CN115441212A

CN115441212A - Antenna module and communication equipment containing antenna array

Info

Publication number: CN115441212A
Application number: CN202110619868.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨明磊; 刘楠; 王晓冉; 陈晓玲; 曾昆
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-03
Filing date: 2021-06-03
Publication date: 2022-12-06
Also published as: WO2022252981A1

Abstract

The application discloses an antenna module and communication equipment comprising an antenna array, which are applied to the technical field of antennas, wherein the antenna module comprises a circuit board, the circuit board comprises the antenna array, a signal generation module and a signal processing module, the antenna array comprises a first array element group and a second array element group, one array element group in the first array element group and the second array element group is used as a transmitting array element, the other array element group is used as a receiving array element, the first array element group comprises at least two array elements, the second array element group comprises M rows and N columns of array elements, the M rows and N columns of array elements are arranged in a rectangular structure, and the spacing between the M rows and the N columns are the same; because the array element of the M rows and the N columns is a two-dimensional antenna array, the actual condition of the target object can be accurately reflected, compared with a one-dimensional linear array, the imaging result is improved, more target object information can be described, and the imaging requirement of a user is met.

Description

Antenna module and communication equipment containing antenna array

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of antenna technologies, and in particular, to an antenna module and a communication device including an antenna array.

Background

Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) is a new technology that introduces Multiple input and Multiple output technologies in a wireless communication system into the antenna field and combines the technologies with digital array technology. The MIMO antenna array usually includes multiple transmitting antennas and multiple receiving antennas (the antennas may also be used for both transmitting and receiving), each transmitting antenna transmits different signal waveforms, each transmitting signal is reflected after reaching a target object, and the reflected echoes are received by the multiple receiving antennas and sent to the signal processing module for subsequent processing after passing through the multipath receiver.

At present, a plurality of transmit antennas and receive antennas in a MIMO antenna array are arranged according to a one-dimensional linear array, as shown in fig. 1a, which is a topology structure diagram of the MIMO array, wherein hollow dots represent receive array elements, solid square dots represent transmit array elements, and the transmit array elements and the receive array elements are all arranged in a linear dimension. The MIMO array with the topology is virtualized, as shown in fig. 1b, which is a schematic diagram of a virtual MIMO array, where only one transmitting array element is virtualized, and the number of receiving array elements is multiple, and the transmitting array element is represented by a square.

The structure shown in fig. 1a and 1b is adopted to arrange the array elements of the MIMO array, because all the array elements are located in one linear dimension, that is, a sparse MIMO design is performed on the one-dimensional linear array, and the one-dimensional linear array only has resolution capability of one dimension, that is, only an object imaging result on one line is displayed, but the actual shape of the object is often a two-dimensional or three-dimensional structure, the actual condition of the object cannot be accurately reflected by the imaging result obtained by adopting the one-dimensional linear array, and the requirement of a user on object imaging cannot be met.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides an antenna module containing an antenna array, which is used for improving the accuracy of object imaging so as to reflect the actual situation of an object, and specifically, the embodiment of the application discloses the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, the present application provides an antenna module including an antenna array, where the antenna module includes a circuit board, the circuit board includes an antenna array, a signal generation module, and a signal processing module, and the antenna array is connected to the signal generation module and the signal processing module respectively;

the antenna array comprises a first array element group and a second array element group, wherein one array element group in the first array element group and the second array element group is used as a transmitting array element, and the other array element group is used as a receiving array element; the first array element comprises at least two array elements, and the second array element comprises: the array elements in M rows and N columns are arranged in a rectangular structure, and the distances between the M rows and the N columns are the same;

when the first array element group is used as a transmitting array element group and the second array element group is used as a receiving array element group, the first array element group is used for receiving a first signal generated by the signal generation module, converting the first signal into a first electromagnetic wave and sending the first electromagnetic wave; the second array element group is used for receiving a second electromagnetic wave, converting the second electromagnetic wave into a second signal and sending the second signal, wherein the second electromagnetic wave is a reflected echo of the first electromagnetic wave after passing through a target object;

alternatively, the first and second liquid crystal display panels may be,

when the first array element group is used as a receiving array element group and the second array element group is used as a transmitting array element group, the second array element group is used for receiving the first signal generated by the signal generation module, converting the first signal into a first electromagnetic wave and sending the first electromagnetic wave; the first array group is used for receiving a second electromagnetic wave, converting the second electromagnetic wave into a second signal and sending the second signal;

and the signal processing module is used for receiving the second signal and imaging the target object according to the second signal.

The antenna module comprises the antenna array, the antenna array comprises M rows and N columns of array elements, and the array element structure of the M rows and the N columns is a two-dimensional antenna array, so that the actual condition of a target object can be accurately reflected compared with a one-dimensional linear array.

Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first array set includes: the antenna comprises a first transmitting array element and a second transmitting array element, wherein a connecting line of the first transmitting array element and the second transmitting array element is L1; the second array tuple comprises: the array element receiving device comprises a first receiving array element and a second receiving array element, wherein a connecting line of the first receiving array element and the second receiving array element is L2, and the first receiving array element and the second receiving array element are two array elements which are positioned in the same row or the same column in the rectangular structure array elements of the M rows and the N columns.

The included angle between the extension lines of the L1 and the L2 or the L2 is a first included angle, the first included angle is beta, and the value range of the beta is any value except 0 degree, 90 degrees, 180 degrees and 270 degrees.

Furthermore, the first receiving array element group further includes a third receiving array element and a fourth receiving array element, and the first receiving array element, the second receiving array element, the third receiving array element and the fourth receiving array element are arranged in a square shape.

Optionally, in another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first included angle β is any one of value ranges of 30 ° to 60 °,120 ° to 150 °,210 ° to 240 °, and 300 ° to 330 °; wherein the beta values include end point values: 30 °,60 °,120 °,150 °,210 °,240 °,300 °, and 330 °.

Optionally, in yet another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first included angle β is any value except 45 °,135 °,225 °, and 315 ° in a value range of 30 ° to 60 °,120 ° to 150 °,210 ° to 240 °, and 300 ° to 330 °; wherein the values of the first included angle β include end point values: 30 °,60 °,120 °,150 °,210 °,240 °,300 °, and 330 °.

Optionally, in another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first included angle β is any one of 45 °,135 °,225 °, and 315 °.

