Phased array antenna and electronic device
By designing a phased array antenna with a phase adjustment structure and a radiation structure, and by adjusting the dielectric constant using a liquid crystal layer, the problems of fast beam scanning and high cost in existing phased array antennas have been solved, achieving fast, low-cost beam scanning and efficient signal synthesis.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-23
AI Technical Summary
In existing phased array antennas, mechanical phase shifters cannot quickly change the phase, electronic phase shifters are costly and complex to design, and liquid crystal phase shifters have poor intermodulation performance, making it difficult to achieve fast and low-cost beam scanning.
The phased array antenna design, which includes a phase adjustment structure and a radiation structure, is adopted. Phase adjustment is achieved by adjusting the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer. By rationally designing the phase shifter array and connection method, the antenna is miniaturized and highly integrated.
It achieves fast beam scanning of phased array antennas, reduces costs, improves power combining efficiency and echo signal combining efficiency, and simplifies the connection between the feed structure and the phase adjustment structure.
Smart Images

Figure CN2025073166_23072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Phased array antennas and electronic equipment Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure belongs to the field of communication technology, specifically relating to a phased array antenna and electronic equipment. Background Technology
[0002] To meet the demands of 5G for transmission speed and breadth of content, the mainstream approach is to use antennas to transmit electromagnetic signals for signal transmission and reception between communication devices. An antenna is a type of array antenna that changes the beam pattern by controlling the feed phase of the radiating elements. The primary purpose of a phased array is to achieve spatial scanning of the array beam, also known as electrical scanning. A phase shifter, as a crucial component of an antenna, improves the power combining efficiency and echo signal combining efficiency of the antenna components by changing their phase consistency, thus enabling beam switching / scanning and enhancing the capabilities of the communication system. Currently, the main types of phase shifters used are mechanical and electronic. Mechanical phase shifters are constrained by inertia and cannot quickly change phase in a very short time; they are also large and heavy. While electronic phase shifters overcome the drawbacks of mechanical phase shifters, they are too expensive, complex in design, have poor intermodulation performance, and cannot perform continuous phase modulation. A liquid crystal phase shifter is a device that changes the dielectric constant of an electromagnetic wave by applying a voltage to upper and lower substrates containing liquid crystals to create overlapping capacitance. This alters the phase constant of the electromagnetic wave and ultimately adjusts the phase shift, thereby enabling beam scanning of an antenna device. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and to provide a phased array antenna and electronic device.
[0004] This disclosure provides a phased array antenna, which includes a phase adjustment structure and a radiation structure; wherein...
[0005] The phase adjustment structure includes a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate disposed opposite to each other, and a plurality of phase adjustment components disposed between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate; the radiation structure includes a plurality of radiating parts, and one of the radiating parts is electrically connected to at least one of the phase adjustment structures to form an antenna unit.
[0006] Among the plurality of phase adjustment components, the phase adjustment components are arranged side by side along the first direction, and each pair of adjacent phase adjustment components are symmetrically arranged with a straight line extending along the second direction through the midpoint of the line connecting their geometric centers as the axis of symmetry; the first direction and the second direction are orthogonal.
[0007] The phase adjustment component includes a first transmission section, a second transmission section, and a phase shifting section connected between the first transmission section and the second transmission section; the second transmission section is electrically connected to the radiation structure.
[0008] The second transmission sections of the phase adjustment components arranged adjacent to each other along the second direction are staggered.
[0009] The first transmission section of the phase adjustment component arranged adjacent to each other along the second direction is flush with the first transmission section.
[0010] The phased array antenna further includes a feeding structure; two phase adjustment components are arranged adjacent to each other in the first direction and symmetrically arranged along a straight line extending in the second direction from the midpoint of the line connecting their geometric centers as the axis of symmetry, and are fed by the same feeding port of the feeding structure.
[0011] The phase adjustment structure further includes a first reference electrode layer located on the side of the second dielectric substrate away from the first dielectric substrate, a first interlayer insulating layer disposed on the side of the first reference electrode layer away from the second dielectric substrate, a plurality of auxiliary traces disposed on the side of the first interlayer insulating layer away from the first reference electrode layer, a second interlayer insulating layer disposed on the side of the plurality of auxiliary traces away from the first interlayer insulating layer, and a second reference electrode layer disposed on the side of the second interlayer insulating layer away from the plurality of auxiliary traces.
