Microstrip antenna and antenna array
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-13
Smart Images
Figure CN2025112814_13082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Microstrip antennas and antenna arrays
[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510143861.3, filed on February 8, 2025, entitled “Microstrip Antenna and Antenna Array”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field
[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a microstrip antenna and antenna array. Background Technology
[0003] With the development of 5G communication technology, Massive MIMO (Massive MIMO) will become a key technology for mobile communication. Massive MIMO technology requires the use of large-scale antenna arrays. Currently, the antennas used in Massive MIMO base stations mainly adopt patch antennas. Microstrip patch antennas are lightweight and easy to manufacture, and have been widely used in various wireless communications.
[0004] However, microstrip patch antennas have the disadvantage of narrow bandwidth, which makes them unable to meet users' bandwidth requirements for wireless communication. Summary of the Invention
[0005] This application provides a microstrip antenna and antenna array that can improve the operating bandwidth of the microstrip antenna, thereby meeting the user's bandwidth requirements for wireless communication.
[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a microstrip antenna, comprising: a substrate, a feeding structure, and a first radiator. A mounting surface is provided on the substrate, and both the feeding structure and the first radiator are disposed on the mounting surface. The first radiator includes a radiating plate and a bent plate connected to the radiating plate. A first distance separates the radiating plate from the mounting surface, and the bent plate is bent toward the mounting surface. The feeding structure can feed power to the radiating plate through the bent plate.
[0007] This application, by incorporating a bent plate that bends towards the mounting surface, allows the bent plate to be positioned close to the feed structure, thereby reducing the distance between the feed structure and the first radiator and enhancing the coupling between them. With the coupling strength between the feed structure and the first radiator guaranteed, the distance between the radiating plate and the substrate can be increased. This increases the profile height of the microstrip antenna, which in turn improves its operating bandwidth to meet user bandwidth requirements.
[0008] This application does not limit the number of bending plates. In some implementations, there are two bending plates, which are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the radiating plate in a direction parallel to the radiating plate.
[0009] In some implementations of this application, the number of power supply structures is two, and the two power supply structures are set at intervals.
[0010] This application does not limit the relationship between the spacing direction of the power supply structures and the spacing direction of the bent plates. In some implementations, the spacing direction of the two power supply structures is the same as the spacing direction of the two bent plates. In other implementations, the spacing direction of the two power supply structures is perpendicular to the spacing direction of the two bent plates.
[0011] In some implementations of this application, a feeder is also included, which is disposed on the mounting surface and connected to the power supply structure.
[0012] This application does not limit the positional relationship between the feed line and the first radiator. In some implementations, the feed line is located outside the projection range of the first radiator on the substrate. In other implementations, the feed line is at least partially located within the projection range of the first radiator on the substrate.
[0013] In some implementations of this application, a second radiator is provided on the side of the first radiator facing away from the substrate. By providing the second radiator, the profile height of the microstrip antenna can be further increased, thereby improving the operating bandwidth.
[0014] This application does not limit the structure of the second radiator. In some implementations, the second radiator is plate-shaped, and the second radiator and the radiating plate are spaced apart along the thickness direction of the radiating plate. In other implementations, the second radiator has the same structure as the first radiator, and the bent plate on the second radiator is bent toward the side where the first radiator is located.
[0015] In some implementations of this application, the substrate includes a reflector and a dielectric layer stacked together, with the dielectric layer located between the reflector and the first radiator, and the feeding structure and feed line both attached to the dielectric layer.
[0016] In some implementations of this application, the dielectric layer is made of radio frequency substrate, ceramic, plastic or foam.
[0017] In some implementations of this application, the first radiator is made of metal.
[0018] In some implementations of this application, the microstrip antenna is a ±45-degree dual-polarized antenna.