Optionally, in another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, a value range of the first included angle β is: any of 0 ° to 30 °,60 ° to 120 °,150 ° to 210 °,240 ° to 300 °,330 ° to 360 °, or 45 °,135 °,225 °, and 315 °; wherein the value of the first included angle β does not include the endpoint values: 30 °,60 °,120 °,150 °,210 °,240 °,300 °, and 330 °.

And carrying out simulation experiments on the structures of the various antenna arrays to obtain imaging effects under different first included angles beta. Through simulation experiments, the change condition of the peak side lobe ratio PSLR of the array directional diagram when the first included angle beta is different in value can be obtained, wherein the PSLR is changed from large to small and then from small to large in the process that the first angle beta is increased from 0 degrees to 90 degrees in the first quadrant. And the value of PSLR is minimal when said β is equal to 45 °; the value of PSLR is maximum when said β is equal to 0 ° or 90 °. Since the smaller the value of PSLR, the better the corresponding imaging effect, it is preferable to set the first angle β equal to 45 °, the least imaging "artifacts" can be obtained and the best imaging effect.

Similarly, for the other quadrants, when the first angle β is set equal to 135 °,225 °, or 315 °, the best imaging effect can be obtained in the second, third, and fourth quadrants as well.

Optionally, in another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the positions of the first transmitting array element and the first receiving array element coincide.

In addition, with reference to any one of the foregoing possible implementation manners of the first aspect, a distance between the first transmit array element and the second transmit array element is a first distance, and the first distance is d1; in the second array element group, a row spacing or a column spacing between any two adjacent receiving array elements is a second distance, and the second distance is d2.

Wherein the content of the first and second substances,

a is a positive integer, and d2 is related to the wavelength of the first signal generated by the signal generation module.

Optionally, d2 > λ/2, λ representing the wavelength of the first signal.

Optionally, in a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, a value range of the first distance d1 is

To

Any value in between; wherein, including the end value:

and

optionally, in another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, a is equal to 0.5, and the value of the first distance d1 is

Optionally, in another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, a value range of the first distance d1 is other than that of the first distance

To

Any value outside the range of intervals.

The method and the device perform simulation experiments on the change conditions of the first distance d1 and the second distance d2, reflect the change conditions of the peak side lobe ratio PSLR of the array directional diagram along with the coefficient a, and the relation between d1 and d2 meets the requirement

The coefficient a ranges from 0 to 1. Wherein, the first and the second end of the pipe are connected with each other,in the process of increasing the coefficient a from 0 to 1, the stepping unit is 0.1, the PSLR value is firstly changed from large to small and then changed from small to large. And, when the coefficient a =0.5, the value of PSLR is minimum; the value of PSLR is greatest when the value of coefficient a

approaches

0 and 1, so it is preferable to set d1 equal to

The imaging can be achieved with minimal "artifacts" and with optimal imaging.

In combination with the above-mentioned best adjustment effect of the first angle β, the structure of the transmitting and receiving elements in the antenna array is set, for example, such that β is equal to 45 °,135 °,225 °, or 315 °, and

and the imaging effect is optimal.

Optionally, in another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the antenna array further includes a third array element group; the third array element group comprises at least one transmitting array element or at least one receiving array element.

Optionally, in another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, at least one transmitting array element of the third array element group includes a third transmitting array element, and the third transmitting array element is located at an edge position of the second array element group, and is spaced from a receiving array element at the edge position by a distance not less than the second distance d2.

Optionally, in another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, a distance between the third transmitting array element and the receiving array element at the edge position is equal to the second distance d2 or

In a second aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, including: a processor and an antenna module, the processor being coupled to the antenna module, wherein the antenna module is the antenna module including the antenna array according to the first aspect and various implementations of the first aspect.

The application provides an antenna array of a two-dimensional area array structure, and the two-dimensional area array structure can improve the resolution capability of an image, so that an imaging result can be matched with the actual condition of a target object, and the defect that a one-dimensional linear array can only provide one-dimensional resolution capability and cannot reflect the actual condition of the target object is overcome.

In addition, in the antenna array of the two-dimensional area array, because the distance d2 is formed between two adjacent receiving array elements, the formed MIMO antenna array is a sparse MIMO array, and compared with the traditional dense antenna array, the number of the array elements required to be configured is greatly reduced, so that the cost is also reduced, and the imaging quality is kept basically unchanged.

Drawings

Fig. 1a is a topology structure diagram of a MIMO array provided in the present application;

fig. 1b is a schematic diagram of a virtual MIMO array provided in the present application;

fig. 2 is an array directional diagram of a one-dimensional linear array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3a is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3b is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5a is a schematic structural diagram of a receiving array element set according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5b is a schematic structural diagram of a transmitting array element set according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6a is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6b is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6c is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6d is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a transmitting array element and a receiving array element coinciding in position according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8a is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8b is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8c is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11a is a schematic diagram illustrating PSLR changes of an array directional diagram when a first included angle β is at different values according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11b is a schematic diagram illustrating a variation of PSLR reflecting an array pattern with a coefficient a according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12a is a schematic structural diagram of an expanded antenna array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12b is a schematic structural diagram of another expanded antenna array according to the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12c is a schematic structural diagram of another expanded antenna array according to the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a virtual antenna array after an antenna array is virtualized according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application better understood and make the above objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more comprehensible, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application are described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Before describing the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, an application scenario of the embodiment of the present application is first described with reference to the drawings.

The technical scheme of the application can be applied to the technical field of MIMO antennas. The MIMO antenna can be used as an important electromagnetic sensor and plays an important role in the fields of national defense and civil use. Under the traction of application requirements and the promotion of technical development, some new systems, new systems and new methods are continuously emerging. A Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna array introduces Multiple input and Multiple output technologies in a wireless communication system into the field of antenna technology, and combines the technologies with digital array technology.

An antenna module including an antenna array is provided that can communicate using, for example, MIMO radar, probes, sensors, or imaging devices, as well as locate and track a target object via MIMO technology. Wherein the antenna module has a function of multiple transmission and multiple reception of signals or beams.

Specifically, the antenna module may be deployed in any one of the following scenarios:

scene one: the antenna module is disposed on a portable terminal device having an imaging and/or sensing function, such as a smart phone, a tablet (pad) or professional sensing imaging device, an imaging apparatus, and the like, and is used for imaging an object or an ambient environment, positioning an object or an ambient environment, and the like.