[0012] The first reference electrode layer has a plurality of first slit openings, and the second reference electrode layer has a plurality of first vias; the first end of the auxiliary trace overlaps with the orthographic projection of one of the first slit openings on the first dielectric substrate, and the second end of the auxiliary trace overlaps with the orthographic projection of one of the first vias on the first dielectric substrate, and the phase adjustment component is electrically connected to the radiating part at least through the first slit openings and the first vias.
[0013] The second end of the auxiliary trace is connected to the radiating part through a first connecting component of the first through hole and the second through hole; the second through hole penetrates the second interlayer insulation layer.
[0014] The first connection component is a power supply probe.
[0015] Wherein, the second end of the auxiliary trace overlaps with the orthographic projection of either the first through hole or the radiating portion on the first dielectric substrate.
[0016] The auxiliary traces include multiple sub-traces arranged sequentially and electrically connected in a direction away from the second dielectric substrate; the sub-traces of adjacent layers are electrically connected through a second connection component through a third through-hole in the interlayer insulating layer between them.
[0017] The second connection component is a power supply probe.
[0018] Wherein, the orthographic projection of the first end of the auxiliary trace on the first dielectric substrate passes through the geometric center of the orthographic projection of the first slit opening on the first dielectric substrate.
[0019] The auxiliary routing consists of at least two line segments with different extension directions.
[0020] The current state of the first slit opening includes any one of the following: straight, H-shaped, or arc-shaped.
[0021] The radiating section has two feed points, namely a first feed point and a second feed point; the line connecting the first feed point and the center of the radiating section is orthogonal to the line connecting the second feed point and the center of the radiating section.
[0022] The antenna unit contains two phase adjustment components, namely a first phase adjustment component and a second phase adjustment component.
[0023] The first phase adjustment component is electrically connected to the first feed point, and the first phase adjustment component is electrically connected to the second feed point.
[0024] The antenna unit includes a first antenna unit and a second antenna unit, wherein the operating frequency of the first antenna unit is different from that of the second antenna unit.
[0025] The multiple phase adjustment components are divided into multiple groups arranged side by side along the second direction, and the phase adjustment components in two adjacent groups have different operating frequencies.
[0026] The operating frequency of the first antenna element is greater than that of the second antenna element.
[0027] The phase control adjustment component further includes a first conductive layer disposed on the first dielectric substrate near the second dielectric substrate, a second conductive layer disposed on the second dielectric substrate near the first dielectric substrate, and an adjustable dielectric layer disposed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.
[0028] The first conductive layer includes a first transmission section and a first electrode;
[0029] The second conductive layer includes a first transmission section and a second electrode;
[0030] The first electrode and the second electrode, and the adjustable dielectric layer located between the first electrode and the second electrode, constitute the phase shifting part of the phase adjustment assembly.
[0031] The tunable dielectric layer includes a liquid crystal layer.
[0032] This disclosure provides an electronic device that includes any of the phased array antennas described above. Attached Figure Description
[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary phased array antenna.
[0034] Figure 2 is a top view of an exemplary phase adjustment component.
[0035] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary phase adjustment component.
[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of phase adjustment components in a phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0037] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of phase adjustment components in another phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0038] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a phase adjustment component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0039] Figure 7 is a top view of a portion of the film layer of a phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0040] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of another phase adjustment component according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0041] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of another phase adjustment component according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0042] Figure 10 is a top view of the radiation structure of a phased array antenna according to an embodiment of this disclosure.
[0043] Figure 11 is a top view of a portion of the film layer of another phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0044] Figure 12 is a top view of a portion of the film layer of another phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation
[0045] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.
[0046] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms “first,” “second,” and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Similarly, the terms “an,” “a,” or “the,” and similar terms do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. The terms “including,” “comprising,” or “containing,” and similar terms mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. The terms “connected,” “linked,” or similar terms are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” and “right,” etc., are used only to indicate relative positional relationships, and these relative positional relationships may change accordingly when the absolute position of the described objects changes.