[0019] Secondly, this application provides an antenna array, including multiple microstrip antennas as described in the first aspect, wherein each microstrip antenna is arranged in an array. Attached Figure Description
[0020] Figure 1(a) shows a schematic diagram of the microstrip antenna in some embodiments;
[0021] Figure 1(b) shows a side view of Figure 1(a);
[0022] Figure 2(a) shows a schematic diagram of the microstrip antenna in some other embodiments;
[0023] Figure 2(b) shows a side view of Figure 2(a);
[0024] Figure 3(a) shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a microstrip antenna in some embodiments of this application;
[0025] Figure 3(b) shows a side view of Figure 3(a);
[0026] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a microstrip antenna in some embodiments of this application;
[0027] Figure 5 shows a top view of a microstrip antenna in some embodiments of this application;
[0028] Figure 6 shows a top view of a microstrip antenna in some embodiments of this application;
[0029] Figure 7(a) shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a microstrip antenna in some embodiments of this application;
[0030] Figure 7(b) shows a side view of Figure 7(a);
[0031] Figure 8(a) shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a microstrip antenna in some embodiments of this application;
[0032] Figure 8(b) shows a side view of Figure 8(a);
[0033] Figure 9 shows an experimental comparison between this application and other technical solutions;
[0034] Figure 10 shows a top view of an antenna array in some embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0036] This application provides a microstrip antenna that can be widely used in the field of wireless communication technology. For example, this application can be applied to base station communication scenarios, such as in a base station dual-polarized array antenna.
[0037] Figures 1(a) and 1(b) show schematic diagrams of the structure of a microstrip antenna in the prior art. Referring to Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the microstrip antenna 100a includes a substrate 1a, a feeding structure 2a, and a patch 3a. The substrate 1a has a mounting surface 11a, the feeding structure 2a is disposed on the mounting surface 11a, and a support member 4a is provided between the patch 3a and the mounting surface 11a. The patch 3a is fixed to the mounting surface 11a by the support member 4a, and a certain distance is spaced between the patch 3a and the mounting surface 11a. The feeding structure 2a can feed the patch 3a, enabling the microstrip antenna 100a to operate normally. However, the operating bandwidth of the microstrip antenna 100a is relatively narrow, which cannot meet the bandwidth requirements of users for wireless communication.
[0038] The applicant discovered through investigation that the cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100a (i.e., the distance between the side of the patch 3a facing away from the substrate 1a and the substrate 1a, as shown by dimension H1 in Figure 1(b)) is correlated with the operating bandwidth of the microstrip antenna 100a. A larger cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100a results in a wider operating bandwidth. Since the cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100a in the prior art is generally small, this leads to a correspondingly smaller operating bandwidth for the microstrip antenna 100a.
[0039] To address the issue of limited operating bandwidth in microstrip antennas, two alternative implementation methods are provided below, which can improve the operating bandwidth of microstrip antennas.
[0040] An alternative embodiment provides a microstrip antenna 100b, the structure of which is shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b). Referring to Figures 2(a) and 2(b), the microstrip antenna 100b includes a substrate 1b, a feed structure 2b, and a plurality of patches 3b. The substrate 1b has a mounting surface 11b, and each patch 3b is spaced apart above the mounting surface 11b along the thickness direction of the substrate 1b. Support members 4b are provided between each patch 3b, and between the patch 3b closest to the substrate 1b and the substrate 1b, respectively, and each support member 4b provides support for each patch 3b. Compared to the microstrip antenna 100a shown in Figure 1(a), the microstrip antenna 100b shown in Figure 2(a) has an increased number of patches 3b, and each patch 3b is spaced apart above the mounting surface 11b along a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface 11b. Therefore, the cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100b (as shown by dimension H2 in Figure 2(b)) is greater than that of the microstrip antenna 100a (as shown by dimension H1 in Figure 1(b)). Correspondingly, the operating bandwidth of the microstrip antenna 100b will also increase. However, at the same time, the structure of multiple patches 3b introduces higher process complexity, thus increasing manufacturing costs.
[0041] A second alternative implementation provides a slot-fed microstrip antenna. While slot-fed microstrip antennas can improve the bandwidth of microstrip antennas, their complex structure also increases cost.
