This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202010431622.5, filed on May 20, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
This application relates to the field of antenna technologies, and in particular, to an antenna and a communications device.
In a wireless local area network (WLAN) service, to improve signal bandwidth of an access point (AP), more antennas may be integrated into the AP to increase a quantity of signal streams, and a combination of different polarized antennas may be used in the AP to reduce a channel correlation. For example, a horizontally polarized antenna and a vertically polarized antenna that are disposed in a superposition manner may be used in the AP.
A distance between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna is usually relatively short, to reduce a height of an antenna and implement low-profile design of the antenna.
However, because the horizontally polarized antenna is usually fed through a coaxial cable, an induced current is generated in a feeding process through the coaxial cable, and the induced current causes interference to signals received and transmitted by the vertically polarized antenna. In other words, isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna is relatively low.
The application provides an antenna and a communications device, to resolve a problem that isolation between a horizontally polarized antenna and a vertically polarized antenna is relatively low. Technical solutions are as follows:
In at least one embodiment, an antenna is provided, and the antenna includes a horizontally polarized antenna and a vertically polarized antenna that are disposed in a superposition manner. The horizontally polarized antenna includes a substrate, at least one radiation element, at least one double-sided parallel strip line (DSPSL), and a metal sheet and a coaxial cable that are located on a first side of the substrate. The first side is a side that is of the substrate and that is away from the vertically polarized antenna. The double-sided parallel strip line is connected to the radiation element. The metal sheet is connected to a conductor that is of the double-sided parallel strip line and that is located on the first side, and a diameter of a maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet is greater than a line width of the double-sided parallel strip line. A first conductor of the coaxial cable is connected to the metal sheet, and a second conductor of the coaxial cable is connected, through a through hole on the substrate, to a conductor that is of the double-sided parallel strip line and that is located on a second side.
The diameter of the maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet is greater than the linewidth of the double-sided parallel strip line, and both the metal sheet and the coaxial cable are located on the first side of the substrate. Therefore, the metal sheet can suppress an induced current in the coaxial cable, and impact of the induced current on the vertically polarized antenna can be reduced.
In an embodiment, the diameter of the maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet is about 0.18 to 0.5 times a waveguide wavelength, in the double-sided parallel strip line, of an electromagnetic wave of an operating frequency of the horizontally polarized antenna. Therefore, it can be ensured that the metal sheet can effectively suppress the induced current in the coaxial cable, and isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna can be improved.
In an embodiment, the horizontally polarized antenna further includes a first feed point located on the first side and a second feed point located on the second side. The second conductor of the coaxial cable is connected to the first feed point, the first feed point is connected to the second feed point through the through hole, and the second feed point is connected to the conductor that is of the double-sided parallel strip line and that is located on the second side.
The first feed point located on the first side and the second feed point located on the second side are designed, so that the second conductor of the coaxial cable is connected to the conductor that is of the double-sided parallel strip line and that is located on the second side.
In an embodiment, the metal sheet has a via hole, and the horizontally polarized antenna further includes a stub located on the first side and in the via hole. The stub is connected to the second conductor of the coaxial cable, and the stub may be used to adjust impedance of the horizontally polarized antenna.
In an embodiment, the first feed point is located in the via hole, the first feed point and the stub form an integrated structure, and a shape of the via hole is the same as a shape of an orthographic projection of the integrated structure on the substrate. In addition, a gap exists between the integrated structure and the via hole, in other words, the integrated structure is insulated from the metal sheet.
The shape of the via hole is designed to be the same as the shape of the integrated structure. Therefore, it can be ensured that a size of the via hole is not increased when the integrated structure is disposed in the via hole, and it can be ensured that the metal sheet can effectively suppress the induced current in the coaxial cable.
In an embodiment, both a distance between the first feed point and the via hole and a distance between the stub and the via hole are greater than or equal to 0.1 millimeter and less than or equal to 2 millimeters.
In an embodiment, the metal sheet is disk-shaped, and the metal sheet may also be referred to as a feed panel.
In an embodiment, the radiation element is a dipole element. The vertically polarized antenna may be a monopole antenna.