[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary phased array antenna. As shown in Figure 1, the phased array antenna includes a feeding structure 1, a phase adjustment structure 2, and a radiating structure 3. The phase adjustment structure 2 includes a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate disposed opposite to each other, and a phase adjustment component disposed between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate. The radiating structure 3 includes multiple radiating sections. The feeding structure 1 includes a first feeding port and at least one second feeding port. The phased array antenna includes multiple antenna elements, each antenna element consisting of a phase adjustment component 21 and a radiating section connected to the phase adjustment component 21. The second feeding port of the feeding structure 1 transmits radio frequency signals to a radiating structure through a phase adjustment component.
[0048] In some examples, FIG2 is a top view of an exemplary phase adjustment assembly; as shown in FIG2, the phase adjustment assembly may include a first transmission section 201, a second transmission section 202, and a phase shifting section 203 connected between the first transmission section 201 and the second transmission section 202; the first transmission section 201 is connected to a second feed port of the feed structure 1, and the second transmission section 202 is electrically connected to a radiating section of the radiating structure 3.
[0049] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary phase adjustment component. As shown in Figure 3, in one example, the first transmission unit 201 may be disposed on the side of the first dielectric substrate 21 near the second dielectric substrate 22, and the second transmission unit 202 may be disposed on the side of the second dielectric substrate 22 near the first dielectric substrate 21. The phase shifting unit 203 includes a first electrode 24 disposed on the side of the first dielectric substrate 21 near the second dielectric substrate 22, and a first driving line connected to the first electrode 24; a second electrode 25 disposed on the side of the second dielectric substrate 22 near the first dielectric substrate 21, and a second driving line connected to the second electrode 25; and an adjustable dielectric layer 23 disposed between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25. The first electrode 24 is electrically connected to the first transmission unit 201, and the second electrode 25 is connected to the second transmission unit 202. The first driving circuit board 31 applies a first bias voltage to the first electrode 24 through the first driving line 26, and the second driving circuit board 32 applies a second bias voltage to the second electrode 25 through the second driving line 27, so as to adjust the dielectric constant of the adjustable dielectric layer 23, thereby realizing the phase adjustment of the radio frequency signal through the phase adjustment structure.
[0050] Furthermore, the phase adjustment assembly may include a first electrode layer disposed on the side of the first dielectric substrate 21 near the tunable dielectric layer 23, and a second electrode layer disposed on the side of the second dielectric substrate 22 near the tunable dielectric layer 23. The first electrode layer may include a first transmission section 201 and a first electrode 24, and the second electrode layer includes a second transmission section 202 and a second electrode 25. That is, the first transmission section 201 and the first electrode 24 may be disposed on the same layer, and the second transmission section 202 and the second electrode 25 may be disposed on the same layer. This helps to achieve a thinner and lighter phased array antenna according to the embodiments of this disclosure.
[0051] In some examples, the material of the tunable dielectric layer 23 can be selected from materials whose dielectric constant can change with different electric fields, such as liquid crystals and PDLCs. In this embodiment, only a liquid crystal layer is used as an example of the tunable dielectric layer 23.
[0052] In some examples, the first dielectric substrate 21 and the second dielectric substrate 22 can be selected from various dielectric materials such as glass substrate, PCB board, and ceramic. The dimensions of the first dielectric substrate 21 and the second dielectric substrate 22 can be about 0.1λ to 1λ, and the thickness can be about 1μm to 100μm.
[0053] In some examples, the materials of the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 25 can be selected from metal materials, such as copper.
[0054] In some examples, the first driving line 26 and the second driving line 27 can be made of transparent electrical materials, such as indium tin oxide.
[0055] The inventors discovered that to achieve flexible beam scanning performance for phased array antennas, a large-scale power divider phase shifter network is often required. This necessitates a rationally designed arrangement of the phase adjustment structure in the phase shifter array to simplify the connection between the feed structure and the phase adjustment structure, as well as a rational design of the connection between the phase adjustment structure and the radiation structure, in order to achieve miniaturization of the phased array antenna.
[0056] To address the aforementioned problems, the present disclosure provides the following technical solutions.
[0057] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of phase adjustment components in a phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the phased array antenna of the present disclosure is roughly the same as the phased array antenna described above. The difference is that the multiple phase adjustment components are arranged side by side along the first direction X, and every two adjacent phase adjustment components are symmetrically arranged with the midpoint of the line connecting their geometric centers and the straight line extending along the second direction Y as the axis of symmetry. The first direction X and the second direction Y are orthogonal. For example, the multiple phase adjustment components of the phase adjustment structure are divided into four groups arranged along the second direction Y. Each group includes two phase adjustment components arranged side by side along the first direction X. The phase adjustment components in each group have the same structure, and their first transmission parts 201 are opposite each other. That is, the first transmission parts 201 of each relative adjustment component are centrally arranged. This helps the feeding structure to feed each phase adjustment component, so as to simplify the overall structure of the phased array antenna.
