the second radiator array (320) can be positioned to completely overlap with the first-1 patch radiator (311) of the first radiator array (310). In a stacked configuration in one direction (e.g., the (+)z-axis direction), the second-1 patch radiator (321) having a smaller size can be positioned on the upper layer (e.g., the z-axis coordinate being larger) and the first-1 patch radiator (311) having a larger size can be positioned on the lower layer (e.g., the z-axis coordinate being smaller). For example, the second-2 patch radiator (322) of the second radiator array (320) can be positioned to completely overlap with the first-2 patch radiator (312) of the first radiator array (310).In a stacked configuration in one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction), a second-2 patch radiator (322) having a smaller size may be placed on an upper layer (e.g., a larger z-axis coordinate) and a first-2 patch radiator (312) having a larger size may be placed on a lower layer (e.g., a smaller z-axis coordinate). For example, a second-3 patch radiator (323) of a second radiator array (320) may be placed to completely overlap with a first-3 patch radiator (313) of a first radiator array (310). In a stacked configuration in one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction), a second-3 patch radiator (323) having a smaller size may be placed on an upper layer (e.g., a larger z-axis coordinate) and a first-3 patch radiator (313) having a larger size may be placed on a lower layer (e.g., a smaller z-axis coordinate). For example, the second-fourth patch radiator (324) of the second radiator array (320) may be positioned to completely overlap with the first-fourth patch radiator (314) of the first radiator array (310). In a stacked configuration in one direction (e.g., the (+)z-axis direction), the second-fourth patch radiator (324) having a smaller size may be positioned on the upper layer (e.g., the z-axis coordinate being larger) and the first-fourth patch radiator (314) having a larger size may be positioned on the lower layer (e.g., the z-axis coordinate being smaller). For example, the second-fifth patch radiator (325) of the second radiator array (320) may be positioned to completely overlap with the first-fifth patch radiator (315) of the first radiator array (310). In a stacked configuration in one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction), a second-fifth patch emitter (325) having a smaller size may be placed on an upper layer (e.g., a larger z-axis coordinate) and a first-fifth patch emitter (315) having a larger size may be placed on a lower layer (e.g., a smaller z-axis coordinate).

[0064] The frequencies of the third frequency band may be lower than the frequencies of the first frequency band (e.g., about 28 GHz). The size of the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)) may be larger than the size of the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) (e.g., first-1 patch radiator (311), first-2 patch radiator (312), first-3 patch radiator (313), first-4 patch radiator (314), or first-5 patch radiator (315)). The frequencies of the third frequency band may be lower than the frequencies of the second frequency band. The size of the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)) may be larger than the size of the patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) (e.g., second-1 patch radiator (321), second-2 patch radiator (322), second-3 patch radiator (323), second-4 patch radiator (324), second-5 patch radiator (325)). For example, if the first frequency band is approximately 24 GHz and the third frequency band is approximately 12 GHz, the size of the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be approximately twice the size of the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310). For example, if the first frequency band is approximately 24 GHz and the third frequency band is approximately 12 GHz, the size of the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be approximately twice the size of the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310). For example, if the second frequency band is approximately 39 GHz and the third frequency band is approximately 15 GHz, the size of the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be approximately 2.6 times the size of the patch radiators of the second radiator array (330).

[0065] The spacing between antenna elements (e.g., patch radiators) in an array antenna can be designed to be proportional to the wavelength according to frequency. For example, if the spacing between antenna elements is designed to be substantially less than half a wavelength, the signals radiated by each element can be combined to focus in a specific direction. Side lobes can be suppressed, thereby improving directivity. Conversely, if the spacing between antenna elements is substantially greater than the wavelength or is irregular, interference between signals can cause side lobes and distort the radiation pattern. Since array antennas typically consist of antenna elements spaced at intervals of approximately half the wavelength of each frequency, the spacing between antenna elements may increase as the operating frequency decreases. For example, the spacing between patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band in the range of about 7.125 GHz or higher and about 24.25 GHz or lower) (e.g., a second length (360)) may be longer than the spacing between patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of about 29 GHz in FR2) (e.g., a first length (350)). For example, the spacing between patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) may be the first length (350). For example, if the first frequency band is a frequency band of about 30 GHz, the first length (350) may have a length of about 5 mm with a half wavelength (λ / 2). The spacing between patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) may be the first length (350) (e.g., about 350 nm). For example, if the second frequency band is a frequency band of about 39 GHz, the first length (350) may have a length of about 5 mm with a length of 0.65 λ. For example, the spacing between the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be the second length (360). For example, if the third frequency band is a frequency band of about 15 GHz, the second length (360) may have a length of about 10 mm with a half wavelength (λ / 2).

[0066] In one embodiment, the third radiator array (330) may include a third-1 patch radiator (331) and a third-2 patch radiator (332). The spacing between the third-1 patch radiator (331) and the third-2 patch radiator (332) may correspond to a second length (360). If the third-1 patch radiator (331) or the third-2 patch radiator (332) is placed in overlap with a patch radiator for a first frequency band (e.g., a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), a first-4 patch radiator (314), or a first-5 patch radiator (315)), some of the antenna elements of the antenna array may function as a dual-band antenna and other parts of the antenna elements of the antenna array may function as a triple-band antenna. For example, the 3-1 patch emitter (331) may be placed overlappingly with the 1-1 patch emitter (311), and the 3-2 patch emitter (332) may be placed overlappingly with the 1-2 patch emitter (312). Likewise, the 3-1 patch emitter (331) may be placed overlappingly with the 2-1 patch emitter (321), and the 3-2 patch emitter (332) may be placed overlappingly with the 2-2 patch emitter (322). The radiation efficiency of the 3-1 patch emitter (331) may be reduced due to the overlapping placement of the 1-1 patch emitter (311) and / or the 2-1 patch emitter (321). The radiation efficiency of the 3-2 patch emitter (332) may be reduced due to the overlapping placement of the 1-2 patch emitter (312) and / or the 2-2 patch emitter (322). Additionally, when signals of the first frequency band are radiated through the first radiator array (310), the radiation characteristics of the first-1 patch radiator (311) and the first-2 patch radiator (312) and the radiation characteristics of the first-3 patch radiator (313), the first-4 patch radiator (314), and the first-5 patch radiator (315) may differ from each other.As another example, the 3-1 patch radiator (331) may be placed in an overlapping manner with the 1-2 patch radiator (312), and the 3-2 patch radiator (332) may be placed in an overlapping manner with the 1-4 patch radiator (314). When signals of the first frequency band are radiated through the first radiator array (310), the radiation characteristics of the 1-2 patch radiator (312) and the 1-4 patch radiator (314) and the radiation characteristics of the 1-1 patch radiator (311), the 1-3 patch radiator (313), and the 1-5 patch radiator (315) may differ from each other.

[0067] In other words, the radiation characteristics of each of the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) may not be uniform. The radiation characteristics of each of the patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) may also not be uniform. Due to different characteristics, the beamforming gain for each patch radiator varies and the phase difference increases, which may reduce beamforming performance and narrow the bandwidth. Furthermore, if the patch radiators function as dual-polarized antennas in the FR2 band (e.g., the first frequency band or the second frequency band), polarization isolation may be reduced. In various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, to resolve the above-mentioned problems, a description of the arrangement structure of the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., the third-1 patch radiator (331), or the third-2 patch radiator (332)) and the shape of each patch radiator is described within the circuit board (305) of the antenna module (200).

[0068] FIGS. 4a, 4b, and 4c are drawings illustrating examples of an antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)) comprising radiator arrays (e.g., a first radiator array (310), a second radiator array (320), or a third radiator array (330)) according to various embodiments. To illustrate the arrangement of patch radiators for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 from about 7.125 GHz to less than about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, a band of about 15 GHz), two patch radiators for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 from about 24.25 GHz to about 26 GHz, a band of about 28 GHz) and two patch radiators for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 from about 24.25 GHz to about 39 GHz) are described as examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The first radiator array (310) may include more than two patch radiators. The second radiator array (320) may include more than two patch radiators. The third radiator array (330) may include a plurality of patch radiators.

[0069] Referring to FIGS. 4a and 4b, in the antenna module (200), the circuit board (305) may include a plurality of layers. A conductive portion may be formed on at least one of the plurality of layers. The conductive portion may function as a radiator of the antenna. Since the conductive portion has a patch shape, the radiator may be referred to as a patch radiator. For example, the layers of the circuit board (305) may include a first set of layers (401), a second set of layers (402), and a third set of layers (403). The first set of layers (401) may be located above the third set of layers (403) with respect to one plane (e.g., the xy plane). The second set of layers (402) may be located above the third set of layers (403) with respect to one plane (e.g., the xy plane).

[0070] According to one embodiment, patch radiators for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz, a band of about 28 GHz) may be disposed on a second set of layers (402) among the layers of the circuit board (305). For example, patch radiators (e.g., a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), a first-4 patch radiator (314), or a first-5 patch radiator (315) of the first radiator array (310) of FIG. 3) may be disposed on a first layer among the second set of layers (402). The first-1 patch radiator (311) may be connected to a feed portion (431). The feed portion (431) may include a conductive structure (e.g., via, or line) for transmitting RF signals processed through an RF processing circuit to a first-1 patch radiator (311). In one embodiment, the antenna (individual antenna of the array antenna) including the first-1 patch radiator (311) may support dual polarization. For example, the feed portion (431) may include a first feed portion (431a) for a first polarization and a second feed portion (431b) for a second polarization. The first polarization and the second polarization may be orthogonal to each other. For example, the first polarization may be vertical polarization and the second polarization may be horizontal polarization. For example, the first polarization may be (+)45 degree polarization and the second polarization may be (-)45 degree polarization. The first feed portion (431a) may be used to provide signals having the first polarization to the first-1 patch radiator (311). The second feed portion (431b) may be used to provide signals having the second polarization to the first-1 patch radiator (311). As a non-limiting example, when the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the (+)y-axis direction), the first feed portion (431a) and the second feed portion (431b) may be arranged in an overlapping manner.For example, to widen the bandwidth or increase the radiation gain through coupling, a first-1 additional patch radiator (411) may be placed in a layer at a position higher than the first layer (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate in the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The first-1 additional patch radiator (411) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the first-1 patch radiator (311). As an example, the first-1 additional patch radiator (411) may be referred to as a parasitic patch. The first-2 patch radiator (312) may be connected to a feed portion (432). For example, the feed portion (432) may include a first feed portion (432a) for first polarization and a second feed portion (432b) for second polarization. For example, to widen the bandwidth or increase the radiation gain through coupling, a second-1 additional patch radiator (412) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the first layer (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate in the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The second-1 additional patch radiator (412) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the first-2 patch radiator (312).

[0071] According to one embodiment, patch radiators for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, about 39 GHz band) may be disposed on a first set of layers (401) among the layers of a circuit board (305). For example, patch radiators (e.g., a second-1 patch radiator (321), a second-2 patch radiator (322), a second-3 patch radiator (323), a second-4 patch radiator (324), or a second-5 patch radiator (325) of the second radiator array (320) of FIG. 3) may be disposed on a second layer among the first set of layers (401). The second-1 patch radiator (321) may be connected to a feed portion (441). The feed portion (441) may include a conductive structure (e.g., via, or line) for transmitting RF signals processed through an RF processing circuit to a patch radiator. In one embodiment, an antenna including a second-1 patch radiator (321) may support dual polarization. For example, the feed portion (441) may include a first feed portion (441a) for a first polarization and a second feed portion (441b) for a second polarization. The first polarization and the second polarization may be orthogonal to each other. For example, the first polarization may be vertical polarization and the second polarization may be horizontal polarization. For example, the first polarization may be (+)45 degree polarization and the second polarization may be (-)45 degree polarization. The first feed portion (441a) may be used to provide signals having the first polarization to the second-1 patch radiator (321). The second feed portion (441b) may be used to provide signals having the second polarization to the second-1 patch radiator (321). As a non-limiting example, when the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the (+)y-axis direction), the first feed portion (441a) and the second feed portion (441b) may be arranged in an overlapping manner.For example, to widen the bandwidth or increase the radiation gain through coupling, a first-second additional patch radiator (421) may be placed in a second layer at a position higher than the first layer (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate in the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The first-second additional patch radiator (421) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the second-first patch radiator (321). As an example, the first-second additional patch radiator (421) may be referred to as a parasitic patch. The second-second patch radiator (322) may be connected to a feed portion (442). For example, the feed portion (442) may include a first feed portion (442a) for first polarization and a second feed portion (442b) for second polarization. For example, to widen the bandwidth or increase the radiation gain through coupling, a second-2 additional patch radiator (422) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the second layer (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate in the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The second-2 additional patch radiator (422) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the second-2 patch radiator (322).

[0072] According to one embodiment, patch radiators for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 of about 7.125 GHz or more and less than about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, or a band of about 15 GHz) may be disposed on a third set of layers (403) among the layers of the circuit board (305). For example, patch radiators (e.g., a third-1 patch radiator (331) and a third-2 patch radiator (332) of the third radiator array (330) of FIG. 3) may be disposed on a third layer among the third set of layers (403). The third-1 patch radiator (331) may be connected to a feed portion (460). The feed portion (460) may include a conductive structure (e.g., a via, or a line) for transmitting RF signals processed through an RF processing circuit to the patch radiator. The third-1 patch emitter (331) may be connected to conductive vias that are connected to ground. For example, the conductive vias may include a first set (471) of conductive vias and a second set (472) of conductive vias. The third-1 patch emitter (331) may include a first patch portion (e.g., the first patch portion (451) in FIG. 4b) and a second patch portion (e.g., the second patch portion (452) in FIG. 4b), distinguished along one axis (e.g., the y-axis). For example, the first set (471) of conductive vias may be used to connect the first patch portion (451) to ground (e.g., the ground layer of the circuit board (305)). For example, a second set of conductive vias (472) can be used to connect the second patch portion (452) to ground (e.g., the ground layer of the circuit board (305).

[0073] Referring to FIG. 4b, when the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction), the third-1 patch radiator (331) of the third radiator array (330) may include a first patch portion (451) and a second patch portion (452) distinguished with respect to one axis (e.g., the y-axis) of one plane (e.g., the xy-plane). A gap (465) may be formed between the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452). According to one embodiment, the third-1 patch radiator (331) of the third radiator array (330) may be positioned overlappingly with both adjacent patch radiators (e.g., the first-1 patch radiator (311) and the first-2 patch radiator (312)) of the first radiator array (310). For example, the first patch portion (451) may be positioned in a partial overlap with the first-1 patch radiator (311) of the first radiator array (310) when the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction). The second patch portion (452) may be positioned in a partial overlap with the first-2 patch radiator (312) of the first radiator array (310) when the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the stacking direction of the layers of the circuit board (305), the (-)z-axis direction). Additionally, the third-1 patch radiator (331) of the third radiator array (330) may be positioned in an overlap with both adjacent patch radiators (e.g., the second-1 patch radiator (321) and the second-2 patch radiator (322)) of the second radiator array (320). For example, the first patch portion (451) may be positioned to partially overlap with the second-1 patch radiator (321) of the second radiator array (320) when the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the stacking direction of the layers of the circuit board (305), the (-)z-axis direction).The second patch portion (452) may be positioned to partially overlap with the second-2 patch radiator (322) of the second radiator array (320) when the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction).

