WO2022077185A1

WO2022077185A1 - Multi-frequency band common-aperture antenna and communication device

Info

Publication number: WO2022077185A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/120485
Authority: WO
Inventors: 邓长顺; 樊磊; 杨昌兴; 王江
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2020-10-12
Filing date: 2020-10-12
Publication date: 2022-04-21
Also published as: EP4220864A4; CN116325363A; JP2023544437A; KR20230085169A; EP4220864A1

Abstract

Provided are a multi-frequency band common-aperture antenna and communication device; the multi-frequency band common-aperture antenna comprises a coupled array element, a frequency splitting and combining unit, a low-frequency feed unit, and a high-frequency feed unit; the coupled array element is arranged on a reflector plate; the frequency splitting and combining unit is connected to the coupled array element; the frequency splitting and combining unit comprises a frequency splitting and combining layer; the frequency splitting and combining layer comprises a frequency division combiner; the frequency division combiner comprises an antenna port, a high-frequency port, and a low frequency port; at one layer, the antenna port is connected to the coupled array element, the low-frequency port is connected to the low-frequency feed unit, and the high-frequency port connected to the high-frequency feed unit; at at least two layers, between two adjacent layers, the upper-layer low-frequency port is connected to the lower-layer antenna port, the first-layer antenna port is connected to the coupled array element, the first-layer high-frequency port is connected to the high-frequency feed unit, the last-layer low-frequency port is connected to the low-frequency feed unit, and the last-layer high-frequency port is connected to the high-frequency feed unit. Using the described technical solution enables an antenna to have multifrequency expansion capability, and to have broader beam scanning capability in all frequency bands.

Description

A multi-band common aperture antenna and communication equipment

technical field

The present application relates to the technical field of base station antennas, and in particular, to a multi-band common aperture antenna and communication equipment.

Background technique

During the evolution of the base station antenna network, the number of antennas is increasing, and the physical space for arranging the antennas on the tower becomes smaller and smaller, and the antennas are the platforms where the antennas are located. Therefore, the multi-frequency base station antenna has become the mainstream of the current antenna design. Under the limited antenna aperture, it is the trend of antenna technology development to improve the integration of the antenna frequency as much as possible. At present, most 4G multi-frequency base station antennas do not have wide-angle beam scanning capabilities, while 5G MIMO (multiple-in multipleout, multiple-in, multiple-out) array antennas have flexible 3D-M-MIMO beamforming, wide beam scanning capabilities and high Spectral efficiency can effectively improve the antenna coverage.

In the multi-frequency array antenna, wide-angle beam scanning is a difficulty and challenge in the design of the array antenna. At present, it is difficult to design an array antenna that takes into account the cost of scanning and multi-frequency coverage, and it is difficult to commercialize it on a large scale. Therefore, the current phased array antennas and 5G MIMO antennas that can achieve wide-angle beam scanning are still single-frequency and narrow-band designs. For the newly established 5G low frequency band, although it cannot support 5G high speed, it can provide better frequency coverage, so it is also favored by operators. However, there are multiple octaves between the low frequency band and the high frequency band, and the existing high frequency band It is difficult to integrate the low-frequency band on the high-frequency antenna. If the base station needs to meet the requirements of the 5G low-frequency band, the antenna that meets the 5G low-frequency band needs to be rearranged. However, the space on the tower is tight and there is no redundant position to relocate the new antenna, and the relocation of the antenna also requires additional costs. Therefore, it is currently difficult to design an array antenna that can not only achieve wide-angle beam scanning but also satisfy multi-frequency, especially non-integer frequency ratios in multi-frequency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A multi-band common aperture antenna and communication equipment provided by the present application are used to enable the antenna array to have good multi-frequency expansion capability, and to maintain good wide-angle beam scanning capability in different frequency bands.

In a first aspect, a multi-band common aperture antenna is provided, which includes a plurality of coupling array elements, a frequency dividing and combining unit, a low-frequency feeding unit, and a high-frequency feeding unit; wherein:

Each of the coupling array elements is arranged on the reflector;

The frequency dividing and combining unit is connected to the plurality of coupling array elements, and the frequency dividing and combining unit includes at least one frequency dividing and combining layer, and each layer of the frequency dividing and combining layer includes at least one frequency dividing and combining layer. Each of the frequency dividers and combiners includes an antenna port, at least one high-frequency port and at least one low-frequency port, the multiple high-frequency ports form at least one high-frequency port group, and the multiple low-frequency ports form at least one high-frequency port group. A low-frequency port group; for each layer, the number of the high-frequency port groups is not greater than the number of the frequency division combiners, the number of the low frequency port groups is less than the number of the frequency division combiners, the high frequency port group The number of port groups is not less than the number of the low-frequency port groups;

When the frequency dividing and combining unit includes one layer of the frequency dividing and combining layer, the antenna port of the frequency dividing and combining unit is connected to the coupling array element, and the plurality of low-frequency ports are connected to the a low-frequency feeding unit is connected, and the plurality of high-frequency ports are connected to the high-frequency feeding unit;

When the frequency dividing and combining unit includes at least two layers of the frequency dividing and combining layers, between every two adjacent layers, multiple low frequency ports of the upper layer are connected to the antenna ports of the next layer, and the first layer is divided into The antenna port of the frequency combiner is connected to the coupling array element, the multiple high-frequency ports of the first-layer frequency divider combiner are connected to the high-frequency feeding unit, and the The plurality of low-frequency ports are connected to the low-frequency feed unit, and the high-frequency ports of the last-layer frequency divider combiner are connected to the high-frequency feed unit;

Low-frequency feed unit, used to provide low-frequency signal feed;

The high frequency feeding unit is used for feeding at least one frequency signal higher than the low frequency signal.

In the above scheme, through the combination of different low-frequency ports and high-frequency ports, the antenna has good multi-frequency expansion capability, and can maintain good wide-angle beam scanning capability in different frequency bands. Due to the reconstruction of the structure of the feeding unit, the number of feeding ports is reduced, so the hardware overhead and power consumption are also reduced. Moreover, in the beam scanning process, the occurrence of grating lobes can also be avoided. In addition, due to the reconstruction of the structure of the feeding unit, the number of feeding ports is reduced, so the hardware overhead and power consumption are also reduced.

In a specific embodiment, the coupling array elements are grouped according to different ports to form reconstruction units of different frequency bands, and the coupling array elements corresponding to the low frequency ports in the low frequency port group together form a low frequency reconstruction unit, the The coupling array elements corresponding to the high-frequency ports in the high-frequency port group together constitute a high-frequency reconstruction unit.

In the above scheme, the low-frequency port and the high-frequency port are recombined to form units with different physical apertures, and the wide-angle beam scanning capability of each frequency band can be improved. It has the scheme of constructing multi-band co-aperture antennas with integer ratio and non-integer frequency ratio.

In a specific embodiment, the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements can satisfy:

n ₁ *d≤0.5λ ₁ ;

Wherein, n ₁ is the number of the high-frequency ports in the high-frequency port group, λ ₁ is the wavelength corresponding to the high-frequency signal input by the high-frequency feeding unit, and n ₁ is a positive integer.

By determining the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements, it can be ensured that the occurrence of grating lobes can be avoided during the beam scanning process in the high frequency band.

In a specific implementation, if the maximum scanning angle of the multi-band co-aperture antenna is θ _max , the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements can satisfy:

By setting the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements, it can be ensured that the occurrence of grating lobes can be avoided when the high-frequency frequency band has a good wide-angle beam scanning capability.

In a specific embodiment, the number n ₂ of the low-frequency ports in the low-frequency port group may satisfy:

n ₂ *d≤0.5λ ₂ ;

Wherein, λ ₂ is the wavelength corresponding to the low-frequency signal input by the low-frequency feeding unit, n ₂ is a positive integer; d is the distance between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements.

