The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to an array antenna.
An antenna is one of the most important front-end passive components of a communications device. The antenna plays a very important role in performance of a communications product. Currently, an existing slot array antenna uses rows of through-holes provided on a surface of the slot array antenna to form a side wall of a rectangular waveguide, so that functions of a conventional rectangular waveguide are implemented. However, the antenna uses a serial feed. Due to constraints of the serial feed, bandwidth of the antenna is inversely proportional to a quantity of slots of each waveguide. Therefore, the antenna has narrow bandwidth, and cannot meet a requirement of a system for wider bandwidth.
An array antenna is provided to increase bandwidth of an antenna and meet a requirement of a system for wider bandwidth.
According to a first aspect, an array antenna is provided and configured to receive an input signal and radiate the received input signal in a form of an electromagnetic signal. The array antenna includes a cavity power divider and a final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit assembled on the cavity power divider. The cavity power divider is configured to receive the input signal and perform power division on the input signal to output a first power-divided signal to the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit. The final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit includes a dielectric substrate, a first metal surface layer disposed on an upper surface of the dielectric substrate, and a second metal surface layer disposed on a lower surface of the dielectric substrate. A coupling slot array is formed on the second metal surface layer to receive the first power-divided signal, a radiating slot array corresponding to the coupling slot array is formed on the first metal surface layer, and several plated through-hole units are provided on the dielectric substrate. The plated through-hole units go through the first and second metal surface layers vertically, and a range corresponding to each plated through-hole unit encloses a coupling slot in the coupling slot array and a radiating slot in the radiating slot array and corresponding to the coupling slot, so that final-stage power division is performed on the first power-divided signal received by the coupling slot array to output a second power-divided signal to the radiating slot array and that the radiating slot array radiates the second power-divided signal.
In a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the array antenna further includes a matching mechanical part, where the matching mechanical part is disposed between the cavity power divider and the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit; the cavity power divider includes a waveguide port and a power-divided signal output port, where the waveguide port receives the input signal, so that the cavity power divider performs power division processing on the input signal, and the power-divided signal output port is configured to output the first power-divided signal; and the matching mechanical part includes a body part and a matching port formed on the body part, where the matching port corresponds to the power-divided signal output port and the coupling slot array, so that the power-divided signal output port is connected to a coupling slot of the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit and that the first power-divided signal is transmitted to the coupling slot array.
With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, a quantity of the matching ports is the same as a quantity of the power-divided signal output ports and a quantity of the coupling slots in the coupling slot array, and sizes of the matching ports are the same as sizes of the power-divided signal output ports and sizes of the corresponding coupling slots in the coupling slot array.
In a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the array antenna further includes an isolating mechanical part, where the isolating mechanical part includes a board body and a through-hole array disposed on the board body; the through-hole array goes through a top and a bottom of the board body and corresponds to the radiating slot array; the bottom of the board body is disposed on the second metal surface layer; the through-hole array is interconnected with the radiating slot array; a projection of the radiating slot array on the board body is a first projection; and a projection of the through-hole array on the board body is a second projection, where the first projection overlaps the second projection or the first projection is within the second projection.
With reference to the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner, both the radiating slot array and the through-hole array are 4×4 arrays, and the coupling slot array is a 2×2 array.
With reference to the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner, the isolating mechanical part, the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit, and the cavity power divider are assembled by using positioning pins.
With reference to the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a sixth possible implementation manner, all through-holes in the through-hole array have a same size.
With reference to the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a seventh possible implementation manner, the board body is made of a metallic material.
With reference to the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in an eighth possible implementation manner, the board body is made of a non-metallic material, and all hole walls of the through-hole array are coated with a metal layer.
In a ninth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the dielectric substrate, the first metal surface layer, and the second metal surface layer are all in a square shape and have a same size.
The array antenna provided according to each implementation manner is configured to receive an input signal and radiate the received input signal in a form of an electromagnetic signal. The array antenna includes a cavity power divider and a final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit installed on the cavity power divider, where the cavity power divider is configured to receive the input signal and perform power division on the input signal to output a first power-divided signal to the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit; and the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit includes a dielectric substrate, a first metal surface layer disposed on an upper surface of the dielectric substrate, and a second metal surface layer disposed on a lower surface of the dielectric substrate, a coupling slot array is formed on the second metal surface layer to receive the first power-divided signal, a radiating slot array corresponding to the coupling slot array is formed on the first metal surface layer, and several plated through-hole units are provided on the dielectric substrate, where the plated through-hole units go through the first and second metal surface layers vertically, and a range corresponding to each plated through-hole unit encloses a coupling slot in the coupling slot array and a radiating slot in the radiating slot array and corresponding to the coupling slot, so that final-stage power division is performed on the first power-divided signal received by the coupling slot array to output a second power-divided signal to the radiating slot array and that the radiating slot array radiates the second power-divided signal. Because the cavity power divider is a shunt-fed power division feed and each plated through-hole unit of the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit encloses a coupling slot in the coupling slot array and a radiating slot in the radiating slot array and corresponding to the coupling slot, a quantity of radiating slots corresponding to each final-stage power division is relatively small, so that the bandwidth of the array antenna is relatively wide, thereby meeting a requirement of a system for wider bandwidth. In addition, the dielectric substrate, the first metal surface layer, and the second metal surface layer of the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit constitute a printed circuit board. Therefore, an objective of integrating functions of coupling, final-stage power dividing, and radiating is achieved by using the printed circuit board, availability is high, and costs are reduced.
To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure more clearly, the following briefly introduces the accompanying drawings required for describing the embodiments or the prior art. Apparently, the accompanying drawings in the following description show merely some embodiments of the present disclosure, and a person of ordinary skill in the art may still derive other drawings from these accompanying drawings without creative efforts.