[0074] According to one embodiment, the region including the center of the third-1 patch radiator (331) (hereinafter, the center region) may be located in the region between the first-1 patch radiator (311) and the first-2 patch radiator (312). For example, the third-1 patch radiator (331) may be positioned so that the center region does not overlap with the first-1 patch radiator (311) and the first-2 patch radiator (312), respectively. A gap (465) may be formed in the center region of the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) of the third-1 patch radiator (331). The third-1 patch radiator (331) may be positioned so that the gap (465) is located in the region between the first-1 patch radiator (311) and the first-2 patch radiator (312). Signals of a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 of about 7.125 GHz or more and less than about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, or a band of about 15 GHz) can be provided to the first patch portion (451) of the third-1 patch radiator (331) through the feed portion (460). At least some of the signals radiated through the first patch portion (451) can be provided to the second patch portion (452) via coupling. The second patch portion (452) can be configured to radiate signals of the third frequency band as a parasitic patch. While the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) are each radiating signals, the signals can be concentrated in an area adjacent to the gap (465) (e.g., an area adjacent to the gap (465) in the first patch portion (451), or an area adjacent to the gap (465) in the second patch portion (452). Since the first-1 patch emitter (311) and the first-2 patch emitter (312) are not positioned over the gap (465) with respect to one direction (e.g., the (+)z-axis direction), the radiation gain in the area adjacent to the gap (465) can be improved.In other words, since the influence of the first-1 patch emitter (311) and the first-2 patch emitter (312) as obstacles is reduced in the radiation direction of the signals (e.g., the (+)z-axis direction or the direction adjacent to the (+)z-axis), the radiation efficiency of the third-1 patch emitter (331) can be increased.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 4c, the electronic device (101) may include a circuit board (305). The circuit board (305) may include patch radiators of a third radiator array (330). The third radiator array (330) may include a third-1 patch radiator (331). The third-1 patch radiator (331) may include a first patch portion (451) and a second patch portion (452). The first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) may form a gap (465). According to one embodiment, the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) may be arranged symmetrically with respect to an axis (e.g., a (+)y-axis) associated with the gap (465) between the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452).

[0076] In one embodiment, the antenna module (200) may support dual polarization (e.g., vertical polarization and horizontal polarization, (+)45 degree polarization and (-)45 degree polarization). By transmitting signals having polarizations that are orthogonal to each other, gain according to polarization diversity may be obtained. For example, RF signals may be provided to an antenna for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 above about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 26 GHz, or a band of about 28 GHz) through two ports. The RF signals may include a signal having a first polarization from the first port and a signal having a second polarization from the second port. For example, RF signals may be provided to an antenna for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 above about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 39 GHz) through two ports. The above RF signals may include a signal having a first polarization from a third port and a signal having a second polarization from a fourth port.

[0077] The location where the RF signal is fed within the patch radiator may vary depending on the polarization. When viewing the antenna module (200) in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction), a plurality of points for feeding may be located on one side of the circuit board (305). According to one embodiment, the feeding locations of the RF signal may be designed symmetrically to ensure uniform radiation characteristics among the antenna elements of the array antenna. For example, the circuit board (305) may include patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) (e.g., a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), a first-4 patch radiator (314), or a first-5 patch radiator (315)). For example, a first feed portion (431a) for providing a signal having a first polarization to a first-1 patch radiator (311) may be formed along one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction) from a point (491a) on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., a ground layer or a layer connected to an RF line in a plane parallel to the xy plane). A second feed portion (431b) for providing a signal having a second polarization may be formed along one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction) from a point (491b) on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., a ground layer or a layer connected to an RF line in a plane parallel to the xy plane). For example, a first feed portion (432a) for providing a signal having a first polarization to a first-second patch radiator (312) may be formed along one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction) from a point (492a) on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., a ground layer or a layer connected to an RF line in a plane parallel to the xy plane).A second feed portion (432b) for providing a signal having a second polarization may be formed along one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction) from a point (492b) on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., a ground layer or a layer connected to an RF line in a plane parallel to the xy plane). For example, the circuit board (305) may include patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) (e.g., a second-1 patch radiator (321), a second-2 patch radiator (322), a second-3 patch radiator (323), a second-4 patch radiator (324), or a second-5 patch radiator (325)). For example, a first feed portion (441a) for providing a signal having a first polarization to a second-1 patch radiator (321) may be formed along one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction) from a point (491c) on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., a ground layer or a layer connected to an RF line in a plane parallel to the xy plane). A second feed portion (441b) for providing a signal having a second polarization may be formed along one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction) from a point (491d) on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., a ground layer or a layer connected to an RF line in a plane parallel to the xy plane). For example, a first feed portion (442a) for providing a signal having a first polarization to a second-2 patch radiator (322) may be formed along one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction) from a point (492c) on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., a ground layer or a layer connected to an RF line in a plane parallel to the xy plane). A second feed portion (442b) for providing a signal having a second polarization may be formed along one direction (e.g., (+)z-axis direction) from a point (492d) on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., a ground layer or a layer connected to an RF line in a plane parallel to the xy plane).

[0078] According to one embodiment, each of the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)) may have a shape with notches formed at both ends. For example, the third-1 patch radiator (331) may include a first patch portion (451) and a second patch portion (452). The first patch portion (451) may have a shape with a notch formed on one side (e.g., the side facing the (-)x-axis). For example, the first patch portion (451) may have a shape in which a cutting area (481) that partially overlaps with another radiator (e.g., first-1 patch radiator (311), or second-1 patch radiator (321)) is removed from a polygon (e.g., a square). The cutting area (481) may be referred to as a notch. The second patch portion (452) may have a shape with a notch formed on one side (e.g., the side facing the (+)x-axis). As an example, the second patch portion (452) may have a shape in which a cutting area (482) that partially overlaps with another radiator (e.g., the first-second patch radiator (312), or the second-second patch radiator (322)) is removed from a polygon (e.g., a square). The cutting area (482) may be referred to as a notch. In one embodiment, depending on the shapes of the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452), the radiation characteristics (e.g., polarization isolation) of the first radiator array (310) and the radiation characteristics (e.g., polarization isolation) of the second radiator array (320) may be improved. In one embodiment, depending on the shape of the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452), the radiation characteristics (e.g., radiation efficiency) of the third-1 patch emitter (331) can be improved.

[0079] According to one embodiment, the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)) may include conductive vias connected to ground (e.g., a ground layer of the circuit board (305)). The conductive vias may include a first set of conductive vias (471) and a second set of conductive vias (472). For example, the first patch portion (451) of the third-1 patch radiator (331) may be connected to each conductive via of the first set of conductive vias (471). For example, at points (e.g., point (466)) formed along the end of the first patch portion (451) (e.g., a region facing the (-)y-axis), the first patch portion (451) may be connected to each conductive via of the first set of conductive vias (471). For example, the second patch portion (452) of the third-1 patch emitter (331) can be connected to each conductive via of the second set (472) of conductive vias. For example, at points (e.g., point (467)) formed along the end of the second patch portion (452) (e.g., area facing the (+)y-axis), the second patch portion (452) can be connected to each conductive via of the second set (472) of conductive vias.

[0080] In FIG. 4a, 4b, and 4c, a gap (465) is illustrated as a gap for completely separating the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) of the third-1 patch emitter (331), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. An opening (slot) formed inside a single patch formed integrally, rather than separating the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452), or a slit formed on one side of the patch, may also be understood as an example of a gap (465).

[0081] An antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)) according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may have a structure for efficiently arranging radiator arrays that support different frequency bands within it. The position of each radiator in a radiator array that supports a specific frequency band (e.g., third radiator array (330)) may affect the performance of a radiator array that supports a different specific frequency band (e.g., first radiator array (310), or second radiator array (320)). Since the spacing between radiators in the radiator array and the size of each radiator are designed to be proportional to the wavelength, radiators of a radiator array that supports a low frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 from about 7.125 GHz to about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, or a band of about 15 GHz) may be required to be placed between radiators of a radiator array that supports a high frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2). An antenna module (200) according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may have a structural arrangement between radiator arrays for these different frequency bands.

[0082] In FIGS. 4a, 4b, and 4c (which may be referenced to FIGS. 4a through 4c), radiators formed on layers of a circuit board (e.g., circuit board (305)) are described as examples, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. According to one embodiment, radiators of radiator arrays (e.g., first radiator array (310), second radiator array (320), or third radiator array (330)) may be spaced apart from one side of the circuit board (305) by a certain distance. For example, radiators of the first radiator array (310) may be spaced apart from one side of the circuit board (305) by a first length. Radiators of the second radiator array (320) may be spaced apart from one side of the circuit board (305) by a second length. The second length may be longer than the first length. The feed portion connected to each radiator may include a separate feed structure (e.g., feed bridge) disposed on one side of the circuit board (305) instead of vias within the circuit board (305). The radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be spaced apart from one side of the circuit board (305) by a third length. The third length may be shorter than the first length. The radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be disposed to have a lower height than the radiators of the first radiator array (310). Additionally, each of the radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), third-2 patch radiator (332)) may be overlapped between the radiators of other radiator arrays. As an example, without limitation, the individual radiators and the feed portion in the radiator array may correspond to a metal structure formed integrally.

[0083] According to one embodiment, at least some of the radiators of the radiator arrays (e.g., first radiator array (310), second radiator array (320), or third radiator array (330)) may be placed on the substrate (305) through a separate feed member from the circuit board (305) rather than in a layer within the circuit board (305). As an example not limited to, the radiators of the first radiator array (310) (e.g., first-1 patch radiator (311), first-2 patch radiator (312), first-1 additional patch radiator (411), or second-1 additional patch radiator (412)) and the radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)) are placed on layers within the circuit board (305), and the radiators of the second radiator array (320) (e.g., second-1 patch radiator (321), second-2 patch radiator (322), first-2 additional patch radiator (421), and second-2 additional patch radiator (422)) may be placed outside the circuit board (305). Each of the radiators of the second radiator array (320) can be connected to a separate power supply structure placed on the circuit board (305). In a non-limiting example, the radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)) may be placed on layers within the circuit board (305), and the radiators of the first radiator array (310) (e.g., first-1 patch radiator (311), first-2 patch radiator (312), first-1 additional patch radiator (411), or second-1 additional patch radiator (412)) and the radiators of the second radiator array (320) (e.g., second-1 patch radiator (321), second-2 patch radiator (322), first-2 additional patch radiator (421) and second-2 additional patch radiator (422)) may be placed outside the circuit board (305).Each of the radiators of the first radiator array (310) and the radiators of the second radiator array (320) may be connected to a separate feed structure disposed on a circuit board (305). For example, as an antenna module of communication equipment (e.g., base station, RU) for communicating with a terminal, at least some of the radiators described above may be disposed outside the circuit board (305).

[0084] FIG. 5 is a drawing showing the polarization direction of a radiator array (e.g., first radiator array (310), second radiator array (320), or third radiator array (330)) in an antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)) according to various embodiments. The same reference numerals may be used to indicate the same components and / or the same descriptions.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 5, an antenna module (200) according to one embodiment may support dual polarization. For example, the antenna module (200) may include a first radiator array (310), a second radiator array (320), and a third radiator array (330). An array antenna including the first radiator array (310) may support dual polarization. Polarization-specific signals may be provided to each of the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) (e.g., a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), a first-4 patch radiator (314), or a first-5 patch radiator (315)). An array antenna including the second radiator array (320) may support dual polarization. Polarization-specific signals may be provided to each of the patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) (e.g., second-1 patch radiator (321), second-2 patch radiator (322), second-3 patch radiator (323), second-4 patch radiator (324), or second-5 patch radiator (325)).

[0086] Each antenna of each frequency band (e.g., a first frequency band, or a second frequency band) of FR2 (e.g., a frequency range of about 24.25 GHz or less) may have two feed points. Each feed point may be provided with signals of different polarizations. A frequency band of FR3 (e.g., a frequency range of about 7.125 GHz or more and about 24.25 GHz or less) (e.g., a third frequency band) may have one feed point (e.g., a point (480) connected to a feed section (460)). For uniform characteristics of each antenna element in the radiator array, each patch radiator (e.g., a third-1 patch radiator (331), or a third-2 patch radiator (332)) of the third radiator array (330) may have a symmetrical shape, and the feed sections for FR2 may also be symmetrically arranged.

[0087] According to one embodiment, feed portions that feed signals to two patch radiators (e.g., two patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) or two patch radiators of the second radiator array (320)) that are overlapped with each patch radiator of the third radiator array (330) may also be symmetrically arranged. For example, the third-1 patch radiator (331) of the third radiator array (330) may be overlapped with the first-1 patch radiator (311) and the first-2 patch radiator (312) of the first radiator array (310). When viewing the antenna module (200) in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction), a first feed portion (431a) for the first polarization (521) may be located at a point (491a) for the first-1 patch radiator (311), and a first feed portion (432a) for the first polarization (522) may be located at a point (492a) for the first-2 patch radiator (312). For example, a second feed portion (431b) for the second polarization (511) may be located at a point (491b) for the first-1 patch radiator (311), and a second feed portion (432b) for the second polarization (512) may be located at a point (492b) for the first-2 patch radiator (312). For example, the third-1 patch radiator (331) of the third radiator array (330) may be placed overlappingly with the second-1 patch radiator (321) and the second-2 patch radiator (322) of the second radiator array (320). When viewing the antenna module (200) in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction), a first feed portion (441a) for the first polarization (521) may be located at a point (491c) for the second-1 patch radiator (321), and a first feed portion (442a) for the first polarization (522) may be located at a point (492c) for the second-2 patch radiator (322).Conversely, a second feed portion (441b) for the second polarization (511) may be located at a point (491d) for the second-1 patch radiator (321), and a second feed portion (442b) for the second polarization (512) may be located at a point (492d) for the second-2 patch radiator (322).

[0088] According to one embodiment, when the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction), the locations of the feed portions (e.g., the first feed portion (431a), the second feed portion (431b), the first feed portion (432a), or the second feed portion (432b)) for the first frequency band (e.g., the frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, the band of about 26 GHz, or the band of about 28 GHz) may be placed outside the area of ​​the third-1 patch radiator (331). When the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction), the locations of the feed portions (e.g., the first feed portion (441a), the second feed portion (441b), the first feed portion (442a), or the second feed portion (442b)) for the second frequency band (e.g., the frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or the band of about 39 GHz) may be placed within the area of ​​the third-1 patch radiator (331).