[0058] In some examples, as shown in Figure 4, the second transmission sections 202 of two adjacent phase adjustment components arranged along the second direction Y are staggered, which facilitates the connection between the second transmission section 202 and the radiation structure. Furthermore, in this case, if multiple phase adjustment components are arranged side-by-side along the first direction X, and every two adjacent phase adjustment components are symmetrically arranged with a straight line extending along the second direction Y, passing through the midpoint of the line connecting their geometric centers, as the axis of symmetry, then the lengths of the adjacent phase adjustment components along the second direction Y are unequal.
[0059] In some examples, continuing to refer to Figure 4, the first transmission section 201 of each phase adjustment component can be connected one-to-one with the second feed port of the power supply structure. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of phase adjustment components in another phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; as shown in Figure 5, the first transmission sections 201 of each phase adjustment component arranged side by side along the second direction Y are flush. In this case, the first transmission sections 201 of two adjacent phase adjustment components arranged along the first direction X are fed through the same second feed port. This arrangement is made so that each second feed port of the power supply structure 1 can be easily connected to the first transmission section 201 of the corresponding phase adjustment component. Similarly, taking the multiple phase adjustment components of the phase adjustment structure as divided into four groups arranged along the second direction Y, each group including two phase adjustment components arranged side by side along the first direction X, with the phase adjustment components in each group having the same structure and their first transmission sections 201 facing each other as an example, the first transmission sections 201 of the two phase adjustment components in each group are fed through the same second feed port.
[0060] In some examples, FIG6 is a cross-sectional view of a phase adjustment component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG7 is a top view of a portion of the film layer of a phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; as shown in FIG6 and 7, the phase adjustment structure in this embodiment not only includes the first dielectric substrate 21, the second dielectric substrate 22 and a plurality of phase adjustment components as described above, but also includes a first reference electrode layer 28 located on the side of the second dielectric substrate 22 away from the first dielectric substrate 21, a first interlayer insulating layer 211 disposed on the side of the first reference electrode layer 28 away from the second dielectric substrate 22, a plurality of auxiliary traces 210 disposed on the side of the first interlayer insulating layer 211 away from the second dielectric substrate 22, a second interlayer insulating layer 212 disposed on the side of the layer where the auxiliary traces 210 are located away from the first reference electrode layer 28, and a second reference electrode layer 29 disposed on the side of the second interlayer insulating layer 212 away from the layer where the auxiliary traces 210 are located. The first reference electrode layer 28 has a plurality of first slits extending along its thickness direction, and the second reference electrode layer 29 has a plurality of first through holes 291 extending along its thickness direction; the second transmission part 202 of a phase adjustment assembly is electrically connected to the first end of an auxiliary trace 210 through a first slit, and the second end of the auxiliary trace 210 is electrically connected to a radiating part through the first through holes 291.
[0061] Specifically, referring to Figure 6, in one example, any two of the second transmission section 202 of the phase adjustment component, the first slit opening 281, and the first end of the auxiliary trace 210 electrically connected thereto have overlapping orthographic projections on the first dielectric substrate 21. In this case, the second transmission section 202 of the phase adjustment component and the first end of the auxiliary trace 210 are coupled through the first slit opening 281. In some examples, the first slit opening 281 can be any of the following: straight, H-shaped, or arc-shaped. Regardless of the form of the first slit opening 281, the geometric center of the second transmission section 202 of the phase adjustment component corresponding to the first slit opening 281 coincides with the orthographic projection of the geometric center of the first slit opening 281 on the first dielectric substrate 21. Correspondingly, the orthographic projection of the first end of the auxiliary trace 210 on the first dielectric substrate 21 passes through the geometric center of the orthographic projection of the first slit opening 281 on the first dielectric substrate 21. In this way, signal transmission loss can be reduced.