[0042] In summary, while the microstrip antennas provided in the first and second optional embodiments can improve the operating bandwidth, they also introduce higher process and structural complexity, thus increasing manufacturing costs.
[0043] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a microstrip antenna that not only improves the operating bandwidth but also features a simple structure and easy manufacturing process, thereby saving processing costs.
[0044] This application provides a microstrip antenna 100. Exemplarily, the microstrip antenna 100 provided in this application can be a ±45-degree dual-polarized antenna. Referring to Figures 3(a) and 3(b), the microstrip antenna 100 includes: a substrate 1, a feed structure 2, and a radiator 3 (referred to as an example of a first radiator). A mounting surface 11 is provided on the substrate 1, and the feed structure 2 is disposed on the mounting surface 11. A support member 71 is provided between the radiator 3 and the mounting surface 11, and the support member 71 is used to provide support for the radiator 3 to fix the radiator 3 to the mounting surface 11. The radiator 3 includes a radiating plate 31 and a bent plate 32 connected to the radiating plate 31. The radiating plate 31 is spaced a certain distance from the mounting surface 11 (referred to as an example of a first distance), and the bent plate 32 is bent towards the mounting surface 11. Exemplarily, the cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100 can be 0.01-0.02 wavelengths, the bent plate 32 is perpendicular to the radiating plate 31, and the radiator 3 is made of a metallic material. When the microstrip antenna 100 is working, the feeding structure 2 can feed power to the radiating plate 31 through the bending plate 32. Both the bending plate 32 and the radiating plate 31 can generate outward radiation to realize the normal operation of the microstrip antenna 100.
[0045] Compared to the technical solutions shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the microstrip antenna 100 provided in Figures 3(a) and 3(b) increases the cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100 by setting a bending plate 32 and bending the bending plate 32 toward the substrate 1, thereby improving the operating bandwidth of the microstrip antenna 100. Specifically, in the technical solution shown in Figure 1(a), when the distance between the patch 3a and the substrate 1a is large, the coupling between the feed structure 2a and the patch 3a will be weakened. Therefore, the distance between the patch 3a and the substrate 1a cannot be set too large, but this will also reduce the cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100a. The microstrip antenna 100 shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b) has a bent plate 32 that bends towards the substrate 1. This allows the bent plate 32 to be closer to the feed structure 2, reducing the minimum distance between the radiator 3 and the feed structure 2 (this minimum distance is the distance between the bent plate 32 and the feed structure 2), thereby increasing the coupling capability of the feed structure 2 to the radiator 3. With the coupling between the feed structure 2 and the radiator 3 guaranteed, the distance between the radiating plate 31 and the substrate 1 can be greater than the distance between the patch 3a and the substrate 1a in Figure 1(b). This increases the cross-sectional height of the patch microstrip antenna 100 (i.e., the distance between the side of the radiating plate 31 facing away from the substrate 1 and the substrate 1, as shown by dimension H3 in Figure 3(b)), thus increasing the operating bandwidth of the microstrip antenna 100 to meet the user's bandwidth requirements. Furthermore, the radiator 3 in this application is a bent structure, which is simple in structure and easy to manufacture, thus saving processing costs.
[0046] In some implementations of this application, referring to FIG3(a), the substrate 1 includes a reflector 5 and a dielectric layer 6 stacked together. The dielectric layer 6 is located between the reflector 5 and the radiator 3, and the feeding structure 2 is attached to the dielectric layer 6. Exemplarily, the dielectric layer 6 is made of radio frequency substrate, ceramic, plastic, or foam.
[0047] This application does not limit the number of bending plates 32. Exemplarily, in some implementations, referring to FIG3(a), the number of bending plates 32 is two, and the two bending plates 32 are disposed opposite each other on both sides of the radiation plate 31 in a direction parallel to the radiation plate 31.
[0048] In some implementations of this application, referring to FIG3(a), the number of power supply structures 2 is two, and the two power supply structures 2 are spaced apart along a direction parallel to the substrate 1.