[0089] According to one embodiment, when the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction), the locations of the feed portions (e.g., the first feed portion (431a), the second feed portion (431b), the first feed portion (432a), or the second feed portion (432b)) for the first frequency band (e.g., the frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, the band of about 26 GHz, or the band of about 28 GHz) may be placed within the area of ​​the third-1 patch radiator (331). When the antenna module (200) is viewed in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction), the locations of the feed portions (e.g., the first feed portion (441a), the second feed portion (441b), the first feed portion (442a), or the second feed portion (442b)) for the second frequency band (e.g., the frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or the band of about 39 GHz) may be placed outside the area of ​​the third-1 patch radiator (331). For example, the first feed portion (431a) for the first polarization of the first frequency band may be located at point (491d) and the second feed portion (431b) for the second polarization of the first frequency band may be located at point (491c). The first feed portion (432a) for the first polarization of the first frequency band may be located at point (492d), and the second feed portion (432b) for the second polarization of the first frequency band may be located at point (492c). For example, the first feed portion (441a) for the first polarization of the second frequency band may be located at point (491b), and the second feed portion (441b) for the second polarization of the second frequency band may be located at point (491a). The first feed portion (442a) for the first polarization of the second frequency band may be located at point (492b), and the second feed portion (442b) for the second polarization of the second frequency band may be located at point (492a).

[0090] When arranging the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) (e.g., first-1 patch radiator (311), first-2 patch radiator (312), first-3 patch radiator (313), first-4 patch radiator (314), or first-5 patch radiator (315)), the patch radiators are symmetrical with respect to the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)), so that the influence of the third radiator array (330) on the first radiator array (310) can be reduced. For example, when arranging the patch radiators of the second radiator array (320) (e.g., second-1 patch radiator (321), second-2 patch radiator (322), second-3 patch radiator (323), second-4 patch radiator (324), or second-5 patch radiator (325)), the patch radiators are symmetrical with respect to the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)), so that the influence of the third radiator array (330) on the second radiator array (320) can be reduced.

[0091] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the electric field of patch portions of a radiator array in an antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)) according to various embodiments. The same reference numerals may be used to denote the same components and / or the same descriptions.

[0092] Referring to FIG. 6, the electronic device (101) may include an antenna module (200). The antenna module (200) may include a circuit board (305). The circuit board (305) may include a plurality of layers. Patch radiators may be formed on at least some of the plurality of layers. For example, the circuit board (305) may include a first radiator array (310), a second radiator array (320), and a third radiator array (330). The first radiator array (310) may include patch radiators (e.g., a first-1 patch radiator (311), or a first-2 patch radiator (312)). The second radiator array (320) may include patch radiators (e.g., a second-1 patch radiator (321), or a second-2 patch radiator (322)). The third radiator array (330) may include patch radiators (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)).

[0093] For example, the third-1 patch radiator (331) may include a first patch portion (451) and a second patch portion (452). A gap (465) may be formed between the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452). At least some of the signals radiated through the first patch portion (451) may be provided to the second patch portion (452) through coupling. The second patch portion (452) may be configured to radiate signals of the third frequency band as a parasitic patch. While the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) are each radiating signals, the signals may be concentrated in an area (600) adjacent to the gap (465) (e.g., an area adjacent to the gap (465) within the first patch portion (451), an area adjacent to the gap (465) within the second patch portion (452). The region (600) may be placed in the space between the first-1 patch radiator (311) and the first-2 patch radiator (312). The region (600) may be placed in the space between the second-1 patch radiator (321) and the second-2 patch radiator (322). As the structure is not located in one direction (e.g., the (+)z-axis direction) in the region (600) where signals of the third frequency band (e.g., the frequency band of FR3 from about 7.125 GHz to about 24.25 GHz, the about 12 GHz band, or the about 15 GHz band) are concentrated, the radiation performance (e.g., radiation efficiency) of the first-1 patch radiator (311) may be improved. In addition, the effect on the first-1 patch radiator (311) and the first-2 patch radiator (312) due to the radiation of the third-1 patch radiator (331) may be reduced. Likewise, the effect on the 2-1 patch emitter (321) and 2-2 patch emitter (322) can be reduced due to the radiation of the 3-1 patch emitter (331).

[0094] FIGS. 7A and 7B are drawings illustrating examples of an antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)) comprising radiator arrays (e.g., first radiator array (310), second radiator array (320), or third radiator array (330)) according to various embodiments. In FIGS. 7A and 7B, an antenna module (200) comprising a radiator array having a 1x4 array is described as an example. FIG. 7A is a view of the antenna module (200) in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction), and FIG. 7B is a view of the antenna module (200) in another direction (e.g., the (+)y-axis direction). The same reference numerals may be used to denote the same components and / or the same descriptions.

[0095] Referring to FIGS. 7a and 7b, the electronic device (101) may include an antenna module (200). The antenna module (200) may include a circuit board (305). The circuit board (305) may include a plurality of layers. A patch radiator may be formed on at least some of the plurality of layers. For example, the circuit board (305) may include a first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz or higher, or a band of about 28 GHz or higher), a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or a band of about 39 GHz or higher), and a third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 of about 7.125 GHz or higher, a band of about 12 GHz or lower, or a band of about 15 GHz or higher). For example, the first radiator array (310) may include a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), and a first-4 patch radiator (314). The second radiator array (320) may include a second-1 patch radiator (321), a second-2 patch radiator (322), a second-3 patch radiator (323), and a second-4 patch radiator (324). The third radiator array (330) may include a third-1 patch radiator (331) and a third-2 patch radiator (332).

[0096] A first-1 patch radiator (311) of a first radiator array (310) may be connected to a feed portion (431). The feed portion (431) may include a conductive structure (e.g., via, or line) for transmitting RF signals processed through an RF processing circuit to the patch radiator. For example, an antenna including the first-1 patch radiator (311) may support dual polarization. For example, the feed portion (431) may include a first feed portion (431a) for first polarization and a second feed portion (431b) for second polarization. A first-2 patch radiator (312) may be connected to a feed portion (432). For example, the feed portion (432) may include a first feed portion (432a) for first polarization and a second feed portion (432b) for second polarization. The first-third patch emitter (313) may be connected to a feed portion (733). For example, the feed portion (733) may include a first feed portion (733a) for first polarization and a second feed portion (733b) for second polarization. The first-fourth patch emitter (314) may be connected to a feed portion (734). For example, the feed portion (734) may include a first feed portion (734a) for first polarization and a second feed portion (734b) for second polarization.

[0097] The second-1 patch radiator (321) of the second radiator array (320) may be connected to a feed portion (441). The feed portion (441) may include a conductive structure (e.g., via, or line) for transmitting RF signals processed through an RF processing circuit to the patch radiator. For example, an antenna including the second-1 patch radiator (321) may support dual polarization. For example, the feed portion (441) may include a first feed portion (441a) for the first polarization and a second feed portion (441b) for the second polarization. The second-2 patch radiator (322) may be connected to a feed portion (442). For example, the feed portion (442) may include a first feed portion (442a) for the first polarization and a second feed portion (442b) for the second polarization. The second-third patch radiator (323) may be connected to a feed section (743). For example, the feed section (743) may include a first feed section (743a) for first polarization and a second feed section (743b) for second polarization. The second-fourth patch radiator (324) may be connected to a feed section (744). For example, the feed section (744) may include a first feed section (744a) for first polarization and a second feed section (744b) for second polarization.

[0098] According to one embodiment, to widen the bandwidth or increase the radiation gain through coupling, the circuit board (305) may further include a patch radiator connected to a feed portion and a parasitic patch radiator placed in overlap with said patch radiator. The parasitic patch radiator may be placed on a layer different from the layer on which the patch radiator is placed. For example, a first-1 additional patch radiator (411) may be placed on a layer at a higher position (e.g., a position having a larger coordinate in the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction) than the first layer on which the first-1 patch radiator (311) is placed. The first-1 additional patch radiator (411) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the first-1 patch radiator (311). A second-1 additional patch radiator (412) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the first layer where the first-2 patch radiator (312) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The second-1 additional patch radiator (412) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the first-2 patch radiator (312). A third-1 additional patch radiator (713) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the first layer where the first-3 patch radiator (313) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The third-1 additional patch radiator (713) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the first-3 patch radiator (313). A fourth-1 additional patch radiator (714) may be placed in a layer at a higher position than the first layer where the first-4 patch radiator (314) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate in the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The fourth-1 additional patch radiator (714) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the first-4 patch radiator (314).Additionally, for example, a first-2 additional patch radiator (421) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the second layer where the second-1 patch radiator (321) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The first-2 additional patch radiator (421) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the second-1 patch radiator (321). A second-2 additional patch radiator (422) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the second layer where the second-2 patch radiator (322) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The second-2 additional patch radiator (422) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the second-2 patch radiator (322). A third-2 additional patch radiator (723) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the second layer where the second-3 patch radiator (323) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The third-2 additional patch radiator (723) may be configured to emit signals through coupling with the second-3 patch radiator (323). A fourth-2 additional patch radiator (724) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the second layer where the second-4 patch radiator (324) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The fourth-2 additional patch radiator (724) may be configured to emit signals through coupling with the second-4 patch radiator (324).

[0099] According to one embodiment, the third-2 patch emitter (332) may be placed overlappingly with two adjacent radiating patches of the first radiator array (310) (e.g., the first-3 patch emitter (313) and the first-4 patch emitter (314)). The third-2 patch emitter (332) may be placed overlappingly with two adjacent radiating patches of the second radiator array (320) (e.g., the second-3 patch emitter (323) and the second-4 patch emitter (324)). The third-2 patch emitter (332) may include two patch portions (e.g., the first patch portion (751), or the second patch portion (752)) in substantially the same manner as the third-1 patch emitter (331). A gap (765) may be formed between the first patch portion (751) and the second patch portion (752). The gap (765) may be located in the space between the first-third patch radiator (313) and the first-fourth patch radiator (314). The gap (765) may be located in the space between the second-third patch radiator (323) and the second-fourth patch radiator (324). The third-second patch radiator (332) may be connected to the feed portion (760) at point (780). The feed portion (760) may include a conductive structure (e.g., via, or line) for transmitting RF signals processed through an RF processing circuit to the second-second patch radiator (332). The third-second patch radiator (332) may be connected to conductive vias connected to ground. For example, the conductive vias may include a third set (773) of conductive vias and a fourth set (774) of conductive vias. The third-2 patch emitter (332) may include a first patch portion (751) and a second patch portion (752) distinguished along one axis (e.g., the y-axis). For example, a third set (773) of conductive vias may be used to connect the first patch portion (751) to ground (e.g., the ground layer of the circuit board (305).For example, a fourth set of conductive vias (774) can be used to connect the second patch portion (752) to ground (e.g., the ground layer of the circuit board (305).

[0100] FIGS. 8A and 8B are drawings illustrating examples of an antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)) comprising radiator arrays (e.g., first radiator array (310), second radiator array (320), or third radiator array (330)) according to various embodiments. In FIGS. 8A and 8B, an antenna module comprising a radiator array having a 1x5 array is described as an example. FIG. 8A is a view of the antenna module (200) in one direction (e.g., the (-)z-axis direction), and FIG. 8B is a view of the antenna module (200) in another direction (e.g., the (+)y-axis direction). The same reference numerals may be used to denote the same components and / or the same descriptions.

[0101] Referring to FIGS. 8a and 8b, the electronic device (101) may include an antenna module (200). The antenna module (200) may include a circuit board (305). The circuit board (305) may include a plurality of layers. A patch radiator may be formed on at least some of the plurality of layers. For example, the circuit board (305) may include a first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz or higher, or a band of about 28 GHz or higher), a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or a band of about 39 GHz or higher), and a third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 of about 7.125 GHz or higher, less than about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 12 GHz or lower, a band of about 15 GHz or higher). For example, the first radiator array (310) may include a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), a first-4 patch radiator (314), and a first-5 patch radiator (315). The second radiator array (320) may include a second-1 patch radiator (321), a second-2 patch radiator (322), a second-3 patch radiator (323), a second-4 patch radiator (324), and a second-5 patch radiator (325). The third radiator array (330) may include a third-1 patch radiator (331) and a third-2 patch radiator (332).

[0102] The first-1 patch radiator (311) of the first radiator array (310) may be connected to a feed section (431). An antenna including the first-1 patch radiator (311) may support dual polarization. The feed section (431) may include a first feed section (431a) for first polarization and a second feed section (431b) for second polarization. The first-2 patch radiator (312) may be connected to a feed section (432). The feed section (432) may include a first feed section (432a) for first polarization and a second feed section (432b) for second polarization. The first-3 patch radiator (313) may be connected to a feed section (833). The feed section (833) may include a first feed section (833a) for first polarization and a second feed section (833b) for second polarization. The first-fourth patch radiator (314) may be connected to the feed section (733). The feed section (733) may include a first feed section (733a) for first polarization and a second feed section (733b) for second polarization. The first-fifth patch radiator (315) may be connected to the feed section (734). The feed section (734) may include a first feed section (734a) for first polarization and a second feed section (734b) for second polarization.

[0103] The second-1 patch radiator (321) of the second radiator array (320) may be connected to a feed portion (441). The feed portion (441) may include a conductive structure (e.g., via, or line) for transmitting RF signals processed through an RF processing circuit to the patch radiator. An antenna including the second-1 patch radiator (321) may support dual polarization. The feed portion (441) may include a first feed portion (441a) for the first polarization and a second feed portion (441b) for the second polarization. The second-2 patch radiator (322) may be connected to a feed portion (442). The feed portion (442) may include a first feed portion (442a) for the first polarization and a second feed portion (442b) for the second polarization. The second-third patch radiator (323) may be connected to a feed section (843). The feed section (843) may include a first feed section (843a) for first polarization and a second feed section (843b) for second polarization. The second-fourth patch radiator (324) may be connected to a feed section (743). The feed section (743) may include a first feed section (743a) for first polarization and a second feed section (743b) for second polarization. The second-fifth patch radiator (325) may be connected to a feed section (744). The feed section (744) may include a first feed section (744a) for first polarization and a second feed section (744b) for second polarization.