In an embodiment, the first conductor of the coaxial cable is an outer conductor of the coaxial cable, and the second conductor of the coaxial cable is an inner conductor of the coaxial cable.
In at least one embodiment, a communications device is provided. The communications device includes a radio frequency circuit and the antenna, as described herein. The radio frequency circuit is connected to the coaxial cable in the antenna, to feed the horizontally polarized antenna in the antenna.
In conclusion, the application provides the antenna and the communications device. In the solutions provided in the application, the antenna includes the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna. The horizontally polarized antenna includes the metal sheet, and the metal sheet can be separately connected to the double-sided parallel strip line in the horizontally polarized antenna and the first conductor of the coaxial cable. The diameter of the maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet is greater than the line width of the double-sided parallel strip line, and both the metal sheet and the coaxial cable are located on the first side of the substrate. Therefore, the metal sheet can effectively suppress the induced current in the coaxial cable, and impact of the induced current on the vertically polarized antenna can be reduced. According to the solutions provided in the embodiments of the application, the isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna can be effectively improved while an overall height of the antenna is not increased.
The following describes, in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, an antenna and a communications device that are provided in the embodiments of the application.
An embodiment of the application provides an antenna. As shown in
In an embodiment of the application, a quantity of double-sided parallel strip lines 013 included in the horizontally polarized antenna 01 is equal to a quantity of radiation elements 012, and each double-sided parallel strip line 013 is connected to one radiation element 012.
With reference to
As shown in
If an orthographic projection of the metal sheet 014 on the substrate 011 is a circle, the maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet 014 is the circle. If an orthographic projection of the metal sheet 014 on the substrate 011 is an ellipse, the maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet 014 is a circle whose center is a center of the ellipse and whose radius is a semi-minor axis of the ellipse. If an orthographic projection of the metal sheet 014 on the substrate 011 is a polygon, the maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet 014 is a circle that has a largest area in the polygon and that is tangent to at least one side of the polygon.
In an embodiment of the application, the first conductor 0151 of the coaxial cable 015 is one of an inner conductor and an outer conductor, and the second conductor 0152 is the other conductor in the inner conductor and the outer conductor. In addition, referring to
Both the metal sheet 014 and the coaxial cable 015 are located on the first side of the substrate, and the first conductor 0151 of the coaxial cable 015 is connected to the metal sheet 014. Therefore, a distance between the metal sheet 014 and a part that is of the coaxial cable 015 and that is located in an area in which the metal sheet 014 is located is relatively short. For example, the outer protective sleeve of the coaxial cable 015 may be pressed against the metal sheet 014. The metal sheet 014 performs a coupling function for an induced current in the coaxial cable 015, that is, the metal sheet 014 may generate a coupling current. The coupling current can suppress the induced current in the coaxial cable 015. Therefore, impact of the coaxial cable 015 on the vertically polarized antenna 02 is reduced, in other words, isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna 01 and the vertically polarized antenna 02 is improved.
Because the metal sheet 014 is further connected to the conductor 0131 that is of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 and that is located on the first side of the substrate 011, an amplitude and a phase of the coupling current generated by the metal sheet 014 are related to an operating frequency of the antenna, the size of the metal sheet 014, and a length of the double-sided parallel strip line 013. In an embodiment of the application, after the operating frequency of the horizontally polarized antenna 01 and the length of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 are determined, the size of the metal sheet 014 may be properly designed, to ensure that the isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna 01 and the vertically polarized antenna 02 can meet an isolation requirement at each frequency point on an operating frequency band of the antenna.
In conclusion, an embodiment of the application provides the antenna, the antenna includes the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna. The horizontally polarized antenna includes the metal sheet, and the metal sheet can be separately connected to the double-sided parallel strip line in the horizontally polarized antenna and the first conductor of the coaxial cable. The diameter of the maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet is greater than the line width of the double-sided parallel strip line, and both the metal sheet and the coaxial cable are located on the first side of the substrate. Therefore, the metal sheet can effectively suppress the induced current in the coaxial cable, so that impact of the induced current on the vertically polarized antenna can be reduced. According to the solution provided in an embodiment of the application, the isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna can be effectively improved while an overall height of the antenna is not increased.