[0049] This application does not limit the relationship between the spacing direction of the power supply structure 2 and the spacing direction of the bent plate 32. In some implementations, referring to FIG3(a), the spacing direction of the two power supply structures 2 is the same as the spacing direction of the two bent plates 32. Both the two power supply structures 2 and the two bent plates 32 are spaced apart along the X direction in FIG3(a), and the two power supply structures 2 are close to the two bent plates 32, thereby reducing the distance between the power supply structure 2 and the radiator 3 and increasing the coupling capability of the power supply structure 2 to the radiator 3.
[0050] In some other implementations, referring to Figure 4, two power supply structures 2 are spaced apart along the X direction in Figure 4, and two bent plates 32 are spaced apart along the Y direction in Figure 4. The spacing direction of the two power supply structures 2 is perpendicular to the spacing direction of the two bent plates 32.
[0051] In some implementations of this application, the microstrip antenna 100 further includes a feed line 21, which is disposed on the mounting surface 11 and connected to the feeding structure 2. The feed line 21 is used to supply power to the feeding structure 2.
[0052] This application does not limit the positional relationship between the feed line 21 and the radiator 3. In some implementations, referring to FIG. 5, the feed line 21 is located outside the projection range of the radiator 3 on the substrate 1. In other implementations, referring to FIG. 6, the feed line 21 is at least partially (as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 6) within the projection range of the radiator 3 on the substrate 1. Exemplarily, the feed line 21 can pass through the bottom of the radiator 3.
[0053] Compared with the technical solutions shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the microstrip antenna 100 provided in this application can reduce the mutual influence of each feed line 21 during operation and improve the aperture efficiency and gain performance of the microstrip antenna 100 by placing the feed line 21 at the bottom of the radiator 3.
[0054] Specifically, in the microstrip antenna 100a shown in Figure 1(a), due to the small spacing between the patch 3a and the substrate 1a, placing the feed line 21a below the patch 3a would enhance the coupling between the feed line 21a and the patch 3a, leading to a decrease in aperture efficiency and gain performance. However, placing the feed line 21a in an area of the substrate 1a not covered by the patch 3a would reduce the available space for the feed line 21a. When the deployment of the feed lines 21a is complex and numerous, the reduced distribution space for the feed lines 21a would result in an overly dense arrangement of the feed lines 21a, thereby affecting the isolation between the feed lines 21a and adversely impacting the performance of the microstrip antenna 100a.
[0055] The technical solution shown in Figure 3(a) increases the spacing between the radiating plate 31 and the substrate 1 by making the radiator 3 a bent structure. By passing the feed line 21 through the bottom of the radiating plate 31, the feed line 21 can be placed closer to the position where the electric field on the radiator 3 is weakest, thereby reducing the coupling between the feed line 21 and the radiator 3 and improving the aperture efficiency and gain performance of the microstrip antenna 100. In addition, by passing the feed line 21 through the bottom of the radiating plate 31, the bottom space of the radiator 3 can be fully utilized. When the bottom space of the radiator 3 can also be utilized, the space available for the feed line 21 is larger, which reduces the arrangement density of each feed line 21 and thus improves the isolation between each feed line 21.
[0056] In some implementations of this application, referring to FIG7(a), a second radiator 4 is provided on the side of the radiator 3 facing away from the substrate 1. By providing the second radiator 4, the cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100 can be further increased, thereby improving the operating bandwidth.
[0057] This application does not limit the structure of the second radiator 4. In some implementations, referring to Figures 7(a) and 7(b), the second radiator 4 is plate-shaped, and a support member 72 is provided between the second radiator 4 and the radiating plate 31. The second radiator 4 is fixed to the radiating plate 31 by the support member 72. The cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100 in Figure 7(a) is shown as dimension H4 in Figure 7(b).