[0104] According to one embodiment, to increase bandwidth or increase radiation gain through coupling, the circuit board (305) may further include a patch radiator connected to a feed portion and a parasitic patch radiator placed in overlap with said patch radiator. The parasitic patch radiator may be placed on a layer different from the layer on which the patch radiator is placed. For example, a first-1 additional patch radiator (411) may be placed on a layer at a higher position (e.g., a position having a larger coordinate in the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction) than the first layer on which the first-1 patch radiator (311) is placed. The first-1 additional patch radiator (411) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the first-1 patch radiator (311). A second-1 additional patch radiator (412) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the first layer where the first-2 patch radiator (312) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The second-1 additional patch radiator (412) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the first-2 patch radiator (312). A third-1 additional patch radiator (813) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the first layer where the first-3 patch radiator (313) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The third-1 additional patch radiator (813) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the first-3 patch radiator (313). A fourth-1 additional patch radiator (814) may be placed in a layer at a higher position than the first layer where the first-4 patch radiator (314) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate in the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The fourth-1 additional patch radiator (814) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the first-4 patch radiator (314).A 5-1 additional patch radiator (815) may be placed in a layer at a higher position than the 1st layer where the 1-5 patch radiator (315) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate in the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The 5-1 additional patch radiator (815) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the 1-5 patch radiator (315).

[0105] For example, a first-2 additional patch radiator (421) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the second layer where the second-1 patch radiator (321) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The first-2 additional patch radiator (421) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the second-1 patch radiator (321). A second-2 additional patch radiator (422) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the second layer where the second-2 patch radiator (322) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The second-2 additional patch radiator (422) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the second-2 patch radiator (322). A third-2 additional patch radiator (823) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the second layer where the second-3 patch radiator (323) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The third-2 additional patch radiator (823) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the second-3 patch radiator (323). A fourth-2 patch radiator (824) may be placed on a layer at a higher position than the second layer where the second-4 patch radiator (324) is placed (e.g., a position with a larger coordinate on the z-axis, or in the (+)z-axis direction). The fourth-2 patch radiator (824) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the second-4 patch radiator (324). A 5-2 patch radiator (825) may be placed on a layer at a higher position (e.g., a position having a larger coordinate on the z-axis) than the 2-5 patch radiator (325) where the 2-5 patch radiator (325) is placed. The 5-2 patch radiator (825) may be configured to radiate signals through coupling with the 2-5 patch radiator (325).

[0106] According to one embodiment, the third-2 patch emitter (332) may be placed overlappingly with two adjacent radiating patches of the first radiator array (310) (e.g., the first-4 patch emitter (314) and the first-5 patch emitter (315)). The third-2 patch emitter (332) may be placed overlappingly with two adjacent radiating patches of the second radiator array (320) (e.g., the second-4 patch emitter (324) and the second-5 patch emitter (325)). The third-2 patch emitter (332) may include two patch portions (e.g., the first patch portion (751), or the second patch portion (752)) in substantially the same manner as the third-1 patch emitter (331). A gap (765) may be formed between the first patch portion (751) and the second patch portion (752). The gap (765) may be located in the space between the first-fourth patch radiator (314) and the first-fifth patch radiator (315). The gap (765) may be located in the space between the second-fourth patch radiator (324) and the second-fifth patch radiator (325). The third-second patch radiator (332) may be connected to the feed portion (760) at point (780). The feed portion (760) may include a conductive structure (e.g., via, or line) for transmitting RF signals processed through an RF processing circuit to the patch radiator. The third-second patch radiator (332) may be connected to conductive vias connected to ground. For example, the conductive vias may include a third set (773) of conductive vias and a fourth set (774) of conductive vias. The third-2 patch emitter (332) may include a first patch portion (751) and a second patch portion (752) distinguished along one axis (e.g., the y-axis). For example, a third set (773) of conductive vias may be used to connect the first patch portion (751) to ground (e.g., the ground layer of the circuit board (305).For example, a fourth set of conductive vias (774) can be used to connect the second patch portion (752) to ground (e.g., the ground layer of the circuit board (305).

[0107] In FIG. 8a and FIG. 8b, a structure is illustrated in which the 3-1 patch radiator (331) of the 3rd radiator array (330) is positioned between the 1-1 patch radiator (311) and the 1-2 patch radiator (312) of the 1st radiator array (310), and the 3-2 patch radiator (332) of the 3rd radiator array (330) is positioned between the 1-4 patch radiator (314) and the 1-5 patch radiator (315) of the 1st radiator array (310), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. According to one embodiment, the antenna module (200) may have a structure in which a third-1 patch radiator (331) of a third radiator array (330) is positioned between a first-1 patch radiator (311) and a first-2 patch radiator (312) of a first radiator array (310), and a third-2 patch radiator (332) of a third radiator array (330) is positioned between a first-3 patch radiator (313) and a first-4 patch radiator (314) of a first radiator array (310).

[0108] FIGS. 9A and 9B are cross-sectional views illustrating examples of an antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)) comprising a radio frequency (RF) processing circuit and radiator arrays (e.g., a first radiator array (310), a second radiator array (320), or a third radiator array (330)) according to various embodiments. In FIGS. 9A and 9B, an antenna module (200) comprising a radiator array having a 1x4 array as exemplified in FIG. 7 is described as an example. The same reference numerals may be used to denote the same components and / or the same descriptions.

[0109] Referring to FIG. 9a, the electronic device (101) may include an antenna module (200). The antenna module (200) may include a circuit board (305). The circuit board (305) may include a plurality of layers. The plurality of layers may include a first set of layers (901) and a second set of layers (902). The first set of layers (901) may include patch radiators. At least a portion of the conductive part (e.g., metal) formed in the first set of layers (901) may be used as a patch radiator. For example, the circuit board (305) may include a first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz or higher, or a band of about 28 GHz or higher), a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or a band of about 39 GHz or higher), and a third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 of about 7.125 GHz or higher, a band of about 12 GHz or lower, or a band of about 15 GHz or higher). For example, the first radiator array (310) may include a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), and a first-4 patch radiator (314). The second radiator array (320) may include a second-1 patch radiator (321), a second-2 patch radiator (322), a second-3 patch radiator (323), and a second-4 patch radiator (324). The third radiator array (330) may include a third-1 patch radiator (331) and a third-2 patch radiator (332). The second set of layers (902) may include circuit wiring for connecting a plurality of components and radiators.For example, the circuit board (305) may include feed vias formed to penetrate the layers of the second set of layers (902) or feed lines formed on the layers to feed a signal to a patch emitter.

[0110] According to one embodiment, the antenna module (200) may include a plurality of components for RF signal processing. For example, the antenna module (200) may include a connector (930), an RF processing circuit (940) (e.g., RFIC), and / or a power management circuit (950) (e.g., power management module (188) of FIG. 1, PMIC). The connector (930), the RF processing circuit (940), and the power management circuit (950) may be placed on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., the side facing the (-)z-axis). The connector (930) may be electrically connected to the printed circuit board of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the printed circuit board (210) of FIG. 2) via an FPCB (e.g., the flexible printed circuit board (204) of FIG. 2). The antenna module (200) may be electrically connected to at least one component of the printed circuit board (210) (e.g., processor (120), communication module (192), or IFIC (intermediate frequency integrated circuit)) via a connector (930). The RF processing circuit (940) may be implemented as part of a single chip (e.g., RFIC chip) or a single package. The RF processing circuit (940) may include a mixer and an oscillator (e.g., LO (local oscillator)) for up-conversion. The RF processing circuit (940) may include a mixer and an oscillator for down-conversion. According to one embodiment, the RF processing circuit (940) may be used to process signals of a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz, or a band of about 28 GHz). According to one embodiment, the RF processing circuit (940) may be used to process signals of a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or a band of about 39 GHz).The power management circuit (950) may be configured to receive power from the battery of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the battery (189) in FIG. 1) and to supply a stable voltage to the RF processing circuit (940) based on said power. Additionally, for example, the antenna module (200) may include at least one element (e.g., a passive element, an inductor, a capacitor, or a resistor). The at least one element may be used for decoupling, noise removal, and / or impedance matching. For example, the first element (961), the second element (962), and / or the third element (963) may be placed on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., the side facing the (-)z-axis). Examples are not limited to this. For the protection of at least some of the above-mentioned plurality of components (e.g., RF processing circuit (940), power management circuit (950), first element (961), second element (962), and / or third element (963)), a molding member (980) may be placed on one side of the circuit board (305) (e.g., the side facing the (-)z-axis).

[0111] Referring to FIG. 9b, the electronic device (101) may include an antenna module (200). The antenna module (200) may include a first board (910) (e.g., a PCB) and a second board (920) (e.g., a PCB). The first board (910) and the second board (920) may be joined according to a surface mount technology (SMT) method. As an example, but not limited to, a ball grid array (BGA) (990) may be placed between the first board (910) and the second board (920). The first board (910) and the second board (920) may be joined through the BGA (990). The first board (910) may include a plurality of layers. The plurality of layers of the first board (910) may include patch radiators. At least a portion of the conductive parts (e.g., metal) formed in the plurality of layers may be used as patch radiators. For example, the first board (910) may include a first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz or higher, or a band of about 28 GHz or higher), a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or a band of about 39 GHz or higher), and a third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 of about 7.125 GHz or higher, a band of about 12 GHz or lower, or a band of about 15 GHz or higher). For example, the first radiator array (310) may include a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), and a first-4 patch radiator (314). The second radiator array (320) may include a second-1 patch radiator (321), a second-2 patch radiator (322), a second-3 patch radiator (323), and a second-4 patch radiator (324).The third radiator array (330) may include a third-1 patch radiator (331) and a third-2 patch radiator (332). The second board (920) may include circuit wiring for connecting a plurality of components and radiators. For example, the second board (920) may include feed vias formed to penetrate the layers or feed lines formed on the layers to feed signals to the patch radiators.

[0112] According to one embodiment, the antenna module (200) may include a plurality of components for RF signal processing. For example, the antenna module (200) may include a connector (930), an RF processing circuit (940) (e.g., RFIC), and / or a power management circuit (950) (e.g., the power management module (188) of FIG. 1). For the connector (930), the RF processing circuit (940), and the power management circuit (950), reference may be made to the descriptions of FIG. 9a. The connector (930), the RF processing circuit (940), and the power management circuit (950) may be placed on one side of the second board (920) (e.g., the side facing the (-)z-axis). Additionally, for example, the antenna module (200) may include at least one element for matching (e.g., a first element (961), a second element (962), and / or a third element (963)). The first element (961), the second element (962), and the third element (963) may be placed on one side of the second board (920) (e.g., the side facing the (-)z-axis). Examples, not limited to: For the protection of at least some of the plurality of components (e.g., the RF processing circuit (940) and the power management circuit (950), the first element (961), the second element (962), and / or the third element (963)), a molding member (980) may be placed on one side of the second board (920) (e.g., the side facing the (-)z-axis).

[0113] An antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)) according to embodiments of the present disclosure may have a structure for efficiently arranging radiator arrays that support different frequency bands within a limited space. In order to ensure constant radiation performance while having less impact on the radiation performance of the radiators of the radiator array for a specific frequency band, the radiator arrangement described through FIGS. 3 to 9b may be used. Since lower frequency bands require longer spacing between radiators and larger radiator area sizes, each radiator for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 of about 7.125 GHz or more and less than about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, or a band of about 15 GHz) may be placed between radiators for other frequency bands (e.g., a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or more, a band of about 26 GHz, or a band of about 28 GHz), a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or more, or a band of about 39 GHz)). Additionally, in order to radiate signals through the area between the radiators without blocking the radiators, the radiators for the third frequency band may be placed at a lower height than the radiators for other frequency bands.

[0114] In FIG. 9a and 9b, radiators formed on layers of a circuit board (e.g., circuit board (305)) are described as examples, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. According to one embodiment, radiators of radiator arrays (e.g., first radiator array (310), second radiator array (320), or third radiator array (330)) may be spaced apart from one side of the circuit board (305) by a certain distance. For example, radiators of the first radiator array (310) may be spaced apart from one side of the circuit board (305) by a first length. Radiators of the second radiator array (320) may be spaced apart from one side of the circuit board (305) by a second length. The second length may be longer than the first length. The feed portion connected to each radiator may include a separate feed structure (e.g., feed bridge) disposed on one side of the circuit board (305) instead of vias within the circuit board (305). The radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be disposed spaced apart from one side of the circuit board (305) by a third length. The third length may be shorter than the first length. The radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be disposed to have a lower height than the radiators of the second radiator array (320). Additionally, each of the radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)) may be disposed overlappingly between the radiators of other radiator arrays. As an example, without limitation, the individual radiators and the feed portion in the radiator array may correspond to a metal structure formed integrally.

[0115] According to one embodiment, at least some of the radiators of the radiator arrays (e.g., first radiator array (310), second radiator array (320), or third radiator array (330)) may be placed on the circuit board (305) through a separate feed member from the circuit board (305) rather than in a layer within the circuit board (305). As an example not limited to, radiators of the first radiator array (310) (e.g., first-1 patch radiator (311), first-2 patch radiator (312), first-1 additional patch radiator (411), second-1 additional patch radiator (412), first-3 patch radiator (313), third-1 additional patch radiator (713), first-4 patch radiator (314), or fourth-1 additional patch radiator (714)) and radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)) are disposed on layers within the circuit board (305), and radiators of the second radiator array (320) (e.g., second-1 patch radiator (321), second-2 patch radiator (322), second-3 patch radiator (323), second-4 patch The radiator (324), the first-2 additional patch radiator (421), the second-2 additional patch radiator (422), the third-2 additional patch radiator (723), and / or the fourth-2 additional patch radiator (724)) may be placed outside the circuit board (305). Each of the radiators of the second radiator array (320) may be connected to a separate feed structure placed on the circuit board (305).In a non-limiting example, radiators of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)) are disposed on layers within the circuit board (305), and radiators of the first radiator array (310) (e.g., first-1 patch radiator (311), first-2 patch radiator (312), first-1 additional patch radiator (411), second-1 additional patch radiator (412), first-3 patch radiator (313), third-1 additional patch radiator (713), first-4 patch radiator (314), or fourth-1 additional patch radiator (714)) and radiators of the second radiator array (320) (e.g., second-1 patch radiator (321), second-2 patch radiator (322), second-3 patch radiator (323), second-4 patch The radiators (324), the first-2 additional patch radiators (421), the second-2 additional patch radiators (422), the third-2 additional patch radiators (723), and / or the fourth-2 additional patch radiators (724)) may be placed outside the circuit board (305). Each of the radiators of the first radiator array (310) and the radiators of the second radiator array (320) may be connected to a separate feed structure placed on the circuit board (305).