[0062] In some examples, the second end of the auxiliary trace 210 overlaps with either the first via 291 or the radiating portion in its orthographic projection onto the first dielectric substrate 21. That is, the second end of the auxiliary trace 210 can be coupled to the radiating portion through the first via 291.
[0063] In some examples, Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of another phase adjustment component according to an embodiment of the present invention; as shown in Figure 8, the second end of the auxiliary trace 210 is connected to the radiating part through a first connecting component passing through the first through hole 291 and the second through hole; the second through hole passes through the second interlayer insulating layer 212. The first connecting component is a feed probe. This method can effectively reduce transmission loss. It should be noted that when a feed probe is selected as the first connecting component, the diameter of the feed probe is smaller than the diameter of the first through hole 291 and also smaller than the diameter of the second through hole, thereby avoiding the need for a feed probe.
[0064] In some examples, the auxiliary trace 210 in this embodiment can be a single-layer trace, as shown in FIG8. FIG9 is a cross-sectional view of another phase adjustment component of this embodiment; as shown in FIG9, the auxiliary trace 210 may also include multiple sub-traces arranged sequentially and electrically connected in a direction away from the second dielectric substrate 22; the sub-traces of adjacent layers are electrically connected by a second connection component through a third via penetrating the interlayer insulating layer between them. In this way, the space occupied by the auxiliary trace 210 can be reduced, which helps to achieve high integration of the phased array antenna. The second connection component may also be a feed probe. The diameter of the feed probe is smaller than the diameter of the third via.
[0065] In some examples, continuing to refer to FIG7, the auxiliary trace 210 of this disclosure embodiment may include at least two line segments with different extension directions, that is, the auxiliary trace 210 of this disclosure embodiment is a bent curve. In this way, the space occupied by the auxiliary trace 210 can be reduced, which helps to achieve high integration of the phased array antenna.
[0066] In some examples, the phased array antenna of this disclosure is a dual-polarized antenna, meaning that each radiating element has two feed points. Correspondingly, each antenna element has two phase adjustment components. For convenience, these two phase adjustment components are referred to as the first phase adjustment component 20a and the second phase adjustment component 20b, respectively. The first phase adjustment component 20a is electrically connected to the first feed point, and the second phase adjustment component 20b is also electrically connected to the second feed point. In this case, each antenna element can achieve 0° / 90° polarization or ±45° polarization.
[0067] Furthermore, the radiating elements in each antenna element of this embodiment can be arranged in an array, or they can be arranged side by side along the first direction X or the second direction Y. For example, multiple phase adjustment components of the phase adjustment structure are divided into four groups arranged along the second direction Y, and each group includes two phase adjustment components arranged side by side along the first direction X. In this case, the number of radiating elements is four, and the four radiating elements are arranged side by side along the first direction X.
[0068] In some examples, the operating frequencies of the antenna elements in the phased array antenna provided in this disclosure can be the same or different. For example, the antenna elements in this disclosure include two types of antenna elements with different operating frequencies, referred to as the first antenna element and the second antenna element, respectively. Further, the operating frequency of the first antenna element is higher than that of the second antenna element, and the radiating portion of the first antenna element is further away from the second dielectric substrate 22 than the radiating portion of the second antenna element. This is because the first antenna element and the second antenna element operate at different frequency bands, therefore the distances of the radiating portions of the first antenna element and the second antenna element from the second dielectric substrate 22 are set differently. Of course, in some examples, the radiating portions of the first antenna element and the second antenna element can also be arranged on the same layer, which are not listed in all embodiments of this disclosure. In some examples, FIG10 is a top view of the radiation structure of a phased array antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; as shown in FIG10, when the antenna element includes the first antenna element and the second antenna element described above, the radiating part of the first antenna element is referred to as the first radiating part 311, and the radiating part in the second antenna element can be referred to as the second radiating part 312. The first radiating part 311 and the second radiating part 312 can be divided into a first radiating part group 311 and a second radiating part group. The first radiating part group 311 and the second radiating part group 312 are alternately arranged along the second direction Y. In the first radiating part group 311, a plurality of first radiating parts 311 are arranged side by side along the first direction X, and in the second radiating part group 312, a plurality of second radiating parts 312 are arranged side by side along the first direction X.