Scene two: the antenna module may be deployed on a communication device, such as a base station in Long Term Evolution (LTE), or a base station (NodeB, NB) in a 5th generation core network (5gc), a detector, an inductor, and the like, which may reuse resources of a mobile communication network site. The antenna module is used for imaging the surrounding environment of the base station, extracting characteristic parameters (such as positioning, speed, acceleration and the like) of a target object and the like.

Scene three: the antenna module may also be deployed on an aerial communication Platform, such as a High Altitude Platform (HAPS), an aerial base Station (HAPS IMT BS, HIBS), and the like, and is used for sensing and imaging a target object on the ground surface within a coverage area of the aerial Platform.

It should be understood that the antenna module may also be applied to other scenes where an object needs to be imaged or positioned, and the application is not limited thereto.

Prior to describing the technical solutions of the present application, related technical terms related to the present application will be described first.

(1) Integral sidelobe ratio

The Integrated Side Lobe Ratio (ISLR) refers to the ratio of the side lobe energy to the main lobe energy of the imaging beam, and is expressed by the relation (1):

wherein, P _total Representing all energies, P, within a certain range of the array pattern _main Representing the energy of the array pattern main lobe.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, the array pattern is a one-dimensional linear array. Wherein, the abscissa represents the pitch angle, the unit is 'degree', the ordinate represents the energy P, the energy P can be calculated through the peak-to-side lobe ratio, the unit is 'dB'; the array pattern shown in FIG. 2 may range from-60 degrees to 60 degrees in elevation, P _total Is the sum of the energies corresponding to the range of-60 degrees to 60 degrees; energy P of main lobe of directional diagram of the array _main Refers to the sum of the peak side lobe ratios within a preset angular range. The preset angle range is an angle interval between a first pitch angle to the left and a second pitch angle, where the first pitch angle is a pitch angle corresponding to energy of a first minimum value to the left from a maximum energy center, for example, a pitch angle of-40 degrees is a beam center, and a pitch angle (for example, -42 degrees) corresponding to energy (for example, -22 dB) of a first valley position to the left is the first pitch angle. Similarly, the second pitch angle is a pitch angle corresponding to a first minimum energy (e.g., -22 dB) from the center of maximum energy to the right, such as a pitch angle of-38 degrees, the first predetermined angle range is-42 degrees to-38 degrees, and the P is _main Is the sum of energies in the pitch angle range of-42 degrees to-38 degrees.

Said P in peak to sidelobe ratio _total And P _main Since the above-mentioned relationship (1) corresponds to ISLR, P can be obtained from the array pattern _total And P _main Then the corresponding ISLR value is calculated, which affects the imaging effect. Generally, the smaller the integrated side lobe ratio ISLR, the better the imaging effect.

Optionally, when the integrated sidelobe ratio ISLR exceeds-20 dB, a better imaging effect can be achieved, and the imaging requirements of users are met.

(2) Peak to side lobe ratio

Peak Side Lobe Ratio (PSLR) refers to the ratio of the maximum side lobe level to the main lobe level of an imaging beam. As expressed by the relation (2),

PSLR＝20·lg|F _{max_sl} /F _max | (2)

wherein, F _max Representing the main lobe level, F _{max_sl} Representing the maximum sidelobe level.

The peak side lobe ratio PSLR also affects the imaging effect, and generally, the smaller the PSLR value, the better the imaging effect.

(3) Windowing

In order to obtain better imaging effect, a lower integral side lobe ratio is needed, so that the imaging beam signal needs to be subjected to spatial windowing. When the virtual array corresponding to the MIMO array is a continuous full array without holes, the spatial domain windowing effect is the best. The spatial windowing can suppress truncation effects, reduce sidelobes of the array pattern, and reduce or eliminate "artifacts" in the imaging results.

(4) Array element

Array elements: the antenna array is composed of the following components. The antenna array generally comprises array elements, wherein the array elements are divided into transmitting array elements and receiving array elements, the transmitting array elements are used for radiating electromagnetic waves into space, and the receiving array elements are used for receiving the electromagnetic waves of the space.

The array antenna arrangement structure may be a one-dimensional structure, such as a one-dimensional linear array. The one-dimensional linear array is a form of an antenna array, and all array elements (including a transmitting array element and a receiving array element) are located in one linear dimension.

The structure of the antenna module provided in the present application is explained in detail below.

As shown in fig. 2, the antenna module 100 includes a circuit board, and the circuit board includes an antenna array 110, a signal generating module 120, and a signal processing module 130, and the antenna array 110 is connected to the signal generating module 120 and the signal processing module 130, respectively. For example, the antenna array 110 is connected to the signal generating module 120 through a first channel, and the antenna array 110 is connected to the signal processing module 130 through a second channel. Optionally, the first channel is a transmitting channel, and the second channel is a receiving channel.

The antenna array 110 may be functionally divided into two types of array element groups, wherein one type of array element group is used as a transmitting array element, and the other type of array element group is used as a receiving array element. For example, in the minimum unit, the antenna array 110 includes two array elements, which are a first array element and a second array element, respectively, the first array element is used as a transmitting array element, the second array element is used as a receiving array element, and each array element group includes at least two array elements.

As shown in fig. 3a, the antenna array 110 includes a plurality of transmitting elements and a plurality of receiving elements. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the transmitting array element may also be referred to as a "transmitting antenna", and the receiving array element may also be referred to as a "receiving antenna", that is, one array element corresponds to one antenna.

Optionally, the signal generating module 120 and the signal processing module 130 may also be designed into other circuit structures, for example, in fig. 3b, the signal generating module 120 and the signal processing module 130 are combined into a processing module, and the processing module includes: local oscillator, frequency multiplier, power divider, mixer, conversion D/A, data processing/storage unit module. In addition, other components or units may be included, which is not limited in this embodiment.

Furthermore, signals in the multiple receiving array elements are processed by the frequency mixer to output beat signals, the beat signals are transmitted to the analog-to-digital converter for module conversion processing, and then the converted data are transmitted to the data processor and the memory.

