The present disclosure relates to an antenna module, and especially relates to an active array antenna module.
The fifth-generation mobile communication starts generally introducing the millimeter-wave frequency band, and the demand for high-gain array antennas in the millimeter-wave frequency band also starts increasing significantly. Due to the characteristics of the millimeter-wave channels, the base stations generally require phased arrays with more than 16 elements to provide high enough gain to meet the link requirement. Currently, the integrated solutions provided by most of the manufacturers are based on the multi-layer printed circuit boards, which carry the functional components such as the radio frequency chips, the block antennas, the radio frequency feed lines, the digital control lines and so on, so as to produce the highly integrated millimeter-wave phased array antenna module.
However, this multi-layer circuit board-based integration has many difficulties and conflicts. First, the radio frequency feed lines must be responsible for connecting and collecting the signals of each sub-array, but as the number of the array elements increases, the radio frequency feed lines become longer and more complex, so that the loss of the radio frequency signal is greater. Especially when the radio frequency system has the dual-polarization specification requirement, wiring the feed lines is more difficult, and more layers of the printed circuit board are required to deal with the interleaving problems. In order to have the sufficient bandwidth, the antenna structure often requires a large antenna-ground plane spacing, which requires the thicker printed circuit board layers or is achieved with the multiple stacks. These limitations also increase the difficulty of the stack-up design of the printed circuit board.
Due to the need to consider the characteristics such as the bandwidth and the field type, the antenna structure occupies a large number of the layers, and requires a clear area, which is exclusive, and the ground plane should also avoid any opening or cutting, so the arrangement that the lower-half part is the antenna structure while the upper-half part is the arrangement of the signals and other lines is used. The result of such arrangement is a high-density interconnected stack structure of up to 12 layers, but the actual utilization efficiency is low, and only six layers can be used for dense routing, and the antenna structure does not actually need so many layers. In addition, after the signals of each sub-array are collected, the calibration of each antenna unit also increases the difficulty. The stacking structure of the dozens of the layers and the multi-layer blind holes and the buried holes, plus the huge number of the arrays and the wirings, will increase the difficulty of the calibration, and the defects are difficult to be eliminated. Various unfavorable factors make the current active array antenna modules remain at the high cost and extremely complex.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an active array antenna module.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, another object of the present disclosure is to provide an active array antenna module.
In order to achieve the object of the present disclosure mentioned above, the active array antenna module of the present disclosure includes a cover plate, a metal frame, an antenna main board, at least one first integrated circuit, a back frame, and a plurality of first fixing structures. The cover plate is a dielectric substrate and includes a plurality of metal patterns. The metal frame is arranged on the cover plate. The metal frame defines a plurality of openings. The antenna main board is arranged on the metal frame. The antenna main board is a multi-layer circuit board and includes a plurality of antenna units and a plurality of radio frequency feed lines. The radio frequency feed lines are electrically connected to the antenna units. The at least one first integrated circuit is arranged on the antenna main board. The radio frequency feed lines are electrically connected between the antenna units and the at least one first integrated circuit. The back frame is arranged on the antenna main board. The back frame is made of a metal. The first fixing structures fix the back frame, the metal frame, and the cover plate, so that the antenna main board is fixed between the metal frame and the back frame, so that each of the antenna units of the antenna main board corresponds to each of the openings defined by the metal frame and each of the metal patterns of the cover plate to form a cavity antenna unit, and the active array antenna module includes a plurality of the cavity antenna units.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, the antenna units are dual-polarized antennas.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, the active array antenna module further includes at least one high frequency connector arranged on the antenna main board, wherein the at least one high frequency connector is a surface mount technology component.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, the active array antenna module further includes a heat dissipation structure assembled to the back frame, the metal frame, and the cover plate.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, the at least one first integrated circuit is a beam forming integrated circuit.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, a first number of the openings defined by the metal frame is equal to a second number of the antenna units of the antenna main board.
In order to achieve the another object of the present disclosure mentioned above, the active array antenna module of the present disclosure includes a cover plate, a metal frame, a plurality of antenna main boards, at least one first integrated circuit, a back frame, and a plurality of first fixing structures. The cover plate is a dielectric substrate and includes a plurality of metal patterns. The metal frame is arranged on the cover plate. The metal frame defines a plurality of openings. The antenna main boards are arranged on the metal frame. Each of the antenna main boards is a multi-layer circuit board and includes a plurality of antenna units and a plurality of radio frequency feed lines. The radio frequency feed lines are electrically connected to the antenna units. The at least one first integrated circuit is arranged on the antenna main boards. The radio frequency feed lines are electrically connected between the antenna units and the at least one first integrated circuit. The back frame is arranged on the antenna main boards. The back frame is made of a metal. The first fixing structures fix the back frame, the metal frame, and the cover plate, so that the antenna main boards are fixed between the metal frame and the back frame, so that each of the antenna units of the antenna main boards corresponds to each of the openings defined by the metal frame and each of the metal patterns of the cover plate to form a cavity antenna unit, and the active array antenna module includes a plurality of the cavity antenna units.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, the antenna units are dual-polarized antennas.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, the active array antenna module further includes a heat dissipation structure assembled to the back frame, the metal frame, and the cover plate.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, the at least one first integrated circuit is a beam forming integrated circuit.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, the active array antenna module further includes at least one high frequency connector arranged on the antenna main boards, wherein the at least one high frequency connector is a surface mount technology component.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, the active array antenna module further includes at least one transmission line and an N-way power integrator. The at least one transmission line is electrically connected to the at least one high frequency connector. The N-way power integrator is electrically connected to the at least one transmission line. Moreover, the at least one high frequency connector is connected to the N-way power integrator through the at least one transmission line. The N-way power integrator is a power splitter or a power combiner.