Since the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements is determined, by setting the number n ₂ of the low-frequency ports in the low-frequency port group, it can be ensured that during the beam scanning process in the low-frequency band, the grating lobe is avoided. Appear.

In a specific implementation, if the maximum scanning angle of the multi-band co-aperture antenna is θ _max , the number n ₂ of the low-frequency ports in the low-frequency port group can satisfy:

By setting the number n ₂ of the low-frequency ports in the low-frequency port group, it can be ensured that the occurrence of grating lobes can be avoided when the low-frequency frequency band has a better wide-angle beam scanning capability.

In a specific implementation, a phase-shifting unit may also exist on the low-frequency feeding unit and the high-frequency feeding unit; each phase-shifting unit is used to connect the low-frequency feeding unit and the high-frequency feeding unit. The phase lag/lead of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the electric unit is adjusted to the set phase corresponding to the coupling array element, and the phase shift unit can be any one or any of the following structures: digital phase shifter, analog phase shifter, hybrid shifter phaser.

Using the above-mentioned various phase-shifting units, the phase lag/advance of the electromagnetic waves radiated by the low-frequency feeding unit and the high-frequency feeding unit is adjusted to the set phase corresponding to the coupling array element, so as to form beams in different directions, Then complete the beam scanning.

In a specific embodiment, the coupling array element includes at least one dipole array element, the dipole array element is parallel to the polarization direction of the coupling array element, and two sides of the end of the dipole array element There is a coupling capacitor. By setting the direction of the dipole array elements, the coupling array elements can have at least one polarization direction, so as to form more polarization types.

In a specific embodiment, when the coupling array element includes two dipole array elements, the dipole array elements are arranged orthogonally. By arranging the dipole array elements in an orthogonal manner, the coupling array elements can have dual polarization characteristics in different directions such as vertical and horizontal directions, ±45° directions, and the like.

In a specific embodiment, the frequency divider and combiner may include any one or any of the following structures: a frequency divider, a duplexer, and a filter.

By setting the number of interfaces of the frequency divider, duplexer, and filter, the number of low-frequency and high-frequency ports of the frequency-dividing combiner can be expanded, and connections can be made in different ways, and the frequency divider is not limited to dual-frequency It is also possible to use three-frequency or multi-frequency frequency dividing devices to more effectively reduce the cost and complexity of the antenna, so that the antenna has good spread spectrum characteristics.

In a second aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes any of the above-mentioned multi-band common aperture antennas. The above-mentioned design enables the antenna to have good multi-frequency expansion capability and maintain a good wide angle in different frequency bands. Beam scanning capability. Moreover, in the beam scanning process, the occurrence of grating lobes can also be avoided. In addition, since the number of feeding ports is reduced due to the reconstruction of the structure of the feeding unit, the hardware overhead and power consumption can also be reduced.

Description of drawings

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a base station;

2a and 2b are schematic diagrams of a multi-band common aperture antenna designed in a coaxial manner;

Figures 2c and 2d are schematic diagrams of a multi-band common aperture antenna designed in a flower arrangement;

Fig. 2e is a schematic diagram of a feeding structure corresponding to the structure shown in Figs. 2a-2d;

FIG. 2f is a schematic diagram of a multi-band common aperture antenna designed using reflector separation technology;

FIG. 2g is a schematic diagram of a multi-band common aperture antenna designed using the broadband unit sharing technology;

Fig. 2h is a schematic diagram of a feeding structure corresponding to the structure shown in Fig. 2g;

Figure 2i is a schematic diagram of a multi-band co-aperture antenna designed using the tightly coupled phased array technology;

FIG. 2j is a schematic diagram of the isolation degree of the structure shown in FIG. 2i in different frequency bands;

Fig. 2k is a schematic diagram of a feeding structure corresponding to the structure shown in Fig. 2i;

3a is a schematic diagram of a multi-band common aperture antenna;

3b is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-band co-aperture antenna including a phase-shifting unit;

Figure 4a is a schematic diagram of beamforming of an analog phase shifter;

Figure 4b is a schematic diagram of the beamforming of the digital phase shifter;

Figure 4c is a schematic diagram of beamforming of the hybrid phase shifter;

5a-5d are schematic diagrams of a dual-band antenna;

6 is a schematic diagram of a three-band antenna;

7a to 7i are schematic diagrams of an area array type multi-band co-aperture antenna;

8a is a schematic diagram of a periodic array element;

Fig. 8b is a schematic diagram of aperiodically arranged array elements;

Figure 8c is a schematic diagram of an array element including dummy elements;

9a-9b are schematic diagrams of dual-polarized coupling array elements;

10 is a schematic diagram of a single-polarized planar array with four frequency bands;

11 is a schematic diagram of a reflectarray antenna;

12 is a schematic diagram of a smart reflective surface;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a reflection unit.

Detailed ways

In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The following is an explanation of the words that this application refers to or may refer to:

1. At least one, refers to one, or more than one, that is, including one, two, three and more;

2. Multiple means two, or more than two, that is, including two, three, four and more;

3. Connection refers to coupling, including direct connection or indirect connection through other devices to achieve electrical communication;

4. Grating lobe refers to the lobes generated by co-directional superposition in multiple directions when the element spacing of the array antenna is large enough except for the main lobe;

5. Phased array radar (PAR) refers to the use of a large number of individually controlled small antenna units arranged into an antenna array. Each antenna unit is controlled by an independent phase-shift switch. phase, the beams of different phases can be synthesized. The electromagnetic waves emitted by each antenna unit of the phased array are synthesized into a nearly straight radar main lobe by the principle of interference;

6. Microwave wireless energy transmission technology is a way of energy transmission. It has good application prospects in the fields of satellite energy transmission, directed energy weapons, biomedicine, and power transmission between two places. The receiving antenna and The rectifier circuit is two key research technology points;

7. The direction retrospective antenna is an antenna array, which specifically refers to the antenna that preferentially returns power to the source direction when receiving the incoming wave direction signal;

8. Tightly coupled phased array (TCPA) is an array antenna that uses strong coupling between units to improve the bandwidth of the phased array;

9. Common-port antennas use the same aperture for different frequency bands of the antenna. Compared with non-co-port antennas, common-port antennas can reasonably design multiple antennas with different frequencies and polarization characteristics within the same aperture. , while maintaining the compact structure of the antenna, it also has the performance of multi-frequency and multi-polarization operation, which is the development trend of the future antenna.

In order to facilitate the understanding of the multi-band co-aperture antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application, the application scenario thereof will be described first. The multi-band co-aperture antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application is suitable for use in a mobile communication system. The mobile communication system here includes but is not limited to: Global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile communication system (universal) mobile telecommunication system, UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) system or new radio (NR), and future (6th generation) , 6G) system, etc.

Exemplarily, the multi-band co-aperture antenna of the present application can also be applied in the field of phased array radar. Using the multi-band common aperture antenna as the phased array antenna of the phased array radar can improve the scanning angle of the radar, improve the scanning flexibility, and make the performance more reliable.

The multi-band common aperture antenna of the present application can also be applied to the field of microwave wireless energy transmission. The multi-band common aperture antenna is used as a receiving antenna for microwave wireless energy transmission, which is used to add a reflector function. By connecting a microwave rectifier circuit, it can receive and convert energy. The reflector characteristics of other frequency bands are reconstructed, and the advantages of the reflective reconstructed unit array/reflector antenna are taken into account while realizing wireless energy transmission.