In this embodiment, the first array element group in the antenna array 110 includes at least two array elements, the second array element group includes M rows and N columns of array elements, as shown in fig. 4, the solid dots represent the second array element group, and the white square pattern represents the first array element group. The array elements in M rows and N columns are arranged in a rectangular structure, the distances between the M rows and the N columns are the same, M and N are positive integers, and M and N can be equal or unequal.

Optionally, the first array element group is a transmitting array element group, and the second array element group is a receiving array element group; or, the first array element group is a receiving array element group, and the second array element group is a transmitting array element group.

Wherein, when the first array element group is a transmitting array element group and the second array element group is a receiving array element group, in the foregoing fig. 2, the signal generating module 120 is configured to generate a first signal and transmit the first signal by using a transmitting channel; the first array group in the antenna array 110 is used to receive the first signal generated by the signal generating module 120, convert the first signal into a first electromagnetic wave, and transmit (or radiate) the first electromagnetic wave to the space.

Optionally, the first signal is a chirp signal.

The first electromagnetic wave is radiated to the target object 200, and forms a transmission echo after passing through the target object 200, and the reflection echo is referred to as a second electromagnetic wave in this embodiment. The second electromagnetic wave is radiated in space and propagates to the antenna module 100.

The second array element group is used for receiving the second electromagnetic wave, converting the second electromagnetic wave into a second signal and sending the second signal. Specifically, the second array element group sends the second signal to the signal processing module 130 by using a receiving channel.

The signal processing module 130 is configured to receive the second signal, perform imaging, positioning and other processing on the target 200 according to the second signal, and complete imaging, positioning and other functions on the target 200.

Specifically, the first signal and the second signal may be transmitted in a time division manner or a code division manner.

Similarly, when the first array element group is a receiving array element group and the second array element group is a transmitting array element group, the second array element group is used for receiving the first signal, converting the first signal into a first electromagnetic wave, and sending the first electromagnetic wave; the first array set is configured to receive the second electromagnetic wave, convert the second electromagnetic wave into a second signal, and send the second signal to the signal processing module 130.

In the antenna module including the antenna array provided in this embodiment, the antenna array includes M rows and N columns of array elements, and since the array element structure of M rows and N columns is a two-dimensional antenna array, compared with a one-dimensional linear array, the actual situation of a target object can be accurately reflected, and the two-dimensional area array antenna structure can improve an imaging result, can depict more target object information, and meets the imaging requirements of a user.

Wherein the two-dimensional area array can be understood as: is a structural form of array antenna, in which all the array elements, including the transmitting array element and the receiving array element, are located on a plane, rather than on the same linear dimension.

It should be noted that, the technical scheme of the application does not limit the system working frequency point, and can be applied to the microwave frequency band and also can be applied to the millimeter wave or terahertz frequency band.

The structure of the antenna array 110 provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below. In this embodiment, the first array element is taken as a transmitting array element, and the second array element is taken as a receiving array element for example.

The antenna array 110 provided in this embodiment is a MIMO area array (two-dimensional), where the second array element group is a rectangular array with M rows and N columns, and optionally, the rectangular array with M × N is a sparse antenna array. The sparseness is understood to mean that there is a certain spacing between two adjacent receiving elements, assuming that the spacing is a second distance, which is denoted by "d2", and the d2 is related to the wavelength of the transmitted signal. The transmission signal is generated by signal generation module 120, and it is possible that d2 is greater than a half wavelength of the transmission signal, i.e., d2 > λ/2, where λ represents the wavelength of the transmission signal.

Referring to fig. 5a, a schematic diagram of a receiving array element provided in this embodiment, for example, a second array element, where the second array element is a 2 × 2 receiving array, M =2, n =2, and includes 4 receiving array elements, which are: the antenna comprises a first receiving array element, a second receiving array element, a third receiving array element and a fourth receiving array element, wherein the four receiving array elements form a square structure, the side length of the square is d2, the d2 is the distance between the two receiving array elements, and the two receiving array elements do not comprise two receiving array elements on a diagonal line, namely the first receiving array element, the third receiving array element, the second receiving array element and the fourth receiving array element.

Referring to fig. 5b, a schematic diagram of an emitting array element group, such as the first array element group, provided in this embodiment is shown. The first array group comprises two transmitting array elements which are a first transmitting array element and a second transmitting array element respectively, the distance between the first transmitting array element and the second transmitting array element is a first distance, and the first distance is represented by'd 1'. It should be understood that the first array element may further include more transmitting array elements, and the embodiment is described with a transmitting array element group composed of a minimum number of units (two transmitting array elements).

According to the second array tuple shown in fig. 5a and the first array tuple shown in fig. 5b, a two-dimensional antenna array 110 is formed, and the structure thereof is shown in fig. 6a, the first array tuple is arranged in the second array tuple, a relationship between the two arrays can be represented by a first included angle, and the first included angle is β.

Specifically, in the first array element group, a connection line between the first transmitting array element and the second transmitting array element is L1; in the second array element group, a connection line of the first receiving array element and the second receiving array element is L2. The first receiving array element and the second receiving array element are two array elements which are positioned in the same row or the same column in the rectangular structure array elements of the M rows and the N columns, namely two receiving array elements positioned on a diagonal line are excluded.

In the antenna array shown in fig. 6a, the first receiving array element and the second receiving array element are in an array element structure as shown in fig. 5 a. And the first included angle beta is an included angle between the extension lines of the L1 and the L2 or between the extension lines of the L1 and the L2. The value range of the beta is any value except 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees and 270 degrees in the range of 360 degrees, in other words, the L1 and the L2 cannot be overlapped or perpendicular.

It should be understood that 0 coincides with 360, so removing 0 from the range of β is equivalent to removing 360.

In this example, the first angle β is 45 °.

Alternatively, in another example, as shown in fig. 6b, the first included angle β is 125 °.

Alternatively, in yet another example, as shown in fig. 6c, the first included angle β is 225 °.

Optionally, in yet another example, as shown in fig. 6d, the first included angle β is 315 °.

In addition, optionally, in a possible implementation manner, in any example of fig. 6a to 6d, positions of the first transmitting array element and the first receiving array element coincide. For example, in the structure of fig. 6a, referring to fig. 7, the first transmitting array element and the first receiving array element are located at the same position. In the example shown in fig. 7, there is no limitation on the location of the second transmitting array element. Specifically, in the case that the first included angle β is 45 °, the position of the second transmitting array element may coincide with the position of the third receiving array element (the array element on the diagonal line), or may not coincide with the third receiving array element.