[0069] Furthermore, Figure 11 is a top view of a portion of the film layer of another phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 12 is a top view of a portion of the film layer of yet another phase adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; as shown in Figures 11 and 12, multiple phase adjustment components are divided into multiple groups arranged side by side along the second direction Y, and the operating frequencies of the phase adjustment components in two adjacent groups are different. That is, the phase adjustment components of the first antenna element and the second antenna are alternately arranged along the second direction Y.
[0070] When the operating frequencies of the first antenna element and the second antenna element differ significantly, as shown in Figure 11, the dimensions of the first phase adjustment component 20a and the second adjustment component in the phase adjustment structure are different, and the size of the second phase adjustment component 20b is larger than that of the first phase adjustment component 20a. When the operating frequencies of the first antenna element and the second antenna element differ slightly, the dimensions of the first phase adjustment component 20a and the second phase adjustment component 20b in the phase adjustment structure are comparable.
[0071] This disclosure provides an electronic device that may include the phased array antenna described above.
[0072] The phased array antenna provided in this embodiment further includes a transceiver unit, a radio frequency transceiver, a signal amplifier, a power amplifier, and a filtering unit. The antenna in the antenna system can function as either a transmitting antenna or a receiving antenna. The transceiver unit may include a baseband and a receiving end. The baseband provides signals in at least one frequency band, such as 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G signals, and transmits these signals to the radio frequency transceiver. After receiving the signal, the antenna in the antenna system processes it through the filtering unit, power amplifier, signal amplifier, and radio frequency transceiver before transmitting it to the receiving end in the transmitting unit. The receiving end may be, for example, a smart gateway.
[0073] Furthermore, the RF transceiver is connected to the transceiver unit and is used to modulate the signals transmitted by the transceiver unit, or to demodulate the signals received by the antenna before transmitting them to the transceiver unit. Specifically, the RF transceiver may include a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, a modulation circuit, and a demodulation circuit. After the transmitting circuit receives various types of signals provided by the baseband, the modulation circuit can modulate the various types of signals provided by the baseband and then send them to the antenna. The antenna receives the signals and transmits them to the receiving circuit of the RF transceiver. The receiving circuit then transmits the signals to the demodulation circuit, which demodulates the signals and transmits them to the receiving end.
[0074] Furthermore, the RF transceiver is connected to a signal amplifier and a power amplifier, which are then connected to a filtering unit. The filtering unit is connected to at least one antenna. During signal transmission, the signal amplifier improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the RF transceiver's output signal before transmitting it to the filtering unit; the power amplifier amplifies the power of the RF transceiver's output signal before transmitting it to the filtering unit. The filtering unit may include a duplexer and a filtering circuit. The filtering unit combines the signals output from the signal amplifier and power amplifier, filters out clutter, and transmits them to the antenna, which then radiates the signal. During signal reception, the antenna receives the signal and transmits it to the filtering unit. The filtering unit filters out clutter from the received signal before transmitting it to the signal amplifier and power amplifier. The signal amplifier increases the gain of the received signal, improving the SNR; the power amplifier amplifies the power of the received signal. The received signal is then processed by the power amplifier and signal amplifier before being transmitted to the RF transceiver, which in turn transmits it to the transceiver unit.
[0075] In some examples, the signal amplifier may include various types of signal amplifiers, such as low-noise amplifiers, without limitation.
[0076] In some examples, the phased array antenna provided in this disclosure also includes a power management unit connected to a power amplifier to provide voltage to the power amplifier for signal amplification.
[0077] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary implementations used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. A phased array antenna, comprising a phase adjustment structure and a radiating structure; wherein, The phase adjustment structure includes a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate disposed opposite to each other, and a plurality of phase adjustment components disposed between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate; the radiation structure includes a plurality of radiating parts, and one of the radiating parts is electrically connected to at least one of the phase adjustment structures to form an antenna unit. Among the plurality of phase adjustment components, the phase adjustment components are arranged side by side along the first direction, and each pair of adjacent phase adjustment components are symmetrically arranged with a straight line extending along the second direction through the midpoint of the line connecting their geometric centers as the axis of symmetry; the first direction and the second direction are orthogonal.
2. The phased array antenna according to claim 1, wherein, The phase adjustment assembly includes a first transmission section, a second transmission section, and a phase shifting section connected between the first transmission section and the second transmission section; the second transmission section is electrically connected to the radiation structure. The second transmission sections of the phase adjustment components arranged adjacent to each other along the second direction are staggered.