The multi-band co-aperture antenna design of the present application can also be applied to the field of directional retrospective antennas. The working mode of the directional retrospective antenna determines that the array antenna needs to have a wide wave speed scanning angle and frequency bandwidth. However, based on the traditional retrospective antenna, due to its large beam of radio frequency transceiver components, the complexity and cost of the system are greatly increased, which limits the Applications in directional retrospective antennas. The present application can be extended to the antenna array of the directional retrospective antenna, and the multi-band common-aperture antenna in the above-mentioned embodiment is used as the array antenna to realize the multi-band directional retrospective antenna and extend the bandwidth; Load the coupler, the coupling array element on the multi-band common aperture antenna is connected to the absorption load, and the coupler is calibrated to automatically track and align the interference signal, reduce the array RCS (radar cross-section, radar cross-section), and improve the signal security.

The multi-band co-aperture antenna provided in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to a wireless network system, wherein the multi-band co-aperture antenna can be applied to a base station subsystem (base btation bubsystem, BBS), a terrestrial radio access network (UMTS terrestrial radio access network, UTRAN, UMTS, universal mobile telecommunications system, universal mobile communication system) or evolved terrestrial radio access network (evolved universal terrestrial radio access, E-UTRAN), which is further used for cell coverage of wireless signals to achieve UE and all The connection between the radio frequency terminals of the wireless network is described.

The multi-band common-aperture antenna involved in this embodiment may also be set in a wireless access network device to implement signal transmission and reception. Specifically, the radio access network device may include, but is not limited to, the base station 100 shown in FIG. 1 . The base station 100 may be a base station (base transceiver station, BTS) in a GSM or CDMA system, a base station (NodeB, NB) in a WCDMA system, or an evolved base station (evolutional NodeB, eNB) in an LTE system. or eNodeB), can also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN) scenario, or the base station 100 can be a relay station, an access point, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, and a 5G network. A base station or a base station in a future evolved PLMN network, etc. For example, a new wireless base station is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The base station 100 can provide wireless cell signal coverage and serve terminal equipment with one or more cells.

FIG. 1 shows a possible structure of a base station 100. In this structure, the base station 100 may include a base station antenna 101, a transceiver (Transceiver, TRX) 102 and a baseband processing unit 103, wherein the TRX 102 and the antenna port of the base station antenna 101 connected so that the antenna port can be used to receive the signal to be sent sent by the TRX 102 and the radiating unit of the base station antenna 101 to radiate the signal to be sent, or send the received signal received by the radiating unit to the TRX 102, where the TRX 102 can be a remote radio unit (radio remote unit, RRU), the baseband processing unit 103 may be a baseband unit (base band unit, BBU).

The baseband unit can be used to process the baseband optical signal to be sent and transmit it to the RRU, or to receive the received baseband signal sent by the RRU (that is, the baseband signal obtained by the conversion of the received radio frequency signal received by the base station antenna 101 during the signal reception process by the RRU) and Processing; the RRU can convert the baseband optical signal to be transmitted sent by the BBU into a radio frequency signal to be sent (including performing necessary signal processing on the baseband signal, such as signal amplification, etc.) and then the RRU can send the radio frequency signal to be sent through the antenna port to the base station antenna 101, so that the radio frequency signal is radiated through the base station antenna 101, or the RRU can receive the received radio frequency signal sent by the antenna port of the base station antenna 101, convert it into a received baseband signal and send it to the BBU.

The base station antenna 101 may include an array antenna 1011, a feeding network 1012, and an antenna port 1013. The array antenna 1011 may be composed of radiating elements arranged according to certain geometric rules, and is used to receive and/or radiate radio waves; the output end of the feeding network 1012 is connected to the array antenna 1011, and is used to feed each radiating element in the array antenna 1011, so that the array antenna 1011 radiates multiple beams, wherein different beams can cover different ranges; the feeding network 1012 can include a phase shifter, It is used to change the radiation direction of the radiation beam of the array antenna 1011; the feed network 1012 may include a vertical dimension feed network and a horizontal dimension feed network, wherein the vertical dimension feed network can be used to adjust the beam width and vertical dimension of the beam. The 2D feed network can be used to perform horizontal dimension beamforming on the transmitted signal, changing the beam width, shape and beam direction of the beam; the input end of the feed network 1012 is connected to the antenna port 1013 to form a transceiver channel, where each antenna port 1013 corresponds to one transceiver channel, and the antenna port 1013 can be connected to the TRX 102.

In some embodiments, the number of antenna ports 1013 of each base station antenna 101 may be multiple, and the number of TRX 102 may also be multiple, wherein each antenna port 1013 is connected to one TRX 102; the baseband processing unit 103 may be connected with One or more TRX 102 connections.

The current communication base station needs to achieve 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G full frequency coverage, which requires the antenna to have radiation units that match different frequency bands. The current antennas mainly include but are not limited to the following structures to achieve multi-frequency beam scanning:

Structure 1: A multi-band co-aperture antenna designed by the overlap-coaxial method.

FIG. 2a is a front view of a multi-band common aperture antenna designed by using the coaxial method, and FIG. 2b is a top view of the multi-band co-aperture antenna designed by using the coaxial method. The low-frequency array element 2011 adopts a bowl-shaped unit, which is composed of two pairs of dipoles. The middle of the bowl-shaped unit is hollowed out for placing the high-frequency array element 2012. The high-frequency array element 2012 is called the out-of-bowl unit. The low-frequency array element 2011 has a larger aperture than the high-frequency array element 2012. The high-frequency array elements 2012 inside and outside the bowl use conventional crossed dipoles to form dual-polarized units.

Structure 2: A multi-band common aperture antenna designed by the overlap-interleave method.

FIG. 2c is a front view of the multi-band common aperture antenna designed by the flower arrangement method, and FIG. 2d is a top view of the multi-band common aperture antenna designed by the flower arrangement method. The multi-frequency antenna is formed by a low-frequency array element 2021 and a high-frequency array element 2022 in a staggered and crossed array. Referring to Fig. 2e, it is a schematic diagram of a feeding structure corresponding to the structure shown in Figs. 2a-2d. The base station antenna may include a low frequency array element and a high frequency array element, the low frequency array element is used to receive the signal f _L sent by the low frequency feed network, and the high frequency array element is used to receive the signal f _H sent by the high frequency feed network.

Structure 3: A multi-band common aperture antenna designed with reflector separation technology.

Figure 2f is a schematic diagram of a multi-band co-aperture antenna designed using reflector separation technology. The multi-band common aperture antenna is composed of a low-frequency array element 2031 and a high-frequency array element 2032. The radiation structure of the low-frequency array element 2031 is transparent to the low-frequency array element 2031. land.

Structure 4: A multi-band common aperture antenna designed with broadband unit sharing technology.

FIG. 2g is a schematic diagram of a multi-band co-aperture antenna designed using the broadband unit sharing technology. The multi-band common aperture antenna is composed of a broadband antenna unit 2051, and the same broadband antenna unit 2051 is shared by multiple frequency bands. Referring to Fig. 2h, it is a schematic diagram of a feeding structure corresponding to the structure shown in Fig. 2g. The antenna may include a broadband antenna unit, and the broadband antenna unit is configured to receive the signal f _L sent by the low frequency feed network and the signal f _H sent by the high frequency feed network.

Structure 5: A multi-band common aperture antenna designed with tightly coupled phased array technology.

Figure 2i is a schematic diagram of a multi-band co-aperture antenna designed using the tightly coupled phased array technology. Among them, the tightly coupled phased array includes a plurality of tightly coupled units 2061. Usually, the electrical size of each tightly coupled unit 2061 of the tightly coupled phased array is relatively small. The input port will be connected to the output ports of the phase shifter with different frequencies through the frequency division network, so as to realize the common port array. Referring to FIG. 2j, it is a schematic diagram of isolation in different frequency bands of the structure shown in FIG. 2i, and referring to FIG. 2k, it is a schematic diagram of a feeding structure corresponding to the structure shown in FIG. 2i. The antenna of the base station may include tightly coupled units 2061, each of which is configured to receive the signal f _L sent by the low frequency feed network and the signal f _H sent by the high frequency feed network, respectively.