Similarly, in the examples of fig. 6b to 6d, the positions of the first transmitting array element and the first receiving array element may also coincide, which is not exemplified by this embodiment.

Optionally, in a first possible implementation manner, the first included angle β may be any value in a range from 30 ° to 60 ° except for the four angular values of 0 °, 90 °, 180 °, and 270 °, and includes 30 ° and 60 °. As shown in FIG. 8a, β ∈ [30 °,60 ° ]]And is and

similarly, the first included angle β may be any value in a range of values from 120 ° to 150 °,210 ° to 240 °, and 300 ° to 330 °. Wherein the β values include end point values: 120 °,150 °,210 °,240 °,300 °, and 330 °. As shown in FIG. 8b, the shaded area shows β e [120 °,150 ° ]]∪[210°,240°]∪[300°,330°]And is made of

Further, in a second possible implementation, as shown in fig. 8b, in a value range of the above-described first included angle β ∈ [30 °,60 ° ] [120 °,150 ° ] [210 °,240 ° ] [300 °,330 ° ], the first included angle β may be any of 45 °,135 °,225 °, and 315 °.

Or, optionally, in a third possible implementation manner, the first included angle β is any value except 45 °,135 °,225 °, and 315 ° in a value range of 30 ° to 60 °,120 ° to 150 °,210 ° to 240 °, and 300 ° to 330 °; and the beta values include end points: 30 °,60 °,120 °,150 °,210 °,240 °,300 °, and 330 °. Namely, it is

β∈[30°,60°]∪[120°,150°]∪[210°,240°]∪[300°,330°]And is and

optionally, in a fourth possible implementation manner, a value range of the first included angle β is: any of 0 ° to 30 °,60 ° to 120 °,150 ° to 210 °,240 ° to 300 °,330 ° to 360 °, or 45 °,135 °,225 °, and 315 °. Wherein the value of the first included angle β does not include the endpoint values: 30 °,60 °,120 °,150 °,210 °,240 °,300 °, and 330 °. As shown in fig. 8c, the range of the first included angle β shown by the shaded portion is:

and is

In the antenna array provided in this embodiment, in addition to various possible implementation manners of the above-mentioned "first included angle β", the position relationship between the transmitting array element and the receiving array element also defines the size between the first distance d1 and the second distance d2, and the relationship between d1 and d2 is described below under any one of the above-mentioned structures of the first included angle β.

Taking any one of the structures in fig. 6a to 6d as an example, the first distance d1 is a distance between the first transmitting array element and the second transmitting array element. The second distance d2 is a row space or a column space between any two adjacent receiving array elements in the first receiving array element group, that is, a side length of a square formed by 4 receiving array elements.

Wherein, satisfy

a is a positive integer, a is a constant, and d2 > λ/2, λ representing the wavelength of the transmitted signal.

Optionally, in the presence of

In the case of (1), the value range of the first distance d1 is set as

To is that

Any value in between, and inclusive of the endpoints:

and

expressed by the relation:

rejoiningCombining the first angle beta E [30 DEG, 60 DEG ]]And is made of

The value range of the shaded area shown in fig. 9 is obtained.

Further, in the value range of d1, one possible value includes that d1 is equal to

Optionally, in a possible implementation manner, as shown in fig. 10, the first transmitting array element and the first receiving array element are coincident, and the first included angle β is 45 °, and

similarly, when the β is 135 °,225 °, and 315 °, the configuration is

Optionally, in the presence of

In another possible implementation manner, the value range of the first distance d1 is configured to be other than

To

Any value outside the range, including the endpoints, can be expressed as:

wherein d1 is in addition to

To

The values outside the range of the interval are not limited in this embodiment as long as the values satisfy the requirement

And

and (4) finishing.

In this embodiment, simulation experiments are performed on the various antenna array structures to obtain imaging effects in different structural states, which is used to explain the imaging effects in different antenna array structures.

Through simulation experiments, as shown in fig. 11a, the change condition of the Peak Side Lobe Ratio (PSLR) of the array pattern when the first included angle β is taken as a different value is reflected, wherein the abscissa represents the first included angle β, and the unit is "degree"; the ordinate represents the Peak Side Lobe Ratio (PSLR) in "dB". In the process that the first angle beta is increased from 0 degrees to 90 degrees in the first quadrant, the PSLR is firstly changed from large to small and then changed from small to large. And when said β is equal to 45 °, the value of PSLR is minimal, in this case-34 dB; the value of PSLR is maximal when said β is equal to 0 ° or 90 °, in this case close to-38 dB. Since the smaller the value of PSLR, the better the corresponding imaging effect, it is preferable to set the first angle β equal to 45 °, the least imaging "artifacts" can be obtained and the best imaging effect.

It should be noted that, in the simulation experiment, the variation of the first included angle β at different values may also be reflected by an Integral Side Lobe Ratio (ISLR) of the directional diagram, where the specific variation is the same as the variation of the ISLR with the angle β shown in fig. 11a, and reference is made to the description of fig. 11a, and details of this embodiment are not repeated.

In addition, the embodiment of the present application further performs a simulation experiment on the variation of the first distance d1 and the second distance d2, as shown in fig. 11bThe variation of the Peak Side Lobe Ratio (PSLR) of the array pattern with the coefficient a is reflected, wherein the abscissa represents the coefficient a, the ordinate represents the Peak Side Lobe Ratio (PSLR) and the unit is "dB". The relationship between d1 and d2 satisfies

The value range of the coefficient a is (0, 1). In the process of increasing the coefficient a from 0 to 1, the stepping unit is 0.1, the PSLR value is changed from large to small and then from small to large. And, at coefficient a =0.5, the value of PSLR is minimum, in this case-34 dB; the value of PSLR is greatest, about-22 dB, when the value of coefficient a

approaches

0 and 1, so d1 is preferably set equal to

The imaging can be achieved with minimal "artifacts" and with optimal imaging.

It should be noted that when the coefficient a takes 0 or 1, the PSLR value is the largest and the imaging effect is the worst, so in the embodiment of the present application, the coefficient a is set to be different from 0 and 1.

In combination with the above best adjustment effect of the first angle β, the structure of the transmitting and receiving array elements in the antenna array is set, for example in the first quadrant, to satisfy β =45 °, and

the imaging effect is optimal.