[0116] Reference structures may be defined as control groups to demonstrate the performance of the antenna module (200) according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. An antenna structure in which only the first radiator array (310) and the second radiator array (320) are arranged without the third radiator array (330) may be referred to as the first structure. A structure in which the first-2 patch radiator (312) of the first radiator array (310) and the second-2 patch radiator (322) of the second radiator array (320) are arranged in an overlapping manner with the third-1 patch radiator (331) of the third radiator array (330) (e.g., functioning as a triple-band antenna element), and the first-4 patch radiator (314) of the first radiator array (310) and the second-4 patch radiator (324) of the second radiator array (320) are arranged in an overlapping manner with the third-2 patch radiator (332) of the third radiator array (330) may be referred to as the second structure. A structure in which the 3-1 patch radiator (331) of the 3rd radiator array (330) is placed in overlap with the 1-1 patch radiator (311) and 1-2 patch radiator (312) of the 1st radiator array (310) (likewise, also placed in overlap with the 2-1 patch radiator (321) and 2-2 patch radiator (322) of the 2nd radiator array (320), and the 3-2 patch radiator (332) of the 3rd radiator array (330) is placed in overlap with the 1-3 patch radiator (313) and 1-4 patch radiator (314) of the 1st radiator array (310) (likewise, also placed in overlap with the 2-3 patch radiator (323) and 2-4 patch radiator (324) of the 2nd radiator array (320) may be referred to as the 3rd structure. In the above third structure, the shape of the patch portion of each patch radiator (e.g., third-1 patch radiator (331), or third-2 patch radiator (332)) of the third radiator array (330) may be a square patch shape.

[0117] A fourth structure according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may have a shape in which the patch radiators of the first radiator array (310), the patch radiators of the second radiator array (320), and the patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) are arranged in the same manner as the third structure, but the patch portions (e.g., first patch portion (451), second patch portion (452), first patch portion (751), or second patch portion (752)) of each patch radiator of the third radiator array (330) are cut (e.g., notched).

[0118] Hereinafter, examples of the performance of an antenna module (200) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are described in more detail with reference to FIG. 10a, FIG. 10b, FIG. 10c, FIG. 11a, FIG. 11b, FIG. 11c, FIG. 12a, and FIG. 12b.

[0119] FIGS. 10a, FIG. 10b, and FIG. 10c are graphs showing S-parameters (e.g., reflection coefficient, S11) according to various radiator arrangement structures.

[0120] Referring to FIG. 10a, graph (1000a) represents the reflection coefficient of a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or a band of about 39 GHz). The horizontal axis of graph (1000a) represents frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis of graph (1000a) represents the reflection coefficient (unit: dB). The first line (1001) represents the reflection coefficient by frequency in the first structure. The second line (1002) represents the reflection coefficient by frequency in the second structure. The third line (1003) represents the reflection coefficient by frequency in the third structure. The fourth line (1004) represents the reflection coefficient by frequency in the fourth structure. It can be confirmed that the reflection coefficient of the fourth structure in the band of about 39 GHz is equivalent to the reflection coefficient in the first structure.

[0121] Referring to FIG. 10b, the graph (1000b) shows the reflection coefficient of the first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz, or a band of about 28 GHz). The horizontal axis of the graph (1000b) represents frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis of the graph (1000b) represents the reflection coefficient (unit: dB). The first line (1031) shows the reflection coefficient by frequency in the first structure. The second line (1032) shows the reflection coefficient by frequency in the second structure. The third line (1033) shows the reflection coefficient by frequency in the third structure. The fourth line (1034) shows the reflection coefficient by frequency in the fourth structure. A frequency range having a reflection coefficient of about -10 dB or less can correspond to a bandwidth. It can be confirmed that the bandwidth in the fourth structure is equivalent to the bandwidth in the first structure when there is no third radiator array (330). It can be confirmed that the bandwidth in the fourth structure is wider than the bandwidth in the second structure or the third structure.

[0122] Referring to FIG. 10c, graph (1000c) shows the reflection coefficient of a third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 from about 7.125 GHz to about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, or a band of about 15 GHz). The horizontal axis of graph (1000c) represents frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis of graph (1000c) represents the reflection coefficient (unit: dB). The first line (1061) shows the reflection coefficient by frequency in the second structure. The second line (1062) shows the reflection coefficient by frequency in the third structure. The third line (1063) shows the reflection coefficient by frequency in the fourth structure. It can be confirmed that in the band of about 13 GHz, the reflection coefficient of the fourth structure is lower than the reflection coefficients of the other structures.

[0123] FIGS. 11a, FIGS. 11b, and FIGS. 11c are graphs showing radiation efficiency according to radiator arrangement structures according to various embodiments.

[0124] Referring to FIG. 11a, graph (1100a) shows the radiation efficiency of a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or a band of about 39 GHz). The horizontal axis of graph (1100a) represents frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis of graph (1100a) represents radiation efficiency. The first line (1101) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the first structure. The second line (1102) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the second structure. The third line (1103) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the third structure. The fourth line (1104) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the fourth structure. It can be confirmed that the radiation efficiency of the fourth structure in the band of about 39 GHz is equivalent to the radiation efficiency in the first structure.

[0125] Referring to FIG. 11b, the graph (1100b) shows the radiation efficiency of the first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz, or a band of about 28 GHz). The horizontal axis of the graph (1100b) represents frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis of the graph (1100b) represents radiation efficiency. The first line (1131) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the first structure. The second line (1132) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the second structure. The third line (1133) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the third structure. The fourth line (1134) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the fourth structure.

[0126] Referring to FIG. 11c, the graph (1100c) shows the radiation efficiency of a third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 from about 7.125 GHz to about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, a band of about 15 GHz). The horizontal axis of the graph (1100c) represents frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis of the graph (1100c) represents radiation efficiency. The first line (1161) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the second structure. The second line (1162) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the third structure. The third line (1163) shows the radiation efficiency by frequency in the fourth structure. It can be confirmed that the radiation efficiency of the fourth structure in the band of about 13 GHz is higher than the radiation efficiency of the other structures.

[0127] FIGS. 12a and 12b are graphs showing polarization isolation according to radiator arrangement structures according to various embodiments. The polarization isolation may indicate the degree of independence between two polarizations (e.g., vertical polarization and horizontal polarization, (+)45 degree polarization and (-)45 degree polarization). The greater the polarization isolation, the lower the degree to which a signal transmitted with one polarization is transferred to or interferes with another polarization, which may indicate a higher gain due to polarization diversity.

[0128] Referring to FIG. 12a, graph (1200a) shows the polarization isolation of a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 39 GHz). The horizontal axis of graph (1200a) represents frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis of graph (1200a) represents polarization isolation (unit: dB). The first line (1201) shows the polarization isolation by frequency in the first structure. The second line (1202) shows the polarization isolation by frequency in the second structure. The third line (1203) shows the polarization isolation by frequency in the third structure. The fourth line (1204) shows the polarization isolation by frequency in the fourth structure. It can be confirmed that the polarization isolation of the fourth structure in the band of about 39 GHz is equivalent to the polarization isolation in the first structure.

[0129] Referring to FIG. 12b, the graph (1200b) shows the polarization isolation of the first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., frequency band of FR2 above approximately 24.25 GHz, approximately 26 GHz band, approximately 28 GHz band). The horizontal axis of the graph (1200b) represents frequency (unit: GHz), and the vertical axis of the graph (1200b) represents polarization isolation (unit: dB). The first line (1231) shows the polarization isolation by frequency in the first structure. The second line (1232) shows the polarization isolation by frequency in the second structure. The third line (1233) shows the polarization isolation by frequency in the third structure. The fourth line (1234) shows the polarization isolation by frequency in the fourth structure. It can be confirmed that the polarization isolation of the fourth structure in the approximately 29 GHz band is at a level equivalent to the polarization isolation in the first structure.

[0130] FIG. 13 includes drawings showing examples of radiation patterns for radiator arrays (e.g., first radiator array (310), second radiator array (320), or third radiator array (330)) according to various embodiments.

[0131] Referring to FIG. 13, example (1300) shows a radiation pattern of a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or a band of about 39 GHz). In one example, the second radiator array (320) may have a beam width of about 60.5 degrees in the xz plane and a beam width of about 93.7 degrees in the yz plane, and may have a gain characteristic of about 6.6 dB. Example (1330) shows a radiation pattern of a first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz, or a band of about 28 GHz). In one example, the first radiator array (310) may have a beam width of about 115 degrees in the xz plane and a beam width of about 95.4 degrees in the yz plane, and may have a gain characteristic of about 5.6 dB. Example (1360) shows the radiation pattern of a third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 from about 7.125 GHz to about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, or a band of about 15 GHz). As an example, the third radiator array (330) may have a beam width of about 94.5 degrees in the xz plane and a beam width of about 184 degrees in the yz plane, and may have a gain characteristic of about 3.4 dB.

[0132] FIGS. 14a and 14b are drawings illustrating exemplary configurations of an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) including an antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)) according to various embodiments. The configurations and descriptions shown in FIGS. 14a and 14b are examples and are not to be interpreted as limiting the structures of the electronic device (101) according to various embodiments. Identical reference numbers may be used to denote identical components and / or identical descriptions.

[0133] Referring to FIG. 14a, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (1401) (e.g., including a processing circuit), a modem (1402), a wireless communication circuit (1420), and / or at least one antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1431), or a second antenna module (1432)). For example, the processor (1401) may be an application processor (AP) (e.g., the main processor (121) of FIG. 1). For example, the modem (1402) may be a communication processor (CP) (e.g., the auxiliary processor (123) of FIG. 1). In an example, but not limited to, the processor (1401) and the modem (1402) may be implemented as a single chip, and depending on the implementation example, the processor (1401) and the modem (1402) may be collectively referred to as the processor (1410). The processor (1410) may be configured to perform the functions of the processor (1401) and / or the functions of the modem (1402). The electronic device (101) may include a wireless communication circuit (1420). The wireless communication circuit (1420) may include components for processing a transmission signal. For example, the wireless communication circuit (1420) may include a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for converting a digital signal to an analog signal, a mixer and an oscillator for up-conversion, and / or a power amplifier (PA). The wireless communication circuit (1420) may include components for processing a reception signal. For example, the wireless communication circuit (1420) may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for converting an analog signal to a digital signal, a mixer and an oscillator for down-conversion, and / or a low-noise amplifier (LNA). The above at least one antenna module may include an antenna module (200) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure described through FIGS. 1 to 13.For the first antenna module (1431) and the second antenna module (1432), descriptions of the antenna module (200) may be referenced.

[0134] According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit (1420) may be configured to perform frequency conversion (e.g., IF conversion) for signals in a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz or higher, or a band of about 28 GHz or higher) and / or signals in a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or a band of about 39 GHz or higher). When upconverting or downconverting the frequencies of the ultra-high frequency band, an intermediate frequency (e.g., a frequency of about 8 GHz to 13 GHz) may be used. For example, signals upconverted to the intermediate frequency may be upconverted to the frequency of the first frequency band through an RFIC (e.g., RF processing circuit (940)) of an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1431) and a second antenna module (1432)). When signals are received on the first frequency band, the signals that have been down-converted to the intermediate frequency through the RFIC can be converted into baseband signals through the wireless communication circuit (1420).

[0135] According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit (1420) may be configured to perform frequency conversion (e.g., up-conversion, or down-conversion) for signals in a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 of about 7.125 GHz or more and less than about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, or a band of about 15 GHz). For example, the frequency-converted signals may be radiated through an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1431), or a second antenna module (1432)) and a third-1 patch radiator (331) and / or a third-2 patch radiator (332). The antenna module may include feed paths (e.g., feed lines, or feed vias) for feeding the frequency-converted signals to the corresponding antenna. As an example, but not limited to, no separate frequency conversion may be performed in the antenna module.

[0136] Referring to FIG. 14b, more detailed components of the wireless communication circuit (1420) and the first antenna module (1431) of the electronic device (101) are illustrated. The wireless communication circuit (1420) may include a digital interface (1421) for communication with a processor (1410) (or modem (1402)) (e.g., including various circuits) (e.g., MIPI interface) and a processing circuit (1422) for analog-to-digital signal conversion. For example, the processing circuit (1422) for analog-to-digital signal conversion may include an ADC and / or a DAC. The wireless communication circuit (1420) may include a processing chain for the first antenna module (1431) and a processing chain for the second antenna module (1432). A processing chain for a first antenna module (1431) may include a first processing chain for a first polarization (e.g., vertical polarization) and a second processing chain for a second polarization (e.g., horizontal polarization). A processing chain for a second antenna module (1432) may include a third processing chain for the first polarization and a fourth processing chain for the second polarization. A wireless communication circuit (1420) may include an oscillator (1491) (e.g., LO) for providing a reference frequency to a mixer included in each processing chain. Each processing chain may be referred to as a transmit / receive processing circuit in that it performs both transmit signal processing and receive signal processing.

[0137] According to one embodiment, the first processing chain for the first polarization in the first antenna module (1431) may include components for transmitting signal processing (e.g., a transmitting filter (1423v), a mixer (1426a), or a PA (1427a)) and components for receiving signal processing (e.g., a receiving filter (1423a), a mixer (1424a), or an LNA (1425a)). The first processing chain may include a transmit / receive switch (1428a) and a diplexer (1451a). The transmit / receive switch (1428a) may be used to transmit a transmitting signal that has passed through the components for transmitting signal processing to the first antenna module (1431) or to transmit a receiving signal to the components for receiving signal processing. The diplexer (1451a) may be connected to the first port (1461). A reference clock signal (1429a) can be input to a diplexer (1451a) together with the output (e.g., transmission signal) of a transmit / receive switch (1428a). The reference clock signal (1429a) can be used for clock synchronization in an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1431), or a second antenna module (1432)).

[0138] According to one embodiment, the second processing chain for the second polarization in the first antenna module (1431) may include components for transmitting signal processing (e.g., a transmitting filter (1423h), a mixer (1426b), or a PA (1427b)) and components for receiving signal processing (e.g., a receiving filter (1423b), a mixer (1424b), or an LNA (1425b)). The second processing chain may include a transmit / receive switch (1428b) and a diplexer (1451b). The transmit / receive switch (1428b) may be used to transmit a transmitting signal that has passed through the components for transmitting signal processing to the first antenna module (1431) or to transmit a receiving signal to the components for receiving signal processing. The diplexer (1451b) may be connected to a third port (1463). A reference clock signal (1429b) can be input to a diplexer (1451b) together with the output (e.g., transmission signal) of a transmit / receive switch (1428b). The reference clock signal (1429b) can be used for clock synchronization in an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1431), or a second antenna module (1432)).

[0139] According to one embodiment, the third processing chain for the first polarization in the second antenna module (1432) may include components for transmitting signal processing (e.g., a transmitting filter (1443v), a mixer (1446a), or a PA (1447a)) and components for receiving signal processing (e.g., a receiving filter (1443a), a mixer (1444a), or an LNA (1445a)). The third processing chain may include a transmit / receive switch (1448a) and a diplexer (1452a). The transmit / receive switch (1448a) may be used to transmit a transmitting signal that has passed through the components for transmitting signal processing to the second antenna module (1432) or to transmit a receiving signal to the components for receiving signal processing. The diplexer (1452a) may be connected to the second port (1462). A reference clock signal (1449a) can be input to a diplexer (1452a) together with the output (e.g., transmission signal) of a transmit / receive switch (1448a). The reference clock signal (1449a) can be used for clock synchronization in an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1431), or a second antenna module (1432)).