Among them, in the above structures 1 and 2, radiation interference will occur between the high-frequency array elements and the low-frequency array elements. Since different types of high-frequency array elements and low-frequency array elements are required, the cost will also increase, and due to the arrangement of high-frequency array elements and low-frequency array elements, the cost will also increase. The frequency array element and the low frequency array element are different, so it is difficult to expand other frequency bands; in the above structure three, the high frequency array element and the low frequency array element are layered three-dimensional structure, the structure is complex, the cost is high, and it is difficult to apply in practice; in the above-mentioned structure In structure 4, in the broadband design, it is difficult to achieve large-angle beam scanning in the high-frequency band within the bandwidth range; while in the narrowband design, frequency expansion cannot be performed; in the above structure 5, due to the tight coupling unit size is larger than conventional The antenna unit is small, so the scale of the feeding port is large, and the cost increases due to the increase in the number of phase shifters or baseband processing modules. In addition, the isolation in the low frequency band is also relatively poor.

To sum up, it is still difficult to provide a method that can perform multi-band expansion, especially non-integer frequency ratios in multi-frequency, and can achieve no grating lobes in large-angle beam scanning, and at the same time meet the requirements of low cost, and each frequency band. Multi-band common aperture antenna with good isolation.

In view of the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a multi-band common aperture antenna, where different frequency bands are designed on the coupling array elements of the same aperture, so it has a structure with a common aperture surface, so that the antenna has good multi-frequency expansion capability, and can be used in Different frequency bands can maintain good wide-angle beam scanning capability. Moreover, in the beam scanning process, the occurrence of grating lobes can also be avoided. In addition, due to the reconstruction of the structure of the feeding unit, the number of feeding ports is reduced, so the hardware overhead and power consumption are also reduced.

The multi-band common aperture antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application can meet the following conditions: the working bandwidth covers more than 10 times the frequency, and the voltage standing wave ratio of the whole frequency band is less than 2. The structure shown in FIG. 3a will be described in detail below. FIG. 3a provides a schematic structural diagram of a multi-band common-aperture antenna for the present application, wherein the multi-band common-aperture antenna 101 may include a plurality of coupling array elements 301, each of which is The coupling array element 301 is arranged on the reflector 302;

The frequency dividing and combining unit 303 is connected to the plurality of coupling array elements 301. The frequency dividing and combining unit 303 includes at least one layer of frequency dividing and combining layers 304, and each layer of the frequency dividing and combining layer 304 includes At least one frequency division combiner 305, each of which includes an antenna port 306, at least one high frequency port 307 and at least one low frequency port 308, and the high frequency port 307 forms at least one high frequency port group , the low-frequency ports 308 form at least one low-frequency port group; for each layer, the number of the high-frequency port groups is not greater than the number of the frequency dividing combiners 305, and the number of the low-frequency port groups is less than the frequency dividing and combining The number of circuit breakers 305, the number of high frequency port groups is not less than the number of low frequency port groups;

When the frequency dividing and combining unit 303 includes one layer of the frequency dividing and combining layer 304, the antenna port 306 of the frequency dividing and combining unit 305 is connected to the coupling array element 301, and the plurality of The low frequency port 308 is connected to the low frequency feeding unit 309, and the plurality of high frequency ports 307 are connected to the high frequency feeding unit 310;

When the frequency dividing and combining unit 303 includes at least two layers of the frequency dividing and combining layers 304, between every two adjacent layers, the low frequency port 308 of the upper layer is connected to the antenna port 306 of the lower layer, and the first The antenna port 306 of the layer frequency divider combiner 305 is connected to the coupling array element 301, the high frequency port 307 of the first layer frequency divider combiner 305 is connected to the high frequency feed unit 310, and the last layer The low frequency port 308 of the frequency divider combiner 305 is connected to the low frequency feed unit 309, and the high frequency port 307 of the last-layer frequency divider combiner 305 is connected to the high frequency feed unit 310;

a low-frequency feed unit 309 for providing low-frequency signal feed;

The high frequency feeding unit 310 is used to provide at least one frequency signal feeding higher than the low frequency signal.

In some embodiments, the coupling array elements 301 are grouped according to different ports to form reconstruction units of different frequency bands, and the coupling array elements 301 corresponding to the low frequency ports 308 in the low frequency port group together constitute the low frequency reconstruction unit 311 , The coupling array elements 301 corresponding to the high frequency ports 307 in the high frequency port group together constitute the high frequency reconstruction unit 312 .

Using the above method, different frequency bands can be reasonably designed in the same coupling array element 301 to form a common surface structure, and through flexible reconstruction of the coupling array element 301, units with different physical apertures can be formed, and the wide-angle beam scanning capability of each frequency band can be improved. At the same time, it can effectively reduce the cost and complexity of the antenna, so that the base station antenna 101 has good spread spectrum characteristics, and has a scheme for constructing a multi-band common aperture antenna with an integer ratio and a non-integer frequency ratio. In addition, after the coupling array element 301 is reconstructed, the isolation degree of the array antenna can meet the requirements, and the number of feeding ports can be reduced during beam scanning.

In some embodiments, a phase shifting unit 313 also exists on the low frequency feeding unit 309 and the high frequency feeding unit 310;

Referring to FIG. 3b, it is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-band co-aperture antenna including a phase-shifting unit. Each phase-shifting unit 313 is used to adjust the phase lag/lead of the electromagnetic waves radiated by the low-frequency feeding unit 309 and the high-frequency feeding unit 310 to the set phase corresponding to the coupling element, and the phase-shifting unit 313 is any one or any of the following structures: a digital phase shifter, an analog phase shifter, and a hybrid phase shifter. Using the above-mentioned various phase-shifting units, the phase lag/advance of the electromagnetic waves radiated by the low-frequency feeding unit and the high-frequency feeding unit is adjusted to the set phase corresponding to the coupling array element, so as to form beams in different directions, Then complete the beam scanning.

Specifically, the phase shifting unit 313 is used to adjust the weighting coefficient of each antenna unit in the antenna array to generate a directional beam, which is called beamforming. The beamforming technology is mainly based on analog beamforming (ABF, ABF). ), digital beamforming (DBF), hybrid beamforming (hybrid-digital precoding beamforming, HBF) three technical solutions, in order to simplify the description, the following is an example of beamforming generated by beam scanning in a one-dimensional array, The above three beamforming methods are introduced. It should be noted that this application is not limited to one-dimensional beam scanning. Through reasonable coupling array element reconstruction and feeding unit layout, the antenna array can also perform two-dimensional beam scanning in a two-dimensional plane. By adjusting the antenna array The weighting coefficient of each unit in , can generate a directional beam with directivity.

Corresponding to the analog phase shifter is the analog beamforming technology. Referring to Fig. 4a, it is a schematic diagram of the beamforming of the analog phase shifter. The principle of the phase shifter is mainly divided into a phase shifter that changes the physical length and a phase shifter that changes the dielectric constant. The analog phase shifter part is at the back end of the antenna, which is usually continuously adjustable. It acts on the analog signal with weights. At the transmitting end, the digital signal is decomposed into multiple analog signals by the power divider after passing through the DAC, and then beamforming is performed by the analog phase shifter. At the receiving end, the analog signals received by multiple antennas are combined and entered through the phase shifter DAC.

Corresponding to the digital phase shifter is a digital beamforming technology. Referring to Figure 4b, it is a schematic diagram of the beamforming of the digital phase shifter. Using a digital phase shifter, the amplitude and phase weights are applied to the front end of the baseband signal, that is, the transmitter works before entering the DAC, and the receiver works after the ADC. The number of antenna arrays corresponds to the radio frequency chain (RF) one-to-one, that is, each RF chain requires a set of independent DAC/ADC, mixer, filter and power amplifier. When the number of ports increases, the RF chain also needs followed by an increase.