Moreover, in an embodiment of the active array antenna module of the present disclosure mentioned above, a first number of the openings defined by the metal frame is equal to a second number of the antenna units of the antenna main boards.
The advantage of the present disclosure is to provide an active array antenna module with a simple structure.
Please refer to the detailed descriptions and figures of the present disclosure mentioned below for further understanding the technology, method and effect of the present disclosure achieving the predetermined purposes. It believes that the purposes, characteristic and features of the present disclosure can be understood deeply and specifically. However, the figures are only for references and descriptions, but the present disclosure is not limited by the figures.
In the present disclosure, numerous specific details are provided, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the disclosure. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, however, that the present disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details. In other instances, well-known details are not shown or described to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure. Now please refer to the figures for the explanation of the technical content and the detailed description of the present disclosure:
As shown in
As shown in
The at least one first integrated circuit 112 is, for example but not limited to, a beam forming integrated circuit. For example, the at least one first integrated circuit 112 is a radio frequency front-end integrated circuit with the beam forming function, which at least includes a phase shifter (not shown in these figures), and some even integrate the transceivers. Most of the radio frequency front-end integrated circuits can correspond to the plurality of the antenna units 114 in one package, for example, one integrated circuit corresponds to four of the antenna units 114. In addition, some integrated circuits having the functions such as the power management or the digital control may also be arranged on the antenna main board 106. The antenna units 114 are, for example but not limited to, the dual-polarized antennas, the patch antennas, or the slot antennas. A first number of the openings 118 defined by the metal frame 104 is, for example but not limited to, equal to a second number (for example, both are 64) of the antenna units 114 of the antenna main board 106.
Moreover, the metal patterns 120 of the cover plate 102 are arranged on one side of the cover plate 102 or inside the cover plate 102, and shapes of the metal patterns 120 are the same or similar, such as the square, the octagon, or the circular. Basically, each of the metal patterns 120 corresponds to one of the openings 118 and one of the antenna elements 114. The back frame 108 includes a groove or a similar structure for positioning the antenna main board 106. The main function of the back frame 108 is to provide the cover plate 102, the metal frame 104 and the antenna main board 106 to be assembled. The metal frame 104 and the openings 118 form a fixed cavity between the antenna main board 106 and the cover plate 102, so that the characteristics such as the bandwidth and the efficiency of the antenna can be improved.
Moreover, each of the first fixing structures 110 includes a first screw 132 and a first nut 134, and the first screw 132 is screwed to the first nut 134 through the back frame 108, the metal frame 104 and the cover plate 102, so that the first screw 132 and the first nut 134 screw and fix the back frame 108, the metal frame 104 and the cover plate 102, and the antenna main board 106 is arranged/sandwiched between the back frame 108 and the metal frames 104, as shown in
Moreover, the cover plate 102, the metal frame 104, the antenna main board 106 and the back frame 108 which have been relatively fixed may be assembled with the heat dissipation structure 126. The heat dissipation structure 126 includes a plurality of bumps 154 to correspond to the integrated circuits and to avoid the connectors and other components on the antenna main board 106. The bumps 154 may be coated with the thermal grease, or other objects with the similar functions may be placed on the bumps 154, to enhance the thermal conductivity.
Moreover, as shown in
Moreover, as shown in
The antenna main boards 106 are arranged on the metal frame 104. Each of the antenna main boards 106 is a multi-layer circuit board and includes a plurality of the antenna units 114 (as shown in
The first fixing structures 110 fix the back frame 108, the metal frame 104 and the cover plate 102, so that the antenna main boards 106 are fixed between the metal frame 104 and the back frame 108, so that each of the antenna units 114 (as shown in
Moreover, compared to the back frame 108 having only a single section 150 (as shown in the embodiment of
The embodiment of
Benefiting from the assembling method of the present disclosure, the interval between the antenna module and the antenna module may be reduced to a very small extent, so as to reduce the negative influence when the sub-array composes the high-gain antenna.
The present disclosure is a millimeter-wave array antenna module composed of a heterogeneous structure, and the main features of the present disclosure are as following:
The advantage of the present disclosure is to provide an active array antenna module with a simple structure.
Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and others will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the disclosure as defined in the appended claims.