In addition, this embodiment provides an antenna array with a two-dimensional area array structure, which can improve the resolution capability of an image, so that an imaging result can be matched with the actual situation of a target object, and the defect that a one-dimensional linear array can only provide one-dimensional resolution capability and cannot reflect the actual situation of the target object is overcome.

In addition, according to the two-dimensional area array antenna array provided by this embodiment, because the distance d2 is spaced between two adjacent receiving array elements, and d2 is greater than the half wavelength of the transmission signal, the formed MIMO antenna array is a sparse MIMO array, and compared with the conventional dense antenna array, the number of array elements that need to be configured is greatly reduced, so that the cost is also reduced, and the performance of imaging, tracking and the like is basically kept unchanged. For example, in a dense antenna array, the spacing between adjacent receiving elements is less than or equal to half the wavelength of the transmitted signal, and a possible MIMO antenna array includes 1 transmitting element and 25921 receiving elements, which requires 25922 elements. If the antenna array structure of the embodiment of the present application is adopted, 8 transmitting array elements and 2601 receiving array elements may need to be set, and then 2609 array elements are needed in total, the total number of array elements is greatly reduced, the cost is reduced, and the performance is kept unchanged.

Optionally, in the antenna arrays with the above various structures, the structure of the antenna array may be expanded, that is, the antenna array may further include more array element groups such as a third array element group and a fourth array element group. When the first array element group is used as a transmitting array element and the second array element group is used as a receiving array element, the third array element group and the fourth array element group can be expanded into an array element group used for transmitting. For example, the third array element group includes at least one transmitting array element, such as 1, 2, or 3 or more transmitting array elements, so as to receive the signal generated by the signal generating module, convert the signal into an electromagnetic wave, and transmit the electromagnetic wave. Similarly, when the first array element group is used as a receiving array element and the second array element group is used as a transmitting array element, the third array element group and the fourth array element group may be expanded to be used as a receiving array element. It is understood that the expanded array element group cannot be an array element group of an M-row and N-column rectangular structure.

In this example, an expanded array element group (the third array element group) is taken as an example of a transmitting array element group, and the position of the third array element group may be any position in the antenna array, but cannot be the same as the position of another transmitting array element group (such as the first array element group).

One possible implementation manner is that the third array element group includes a third transmitting array element, and the third transmitting array element is located at an edge position of the second array element group and is spaced from the array element at the edge position by no less than the second distance d2. Wherein the edge position of the second array element group comprises: and the position of any receiving array element on the edge of the second array element group.

Further, the interval between the third transmitting array element and the receiving array element at the edge position is equal to the second distance d2 or

In an example, as shown in fig. 12a, a plurality of transmitting array tuples are included at the edge of the second array tuple, and the structure of each transmitting array tuple is the same as that of the first array tuple, that is, each transmitting array tuple includes two transmitting array elements, and the positional relationship of the two transmitting array elements is the same as the positions of the first transmitting array element and the second transmitting array element in the first array tuple.

For example, in the first array group, the first transmitting array element is denoted as T1, and the second transmitting array element is denoted as T2. In the third array element group, a third transmitting array element T3 and a fourth transmitting array element T4 are included, wherein, referring to fig. 12a, the third transmitting array element T3 is spaced from the edge array element of the first row of the second array element group by the distance d2. Similarly, for the vertical direction, the edge array element of the first column in the M rows and N columns array is spaced from the third transmitting array element T3 by the distance d2. Can be represented by the following relation:

in the horizontal direction, the position of the third transmitting array element T3 is set to Dx + d2, dx represents the total length of the second array element group in the M × N rectangular structure, and Dx is equal to an integer multiple of d2, because the distances between adjacent receiving array elements are equal and are both d2.

In the vertical direction, the position of the third transmitting array element T3 is Dy + d2, dy represents the total width of the second array element group with the M × N rectangular structure, and Dy is equal to an integral multiple of d2 because the distances between adjacent receiving array elements are equal and are all d2.

In the diagonal direction, the third transmitting array element T3 is set to be

Dz represents the length of two diagonal position receiving array elements of the second array element group of the M × N rectangular structure, and

the adjacent receiving array elements are equally spaced and are d2.

It should be understood that the third transmitting array element T3 may also be disposed at other positions in the second array element group of the M × N rectangular structure, which is not an example in the embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, in another example, a plurality of transmitting array element groups may be further included, and the number of the transmitting array elements included in each transmitting array element group may be one or more. For example, as shown in fig. 12b, a plurality of transmitting array elements are arranged in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and each transmitting array element includes only one transmitting array element; other transmitting array elements are arranged in the diagonal direction, the transmitting array element group comprises two transmitting array elements, and the specific structure and position relation of the two transmitting array elements can be the same as those of the first array element group.

Optionally, in another example, a plurality of transmitting array elements are further included, and each transmitting array element includes 3 transmitting array elements, as shown in fig. 12c, where a position of each transmitting array element may be set at an edge position of the second array element, where the edge position includes a horizontal edge, a vertical edge, and a diagonal position.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, expansion of an array structure including more transmit array elements on the basis of an antenna array formed by the first array element and the second array element is not limited. In other words, when the antenna array is expanded, it is only necessary to ensure that the array element group for receiving is a uniform rectangular array, and there is no requirement for parameters such as the size of the receiving array (i.e. the number of M and N).

When the transmitting array element group is expanded, the transmitting array element structure with the same structure can be set, and each transmitting array element group comprises two transmitting array elements. And, the relative position relationship of the two transmitting array elements is required to be the same as that of the two transmitting array elements in the first array element, in other words, the relative position relationship of the two transmitting array elements T3 and T4 in the third array element is configured to be the same as that of the two transmitting array elements T1 and T2 in the first array element, that is, it can be understood that the vector pointing from T3 to T4 and the vector pointing from T1 to T2 are in a translational relationship, such as shown in fig. 12 a.

The extending direction of the third array element includes, but is not limited to, the horizontal direction, the vertical direction and the diagonal direction, that is, the third array element can be extended in the horizontal direction (X axis), the vertical direction (Y axis) and the diagonal direction of any receiving array element in the receiving array of the M × N rectangular structure. For example, the third transmitting array element T3 is extended on the parallel line of the X axis or the Y axis; or, parallel lines parallel to the Y axis are made for the centers of the transmitting array elements on all the X axes, and new transmitting array elements can be configured on the intersection points of the parallel lines, so that the expansion of the antenna array structure is completed.