Corresponding to the hybrid phase shifter is the hybrid beamforming technology. Referring to Fig. 4c, it is a schematic diagram of the beamforming of the hybrid phase shifter. The hybrid phase shifter combines the characteristics of digital and analog phase shifters, and achieves a balance in the number of RF channels, cost, performance and system design complexity. The phase encoding function is realized through the cascade conversion of digital to analog converters. The hybrid phase shifter can effectively reduce the number of RF channels, taking into account the cost and the performance of beam scanning.

In some embodiments, the frequency division combiner 305 includes any one or any of the following structures: a frequency divider, a duplexer, and a filter.

And the frequency divider is not limited to the dual-frequency type, and a frequency-dividing device of the triple-frequency or multi-frequency type can also be used;

That is, the frequency division combiner 305 may have other frequency band ports than the low frequency port 308 and the high frequency port 307. By setting the number of interfaces of the frequency divider, duplexer, and filter, the frequency division and combination can be expanded. The number of low-frequency and high-frequency ports of the router can be connected in different ways, which can effectively reduce the cost and complexity of the antenna, and make the antenna have good spread spectrum characteristics. Those skilled in the art should know the specific connection mode between the low frequency port and the other frequency band ports other than the high frequency port on the frequency dividing combiner 305 and the structure of the combiner, and will not be repeated here.

In some embodiments, the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements 301 may satisfy: n ₁ _* d≤0.5λ ₁ ; The wavelength corresponding to the frequency signal, n ₁ is a positive integer, by determining the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements, the occurrence of grating lobes can be avoided during the beam scanning process in the high frequency band.

In some embodiments, if the maximum scanning angle of the multi-band common aperture antenna 101 is θ _max , the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements 301 may satisfy:

By setting the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements, the occurrence of grating lobes can be avoided when the high-frequency frequency band has a good wide-angle beam scanning capability.

Specifically, during beam scanning, the spacing between the low-frequency or high-frequency reconstruction units satisfies the following formula:

λ is the wavelength corresponding to the signal, and θ _max is the maximum scanning angle of the beam scanning.

Therefore, when arranging the coupling array elements 301 , the distance d between the centers of the coupling array elements 301 needs to be set according to the spacing D between the reconstruction units and the number n ₁ of the high frequency ports in the high frequency port group.

Optionally, if the number of high-frequency ports in the high-frequency port group is 1, the distance d1 between the centers of the high-frequency reconstruction units 312 is the same as the distance d between the centers of the coupling array elements 301 .

If the number of the high-frequency ports in the high-frequency port group is m, the set distance d between the centers of the coupling array elements 301 is equal to the distance D/m between the high-frequency reconstruction units 312 .

In other embodiments, the number n ₂ of the low frequency ports 308 in the low frequency port group satisfies:

n ₂ *d≤0.5λ ₂ ;

Wherein, λ ₂ is the wavelength corresponding to the low-frequency signal input by the low-frequency feeding unit, d is the distance between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements, and n ₂ is a positive integer, because every two adjacent coupling array elements The distance d between the centers of the elements has been determined, and by setting the number n ₂ of the low-frequency ports in the low-frequency port group, it can be ensured that the occurrence of grating lobes can be avoided during the beam scanning process in the low-frequency frequency band.

In other embodiments, if the maximum scanning angle of the multi-band common aperture antenna is θ _max , the number n ₂ of the low frequency ports in the low frequency port group satisfies:

Specifically, after arranging the coupling array elements 301, the distance d between the centers of each coupling array element 301 has been determined, according to the wavelength λ ₂ corresponding to the low frequency signal input by the low frequency feeding unit 309 and the known d value to determine the spacing d2 between the centers of the low-frequency reconstruction units 311 .

The number of the low frequency ports 308 in the low frequency port group is that the distance between the centers of the low frequency reconstruction units 311 is d2. Then the number of the low frequency ports 308 in the low frequency port group needs to satisfy:

The low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 does not generate grating lobes when the maximum scanning angle θ _max is satisfied (the distance between the low-frequency reconstruction units 311 is less than

).

In some embodiments of the present application, after reconstruction, the coupling array element 301 on the multi-band common aperture antenna can satisfy the integer frequency ratio between the high frequency and the low frequency, and the beam scanning of the high frequency and the low frequency has no grating lobes, In the following embodiments, the beam scanning angles of the multi-band co-aperture antennas are all sufficient to scan at a maximum scanning angle of ±60° without generating grating lobes.

Referring to FIG. 5a, it is a schematic diagram of a dual-band antenna. Among them, the coupling array element 301 in the figure is used to connect with the antenna port of the frequency dividing combiner 305, and the high frequency port of each frequency dividing combiner 305 is connected to the high frequency feeding unit 310, and the low frequency port 308 Each group of two is connected to the low frequency feeding unit 309 , wherein the high frequency is f _H , the low frequency is f _L , f _H : f _L is 2:1, and the low frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed by two coupling array elements 301 Then, the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of one coupling array element 301 to realize a dual-band antenna with a frequency ratio of 2:1. The distance d1 between the centers of the reconstructed high-frequency reconstruction units 312 and the distance d2 between the centers of the reconstructed low-frequency reconstruction units 311 both satisfy the condition of beam scanning without grating lobes.

In some embodiments of the present application, after reconstruction, the coupling array element 301 on the multi-band common aperture antenna can also satisfy the non-integer frequency ratio between the high frequency and the low frequency, and the beam scanning of the high frequency and the low frequency has no grating valve.

Example 1. Referring to FIG. 5b, it is a schematic diagram of a dual-band antenna. The low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed from five coupling array elements 301 , and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is reconstructed from two coupling array elements 301 to realize a dual-band antenna with a frequency ratio of 2.5:1. The distance d1 between the centers of the reconstructed high-frequency reconstruction units 312 and the distance d2 between the centers of the reconstructed low-frequency reconstruction units 311 both satisfy the beam scanning condition without grating lobes.

Example 2. Referring to FIG. 5c, it is a schematic diagram of a dual-band antenna. The low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed from three coupling array elements 301, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is reconstructed from two coupling array elements 301, so as to realize a dual-band antenna with a frequency ratio of 1.5:1. The distance d1 between the centers of the reconstructed high-frequency reconstruction units 312 and the distance d2 between the centers of the reconstructed low-frequency reconstruction units 311 both satisfy the beam scanning condition without grating lobes.

In addition, it is also possible to combine the integer ratio and the non-integer ratio to reconstruct the coupling array elements to realize a dual-band antenna. Referring to FIG. 5d, some low-frequency reconstruction units 311 are reconstructed from four coupling array elements 301. , and other low-frequency reconstruction units 311 are reconstructed from three coupling array elements 301 , and high-frequency reconstruction units 312 are reconstructed from two coupling array elements 301 . The distance d1 between the centers of the reconstructed high-frequency reconstruction units 312, the distances d21 (4 coupling array elements) and d22 (3 coupling array elements) between the centers of the reconstructed low-frequency reconstruction units 311 All satisfy the condition of beam scanning without grating lobes.

As long as the reconstruction of the coupling array element 301 satisfies the precondition of scanning without grating lobes, adjacent coupling elements can be combined arbitrarily within the spacing range of the beam scanning without grating lobes, and the number of coupling array reconstructions within the same frequency is not limited , that is, on the premise that the scanning has no grating lobes, the number of low-frequency ports in the low-frequency port group can be set in any combination, which is not limited here.