In an embodiment of the application, each radiation element 012 is a radiation element printed on two sides. Referring to
Correspondingly, the coaxial cable 015 may feed the first arm 0121 in the radiation element 012 through the metal sheet 014 and the conductor 0131 that is of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 and that is located on the first side, and may feed the second arm 0122 in the radiation element 012 through the conductor 0132 that is of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 and that is located on the second side.
In an embodiment, the diameter of the maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet 014 is about 0.18 to 0.5 times a waveguide wavelength, in the double-sided parallel strip line 013, of an electromagnetic wave of the operating frequency of the horizontally polarized antenna 01. The diameter range can ensure that the coupling current generated by the metal sheet 014 can effectively suppress the induced current in the coaxial cable 015 at each frequency point on the operating frequency band of the antenna, and further ensure that the isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna 01 and the vertically polarized antenna 02 can meet the isolation requirement at each frequency point on the operating frequency band of the antenna.
The waveguide wavelength is a wavelength of the electromagnetic wave, transmitted in a medium of the double-sided parallel strip line 013, of the operating frequency of the horizontally polarized antenna 01 when the horizontally polarized antenna 01 operates. The waveguide wavelength is related to the operating frequency of the horizontally polarized antenna 01 (e.g., a frequency of the electromagnetic wave), the line width of the double-sided parallel strip line 013, a dielectric constant of the substrate 011, and a thickness of the substrate 011. The line width of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 has relatively small impact on the waveguide wavelength. Therefore, impact of a line width difference between the parts of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 on the waveguide wavelength may be negligible.
In an embodiment, referring to
The second conductor 0152 of the coaxial cable 015 is connected to the first feed point 016. For example, the second conductor 0152 is welded to the first feed point 016. The first feed point 016 is connected to the second feed point 017 through the through hole 0111, and the second feed point 017 is connected to the conductor 0132 that is of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 and that is located on the second side. That is, the second conductor 0152 of the coaxial cable 015 may be connected, through the first feed point 016 and the second feed point 017, to the conductor 0132 that is of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 and that is located on the second side.
The first feed point 016 is designed to be located on the first side and the second feed point 017 is designed to be located on the second side, so that the second conductor 0152 of the coaxial cable 015 is connected to the conductor 0132 that is of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 and that is located on the second side.
In an embodiment of the application, the impedance of the horizontally polarized antenna 01 may be adjusted by adjusting a length of the stub 018. For example, during design of the horizontally polarized antenna 01, the stub 018 with a relatively long length may be designed on the substrate 011. Due to factors such as a production process, impedance of a horizontally polarized antenna 01 produced in each batch may be different. Therefore, after the horizontally polarized antenna 01 is manufactured according to the design, the impedance of the horizontally polarized antenna 01 may be tested. If it is tested that the impedance of the horizontally polarized antenna 01 does not meet a design requirement, the length of the stub 018 of the horizontally polarized antenna 01 produced in the batch may be shortened based on a test result. For example, a part of the stub 018 may be removed, so as to flexibly adjust the impedance of the horizontally polarized antenna 01.
Still with reference to
A via hole is designed to have the shape the same as the shape of the integrated structure, to ensure that the integrated structure can be disposed in the via hole and insulated from the metal sheet without increasing a size of the via hole, and ensure that the metal sheet can effectively suppress the induced current in the coaxial cable.
In an embodiment of the application, as shown in
In an embodiment, as shown in
In another embodiment, as shown in
In an embodiment of the application, the metal sheet 014 may be disk-shaped. In other words, an orthographic projection of the metal sheet 014 on the substrate 011 is a circle. Certainly, the metal sheet 014 may alternatively be in another shape. For example, an orthographic projection of the metal sheet 014 on the substrate 011 may be a polygon such as a triangle or a rectangle. In an embodiment, an orthographic projection of the metal sheet 014 on the substrate 011 may be a regular polygon, to ensure symmetry of an overall structure of the antenna. For example, the orthographic projection of the metal sheet 014 on the substrate 011 may be a square shown in
In an embodiment, as shown in
In an embodiment of the application, a quantity of the at least one radiation element 012 included in the horizontally polarized antenna 01 may be greater than 1. For example, the quantity of the at least one radiation element 012 may be greater than or equal to 3. In addition, the at least one radiation element 012 is centrosymmetric or axisymmetric with respect to a center point of the metal sheet 014. The center point of the metal sheet 014 may be a center of the maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet 014.