[0140] According to one embodiment, the fourth processing chain for the second polarization in the second antenna module (1432) may include components for transmitting signal processing (e.g., a transmitting filter (1443h), a mixer (1446b), or a PA (1447b)) and components for receiving signal processing (e.g., a receiving filter (1443b), a mixer (1444b), or an LNA (1445b)). The fourth processing chain may include a transmit / receive switch (1448b) and a diplexer (1452b). The transmit / receive switch (1448b) may be used to transmit a transmitting signal that has passed through the components for transmitting signal processing to the second antenna module (1432) or to transmit a receiving signal to the components for receiving signal processing. The diplexer (1452b) may be connected to the fourth port (1464). A reference clock signal (1449b) can be input to a diplexer (1452b) together with the output (e.g., transmission signal) of a transmit / receive switch (1448b). The reference clock signal (1449b) can be used for clock synchronization in an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1431), or a second antenna module (1432)).

[0141] Various methods may be used to control the phase of an RF signal. According to one embodiment, a method for shifting the phase of a baseband signal may be used. According to one embodiment, a method for shifting the phase of an IF frequency signal may be used. According to one embodiment, a method for shifting the phase of an RF frequency signal may be used. According to one embodiment, a method for shifting the phase of an IF frequency signal and a method for shifting the phase of an RF frequency signal may be used together. For example, a wireless communication circuit (1420) may include phase shifters (e.g., a first phase shifter (1493a), or a second phase shifter (1493b)) connected to an oscillator (1491) to shift the phase of an IF frequency signal. The first phase shifter (1493a) may be configured to control (e.g., change) the phase of signals having a first polarization. The second phase shifter (1493b) may be configured to control (e.g., change) the phase of signals having the second polarization. As the phase shifters (e.g., first phase shifter (1493a), second phase shifter (1493b)) are connected to the oscillator (1491) rather than to the path of each processing chain, the circuit can be designed efficiently.

[0142] According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit (1420) may be connected to a first antenna module (1431) and / or a second antenna module (1432). For example, a first port (1461) of the wireless communication circuit (1420) may be connected to a first port (1433a) of the first antenna module (1431). For example, a second port (1462) of the wireless communication circuit (1420) may be connected to the second antenna module (1432). For example, a third port (1463) of the wireless communication circuit (1420) may be connected to a second port (1433b) of the first antenna module (1431). For example, a fourth port (1464) of the wireless communication circuit (1420) may be connected to the second antenna module (1432). The following description is based on the first antenna module (1431), but the description of the first antenna module (1431) can be applied to the second antenna module (1432) in the same or similar manner.

[0143] According to one embodiment, the first antenna module (1431) may include RF processing circuits. For example, the first antenna module (1431) may include a first RF processing circuit (1471a) for processing signals having a first polarization (e.g., vertical polarization) and a second RF processing circuit (1471b) for processing signals having a second polarization (e.g., horizontal polarization). For example, the first RF processing circuit (1471a) may include a mixer, an oscillator, a PA, and / or an LNA for signals in a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 above about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 26 GHz, or a band of about 28 GHz). The first RF processing circuit (1471a) may include a mixer, an oscillator, a PA, and / or an LNA for signals in a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 above about 24.25 GHz, or a band of about 39 GHz). For example, the second RF processing circuit (1471b) may include a mixer, oscillator, PA, and / or LNA for signals in the first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 above about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 26 GHz, or a band of about 28 GHz). The second RF processing circuit (1471b) may include a mixer, oscillator, PA, and / or LNA for signals in the second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 above about 24.25 GHz, or a band of about 39 GHz). As an example, but not limited to, the first RF processing circuit (1471a) and the second RF processing circuit (1471b) may be implemented as a single chip (e.g., RFIC) or as separate chips. For example, the first antenna module (1431) may include components (e.g., LNA (1481), PA (1482), receive switch (1483), or transmit switch (1484)) for processing signals of a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 of about 7.125 GHz or more and less than about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, or a band of about 15 GHz).

[0144] According to one embodiment, the first antenna module (1431) may include components for phase control for beamforming. For example, the first antenna module (1431) may include an oscillator (1495) (e.g., LO) for providing a reference frequency to each mixer. For example, the first antenna module (1431) may include a divider (1496) for branching the reference frequencies of the oscillator (1495) to each path and phase shifters (1497) connected to the divider (1496). The phase shifters (1497) may be configured to change the phase of RF signals to be delivered to each patch radiator to control the beamforming gain.

[0145] According to one embodiment, the first antenna module (1431) may include a feed circuit (1499). The feed circuit (1499) may include circuit wiring for connecting a plurality of RF components of the first antenna module (1431) and a patch radiator (e.g., a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), a first-4 patch radiator (314), a third-1 patch radiator (331), and / or a third-2 patch radiator (332)). For example, the feed circuit (1499) may include feed vias formed to penetrate layers or feed lines formed on layers to feed a signal to the patch radiator.

[0146] In FIG. 14a and FIG. 14b, an example is described in which two antenna modules (e.g., a first antenna module (1431), or a second antenna module (1432)) are connected to a wireless communication circuit (e.g., a wireless communication circuit (1420)), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include one or more antenna modules. One antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1431), or an antenna module (200)) may be connected to the wireless communication circuit (1420).

[0147] In FIG. 14a and FIG. 14b, a circuit structure is described in which a wireless communication circuit (e.g., wireless communication circuit (1420)) performs IF signal processing in the FR2 band (e.g., mmWave band, the first frequency band of FIG. 1 to FIG. 13, or the second frequency band of FIG. 1 to FIG. 13) and RF signal processing in the FR3 band (e.g., a frequency band of about 7.125 GHz or more and less than about 24.25 GHz, or the third frequency band of FIG. 1 to FIG. 13), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 15a and FIG. 15b, an example of an electronic device including a circuit for the IF signal processing and a circuit for the RF signal processing, respectively, is described in more detail.

[0148] FIGS. 15a and 15b illustrate examples of an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101)) including an antenna module (e.g., antenna module (200)). The configurations and descriptions shown in FIGS. 15a and 15b are examples and are not to be interpreted as limiting the structures of the electronic device (101) according to various embodiments. Identical reference numbers may be used to denote identical components and / or identical descriptions.

[0149] Referring to FIG. 15a, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (1501) (e.g., including a processing circuit), a modem (1502), a first wireless communication circuit (1521), a second wireless communication circuit (1522), and / or at least one antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1531), or a second antenna module (1532)). For example, the processor (1501) may be an application processor (AP) (e.g., the main processor (121) of FIG. 1). For example, the modem (1502) may be a communication processor (CP) (e.g., the auxiliary processor (123) of FIG. 1). In an example, but not limited to, the processor (1501) and the modem (1502) may be implemented as a single chip, and depending on the implementation example, the processor (1501) and the modem (1502) may be collectively referred to as the processor (1510). The processor (1510) may be configured to perform the functions of the processor (1501) and / or the functions of the modem (1502).

[0150] The electronic device (101) may include a first wireless communication circuit (1521). The first wireless communication circuit (1521) may include components for processing signals in the FR2 band (e.g., a first frequency band, or a second frequency band). The electronic device (101) may include a second wireless communication circuit (1522). The second wireless communication circuit (1522) may include components for processing signals in the FR3 band (e.g., a third frequency band). Each of the first wireless communication circuit (1521) and the second wireless communication circuit (1522) may include components for processing a transmission signal. For example, components for processing a transmission signal may include a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for converting a digital signal to an analog signal, a mixer and an oscillator for up-conversion, and / or a power amplifier (PA). Each of the first wireless communication circuit (1521) and the second wireless communication circuit (1522) may include components for processing a received signal. For example, components for processing a received signal may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for converting an analog signal into a digital signal, a mixer and an oscillator for down-conversion, and / or a low noise amplifier (LNA). The at least one antenna module may include an antenna module (200) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure as described through FIGS. 1 to 13. For the first antenna module (1531) and the second antenna module (1532), descriptions of the antenna module (200) may be referenced.

[0151] According to one embodiment, the first wireless communication circuit (1521) may be configured to perform frequency conversion (e.g., IF conversion) for signals in a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, a band of about 26 GHz or higher, or a band of about 28 GHz or higher) and / or signals in a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 of about 24.25 GHz or higher, or a band of about 39 GHz or higher). When upconverting or downconverting the frequency of the ultra-high frequency band, an intermediate frequency (e.g., a frequency of about 8 GHz to 13 GHz) may be used so as not to strain the RF components. For example, signals upconverted to the intermediate frequency may be upconverted to the frequency of the first frequency band through an RFIC (e.g., RF processing circuit (940)) of an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1531) and a second antenna module (1532)). When signals are received on the first frequency band, the signals down-converted to the intermediate frequency through the RFIC can be converted into baseband signals through the first wireless communication circuit (1521).

[0152] According to one embodiment, the second wireless communication circuit (1522) may be configured to perform frequency conversion (e.g., up-conversion, or down-conversion) for signals in a third frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR3 of about 7.125 GHz or more and less than about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 12 GHz, or a band of about 15 GHz). For example, the frequency-converted signals may be radiated through an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1531), or a second antenna module (1532)) and a third-1 patch radiator (331) and / or a third-2 patch radiator (332). The antenna module may include feed paths (e.g., feed lines, or feed vias) for feeding the frequency-converted signals to the corresponding antenna. As an example, but not limited to, no separate frequency conversion may be performed in the antenna module.

[0153] Referring to FIG. 15b, more detailed components of the first wireless communication circuit (1521), the second wireless communication circuit (1522), and the first antenna module (1531) of the electronic device (101) are illustrated. The first wireless communication circuit (1521) may include a digital interface (1515) (e.g., MIPI interface) for communication with a processor (1510) (or modem (1502)) and a processing circuit (1516) for analog-to-digital signal conversion. The second wireless communication circuit (1522) may include a digital interface (1517) (e.g., MIPI interface) for communication with a processor (1510) (or modem (1502)) and a processing circuit (1518) for analog-to-digital signal conversion. The first wireless communication circuit (1521) may include a processing chain for signal processing in the FR2 frequency band (e.g., the first frequency band or the second frequency band). The second wireless communication circuit (1522) may include a processing chain for signal processing in the FR3 frequency band (e.g., the third frequency band). The processing chain for signal processing in the FR2 frequency band (e.g., the first frequency band, or the second frequency band) may include a first processing chain for a first polarization (e.g., vertical polarization) and a second processing chain for a second polarization (e.g., horizontal polarization). The processing chain for signal processing in the FR3 frequency band (e.g., the third frequency band) may include a third processing chain for the first polarization and a fourth processing chain for the second polarization. The first wireless communication circuit (1521) may include an oscillator (1591) (e.g., LO) for providing a reference frequency to a mixer included in each processing chain. The second wireless communication circuit (1522) may include an oscillator (1592) (e.g., LO) for providing a reference frequency to a mixer included in each processing chain. Each processing chain can be referred to as a transmission and reception processing circuit in that it performs both transmission signal processing and reception signal processing.

[0154] According to one embodiment, the first processing chain for the first polarization in the frequency band of FR2 may include components for transmitting signal processing (e.g., a transmitting filter (1523v), a mixer (1526a), or a PA (1527a)) and components for receiving signal processing (e.g., a receiving filter (1523a), a mixer (1524a), or an LNA (1525a)). The first processing chain may include a transmit / receive switch (1528a) and a diplexer (1551a). The transmit / receive switch (1528a) may be used to transmit a transmitting signal that has passed through the components for transmitting signal processing to an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1531), or a second antenna module (1532)) or to transmit a receiving signal to the components for receiving signal processing. The diplexer (1551a) may be connected to a first port (1561). A reference clock signal (1529a) can be input to a diplexer (1551a) together with the output (e.g., transmission signal) of a transmit / receive switch (1528a). The reference clock signal (1529a) can be used for clock synchronization in an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1531), or a second antenna module (1532)).

[0155] According to one embodiment, the second processing chain for the second polarization in the frequency band of FR2 may include components for transmitting signal processing (e.g., a transmitting filter (1523h), a mixer (1526b), or a PA (1527b)) and components for receiving signal processing (e.g., a receiving filter (1523b), a mixer (1524b), or an LNA (1525b)). The second processing chain may include a transmit / receive switch (1528b) and a diplexer (1551b). The transmit / receive switch (1528b) may be used to transmit a transmitting signal that has passed through the components for transmitting signal processing to an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1531), or a second antenna module (1532)) or to transmit a receiving signal to the components for receiving signal processing. The diplexer (1551b) may be connected to a second port (1562). A reference clock signal (1529b) can be input to a diplexer (1551b) together with the output (e.g., transmission signal) of a transmit / receive switch (1528b). The reference clock signal (1529b) can be used for clock synchronization in an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1531), or a second antenna module (1532)).

[0156] According to one embodiment, a third processing chain for the first polarization in the frequency band of FR3 may include components for transmitting signal processing (e.g., a transmitting filter (1543v), a mixer (1546a), or a PA (1547a)) and components for receiving signal processing (e.g., a receiving filter (1543a), a mixer (1544a), or an LNA (1545a)). The third processing chain may include a transmit / receive switch (1548a) and a diplexer (1552a). The transmit / receive switch (1548a) may be used to transmit a transmitted signal that has passed through the components for transmitting signal processing to an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1531), or a second antenna module (1532)) or to transmit a receiving signal to the components for receiving signal processing. The diplexer (1552a) may be connected to a third port (1563). A reference clock signal (1549a) can be input to a diplexer (1552a) together with the output (e.g., transmission signal) of a transmit / receive switch (1548a). The reference clock signal (1549a) can be used for clock synchronization in an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1531), or a second antenna module (1532)).

[0157] According to one embodiment, the fourth processing chain for the second polarization in the frequency band of FR3 may include components for transmitting signal processing (e.g., a transmitting filter (1543h), a mixer (1546b), or a PA (1547b)) and components for receiving signal processing (e.g., a receiving filter (1543b), a mixer (1544b), or an LNA (1545b)). The fourth processing chain may include a transmit / receive switch (1548b) and a diplexer (1552b). The transmit / receive switch (1548b) may be used to transmit a transmitted signal that has passed through the components for transmitting signal processing to an antenna module or to transmit a received signal to the components for receiving signal processing. The diplexer (1552b) may be connected to the fourth port (1564). A reference clock signal (1549b) can be input to a diplexer (1552b) together with the output (e.g., transmission signal) of a transmit / receive switch (1548b). The reference clock signal (1549b) can be used for clock synchronization in an antenna module (e.g., a first antenna module (1531), or a second antenna module (1532)).