In some embodiments, the high frequency feeding unit 310 is configured to provide at least two frequency signal feeds higher than the low frequency signal to the high frequency port group of the frequency divider combiner. For example, in this embodiment, the high-frequency feeding unit 310 is used for feeding two _kinds of frequency signals higher than the low-frequency signal. The signal is the intermediate frequency signal f _M , and the low frequency signal is f _L for example. Referring to FIG. 6 , it is a schematic diagram of a three-band antenna, wherein the low frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed from four coupling array elements 301 , and the intermediate frequency reconstruction unit 314 is reconstructed from two coupling array elements 301 , the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of one coupling array element 301 . The distance d1 between the centers of the reconstructed high frequency reconstruction units 312, the distance d2 between the centers of the reconstructed low frequency reconstruction units 311, and the distance d3 between the centers of the intermediate frequency reconstruction units 314 all satisfy Beam scan without grating lobe condition.

In addition, similarly, the design scheme of the present application can be extended to four-band, or even N-band antennas, where N is a positive integer, and multiple frequency bands share a single coupling array element 301 to form a common surface array. Therefore, each of the multi-band common-aperture antennas The pattern of the frequency band is consistent, which can realize ultra-wideband flexible reconstruction capability and frequency expansion, and still meet the scanning grating lobe-free condition at different frequencies, thus forming a considerable wide-angle beam scanning capability. , the array antenna can effectively reduce the number and complexity of active channels, reduce the complexity of the feeder network and the cost of the antenna, and ultimately improve the overall competitiveness of the antenna.

In some embodiments, in order to improve the radiation effect of the antenna, the reconstruction method of the array antenna is not limited to the above-described reconstruction and frequency expansion of the one-dimensional coupling array element 301, but can also be a two-dimensional planar coupling array element. 301 refactoring. Referring to FIG. 7a, it is a schematic diagram of an area array type dual-band antenna. Among them, on the array antenna, the coupling array elements are usually combined and arranged in a two-dimensional area array type. Take the two rows of coupling array elements 301 in FIG. 7a as an example. The coupling array element 301 is used to connect with the antenna port of the frequency dividing combiner 305, and the high frequency port of each frequency dividing combiner 305 is connected to the high frequency feeding unit 310, and the low frequency ports 308 are in groups of four , which is connected to the low-frequency feeding unit 309, where the high frequency is f _H and the low frequency is f _L , as shown in FIG. 7b , which is a schematic diagram of the connection of the low-frequency reconstruction unit. The low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 consists of 2*2 coupling array elements 301 Referring to FIG. 7 c , which is a schematic diagram of the connection of the high-frequency reconstruction unit, the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of one coupling array element 301 . The center distance d1 of the reconstructed high frequency reconstruction unit 312 and the center distance d2 of the reconstructed low frequency reconstruction unit 311 both satisfy the beam scanning condition without grating lobes. The number of channels of the feeding port is effectively reduced to reduce the cost.

In addition, the reconstruction method of the above-mentioned array antenna is not limited to the one-dimensional and two-dimensional reconstruction described above, and can also be a conformal surface antenna array type. Referring to FIG. 7d, it is a schematic diagram of a conformal surface array type antenna. FIG. 7e is a schematic diagram of an antenna feeding of a conformal plane array type. The specific reconstruction method of the coupling array elements on the conformal plane is based on the same concept as the above reconstruction method, and will not be repeated here.

In some embodiments, array element reconstruction can be performed on a single-polarization planar array, and the single-polarization reconstruction method may include the following methods:

Mode 1. Referring to FIG. 7f , it is a schematic diagram of a planar array formed by reconfiguration of coupling array elements in a horizontal direction. Among them, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 in the left figure is reconstructed horizontally by two coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of one coupling array element 301 to realize dual-band reconstruction in the horizontal direction. antenna. In the middle figure, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is vertically reconstructed by two coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of one coupling array element 301 to realize the vertical reconstruction of a dual-band antenna. In the figure on the right, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed vertically and horizontally by 2*2 coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction. band antenna.

Mode 2: Referring to FIG. 7g , it is a schematic diagram of a planar array formed by coupling array elements in a vertical direction. Among them, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 in the left figure is reconstructed horizontally by two coupling array elements 301 in the vertical direction, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of one coupling array element 301 to realize dual-band reconstruction in the horizontal direction. antenna. In the middle figure, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is vertically reconstructed by two coupling array elements 301 in the vertical direction, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of one coupling array element 301 to realize a dual-band antenna reconstructed in the vertical direction. In the figure on the right, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed vertically and horizontally by 2*2 coupling array elements 301 in the vertical direction, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of one coupling array element 301 to realize the vertical and horizontal reconstruction. Dual-band antenna.

Mode 3: Referring to FIG. 7h, it is a schematic diagram of a planar array with a non-integer ratio formed by the reconstruction of the coupling array elements in the horizontal direction. In the figure on the left, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is horizontally reconstructed from three coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is horizontally reconstructed from two coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction to realize the horizontal direction. Reconstructed dual-band antenna. In the figure on the right, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed vertically and horizontally by 3*3 coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is reconstructed vertically and horizontally by 2*2 coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction. The dual-band antenna is constructed to realize vertical and horizontal reconstruction.

Mode 4: Referring to FIG. 7i , it is a schematic diagram of a three-band planar array formed by coupling array elements in a horizontal direction. Among them, the low frequency reconstruction unit 311 in the left figure is reconstructed horizontally by four coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction, and the intermediate frequency reconstruction unit 314 is horizontally reconstructed by two coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction. The reconstruction unit 312 is composed of a coupling array element 301 in the horizontal direction, and realizes a three-band antenna reconstructed in the horizontal direction. In the middle figure, the low frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed horizontally and vertically by 2*4 coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction, and the intermediate frequency reconstruction unit 314 is reconstructed horizontally and vertically by 2*2 coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction. , the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of a coupling array element 301 in the horizontal direction, and realizes a three-band antenna reconstructed in the vertical and horizontal directions. In the figure on the right, the low frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed horizontally and vertically by 4*4 coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction, and the intermediate frequency reconstruction unit 314 is reconstructed horizontally and vertically by 2*2 coupling array elements 301 in the horizontal direction. Now, the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of a coupling array element 301 in the horizontal direction, and realizes a three-band antenna reconstructed in the vertical and horizontal directions.

After the coupling array element 301 is reconstructed periodically, the reconstructed planar array belongs to a periodic array; while the coupling array element 301 is reconstructed aperiodically, the reconstructed array is equivalent to a sparse array. Specifically, the array antenna can be flexibly arranged according to the requirements of the array antenna. Optionally, the above-mentioned coupling array elements 301 may be arranged in either a periodic order or a non-periodic order on the planar array:

Mode 1: The planar array is arranged periodically. Referring to FIG. 8a , it is a schematic diagram of the array elements arranged periodically. The coupling array element 301 is reconstructed in one of the frequency bands (the other frequency bands are similar), and the ports connected to the reconstructed coupling array element 301 can be configured with different excitation assignments, and finally achieve the pattern characteristics of specific performance. The left picture shows the coupling array Element 301 is a schematic diagram of reconstruction, the middle picture is a schematic diagram of the distribution of equivalent antenna units after reconstruction, and the right picture is a schematic diagram of the distribution of excitation amplitudes, with different patterns representing different excitation amplitudes.

Mode 2: Planar arrays are arranged aperiodically, as shown in Figure 8b, the left figure is a schematic diagram of the reconstruction of the coupling array element 301, the middle figure is a schematic diagram of the distribution of the equivalent antenna elements after reconstruction, and the right figure is the excitation amplitude distribution Schematic.

Mode 3: A dummy area can be configured on the planar array to realize a sparse array. Referring to FIG. 8c, each reconstruction unit can be reconstructed by the same number or different numbers of coupling array elements 301. However, for sparse array antennas, the performance of the array can be optimized by algorithm. The figure on the left is the schematic diagram of the reconstruction of the coupling array element 301. The dummy elements shown in the dotted box can be configured in the planar array. There is no feeding configuration on the element, so as to realize an equivalent sparse array. The middle picture is a schematic diagram of the equivalent array distribution after reconstruction, and the right picture is a schematic diagram of the amplitude distribution of the equivalent array.

