The present disclosure relates to the technical field of phase shifters, in particular to a phase shifter unit and a phase shifter.
A phased-array antenna plays an important role in a modern wireless communication system with its excellent characteristics such as fast beam scanning; and as an important constitute part of the phased-array antenna, the structure and performance of a phase shifter directly affect the behavior of the whole phased-array antenna.
An existing phase shifter needs to use many phase shifting branches and matching branches, is not high in phase shifting efficiency, and needs to use a balun to reduce loss. It is necessary to consider a specific connection technology between the balun and a phase shifting matching unit, so the overall size of the phase shifter is relatively large, which is limited in practical applications, and the overall efficiency is relatively low.
The present disclosure discloses a phase shifter unit and a phase shifter, and the phase shifter unit is configured to have a function of being greater in a phase shifting magnitude at a certain size.
In order to achieve the above objective, the present disclosure provides the following technical solution.
In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a phase shifter unit, including:
The phase shifter unit provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure includes the first substrate and the second substrate which are oppositely arranged; the adjustable dielectric layer is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate; and in a direction of the first substrate pointing to the second substrate, that is, from top to bottom, the first conducting layer, the second conducting layers and the ground layer are sequentially arranged. Specifically, the first conducting layer is on the surface of the side, facing the adjustable dielectric layer, of the first substrate; the second conducting layers are on the surface of the side, facing the adjustable dielectric layer, of the second substrate; the second conducting layers are arranged at intervals; and the ground layer is on the surface of the side, facing away from the adjustable dielectric layer, of the second substrate. The pattern of the first conducting layer and the patterns of the second conducting layers are all divided into the first region and the second region; in the first region, the pattern of the first conducting layer mutually overlaps the patterns of the second conducting layers, and mutually overlapping parts of the first conducting layer, the second conducting layers and the adjustable dielectric layer between the two constitute the capacitors; and in the second region, the pattern of the first conducting layer does not overlap the patterns of the second conducting layers, and the second conducting layers, the ground layer and the second substrate between the two constitute the transmission lines. The transmission lines are mainly composed of the second conducting layers, the ground layer and the second substrate; and the capacitors are mainly composed of the first conducting layer, the second conducting layers and the adjustable dielectric layer between the two. The phase shifter unit has the first port, the second port, and the first loop and the second loop which are connected in series between the first port and the second port, a signal is transmitted to the second port from the first port, a single-ended phase shifting unit is formed by using the transmission lines and the capacitors, and the ports of the phase shifting unit have the effects of good standing wave and high phase shifting. In the signal transmission direction, the plurality of capacitors are sequentially connected in series through the transmission lines to form the first loop; and the plurality of capacitors are sequentially connected in series through the transmission lines to form the second loop. A certain phase shifting magnitude value is achieved through specific transmission line and capacitor structure size design, and thus the phase shifter unit has the function of being greater in the phase shifting magnitude at a certain size. The transmission lines and the equivalent capacitors are used to form a single-ended feed LC-type phase shifter, a balun is not needed for difference conversion, the size of the phase shifter is greatly reduced, and the loss of the phase shifter is reduced.
Optionally, the phase shifter unit further includes a first branch circuit, including a first part and a second part; where a first end of the first part is connected with the first port, a second end of the first part is connected with a first end of the second part, and a second end of the second part is connected with the second port;
Optionally, the number of the transmission lines of the first loop is the same as the number of the transmission lines of the second loop; and
Optionally, in the first loop, the number of the transmission lines is five, and the number of the capacitors is five; and
Optionally, the first part is different from the second part.
Optionally, the first part includes one first transmission line.
Optionally; the second part includes one capacitor and two transmission lines; and in the transmission line direction, the transmission line, the capacitor and the transmission line are sequentially arranged.
Optionally, the second branch circuit includes five capacitors and four transmission lines; and
Optionally, the third branch circuit includes four capacitors and three transmission lines; and
Optionally, a material of the adjustable dielectric layer is a liquid crystal material.
Optionally, materials of the first substrate and the second substrate are glass.
Optionally, a material of the first conducting layer is the same as a material of the second conducting layers.
Optionally, a material of the first conducting layer includes metal or indium tin oxide; and
In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a phase shifter, including the plurality of above phase shifter units connected in series.
Reference signs: 1—First substrate; 2—Second substrate; 3—Adjustable dielectric layer; 4—First conducting layer; 5—Second conducting layer; 6—Ground layer; S1—First region; S2—Second region; A—First port; B—Second port; C—First branch circuit; C1—First part; C2—Second part; D—Second branch circuit; E—Third branch circuit; F—First loop; and G—Second loop.
The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely with reference to accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It is apparent that the described embodiments are part of, rather than all of, embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those ordinarily skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.
As shown in
A phase shifting unit of a traditional difference phase shifter is a fixed electromagnetic structure, due to the characteristics of the capacitor itself, liquid crystal phase shifting magnitudes in different frequency bands are different, which affects a signal quality. In the present disclosure, the equivalent circuit of the phase shifting unit adopts a complementary phase shifting structure, which reduces the influence of the capacitor itself on the phase shifting magnitudes in different frequency bands, so that phase consistency of the phase shifter itself is better.