[0158] According to one embodiment, the first wireless communication circuit (1521) may be connected to the first antenna module (1531) and / or the second antenna module (1532). For example, the first port (1561) of the first wireless communication circuit (1521) may be connected to the first port (1533a) of the first antenna module (1531). For example, the second port (1562) of the first wireless communication circuit (1521) may be connected to the second port (1533b) of the first antenna module (1531). For example, the third port (1563) of the second wireless communication circuit (1522) may be connected to the third port (1534) of the first antenna module (1531). For example, the fourth port (1564) of the second wireless communication circuit (1522) can be connected to the fourth port (1535) of the first antenna module (1531). The following description is based on the first antenna module (1531), but the description of the first antenna module (1531) can be applied to the second antenna module (1532) in the same or similar manner.

[0159] According to one embodiment, the first antenna module (1531) may include RF processing circuits. For example, the first antenna module (1531) may include a first RF processing circuit (1571a) for processing signals having a first polarization (e.g., vertical polarization) and a second RF processing circuit (1571b) for processing signals having a second polarization (e.g., horizontal polarization). The first RF processing circuit (1571a) may be connected to a first port (1533a) of the first antenna module (1531). The second RF processing circuit (1571b) may be connected to a second port (1533b) of the first antenna module (1531). For example, the first RF processing circuit (1571a) may include a mixer, oscillator, PA, and / or LNA for signals in a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 above about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 26 GHz, or a band of about 28 GHz). The first RF processing circuit (1571a) may include a mixer, oscillator, PA, and / or LNA for signals in a second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 above about 24.25 GHz, or a band of about 39 GHz). For example, the second RF processing circuit (1571b) may include a mixer, oscillator, PA, and / or LNA for signals in a first frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 above about 24.25 GHz, a band of about 26 GHz, or a band of about 28 GHz). The second RF processing circuit (1571b) may include a mixer, oscillator, PA, and / or LNA for signals in the second frequency band (e.g., a frequency band of FR2 above about 24.25 GHz, or a band of about 39 GHz). As an example, but not limited to, the first RF processing circuit (1571a) and the second RF processing circuit (1571b) may be implemented as a single chip (e.g., RFIC) or as separate chips. For example, the first antenna module (1531) is for a third frequency band (e.g., above about 7.125 GHz, about 24.It may include components for processing signals in the frequency band of FR3 of less than 25 GHz, the approximately 12 GHz band, or the approximately 15 GHz band (e.g., LNA (1581), PA (1582), receive switch (1583), or transmit switch (1584)).

[0160] According to one embodiment, the first antenna module (1531) may include components for phase control for beamforming. For example, the first antenna module (1531) may include an oscillator (1595) (e.g., LO) for providing a reference frequency to each mixer. For example, the first antenna module (1531) may include a divider (1596) for branching the reference frequencies of the oscillator (1595) to each path, and phase shifters (1597) connected to the divider (1596). The phase shifters (1597) may be configured to change the phase of RF signals to be delivered to each patch radiator to control the beamforming gain.

[0161] According to one embodiment, the first antenna module (1531) may include a feed circuit (1599). The feed circuit (1599) may include circuit wiring for connecting a plurality of RF components of the first antenna module (1531) and a patch radiator (e.g., a first-1 patch radiator (311), a first-2 patch radiator (312), a first-3 patch radiator (313), a first-4 patch radiator (314), a third-1 patch radiator (331), and / or a third-2 patch radiator (332)). For example, the feed circuit (1599) may include feed vias formed to penetrate layers or feed lines formed on layers to feed a signal to the patch radiator.

[0162] The effects obtainable from the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0163] In FIG. 14a, FIG. 14b, FIG. 15a, and FIG. 15b, an example is described in which an antenna module is placed within an electronic device (101) that communicates with a base station, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It is understood that the structure according to the various embodiments of the present disclosure described below can be applied not only to the electronic device (101) but also to an antenna module within base station equipment (e.g., a base station, a radio unit (RU) of a base station) for performing communication with the electronic device (101). Base station equipment supporting multiple frequency bands may include the circuit structure of FIG. 14a, FIG. 14b, FIG. 15a, and FIG. 15b.

[0164] In various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device (101) is provided. The electronic device (101) may include at least one processor (120; 1410; 1510); a wireless communication circuit (192; 1420; 1521; 1522) coupled to the at least one processor; and an antenna module (200) coupled to the wireless communication circuit. The antenna module (200) may include a circuit board (305) on which a first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band, a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, and a third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band lower than the first frequency band are arranged. The first radiator array (310) may include patch radiators having a first size and disposed on a first layer among a plurality of layers of the circuit board (305). The second radiator array (320) may include patch radiators having a second size smaller than the first size, which are placed in a second layer above the first layer with respect to one side of the circuit board (305) among the plurality of layers of the circuit board (305). The third radiator array (330) may include patch radiators having a third size larger than the first size, which are placed in a third layer below the first layer with respect to one side of the circuit board (305) among the plurality of layers. The patch radiators placed in the second layer may be placed overlappingly with the patch radiators placed in the first layer, respectively. The patch radiators placed in the third layer may include a patch radiator having a first patch portion (451) that partially overlaps with one of two adjacent patch radiators among the patch radiators placed in the first layer, and a second patch portion (452) that partially overlaps with the other of the two adjacent patch radiators.The gap (465) formed between the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) can be placed in the area between the two adjacent patch radiators.

[0165] For example, the first patch portion (451) may have a shape in which a notch is formed in a direction toward the gap (465) on a second side opposite to the first side adjacent to the gap (465). The second patch portion (452) may have a shape symmetric to the first patch portion (451) with respect to an axis associated with the gap (465).

[0166] For example, the electronic device (101) may include a first set of conductive vias for connecting the ground layer of the circuit board (305) and the first patch portion (451); a second set of conductive vias for connecting the ground layer of the circuit board (305) and the second patch portion (452); and a feed portion for providing signals of the third frequency band to the first patch portion (451).

[0167] For example, in the first radiator array (310), the two adjacent patch radiators may include a first patch radiator and a second patch radiator. In the second radiator array (320), the patch radiators placed in the second layer may include a third patch radiator and a fourth patch radiator. The third patch radiator may be positioned to completely overlap the first patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200). The fourth patch radiator may be positioned to completely overlap the second patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200). The circuit board (305) comprises: a first feed portion for providing signals having a first polarization to the first patch radiator of the first layer; a second feed portion for providing signals having a second polarization to the first patch radiator of the first layer; and a third feed portion for providing signals having the first polarization to the second patch radiator of the first layer. It may include a fourth feed portion for providing signals having the second polarization to the second patch radiator of the first layer; a fifth feed portion for providing signals having the first polarization to the third patch radiator of the second layer; a sixth feed portion for providing signals having the second polarization to the third patch radiator of the second layer; a seventh feed portion for providing signals having the first polarization to the fourth patch radiator of the second layer; and an eighth feed portion for providing signals having the second polarization to the fourth patch radiator of the second layer.

[0168] For example, each of the first feed portion and the second feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the first patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and outside the area of ​​the first patch portion (451) of the third radiator array (330). Each of the third feed portion and the fourth feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the second patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and outside the area of ​​the second patch portion (452) of the third radiator array (330). Each of the fifth feed portion and the sixth feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the third patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and within the area of ​​the first patch portion (451) of the third radiator array (330). Each of the above-mentioned seventh feed portion and eighth feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the fourth patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and within the area of ​​the second patch portion (452) of the third radiator array (330). The first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) may be symmetrical with respect to an axis related to the gap (465). When viewed from the antenna module (200), the position of the first feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the fourth feed portion with respect to the axis. When viewed from the antenna module (200), the position of the second feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the third feed portion with respect to the axis. When viewed from the antenna module (200), the position of the fifth feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the eighth feed portion with respect to the axis. When looking at the antenna module (200), the position of the sixth feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the seventh feed portion with respect to the axis.

[0169] For example, each of the first feed portion and the second feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the first patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and within the area of ​​the first patch portion (451) of the third radiator array (330). Each of the third feed portion and the fourth feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the second patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and within the area of ​​the second patch portion (452) of the third radiator array (330). Each of the fifth feed portion and the sixth feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the third patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and outside the area of ​​the first patch portion (451) of the third radiator array (330). Each of the above-mentioned seventh feed portion and eighth feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the fourth patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and outside the area of ​​the second patch portion (452) of the third radiator array (330). The first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) may be symmetrical with respect to an axis associated with the gap (465). When viewed from the antenna module (200), the position of the first feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the fourth feed portion with respect to the axis. When viewed from the antenna module (200), the position of the second feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the third feed portion with respect to the axis. When viewed from the antenna module (200), the position of the fifth feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the eighth feed portion with respect to the axis. When looking at the antenna module (200), the position of the sixth feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the seventh feed portion with respect to the axis.

[0170] For example, the antenna module (200) may further include an RF (radio frequency) processing circuit and a power management circuit. The RF processing circuit and the power management circuit may be coupled to one side of the circuit board (305). The plurality of layers may include a first set of layers comprising a feeding structure for electrically connecting the RF processing circuit to each patch radiator of the first radiator array (310), each patch radiator of the second radiator array (320), and each patch radiator of the third radiator array (330); and a second set of layers comprising each patch radiator of the first radiator array (310), each patch radiator of the second radiator array (320), and each patch radiator of the third radiator array (330).

[0171] For example, the RF processing circuit may include a first RF processing circuit for processing signals having a first polarization through up-conversion or down-conversion, a second RF processing circuit for processing signals having a second polarization through up-conversion or down-conversion, and a third RF processing circuit for amplifying signals of the third frequency band without frequency conversion.

[0172] For example, the first radiator array (310) may further include patch radiators having the first size and placed in a fourth layer between the first layer and the second layer. The second radiator array (320) may further include patch radiators having the second size and placed in a fifth layer above the second layer based on the one side.

[0173] For example, each antenna element of the first radiator array (310) may include a square patch placed in each of the first layer and the fourth layer. Each antenna element of the second radiator array (320) may include a square patch placed in each of the second layer and the fifth layer. The third radiator array (330) may include a first antenna element and a second antenna element placed in the third layer. The first antenna element may be placed between two antenna elements of the first radiator array (310). The second antenna element may be placed between two antenna elements of the first radiator array (310).

[0174] For example, the first frequency band may belong to FR (frequency range) 2, having a frequency of about 24.25 GHz (gigahertz) or higher. The second frequency band may belong to FR 2. The third frequency band may belong to FR 3, having a frequency of about 7.125 GHz or higher and less than about 24.25 GHz. The distance between two adjacent patch radiators of the third radiator array (330) may be longer than the distance between two adjacent patch radiators of the first radiator array (310). The distance between two adjacent patch radiators of the first radiator array (310) may be longer than the distance between two adjacent patch radiators of the second radiator array (320).

[0175] For example, the wireless communication circuit may include: a first transceiver processing circuit for processing signals having a first polarization to be transmitted over the first frequency band or the second frequency band; a second transceiver processing circuit for processing signals having a second polarization to be transmitted over the first frequency band or the second frequency band; and a local oscillator (LO) for providing an oscillation frequency. The first transceiver processing circuit may be configured to output signals having the first polarization, for which intermediate frequency processing has been performed on the first frequency band or the second frequency band, or to output signals of the third frequency band, based on the oscillation frequency. The second transceiver processing circuit may be configured to output signals having the second polarization, for which intermediate frequency processing has been performed on the first frequency band or the second frequency band, or to output signals of the third frequency band, based on the oscillation frequency.

[0176] For example, signals of the third frequency band output from the first transmission and reception processing circuit can be provided to the first patch radiator of the third radiator array (330) through the antenna module (200).

[0177] For example, the signals of the third frequency band output from the second transmission and reception processing circuit can be provided to the second patch radiator of the third radiator array (330) through the antenna module (200).

[0178] For example, the wireless communication circuit may include a first wireless communication circuit for processing signals in the first frequency band or the second frequency band and a second wireless communication circuit for processing signals in the third frequency band. The first wireless communication circuit may include a first transceiver processing circuit for processing signals having a first polarization to be transmitted on the first frequency band or the second frequency band, a second transceiver processing circuit for processing signals having a second polarization to be transmitted on the first frequency band or the second frequency band, and a first local oscillator (LO) for providing a first oscillation frequency for intermediate frequency processing. The second wireless communication circuit may include a third transmission / reception processing circuit for processing first signals to be transmitted on the third frequency band, a fourth transmission / reception processing circuit for processing second signals to be transmitted on the third frequency band, and a second LO for providing a second oscillation frequency for frequency conversion related to the third frequency band.

[0179] For example, signals having the first polarization output from the first transmission / reception processing circuit may be provided to each patch radiator of the first radiator array (310) or each patch radiator of the second radiator array (320) after up-conversion in the antenna module (200). Signals having the second polarization output from the second transmission / reception processing circuit may be provided to each patch radiator of the first radiator array (310) or each patch radiator of the second radiator array (320) after up-conversion in the antenna module (200). Signals of the third frequency band output from the third transmission / reception processing circuit may be provided to the first patch radiator of the third radiator array (330) through the antenna module (200). The signals of the third frequency band output from the fourth transmission and reception processing circuit can be provided to the second patch radiator of the third radiator array (330) through the antenna module (200).

[0180] In various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, an antenna module (200) is provided. The antenna module (200) may include a circuit board (305) on which a first radiator array (310) for a first frequency band, a second radiator array (320) for a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, and a third radiator array (330) for a third frequency band lower than the first frequency band are arranged; and a radio frequency (RF) processing circuit coupled to one side of the circuit board (305). The first radiator array (310) may include patch radiators having a first size and arranged in a first layer among a plurality of layers of the circuit board (305). The second radiator array (320) may include patch radiators having a second size smaller than the first size and arranged in a second layer above the first layer with respect to one side of the circuit board (305) among a plurality of layers of the circuit board (305). The third radiator array (330) may include patch radiators having a third size larger than the first size, which are disposed in a third layer that is below the first layer with respect to one side among the plurality of layers of the circuit board (305). The patch radiators disposed in the second layer may be disposed overlappingly with the patch radiators disposed in the first layer, respectively. The patch radiators disposed in the third layer may include a patch radiator having a first patch portion (451) that partially overlaps with one of two adjacent patch radiators among the patch radiators disposed in the first layer, and a second patch portion (452) that partially overlaps with the other of the two adjacent patch radiators. A gap (465) formed between the first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) may be disposed in the area between the two adjacent patch radiators.

[0181] For example, the first patch portion (451) may have a shape in which a notch is formed in a direction toward the gap (465) on a second side opposite to the first side adjacent to the gap (465). The second patch portion (452) may have a shape symmetric to the first patch portion (451) with respect to an axis associated with the gap (465).