In some embodiments, the coupling array element 301 includes at least one dipole array element;

The dipole array element is parallel to the polarization direction of the coupling array element 301, and there are coupling capacitors on both sides of the end of the dipole array element. By setting the direction of the dipole array element, the coupling array element can have at least The direction of polarization in one direction, to compose the polarization type in more ways.

In the above embodiment, the coupling array elements 301 are provided in a single polarization direction. Optionally, the multi-band common aperture antenna can also support multi-polarization directions. By setting the dipole array elements in an orthogonal manner, the coupling can be The array element has dual polarization characteristics in different directions such as vertical and horizontal directions, ±45° directions, and so on.

Wherein, when the coupling array element 301 is designed with dual polarization, when the coupling array element 301 includes two dipole array elements, the dipole array elements are arranged orthogonally, and the coupling array element 301 includes but does not The orthogonal setting is limited to the following methods:

Mode 1. Two dipole array elements are designed in the vertical and horizontal directions, as shown in Figure 9a, wherein the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 in the left figure is composed of two coupled array elements including vertical and horizontal dipole array elements 301 is reconstructed horizontally, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of a coupling array element 301 comprising a dipole array element in vertical and horizontal directions. In the middle figure, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is vertically reconstructed from two coupling array elements 301 including vertical and horizontal dipole array elements, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 includes a coupling array element of vertical and horizontal dipole array elements. 301 Composition. In the figure on the right, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed vertically and horizontally by 2*2 coupling array elements 301 including vertical and horizontal dipole array elements, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is reconstructed from a vertical and horizontal dipole array. The coupling array element 301 of the element is formed.

Mode 2. The two dipole array elements are designed in the direction of ±45°, as shown in Figure 9b, wherein the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 in the left figure is composed of two couplings including dipole array elements in the direction of ±45°. The array element 301 is reconstructed horizontally, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of a coupling array element 301 including a dipole array element in a direction of ±45°. In the middle figure, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is vertically reconstructed from two coupling array elements 301 including ±45°-direction dipole array elements, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is reconstructed from one ±45°-direction dipole array. The coupling array element 301 of the element is formed. In the figure on the right, the low-frequency reconstruction unit 311 is reconstructed vertically and horizontally by 2*2 coupling array elements 301 including dipole array elements in the ±45° direction, and the high-frequency reconstruction unit 312 is composed of a ±45° direction dipole element. The coupling array element 301 of the pole array element is formed.

In addition, the present application provides an example of a four-band antenna. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a four-band single-polarization planar array, wherein the figure includes 12*12 coupling array elements 301, and the physical aperture of the coupling array elements 301 It is 19mm×19mm, and the array element spacing is also 19mm. The common surface array antenna includes Band3, Band41, Band42 and LAA frequency bands. The standing wave bandwidth of the quad-band antenna can cover 1.5~6GHz. The frequency band common aperture antenna can make the physical aperture of each reconstruction unit in the reconstructed frequency band meet the condition of ±60° scanning without grating lobes, and can also reduce the number of antenna feed ports and improve the isolation of the reconstruction unit. In the end, each frequency band can maintain a reasonable number of channels, reduce the number of antenna feed ports, save costs, and improve the overall competitiveness of the antenna. Specifically, according to the formula without grating lobes for array scanning, the spacing between the coupling array elements is about 0.5λ _LAA . If the spacing between the coupling array elements 301 is set to 0.5λ _LAA , the frequency of the LAA frequency band can be the highest without coupling. The array element 301 is reconstructed. The coupling array element 301 is the antenna unit in the LAA frequency band. 3.5G (Band42) can use up to 4 coupling array elements 301 for reconstruction, and 2.6G (Band41) can use up to 9 coupling array elements 301. For reconstruction, 1.7G (Band3) can be reconstructed using up to 16 coupling array elements 301. Using the above antenna structure can reduce the number of feed ports and reduce costs, within the maximum number of reconfigurable coupling array elements. , flexibly configure the reconstruction units of different frequency bands composed of different antenna units.

Optionally, see Table 1 below. The lower the frequency, the more coupling array elements can be reconstructed, so the reconstruction method is more flexible. The dark part in Table 1 is the optional coupling for different frequency bands. For the reconstruction scale of the array elements, when the spacing between the reconstructed antenna elements does not exceed about 0.5 times the wavelength of the corresponding frequency band, it can satisfy the grating lobe-free scanning with a beam scanning angle of ±60 degrees. In addition, the number of reconfigured antenna units existing on the array antenna is different due to the different reconstruction methods. Among them, for the above-mentioned 12*12 scale array antenna, the reconstructed antenna units in the LAA frequency band can be at least in the array. 144 antennas can be designed on the antenna, at least 36 reconstructed antenna units in Band42 frequency band can be designed on the array antenna, at least 16 reconstructed antenna units in Band42 frequency band can be designed on the array antenna, and at least 16 reconstructed antenna units in Band3 frequency band can be designed on the array antenna. Design 9 above. Referring to Table 2 below, compared with the traditional quad-band antenna array, the quad-band antenna provided by the present application can save the number of feeding ports and reduce costs in different frequency bands.

(144-9) can be saved for the feed ports in the Band3 frequency band, (144-16) can be saved for the feed ports in the Band41 frequency band, and (144-36) can be saved for the feed ports in the Band42 frequency band. The quad-band antenna with 12×12 coupled array elements reduces the number of feed ports compared to the traditional solution:

Thus, the complexity of the antenna and the number of beamforming feed port channels are effectively reduced. By flexibly adjusting the number of coupling elements of each reconstruction unit, a large-scale sparse antenna array can be reconstructed, and an antenna array with higher performance or special requirements can be realized.

Table 1

Table 2

Using the multi-band common aperture antenna provided by this application, the coupling array elements are reconstructed based on the tightly coupled phased array technology, and the coupling array elements are flexibly reconstructed to the unit physical apertures of different frequency bands respectively, so as to realize the multi-band common port. The surface type antenna array can realize the common aperture of different frequency ratios and the wide-angle beam scanning capability of each frequency band. The port isolation between the reconstructed units is at least 6dB higher than that of the traditional tight-coupled units; since the multi-band common-aperture antenna is designed with a common port and shares the same coupling array element, it has good The manufacturability is good, the pattern of each frequency band is consistent, and the beam scanning angle can be maintained in different frequency bands, which solves the problem of grating lobes caused by excessive spacing; further reduces the number of feed ports and costs.

In some embodiments, the multi-band co-aperture antenna of the present application can also be applied to the design of a reflectarray antenna. Referring to FIG. 11 , which is a schematic diagram of a reflection array antenna, the reflection array antenna is composed of a feed source 1101 and a reflection surface 1102 . The reflection surface 1102 is generally a plane structure, and the units irradiated by the feed source 1101 are arranged in a plane, The main principle of the antenna that makes it have parabolic characteristics is to adjust the unit structure size on the reflecting surface 1102 at different positions, so that the reflecting surface 1102 has different values of phase delay. Through precise design, the beam focusing and direction. However, the traditional reflectarray antenna has narrow-band characteristics; and because the spatial phase delay difference varies with frequency, the bandwidth of the reflectarray antenna composed of traditional microstrip patch units is less than 5%. Gain-Bandwidth Defects.