[0058] In some other implementations, referring to Figure 8(a), the second radiator 4 has the same structure as the radiator 3, with the bent plate 32 on the second radiator 4 bent toward the side where the radiator 3 is located. The cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100 in Figure 8(a) is shown as dimension H5 in Figure 8(b).
[0059] Compared to the technical solution without the second radiator 4 shown in Figure 3(b), the cross-sectional height H4 of the microstrip antenna 100 in Figure 7(b) and the cross-sectional height H5 of the microstrip antenna 100 in Figure 8(b) are both greater than the cross-sectional height H3 of the microstrip antenna 100 in Figure 3(b). Therefore, by providing the second radiator 4, the cross-sectional height of the microstrip antenna 100 can be further increased, thereby improving the operating bandwidth.
[0060] The microstrip antenna 100 provided in this application, by setting the radiator 3 as a bent structure, not only improves the operating bandwidth but also reduces manufacturing costs. Referring to Figure 9, the applicant conducted experiments to test the microstrip antenna 100a shown in Figure 1(a) and the microstrip antenna 100 provided in this application, comparing their matching state and reflection coefficient within the operating frequency band. As can be seen from Figure 9, the microstrip antenna 100 provided in this application significantly improves the antenna matching bandwidth, better meeting user needs.
[0061] This application also provides an antenna array. Referring to FIG10, the antenna array includes any of the microstrip antennas 100 described in the foregoing embodiments in conjunction with FIG3(a) to FIG8(b), and the microstrip antennas 100 are arranged in an array.
[0062] The specific embodiments described above illustrate the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of this application is presented in conjunction with some embodiments, this does not mean that the features of this application are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the application in conjunction with embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of this application. This application may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of this application, some specific details have been omitted in the description. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.
[0063] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.
[0064] In the embodiments of this application, "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.
[0065] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a detachable connection or a non-detachable connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium.
[0066] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.
[0067] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," "connect," and "fit" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.
[0068] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.
Claims
1. A microstrip antenna, characterized in that, include: A substrate, wherein a mounting surface is provided on the substrate; A power supply structure is disposed on the mounting surface; A first radiator is disposed on the mounting surface. The first radiator includes a radiating plate and a bent plate connected to the radiating plate. The radiating plate is spaced apart from the mounting surface by a first distance, and the bent plate is bent toward the mounting surface.
2. The microstrip antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of bending plates is two, and the two bending plates are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the radiating plate in a direction parallel to the radiating plate.
3. The microstrip antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of power supply structures is two, and the two power supply structures are arranged at intervals, and the direction of the interval between the two power supply structures is the same as the direction of the interval between the two bent plates.
4. The microstrip antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of power supply structures is two, and the two power supply structures are arranged at intervals, with the direction of the interval between the two power supply structures being perpendicular to the direction of the interval between the two bent plates.
5. The microstrip antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a feeder line, which is disposed on the mounting surface and connected to the power supply structure.
6. The microstrip antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that, The feed line is located outside the projection range of the first radiator on the substrate.
7. The microstrip antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that, The feed line is at least partially located within the projection range of the first radiator on the substrate.
8. The microstrip antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, A second radiator is provided on the side of the first radiator away from the substrate.
9. The microstrip antenna according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second radiator is plate-shaped, and the second radiator and the radiating plate are spaced apart along the thickness direction of the radiating plate.
10. The microstrip antenna according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second radiator has the same structure as the first radiator.
11. The microstrip antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The substrate includes a reflector and a dielectric layer stacked together, the dielectric layer being located between the reflector and the first radiator, and the feeding structure being attached to the dielectric layer.
12. The microstrip antenna according to claim 11, characterized in that, The dielectric layer is made of radio frequency substrate, ceramic, plastic or foam.
13. The microstrip antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The first radiator is made of metal.
14. The microstrip antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The microstrip antenna is a ±45 degree dual-polarized antenna.
15. An antenna array, characterized in that, It includes multiple microstrip antennas as described in claims 1 to 14, wherein each microstrip antenna is arranged in an array.