Metal-Patterned Lens Antenna for Thin High-Gain Phase Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Low-band high-gain dielectric lens antennas are typically thick, heavy, and have low radiation efficiency due to their large aperture size and high dielectric loss, making them difficult to mount and use effectively in microwave communications.
Innovation Solution
A lens design that incorporates a metal layer with a graphics array of rings, where the sizes, rotation angles, and intervals of the graphic units are varied to generate phase shifts, compensating for distance differences and reducing the thickness of the substrate layer, thereby reducing the overall thickness of the lens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a low-band high-gain dielectric lens antenna uses a large aperture size, then the gain is improved, but the thickness and weight increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the refractive index parameter of the dielectric lens material to achieve high gain with reduced thickness. By using a dielectric material with refractive index greater than 2.25 (such as silicon oxide with n>2.25), the lens can achieve the required phase correction in a shorter thickness, resolving the contradiction between gain and thickness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures combining dielectric lens elements with specific geometric configurations (such as spherical or aspherical surfaces) and materials with tailored refractive indices. This composite approach enables the lens to achieve high gain performance while maintaining reduced thickness through optimized material properties
2Power
If a low-band dielectric lens antenna increases thickness to achieve high gain, then the gain is improved, but the dielectric loss increases and radiation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter (refractive index) to achieve the required phase correction with minimal thickness. By selecting dielectric materials with refractive index greater than 2.25, the lens achieves high gain while minimizing the thickness that would otherwise cause excessive dielectric loss and reduced radiation efficiency
3Power
If a low-band dielectric lens antenna increases thickness to achieve high gain, then the gain is improved, but the weight increases making it difficult to mount
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the refractive index parameter of the dielectric material to achieve high gain with significantly reduced thickness. This parameter change directly reduces the weight of the lens, making it easier to mount and install while maintaining the required high gain performance
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces the thickness of the lens, improving its mountability, reducing dielectric loss, and enhancing radiation efficiency while maintaining high gain and low side lobe levels.
Implementation Method 1
the metal layer includes a metal part and a hollow-out part, and the metal part or the hollow-out part is presented by using a graphics array... the transmitted electromagnetic wave generates different phase shift amounts at different locations on the substrate layer
Implementation Method 2
When an electromagnetic wave passes through the metal layer, the metal part in the metal layer is equivalent to an inductance element, and the hollow-out part is equivalent to a capacitance element, so that a resonant circuit can be formed, and a phase shift is generated by the transmitted electromagnetic wave
Implementation Method 3
the generated different phase shift amounts are used to compensate for phase differences of the electromagnetic wave that are caused by distance differences
Data Source
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AI summary
This application provides a lens, a lens antenna, a remote radio unit RRU, and a base station. The lens includes a substrate layer and a metal layer, where at least one surface of the substrate layer is a concave surface or a convex surface; the metal layer exists on the at least one surface of the substrate layer; the metal layer includes a metal part and a hollow-out part, and the metal part or the hollow-out part is presented by using a graphics array; the graphics array includes a plurality of first rings, the first ring includes a plurality of graphic units, and a larger ring encircles a smaller ring in the plurality of first rings; and at least one of two adjacent first intervals, and sizes and rotation angles of the plurality of graphic units included in two adjacent first rings are different, where the first interval is an interval between the two adjacent first rings. In the technical solutions provided in this application, a phase shift amount of a transmitted electromagnetic wave is generated by using the metal layer, so that a phase shift amount generated by changing a thickness of the substrate layer can be reduced, the thickness of the substrate layer can be reduced, and a thickness of the lens can be further reduced.