The above-mentioned reflecting surface 1102 can be designed as an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS). Referring to FIG. 12, the intelligent reflecting surface IRS includes:

The IRS controller 1201 is used to receive the reflection amplitude/phase shift information; the control circuit board 1202 is triggered by the IRS controller 1201 and is responsible for adjusting the reflection amplitude/phase shift of each reflection unit 1204; the copper plate 1203 is used to avoid signal energy leakage ; A PIN diode is embedded in the reflection unit 1204, and by controlling its bias voltage via the DC feeder, the PIN diode is switched between the "on" and "off" states, thereby generating a phase difference of π, and in order to effectively control the reflection amplitude , a variable resistive load can be applied in the design of the reflection units 1204 to consume different parts of the incident signal energy by changing the resistance value in each reflection unit 1204 to achieve a controllable reflection amplitude in [0,1], but Limited by the form of the patch unit, the bandwidth of the smart reflector is also relatively narrow. By applying the multi-band common aperture antenna design of the present application to the reflector, each reflector 1204 on the reflector can be equivalent to a coupling array element. Referring to FIG. 13 , which is a schematic diagram of a reflection unit, each patch unit is loaded with a diode or a MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system, micro-electromechanical system) switch, etc., to realize the reflection beam regulation of the working frequency. After the patch unit 1301 is connected to the load and reconstructed and combined, the control diode 1302 is loaded, and the unit physical aperture of the reflectarray antenna is equivalently expanded, thereby adding a new frequency on the reflecting surface and realizing the multi-frequency sharing aperture reflecting surface characteristics. The reflectarray antenna bandwidth extension is also realized. Alternatively, an absorption resistor 1303 can also be loaded on the reconstruction unit to generate wave absorption characteristics in a specific frequency band, reduce the radar scattering interface, realize the stealth characteristics of the reflector, and increase security.

In addition, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, where the communication device includes any one of the above-mentioned multi-band common aperture antennas. The above design enables the communication equipment including the multi-band common aperture antenna to have good multi-frequency expansion capability, and can maintain good wide-angle beam scanning capability in different frequency bands. Moreover, in the beam scanning process, the occurrence of grating lobes can also be avoided. In addition, since the number of feeding ports is reduced due to the reconstruction of the structure of the feeding unit, the hardware overhead and power consumption can also be reduced.

In the solution of the present application, a multi-band common aperture antenna and communication equipment provided by the present application are used to reconstruct the coupled array elements based on the tightly coupled phased array technology, and the coupled array elements are flexibly reconstructed to different frequency bands respectively. On the physical aperture of the unit, it can realize the antenna array of multi-band common surface type, which can realize the common aperture of different frequency ratios and the wide-angle beam scanning capability of each frequency band, and at the same time can effectively reduce the cost and complexity of the antenna, and has good multi-frequency It can expand the ability, and then can build a scheme of integer and non-integer frequency ratios; the port isolation between the reconstructed reconstructed units is at least 6dB higher than that of the traditional tightly coupled units; because the multi-band common aperture antenna is a common port plane The design shares the same coupling array element, so it has good manufacturability, the pattern of each frequency band is consistent, and the beam scanning angle can be maintained in different frequency bands to solve the problem of grating lobes caused by excessive spacing; Further reduce the number of feeding ports and reduce costs.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to the processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce Means for implementing the functions specified in a flow or flow of a flowchart and/or a block or blocks of a block diagram.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory result in an article of manufacture comprising instruction means, the instructions The apparatus implements the functions specified in the flow or flow of the flowcharts and/or the block or blocks of the block diagrams.

These computer program instructions can also be loaded on a computer or other programmable data processing device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process such that The instructions provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flow or blocks of the flowcharts and/or the block or blocks of the block diagrams.

Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the protection scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

A multi-band common aperture antenna is characterized in that it includes a plurality of coupling array elements, a frequency dividing and combining unit, a low frequency feeding unit and a high frequency feeding unit; wherein:

Each of the coupling array elements is arranged on the reflector;

The frequency dividing and combining unit is connected to the plurality of coupling array elements, and the frequency dividing and combining unit includes at least one frequency dividing and combining layer, and each layer of the frequency dividing and combining layer includes at least one frequency dividing and combining layer. Each of the frequency dividers and combiners includes an antenna port, at least one high-frequency port and at least one low-frequency port, the multiple high-frequency ports form at least one high-frequency port group, and the multiple low-frequency ports form at least one high-frequency port group. A low-frequency port group; for each layer, the number of the high-frequency port groups is not greater than the number of the frequency division combiners, the number of the low frequency port groups is less than the number of the frequency division combiners, the high frequency port group The number of port groups is not less than the number of the low-frequency port groups;

When the frequency dividing and combining unit includes one layer of the frequency dividing and combining layer, the antenna port of the frequency dividing and combining unit is connected to the coupling array element, and the plurality of low-frequency ports are connected to the a low-frequency feeding unit is connected, and the plurality of high-frequency ports are connected to the high-frequency feeding unit;

When the frequency dividing and combining unit includes at least two layers of the frequency dividing and combining layers, between every two adjacent layers, multiple low frequency ports of the upper layer are connected to the antenna ports of the next layer, and the first layer is divided into The antenna port of the frequency combiner is connected to the coupling array element, the multiple high-frequency ports of the first-layer frequency divider combiner are connected to the high-frequency feeding unit, and the The plurality of low-frequency ports are connected to the low-frequency feed unit, and the high-frequency ports of the last-layer frequency divider combiner are connected to the high-frequency feed unit;

Low-frequency feed unit, used to provide low-frequency signal feed;

The high frequency feeding unit is used for feeding at least one frequency signal higher than the low frequency signal.
The multi-band common aperture antenna according to claim 1, wherein the coupling array elements are grouped according to different ports to form reconstruction units of different frequency bands, and the coupling array elements corresponding to the low frequency ports in the low frequency port group A low-frequency reconstruction unit is formed together, and the coupling array elements corresponding to the high-frequency ports in the high-frequency port group collectively constitute a high-frequency reconstruction unit.
The multi-band common aperture antenna according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements satisfies:

n 1 *d≤0.5λ 1 ;

Wherein, n 1 is the number of the high-frequency ports in the high-frequency port group, λ 1 is the wavelength corresponding to the high-frequency signal input by the high-frequency feeding unit, and n 1 is a positive integer.
The multi-band co-aperture antenna according to claim 3, wherein if the maximum scanning angle of the multi-band co-aperture antenna is θ max , the distance d between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements satisfies :
The multi-band common aperture antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the number n 2 of the low frequency ports in the low frequency port group satisfies:

n 2 *d≤0.5λ 2 ;

Wherein, λ 2 is the wavelength corresponding to the low-frequency signal input by the low-frequency feeding unit, n 2 is a positive integer; d is the distance between the centers of every two adjacent coupling array elements.
The multi-band common-aperture antenna according to claim 5, wherein if the maximum scanning angle of the multi-band common-aperture antenna is θ max , the number n 2 of the low-frequency ports in the low-frequency port group satisfies:
The multi-band co-aperture antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, a phase shifting unit further exists on the low frequency feeding unit and the high frequency feeding unit;

Each phase-shifting unit is used to adjust the phase lag/advance of the electromagnetic waves radiated by the low-frequency feeding unit and the high-frequency feeding unit to the set phase corresponding to the coupling array element, and the phase-shifting unit is any of the following One or any of several structures: digital phase shifter, analog phase shifter, hybrid phase shifter.
The multi-band common aperture antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the coupling array element comprises at least one dipole array element, and the polarization directions of the dipole array element and the coupling array element In parallel, there are coupling capacitors on both sides of the end of the dipole array element.
The multi-band common aperture antenna according to claim 8, wherein when the coupling array element includes two dipole array elements, the dipole array elements are arranged orthogonally.
The multi-band common-aperture antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the frequency divider and combiner comprises any one or any of the following structures: a frequency divider, a duplexer, and a filter.
A communication device, characterized by comprising the multi-band common aperture antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 10.