[0182] For example, the antenna module (200) may include a first set of conductive vias for connecting the ground layer of the circuit board (305) and the first patch portion (451); a second set of conductive vias for connecting the ground layer of the circuit board (305) and the second patch portion (452); and a feed portion for providing signals of the third frequency band to the first patch portion (451).

[0183] For example, in the first radiator array (310), the two adjacent patch radiators may include a first patch radiator and a second patch radiator. In the second radiator array (320), the patch radiators placed in the second layer may include a third patch radiator and a fourth patch radiator. The third patch radiator may be positioned to completely overlap the first patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200). The fourth patch radiator may be positioned to completely overlap the second patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200). The circuit board (305) comprises: a first feed portion for providing signals having a first polarization to the first patch radiator of the first layer; a second feed portion for providing signals having a second polarization to the first patch radiator of the first layer; and a third feed portion for providing signals having the first polarization to the second patch radiator of the first layer. It may include a fourth feed portion for providing signals having the second polarization to the second patch radiator of the first layer; a fifth feed portion for providing signals having the first polarization to the third patch radiator of the second layer; a sixth feed portion for providing signals having the second polarization to the third patch radiator of the second layer; a seventh feed portion for providing signals having the first polarization to the fourth patch radiator of the second layer; and an eighth feed portion for providing signals having the second polarization to the fourth patch radiator of the second layer.

[0184] For example, each of the first feed portion and the second feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the first patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and outside the area of ​​the first patch portion (451) of the third radiator array (330). Each of the third feed portion and the fourth feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the second patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and outside the area of ​​the second patch portion (452) of the third radiator array (330). Each of the fifth feed portion and the sixth feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the first patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and within the area of ​​the first patch portion (451) of the third radiator array (330). Each of the above-mentioned seventh feed portion and eighth feed portion may be located within the area of ​​the second patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module (200) and within the area of ​​the second patch portion (452) of the third radiator array (330). The first patch portion (451) and the second patch portion (452) may be symmetrical with respect to an axis related to the gap (465). When viewed from the antenna module (200), the position of the first feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the fourth feed portion with respect to the axis. When viewed from the antenna module (200), the position of the second feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the third feed portion with respect to the axis. When viewed from the antenna module (200), the position of the fifth feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the eighth feed portion with respect to the axis. When looking at the antenna module (200), the position of the sixth feed portion may be symmetrical with respect to the position of the seventh feed portion with respect to the axis.

[0185] For various embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the prior art drawings may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods as described in the present disclosure. For example, a processor (e.g., a baseband processor) described in the present disclosure in relation to one or more of the prior art drawings may be configured to operate according to one or more examples described in the present disclosure. As another example, circuits associated with user equipment (UE), a base station, a network element, etc., as described above in relation to one or more of the prior art drawings may be configured to operate according to one or more examples described herein.

[0186] Any of the embodiments described above may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments) unless otherwise explicitly stated. The foregoing description of one or more embodiments is for illustrative and explanatory purposes only, and is not intended to limit or exhaust the scope of the embodiments in the exact form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the foregoing teachings or may be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0187] The electronic devices according to the various embodiments disclosed in this document may be of various forms. The electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, electronic devices, or consumer electronics. The electronic devices according to the embodiments of this document are not limited to the devices described above.

[0188] The various embodiments of this document and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of said embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, phrases such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B or C," "at least one of A, B and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" may each include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish said components from other said components and do not limit said components in any other aspect (e.g., importance or order). Where any (e.g., first) component is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., second) component, with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicationly," it means that said component may be connected to said other component directly (e.g., via a wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0189] The term “module” as used in the various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software or firmware, or any combination thereof, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit, for example. A module may be a component formed integrally, or a minimum unit of said component or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0190] Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., program (140)) comprising one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory (136) or external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., electronic device (101)). For example, a processor (e.g., processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., electronic device (101)) may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to be operated to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be executed by an interpreter. The storage medium readable by the machine may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-temporary' simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily.

[0191] According to one embodiment, the method according to the various embodiments disclosed herein may be provided by being included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or distributed online (e.g., download or upload) through an application store (e.g., Play Store™) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily created on a device-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0192] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) of the components described above may include a singular or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Generally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as those performed by the corresponding component among the multiple components prior to integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by the module, program, or other components may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims

1. In an electronic device, At least one processor including a processing circuit; A wireless communication circuit coupled with the above-mentioned at least one processor; It includes an antenna module coupled to the above wireless communication circuit, and The antenna module comprises a circuit board having a first radiator array for a first frequency band, a second radiator array for a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, and a third radiator array for a third frequency band lower than the first frequency band. The first radiator array comprises patch radiators having a first size and disposed in a first layer among a plurality of layers of the circuit board, and The second radiator array comprises patch radiators disposed on a second layer that is above the first layer with respect to one side of the circuit board among a plurality of layers of the circuit board, and having a second size smaller than the first size. The third radiator array comprises patch radiators disposed in a third layer that is below the first layer with respect to one surface among a plurality of layers of the circuit board and having a third size larger than the first size. The patch radiators disposed on the second layer of the circuit board are each disposed in an overlapping manner with the patch radiators disposed on the first layer of the circuit board, and The patch radiators disposed on the third layer of the circuit board include a patch radiator having a first patch portion that partially overlaps with one of two adjacent patch radiators among the patch radiators disposed on the first layer of the circuit board, and a second patch portion that partially overlaps with the other of the two adjacent patch radiators. The gap formed between the first patch portion and the second patch portion is disposed in the region between the two adjacent patch radiators, Electronic device.

2. In Claim 1, The first patch portion has a shape including a notch formed in a direction toward the gap on a second side opposite to the first side adjacent to the gap, and The second patch portion has a shape symmetric to the first patch portion with respect to an axis associated with the gap, Electronic device.

3. In Claim 2, A first set of conductive vias for connecting the ground layer of the circuit board and the first patch portion; A second set of conductive vias for connecting the ground layer and the second patch portion of the circuit board; and A feed portion further comprising a feed portion configured to provide signals of the third frequency band to the first patch portion. Electronic device.

4. In Claim 1, In the first radiator array, the two adjacent patch radiators include a first patch radiator and a second patch radiator, and The patch radiators disposed on the second layer of the circuit board in the second radiator array include a third patch radiator and a fourth patch radiator, The third patch radiator is positioned to completely overlap with the first patch radiator when viewed from above, and The fourth patch radiator is positioned to completely overlap with the second patch radiator when viewed from above, and The above circuit board is: A first feed portion configured to provide signals having a first polarization to the first patch radiator of the first layer of the circuit board; A second feed portion configured to provide signals having a second polarization to the first patch radiator of the first layer of the circuit board; A third feed portion configured to provide signals having the first polarization to the second patch radiator of the first layer of the circuit board; A fourth feed portion configured to provide signals having the second polarization to the second patch radiator of the first layer of the circuit board; A fifth feed portion configured to provide signals having a first polarization to the third patch radiator of the second layer of the circuit board; A sixth feed portion configured to provide signals having a second polarization to the third patch radiator of the second layer of the circuit board; A seventh feed portion configured to provide signals having the first polarization to the fourth patch radiator of the second layer of the circuit board; and A eighth feed portion configured to provide signals having the second polarization to the fourth patch radiator of the second layer of the circuit board, Electronic device.

5. In Claim 4, Each of the first feed portion and the second feed portion is located within the area of ​​the first patch radiator when the antenna module is viewed from above, and is located outside the area of ​​the first patch portion of the third radiator array. Each of the above-mentioned third feed portion and the above-mentioned fourth feed portion is located within the area of ​​the second patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module, and is located outside the area of ​​the second patch portion of the third radiator array. Each of the above-mentioned fifth feed portion and the above-mentioned sixth feed portion is located within the area of ​​the third patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module, and is located within the area of ​​the first patch portion of the third radiator array. Each of the above-mentioned seventh feed portion and eighth feed portion is located within the area of ​​the fourth patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module, and is located within the area of ​​the second patch portion of the third radiator array. The first patch portion and the second patch portion are symmetrical with respect to the axis associated with the gap, and When looking at the antenna module, the position of the first feed portion is symmetrical with respect to the axis with respect to the position of the fourth feed portion, and When looking at the antenna module, the position of the second feed portion is symmetrical with respect to the axis with respect to the position of the third feed portion, and When looking at the antenna module, the position of the fifth feed portion is symmetrical with respect to the position of the eighth feed portion with respect to the axis, and When looking at the antenna module, the position of the sixth feed portion is symmetrical with respect to the position of the seventh feed portion with respect to the axis. Electronic device.

6. In Claim 4, Each of the first feed portion and the second feed portion is located within the area of ​​the first patch radiator when the antenna module is viewed from above, and is located within the area of ​​the first patch portion of the third radiator array. Each of the above-mentioned third feed portion and the above-mentioned fourth feed portion is located within the area of ​​the second patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module, and is located within the area of ​​the second patch portion of the third radiator array. Each of the above-mentioned fifth feed portion and the above-mentioned sixth feed portion is located within the area of ​​the third patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module, and is located outside the area of ​​the first patch portion of the third radiator array. Each of the above-mentioned seventh feed portion and eighth feed portion is located within the area of ​​the fourth patch radiator when viewed from the antenna module, and is located outside the area of ​​the second patch portion of the third radiator array. The first patch portion and the second patch portion are symmetrical with respect to the axis associated with the gap, and When looking at the antenna module, the position of the first feed portion is symmetrical with respect to the axis with respect to the position of the fourth feed portion, and When looking at the antenna module, the position of the second feed portion is symmetrical with respect to the axis with respect to the position of the third feed portion, and When looking at the antenna module, the position of the fifth feed portion is symmetrical with respect to the position of the eighth feed portion with respect to the axis, and When looking at the antenna module, the position of the sixth feed portion is symmetrical with respect to the position of the seventh feed portion with respect to the axis. Electronic device.

7. In Claim 1, The above antenna module further includes an RF (radio frequency) processing circuit and a power management circuit, and The above RF processing circuit and the above power management circuit are coupled to the above one side of the circuit board, and The above plurality of layers are: A first set of layers including a feeding structure for electrically connecting the above RF processing circuit to each patch radiator of the first radiator array, each patch radiator of the second radiator array, and each patch radiator of the third radiator array; and A second set of layers comprising each patch radiator of the first radiator array, each patch radiator of the second radiator array, and each patch radiator of the third radiator array, Electronic device.

8. In Claim 7, The above RF processing circuit comprises a first RF processing circuit configured to process signals having a first polarization through up-conversion or down-conversion, a second RF processing circuit configured to process signals having a second polarization through up-conversion or down-conversion, and a third RF processing circuit configured to amplify signals of the third frequency band without frequency conversion. Electronic device.

9. In Claim 1, The first radiator array further includes patch radiators having the first size and disposed on a fourth layer of the circuit board between the first layer of the circuit board and the second layer of the circuit board, and The second radiator array further comprises patch radiators having the second size and disposed on the fifth layer of the circuit board above the second layer of the circuit board with respect to the one surface. Electronic device.

10. In Claim 9, Each antenna element of the first radiator array comprises a rectangular patch disposed on each of the first layer of the circuit board and the fourth layer of the circuit board, and Each antenna element of the second radiator array comprises a rectangular patch disposed on each of the second layer of the circuit board and the fifth layer of the circuit board, and The third radiator array comprises a first antenna element and a second antenna element disposed on the third layer of the circuit board, and The first antenna element is positioned between two antenna elements of the first radiator array, and The second antenna element is positioned between the other two antenna elements of the first radiator array, Electronic device.

11. In Claim 1, The above first frequency band belongs to FR (frequency range) 2 having a frequency of approximately 24.25 GHz (gigahertz) or higher, and The above second frequency band belongs to the above FR 2, and The above third frequency band belongs to FR 3 having a frequency of approximately 7.125 GHz or higher and less than approximately 24.25 GHz, and The distance between two adjacent patch radiators of the third radiator array is longer than the distance between two adjacent patch radiators of the first radiator array, and The distance between two adjacent patch radiators of the first radiator array is longer than the distance between two adjacent patch radiators of the second radiator array. Electronic device.

12. In Claim 1, The above wireless communication circuit is: A first transmission / reception processing circuit configured to process signals having a first polarization to be transmitted on the first frequency band or the second frequency band; A second transmission / reception processing circuit configured to process signals having a second polarization to be transmitted on the first frequency band or the second frequency band; and It includes a local oscillator (LO) configured to provide an oscillation frequency, and The first transmission / reception processing circuit is configured to output signals having the first polarization, for which intermediate frequency processing is performed with respect to the first frequency band or the second frequency band, or to output signals of the third frequency band, based on the oscillation frequency. The second transmission / reception processing circuit is configured to output signals having the second polarization, for which intermediate frequency processing has been performed with respect to the first frequency band or the second frequency band, or to output signals of the third frequency band, based on the oscillation frequency. Electronic device.

13. In Claim 12, The signals of the third frequency band output from the first transmission / reception processing circuit are provided to the first patch radiator of the third radiator array through the antenna module, and The signals of the third frequency band output from the second transmission / reception processing circuit are provided to the second patch radiator of the third radiator array through the antenna module, Electronic device.

14. In Claim 1, The above wireless communication circuit includes a first wireless communication circuit configured to process signals of the first frequency band or the second frequency band, and a second wireless communication circuit configured to process signals of the third frequency band. The above-mentioned first wireless communication circuit is: A first transmission / reception processing circuit configured to process signals having a first polarization to be transmitted on the first frequency band or the second frequency band, A second transmission / reception processing circuit configured to process signals having a second polarization to be transmitted on the first frequency band or the second frequency band, and It includes a first LO (local oscillator) configured to provide a first oscillation frequency for intermediate frequency processing, and The above second wireless communication circuit is: A third transmission / reception processing circuit configured to process first signals to be transmitted on the third frequency band, A fourth transmission / reception processing circuit configured to process second signals to be transmitted on the third frequency band, and A second LO configured to provide a second oscillation frequency for frequency conversion related to the third frequency band, Electronic device.

15. In Claim 14, The signals having the first polarization output from the first transmission / reception processing circuit are provided to each patch radiator of the first radiator array or each patch radiator of the second radiator array after up-conversion in the antenna module, and The signals having the second polarization output from the second transmission / reception processing circuit are provided to each patch radiator of the first radiator array or each patch radiator of the second radiator array after up-conversion in the antenna module, and The signals of the third frequency band output from the third transmission and reception processing circuit are provided to the first patch radiator of the third radiator array through the antenna module, and The signals of the third frequency band output from the fourth transmission / reception processing circuit are provided to the second patch radiator of the third radiator array through the antenna module, Electronic device.

Images