3. The phased array antenna according to claim 2, wherein, The first transmission section of the phase adjustment component arranged adjacent to each other along the second direction is flush.
4. The phased array antenna according to claim 3, wherein, It also includes a power supply structure; two phase adjustment components are arranged adjacent to each other in the first direction and symmetrically arranged with a straight line extending along the second direction through the midpoint of the line connecting their geometric centers as the axis of symmetry, and are powered by the same power supply port of the power supply structure.
5. The phased array antenna according to claim 1, wherein, The phase adjustment structure further includes a first reference electrode layer located on the side of the second dielectric substrate away from the first dielectric substrate, a first interlayer insulating layer disposed on the side of the first reference electrode layer away from the second dielectric substrate, a plurality of auxiliary traces disposed on the side of the first interlayer insulating layer away from the first reference electrode layer, a second interlayer insulating layer disposed on the side of the plurality of auxiliary traces away from the first interlayer insulating layer, and a second reference electrode layer disposed on the side of the second interlayer insulating layer away from the plurality of auxiliary traces. The first reference electrode layer has a plurality of first slit openings, and the second reference electrode layer has a plurality of first vias; the first end of the auxiliary trace overlaps with the orthographic projection of one of the first slit openings on the first dielectric substrate, the second end of the auxiliary trace overlaps with the orthographic projection of one of the first vias on the first dielectric substrate, and the phase adjustment component is electrically connected to the radiating part at least through the first slit openings and the first vias.
6. The phased array antenna according to claim 5, wherein, The second end of the auxiliary trace is connected to the radiating part through the first connecting component of the first through hole and the second through hole; the second through hole penetrates the second interlayer insulation layer.
7. The phased array antenna according to claim 6, wherein, The first connection component is a power supply probe.
8. The phased array antenna according to claim 5, wherein, The second end of the auxiliary trace overlaps with the orthographic projection of either the first through hole or the radiating portion onto the first dielectric substrate.
9. The phased array antenna according to claim 5, wherein, The auxiliary traces include multiple sub-traces arranged sequentially and electrically connected in a direction away from the second dielectric substrate; the sub-traces of adjacent layers are electrically connected through a second connection component through a third through-hole in the interlayer insulating layer between them.
10. The phased array antenna according to claim 9, wherein, The second connection component is a power supply probe.
11. The phased array antenna according to claim 5, wherein, The orthographic projection of the first end of the auxiliary trace on the first dielectric substrate passes through the geometric center of the orthographic projection of the first slit opening on the first dielectric substrate.
12. The phased array antenna according to claim 5, wherein, The auxiliary routing consists of at least two line segments extending in different directions.
13. The phased array antenna according to claim 5, wherein, The current state of the first slit opening includes any one of the following: straight, H-shaped, or arc-shaped.
14. The phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein, The radiating section has two feed points, namely a first feed point and a second feed point; the line connecting the first feed point and the center of the radiating section is orthogonal to the line connecting the second feed point and the center of the radiating section. The antenna unit contains two phase adjustment components, namely a first phase adjustment component and a second phase adjustment component. The first phase adjustment component is electrically connected to the first feed point, and the first phase adjustment component is electrically connected to the second feed point.
15. The phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein, The antenna unit includes a first antenna unit and a second antenna unit, wherein the operating frequency of the first antenna unit is different from that of the second antenna unit.
16. The phased array antenna according to claim 15, wherein, The multiple phase adjustment components are divided into multiple groups arranged side by side along the second direction, and the phase adjustment components in two adjacent groups have different operating frequencies.
17. The phased array antenna according to claim 15, wherein, The operating frequency of the first antenna element is greater than that of the second antenna element.
18. The phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein, The phase adjustment assembly further includes a first conductive layer disposed on the first dielectric substrate near the second dielectric substrate, a second conductive layer disposed on the second dielectric substrate near the first dielectric substrate, and an adjustable dielectric layer disposed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. The first conductive layer includes a first transmission section and a first electrode; The second conductive layer includes a first transmission section and a second electrode; The first electrode and the second electrode, and the adjustable dielectric layer located between the first electrode and the second electrode, constitute the phase shifting part of the phase adjustment assembly.
19. The phased array antenna according to claim 18, wherein, The adjustable dielectric layer includes a liquid crystal layer.
20. An electronic device comprising the phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1-19.