In addition, in the receiving array with the M × N rectangular structure, the values of M and N may be the same or different.

It should be noted that, in the above embodiment, the first array element group and the third array element group are taken as the transmitting array element group, and the second array element group is taken as the receiving array element group for example; the positions of the array elements may also be interchanged, for example, the first array element and the third array element are receiving array elements, the second array element is transmitting array element, that is, in the foregoing fig. 4 to 10, and fig. 12a to 12c, the positions of the transmitting array element and the receiving array element are interchanged, that is, each solid dot represents a transmitting array element, and the white square pattern represents a receiving array element, which may also achieve the same effect as the foregoing embodiment. The structure after the positions of the array elements are interchanged is not described in detail in this embodiment.

In addition, in this embodiment, the signal processing module 130 is further configured to process a reflected echo (the second electromagnetic wave) received by the antenna array 110, and in an implementation, the signal processing module 130 receives a second signal sent by the second array element group, and performs virtualization processing on the structure of the antenna array, so as to complete imaging and/or positioning processing on the second signal.

In one virtualization process, as shown in fig. 13, the structure of the antenna array 110 includes a first array element and a second array element, where the first array element is a transmitting array element, the second array element is a receiving array element, and the actual structural arrangement of the antenna array is similar to that in the foregoing fig. 4, but the difference is that the first transmitting array element and the first receiving array element are coincident in position. The signal processing module 130 performs virtualization processing on the antenna array of the structure to obtain a virtual antenna array as shown in fig. 13, where each actual receiving array element may virtualize two or more virtual receiving array elements, the virtual antenna array after virtualization processing in fig. 13 only includes one virtual transmitting array element, and the virtual transmitting array element is regarded as a virtual structure of all actual transmitting array elements.

It should be understood that the signal processing module 130 may also perform virtualization processing on antenna arrays with other structures, and the present application does not limit the specific virtualization processing process.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, as shown in fig. 14, the communication device includes a processor 141 and an antenna module 142, and the processor 141 and the antenna module 142 are coupled.

The antenna module 142 may be an antenna module including an antenna array in any of the foregoing embodiments, and is used to implement functions of imaging and positioning a target object. The antenna module 142 is coupled to the processor 141 and has a communication function, such as a mobile communication function and/or a wireless communication function.

It should be understood that the above-described communication device may also include other hardware configurations. For example, the device may further include a memory, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a radio frequency circuit, a camera, a display screen, a SIM card interface, a sensor, an input/output device, and the like.

Among other things, processor 141 may include one or more processing units, such as: the processor 141 may include an Application Processor (AP), a modem processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), an Image Signal Processor (ISP), a video codec, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and/or a neural Network Processor (NPU), etc. The different processing units may be independent devices, or may be integrated into one or more processors, for example, a system on a chip (SoC).

A memory may also be provided in the processor for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor is a cache memory. The memory may hold instructions or data that have just been used or recycled by the processor.

In some embodiments, processor 141 may include one or more interfaces. The one or more interfaces may include an integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an integrated circuit built-in audio (I2S) interface, a Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) interface, a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI), a general-purpose-input/output (GPIO) interface, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) interface, and/or a USB interface, etc.

The memory may be used to store computer-executable program code, which includes instructions. The memory may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Wherein the storage program area may store an operating system, an application program required for at least one function, and the like. The stored data area may store data, signals, etc. created during use of the communication device. In addition, the memory may include one or more memory units, for example, a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), and a non-volatile memory (NVM), such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory (flash memory), and the like.

The processor 141 executes various functional applications of the communication device and data processing, such as virtualization of an actual antenna array, imaging of a target object according to a received reflected echo, positioning and tracking, and the like, by executing instructions stored in the memory and/or instructions stored in the memory provided in the processor.

In addition, the wireless communication function of the communication device may be implemented by a radio frequency circuit, a mobile communication module, a wireless communication module, an antenna array, a modem processor, a baseband processor, and the like.

The mobile communication module can provide a solution including 2G/3G/4G/5G wireless communication applied to the communication device. The mobile communication module may include the antenna module shown in fig. 3a or fig. 3b, or may also be another antenna module for communication. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the functional modules of the mobile communication module may be disposed in the processor 141. In some embodiments, at least part of the functional modules of the mobile communication module may be provided in the same device as at least part of the modules of the processor 141.

The modem processor may include a modulator and a demodulator. The modulator is used for modulating a low-frequency baseband signal to be transmitted into a medium-high frequency signal. The demodulator is used for demodulating the received electromagnetic wave signal into a low-frequency baseband signal. The demodulator then passes the demodulated low frequency baseband signal to a baseband processor for processing. The low frequency baseband signal is processed by the baseband processor and then transferred to the application processor. The application processor outputs sound signals through audio devices (including but not limited to speakers, headphones, etc.) or displays images or video through the display screen 180. In some embodiments, the modem processor may be a stand-alone device. In other embodiments, the modem processor may be independent of the processor 141 and may be disposed in the same device as the mobile communication module or other functional modules.

The wireless communication module may include a wireless fidelity (WiFi) module, a Bluetooth (BT) module, a GNSS module, a Near Field Communication (NFC) module, an Infrared (IR) module, and the like. The wireless communication module may be one or more devices integrating at least one of the modules described above. The wireless communication module receives electromagnetic waves via the MIMO antenna array, performs frequency modulation and filtering processing on electromagnetic wave signals, and transmits the processed signals to the processor 141. The wireless communication module may also receive a signal to be transmitted from the processor 141, perform frequency modulation and amplification on the signal, and convert the signal into electromagnetic waves through the MIMO antenna array to radiate the electromagnetic waves.

In the embodiment of the present application, the wireless communication function of the communication device may include, for example, global system for mobile communications (GSM), general Packet Radio Service (GPRS), code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), time division code division multiple access (time-division code division multiple access, TD-SCDMA), long Term Evolution (LTE), fifth generation mobile communication technology new air interface (5 gnr), GNSS, WLAN, FM, BT, and/or NFC IR. GNSS may include Global Positioning System (GPS), global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), beidou satellite navigation system (BDS), quasi-zenith satellite system (QZSS), and/or Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS).