The following clearly describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparently, the described embodiments are merely some but not all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.
Referring to
The plated through-holes 212 provided on the dielectric substrate 21 and going through the first metal surface layer 22 and the second metal surface layer 23 enable the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit 20 to implement final-stage power division with an equal amplitude and an equal phase and a symmetry in both an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction. The X axis and Y axis are two axes of an X-Y coordinate system that is established on the surface of the dielectric substrate 21 and by using a center of the dielectric substrate 21 as an origin. The array antenna 100 is a PCB (printed circuit board) slot array antenna. The final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit 20 is a final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit of a PCB. The dielectric substrate 21, the first metal surface layer 22, and the second metal surface layer 23 constitute the PCB. Therefore, the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit 20 achieves an objective of integrating the coupling, final-stage power dividing, and radiating by using the PCB.
In this implementation manner, the plated through-hole unit 212 is enclosed by several plated through-holes 213. The range 214 corresponding to the plated through-hole unit 212 is enclosed by the several plated through-holes 213. A quantity of the plated through-hole units 212 is four. The radiating slot array 222 is a 4×4 array, and the coupling slot array 232 is a 2×2 array. That is, one coupling slot 234 corresponds to four radiating slots 224, and the range 214 corresponding to one plated through-hole unit 212 encloses one coupling slot 234 and four radiating slots 224 corresponding to the coupling slot 234. Therefore, the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit 20 implements final-stage one-to-four power division with an equal amplitude and an equal phase. The dielectric substrate 21, the first metal surface layer 22, and the second metal surface layer 23 are in a square shape and have a same size.
In other implementation manners, the radiating slot array 222 may also be an N×N array, where N is a natural number. However, the N×N array is extended on a basis of a most basic 2×2 subarray unit, for example, 4×4 and 8×8. That is, one coupling slot may correspond to a quantity of radiating slots that is equal to an integer multiple of 2, namely, 2N. In this way, one plated through-hole unit 212 may also enclose one coupling slot and 2N radiating slots corresponding to the coupling slot. Therefore, the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit 20 can implement final-stage one-to-2N power division with an equal amplitude and equal phase. The type of the cavity power divider 10 may also be replaced according to an actual requirement, that is, the cavity power divider 10 may be replaced with another cavity power divider according to a requirement provided that it can implement a power division function. The shapes and sizes of the dielectric substrate 21, the first metal surface layer 22, and the second metal surface layer 23 may be adjusted according to an actual requirement, for example, may be circular or in an irregular shape.
In this implementation manner, the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit 20 includes a dielectric substrate 21, a first metal surface layer 22 disposed on an upper surface of the dielectric substrate 21, and a second metal surface layer 23 disposed on a lower surface of the dielectric substrate 21. A coupling slot array 232 is formed on the second metal surface layer 23 to receive the first power-divided signal. A radiating slot array 222 corresponding to the coupling slot array 232 is formed on the first metal surface layer 22. Several plated through-hole units 212 are provided on the dielectric substrate 21. The plated through-hole units 212 go through the first metal surface layer 22 and the second metal surface layer 23 vertically. A range corresponding to each plated through-hole unit 212 encloses a coupling slot 234 in the coupling slot array 232 and a radiating slot 224 in the radiating slot array 222 and corresponding to the coupling slot 234, so that final-stage power division is performed on the first power-divided signal received by the coupling slot array 232 to output a second power-divided signal to the radiating slot array 222 and that the radiating slot array 222 radiates the second power-divided signal. Because the cavity power divider 10 is a shunt-fed power division feed and each plated through-hole unit 212 of the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit 20 encloses a coupling slot 234 in the coupling slot array 232 and a radiating slot 224 in the radiating slot array 222 and corresponding to the coupling slot 234, a quantity of radiating slots 224 corresponding to each final-stage power division is relatively small, so that the bandwidth of the array antenna is relatively wide, thereby meeting a requirement of a system for wider bandwidth. In addition, the dielectric substrate 21, the first metal surface layer 22, and the second metal surface layer 23 of the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit 20 constitute a PCB. Therefore, the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit 20 achieves an objective of integrating functions of coupling, final-stage power dividing, and radiating by using the PCB, availability is high, and costs are reduced.
Further, referring to
A quantity of the matching ports 32 is the same as a quantity of the power-divided signal output ports 12 and a quantity of the coupling slots 234 in the coupling slot array 232, and a size of the matching ports 32 is the same as a size of the power-divided signal output ports 12 and a size of the corresponding coupling slots 234 in the coupling slot array 232. The matching mechanical part 30 may be made of a conducting material, for example, a metallic material. The matching mechanical part 30 may also be made of a non-conducting material, but the matching port in the matching mechanical part 30 is coated with a conducting material, for example, a metallic material.
Referring to
Referring to
The through-hole array 42 is a 4×4 array. The isolating mechanical part 40, the final-stage power dividing, coupling, and radiating unit 20, and the cavity power divider 10 are assembled by using positioning pins. All through-holes in the through-hole array 42 have a same size. The through-holes are in a square shape. The board body is made of a metallic material.
In other implementation manners, the form of the through-hole array 42 may be changed according to a change of the radiating slot array 232. The shape of the through-hole may also be adjusted according to an actual requirement, for example, adjusted to a circular or horn shape. The board body 41 may also be made of a non-metallic material.
Referring to
What is disclosed above is merely exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and certainly is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure. A person of ordinary skill in the art may understand that all or some of processes that implement the foregoing embodiments and equivalent modifications made in accordance with the claims of the present disclosure shall fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201310690542.1 | Dec 2013 | CN | national |
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2014/084774, filed on Aug. 20, 2014, claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201310690542.1, filed on Dec. 13, 2013, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/CN2014/084774 | Aug 2014 | US |
Child | 15178646 | US |