It should be noted that the phase shifter unit provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure includes the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 which are oppositely arranged; the adjustable dielectric layer 3 is arranged between the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2; and in a direction of the first substrate 1 pointing to the second substrate 2, that is, from top to bottom, the first conducting layer 4, the second conducting layers 5 and the ground layer 6 are sequentially arranged. Specifically, the first conducting layer 4 is on the surface of the side, facing the adjustable dielectric layer 3, of the first substrate 1; the second conducting layers 5 are on the surface of the side, facing the adjustable dielectric layer 3, of the second substrate 2; the second conducting layers 5 are arranged at intervals; and the ground layer 6 is on the surface of the side, facing away from the adjustable dielectric layer 3, of the second substrate 2. The pattern of the first conducting layer 4 and the patterns of the second conducting layers 5 are all divided into the first region S1 and the second region S2; in the first region S1, the pattern of the first conducting layer 4 mutually overlaps the patterns of the second conducting layers 5, and mutually overlapping parts of the first conducting layer 4, the second conducting layers 5 and the adjustable dielectric layer 3 between the two constitute the capacitors; and in the second region S2, the pattern of the first conducting layer 4 does not mutually overlap the patterns of the second conducting layers 5, and the second conducting layers 5, the ground layer 6 and the second substrate 2 between the two constitute the transmission lines. The transmission lines are mainly composed of the second conducting layers 5, the ground layer 6 and the second substrate 2; and the capacitors are mainly composed of the first conducting layer 4, the second conducting layers 5 and the adjustable dielectric layer 3 between the two. The phase shifter unit has the first port A, the second port B, and the first loop F and the second loop G which are connected in series between the first port A and the second port B. The signal is transmitted to the second port B from the first port A, the transmission lines and the capacitors are used to form a single-ended phase shifting unit, and the ports of the phase shifting unit have the effects of good standing wave and high phase shifting efficiency. In the signal transmission direction, the plurality of capacitors are sequentially connected in series through the transmission lines to form the first loop F; and the plurality of capacitors are sequentially connected in series through the transmission lines to form the second loop G. Through the specific transmission line and capacitor structure size design, a certain phase shifting magnitude value is achieved, so that the phase shifter unit has the function of being greater in a phase shifting magnitude at the certain size. The transmission lines and the equivalent capacitors are used to form the single-ended feed LC-type phase shifter, a balun is not needed for difference conversion, the size of the phase shifter is greatly reduced, and the loss of the phase shifter is reduced.
Continuing to refer to
Specifically, the transmission line is equivalent to a microstrip line, the microstrip line is a microwave transmission line formed by a single conductor supported on a medium substrate, and the transmission line has the advantages of small volume, less weight and the like. Materials of the first conducting layer 4, the second conducting layers 5 and the ground layer 6 may be the same, or may be different. For example, the material of the first conducting layer 4 may be copper, indium tin oxide (ITO) or silver and the like; different materials have different conductivities and different losses; and therefore, the materials may be selected according to the phase shifting magnitude of the phase shifter provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Similarly, the material of the second conducting layers 5 may be copper, ITO or silver and the like; different materials have different conductivities and different losses; and therefore, the materials may be selected according to the phase shifting magnitude of the phase shifter provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Certainly, the material of the ground layer 6 may be copper, ITO or silver and the like; different materials have different conductivities and different losses; and therefore, the materials may be selected according to the phase shifting magnitude of the phase shifter provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure.
In addition, materials of the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 are glass. Certainly, it may also be other materials; and the materials of the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 may further be different. The second substrate 2 serves as a medium substrate between the microstrip lines, and is a dielectric medium. The dielectric medium is an insulator capable of being electrically polarized; a solid dielectric medium includes a crystalline state dielectric medium and an amorphous state dielectric medium; and the amorphous state dielectric medium includes glass, resin, high polymers and the like, and is a good insulating material.
In the first region S1, an area of the capacitor is not specifically limited, and a specific size of the area of the capacitor may be selected according to the phase shifting magnitude of the phase shifter provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Similarly, in the second region S2, a length of the transmission line is not also specifically limited, and the length of the transmission line may be selected according to the phase shifting magnitude of the phase shifter provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure.
Continuing to refer to
A specific structure of the first loop F and the second loop G is as follows: the number of the transmission lines of the first loop F is the same as the number of the transmission lines of the second loop G; and the number of the capacitors of the first loop F is the same as the number of the capacitors of the second loop G.
A complementary circuit structure of transmission lines and capacitors is adopted in the first loop F and the second loop G; on the circuit structure of the first loop F and the second loop G, the phase change caused by the capacitor is reduced through a series connection of the transmission lines and the capacitors; and the problem of inconsistency of changes of the phase shifting magnitudes at different frequency bands can be solved.
Continuing to refer to
The first part C1 is different from the second part C2. The first part C1 includes one transmission line. The second part C2 includes one capacitor and two transmission lines; and in the signal transmission direction, the transmission line, the capacitor and the transmission line are sequentially arranged.
In addition, the second branch circuit D includes five capacitors and four transmission lines; a capacitor is arranged at both the first end and the second end of the second branch circuit D; and in the signal transmission direction, the capacitors and the transmission lines are arranged at intervals.
In addition, the third branch circuit E includes four capacitors and three transmission lines; a capacitor is arranged at both the first end and the second end of the third branch circuit E; and in the signal transmission direction, the capacitors and the transmission lines are arranged at intervals.
Specifically, a material of the adjustable dielectric layer 3 is a liquid crystal material.
Liquid crystal (LC) shows features and properties of general liquid and solid crystal. For example, LC may flow like liquid, but its molecules may be oriented like a crystalline mode. The material of the adjustable dielectric layer 3 includes the liquid crystal material, for example, liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal material may be positive liquid crystal molecules or negative liquid crystal molecules.
As shown in
It can be seen from
Compared with
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover the modifications and variations of the present disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims of the present disclosure and their equivalents.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CN2022/102425 | 6/29/2022 | WO |