For example, as shown in
In an embodiment of the application, if the horizontally polarized antenna 01 includes N (N is an integer greater than 1) radiation elements 012, the horizontally polarized antenna 01 may also be referred to as an N-element antenna. Correspondingly, the horizontally polarized antenna 01 includes N double-sided parallel strip lines 013, and the N double-sided parallel strip lines 013 can form a feed network, to transfer, to the N radiation elements 012, energy transmitted through the coaxial cable 015, so as to feed the N radiation elements 012.
Because the energy transmitted through the coaxial cable 015 can be separately transferred to the N double-sided parallel strip lines 013 through the metal sheet 014, the first feed point 016, and the second feed point 017, the metal sheet 014, the first feed point 016, and the second feed point 017 may form a one-to-N power splitter. The one-to-N power splitter can divide the energy transmitted through the coaxial cable 015 into N channels, and respectively transmit the N channels of energy to the N double-sided parallel strip lines 013.
In an embodiment of the application, line widths at two ends of each double-sided parallel strip line 013 may be less than a line width in a middle part of the double-sided parallel strip line 013. For example, as shown in
The line widths of the parts of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 are designed, to implement impedance matching for the horizontally polarized antenna 01.
In an embodiment of the application, each radiation element 012 may be a dipole element. Referring to
Certainly, the radiation element 012 may alternatively be another type of radiation element, for example, a slot radiation element. That is, the horizontally polarized antenna 01 may be a slot antenna.
In an embodiment, the vertically polarized antenna 02 may be a monopole antenna. Operating frequency bands of both the horizontally polarized antenna 01 and the vertically polarized antenna 02 may be a 5 gigahertz (GHz) frequency band.
For example,
In an embodiment of the application, isolation between a horizontally polarized antenna and a vertically polarized antenna in a conventional solution (e.g., a solution in which no metal sheet is used) and isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna in the solution provided in an embodiment of the application are simulated. Simulation parameters are as follows. Both the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna operate on a 5G frequency band, the length of the double-sided parallel strip line 013 is about 0.48 times the waveguide wavelength, and the metal sheet 014 is disk-shaped and has a diameter that is about 0.2 times the waveguide wavelength. Simulation results are shown in
When a conventional feed solution is used, the S21 parameter corresponding to the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna is approximately less than or equal to −22.6 dB (dB). In other words, minimum isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna is approximately 22.6 dB. However, the solution provided in an embodiment of the application can ensure that the S21 parameter corresponding to the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna is less than or equal to −26 dB, namely, ensure that the isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna is greater than or equal to 26 dB. The minimum isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna is improved by at least 3 dB compared with the conventional solution.
In conclusion, an embodiment of the application provides the antenna, the antenna includes the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna. The horizontally polarized antenna includes the metal sheet, and the metal sheet can be separately connected to the double-sided parallel strip line in the horizontally polarized antenna and the first conductor of the coaxial cable. The diameter of the maximum inscribed circle of the metal sheet is greater than the line width of the double-sided parallel strip line, and both the metal sheet and the coaxial cable are located on the first side of the substrate. Therefore, the metal sheet can effectively suppress the induced current in the coaxial cable, and impact of the induced current on the vertically polarized antenna can be reduced. According to the solution provided in an embodiment of the application, the isolation between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna can be effectively improved while an overall height of the antenna is not increased.
An embodiment of the application further provides a communications device. As shown in
As shown in
In an embodiment, as shown in
In an embodiment of the application, a vertically polarized antenna 02 is also connected to the radio frequency circuit 20. For example, as shown in
In an embodiment, the communications device may be an AP or a base station.
In conclusion, an embodiment of the application provides the communications device. The communications device includes the antenna. The horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna in the antenna can implement relatively high isolation on a premise of a relatively small spacing between the horizontally polarized antenna and the vertically polarized antenna. This can avoid an increase in a thickness of the communications device, and facilitate design of a miniaturized product.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202010431622.5 | May 2020 | CN | national |