The camera is used for capturing still images or videos. The display screen is used for displaying images, videos and the like. Including but not limited to touch sensors, gyroscope sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, etc., for collecting relevant data.

It will be appreciated that in some embodiments of the present application, a communication device may include more or fewer components, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or a different arrangement of components. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

In addition, the communication device may be a terminal device, such as a mobile phone, a tablet or wearable device, a detector, a sensing or imaging apparatus, or may also be a network device, such as a server, a switch, a base station, a radar, and the like.

An antenna module including an antenna array provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the antenna array is a two-dimensional array, and the antenna array includes a first array element group and a second array element group, where the first array element group is used as a transmitting array element, and the second array element group is used as a receiving array element, or the first array element group is used as a receiving array element, and the second transmitting group is used as a transmitting array element.

It should be understood that other more array element groups, such as a third array element group, a fourth array element group, etc., may also be included in the antenna array.

Wherein the first array element comprises at least two array elements, and the second array element comprises: the array elements in the M rows and the N columns are arranged in a rectangular structure, M and N are positive integers, and the distances between the M rows and the N columns are the same, namely the second array element group is an M multiplied by N array, and the M multiplied by N array is a uniform rectangular array.

Optionally, each of the third array element and/or the fourth transmission array element includes two transmission array elements.

The first array group comprises a first transmitting array element and a second transmitting array element, and a connecting line of the first transmitting array element and the second transmitting array element is L1; including first receiving array element and second receiving array element in second array element group, the line of first receiving array element and second receiving array element is L2, and first receiving array element and second receiving array element are two array elements that are located same row or same column in MXN's rectangle structure array element. Wherein an included angle between the L1 and the L2 or the extension line of the L2 is a first included angle, the first included angle is beta, and

in addition, the distance between the first transmitting array element and the second transmitting array element is a first distance d1, the distance between the first receiving array element and the second receiving array element is a second distance d2, and the first receiving array element and the second receiving array element are any two adjacent receiving array elements on the diagonal of the first receiving array element.

The first angle is β, and/or d1 and d2 can be set as follows:

one embodiment is: is provided with

And beta belongs to [45 DEG, 135 DEG, 225 DEG, 315 DEG ]]。

Optionally, another embodiment further includes: and the number and the position of the array elements in the third array element group and the fourth array element group can be freely set according to requirements.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, in a transmitting array group, setting is performed

And/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

And/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

it should be understood that the first included angle is β, and the first distance d1 and the second distance d2 can be set to other values, and the foregoing requirements are satisfied

And (c) a second step of,

the conditions of (1) may be as follows.

In addition, in this embodiment of the application, the signal generating module of the antenna module may adopt a time division or code division manner for signal transmission.

When the signal transmission mode adopts the time division mode, the number of the transmission array elements included in one transmission array element group is M, wherein the lower case letter "M" represents a meaning different from the upper case letter "M" of the previous embodiment, the previous "M" represents the row number or row sequence number of the second array element group, and the "M" represents the number of the transmission array elements included in any transmission array element group, so that for the transmission array element group consisting of M transmission array elements, each transmission array element can be marked as: t is ₁ ,T ₂ ,…T _m (ii) a The number n of receiving elements contained in a group of receiving elements can be marked as: r ₁ ,R ₂ ,…R _n (ii) a The signal transmission flow is as follows: transmitting array element T ₁ Emitting a sensing signal S ₁ After being reflected by the target object, the receiving array receives an echo signal S ₁₁ (ii) a In the same way, the transmitting array element T ₂ Emitting a sensing signal S ₁ After being reflected by the target object, the receiving array receives an echo signal S ₂₁ (ii) a Similarly, a transmitting array element T _m Transmitting a sensing signal S1, and receiving an echo signal S by a receiving array after the signal is reflected by a target object _m1 . The signal received by the corresponding virtual array is S ₁₁ ,S ₂₁ ,…S _m1 ]And the signal processing module processes the signal so as to realize the imaging and/or positioning operation of the target object.

Further, in the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more than two unless otherwise specified. In addition, for the convenience of clearly describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first", "second", "third", and the like are used to distinguish the same items or similar items having substantially the same functions and actions. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like do not denote any order or quantity, nor do the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like denote any order or importance.

The above-described embodiments of the present application do not limit the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An antenna module comprising an antenna array is characterized in that the antenna module comprises a circuit board, the circuit board comprises the antenna array, a signal generation module and a signal processing module, and the antenna array is respectively connected with the signal generation module and the signal processing module;

the antenna array comprises a first array element group and a second array element group, wherein one array element group in the first array element group and the second array element group is used as a transmitting array element, and the other array element group is used as a receiving array element;

the first array group comprises at least two array elements, the second array group comprises M rows and N columns of array elements, the M rows and the N columns of array elements are arranged in a rectangular structure, and the spacing between the M rows and the N columns of array elements is the same;

the first array element or the second array element is used for receiving a first signal generated by the signal generation module, converting the first signal into a first electromagnetic wave and sending the first electromagnetic wave; or the second electromagnetic wave is used for receiving a second electromagnetic wave, converting the second electromagnetic wave into a second signal and sending the second signal, wherein the second electromagnetic wave is a reflected echo of the first electromagnetic wave after passing through a target object;

2. The antenna module of claim 1,

the first array set comprises: the antenna comprises a first transmitting array element and a second transmitting array element, wherein a connecting line of the first transmitting array element and the second transmitting array element is L1;

the second array tuple comprises: a first receiving array element and a second receiving array element, wherein a connecting line of the first receiving array element and the second receiving array element is L2, and the first receiving array element and the second receiving array element are two array elements which are positioned in the same row or the same column in the rectangular structure array elements of the M rows and the N columns;

3. The antenna module of claim 2, wherein the first included angle β is any value in a range of values from 30 ° to 60 °, from 120 ° to 150 °, from 210 ° to 240 °, from 300 ° to 330 °;

wherein the β values include end point values: 30 °,60 °,120 °,150 °,210 °,240 °,300 °, and 330 °.

4. The antenna module of claim 2, wherein the first included angle β is any value other than 45 °,135 °,225 °, and 315 ° in a range of values from 30 ° to 60 °,120 ° to 150 °,210 ° to 240 °,300 ° to 330 °;

wherein the values of the first included angle β include end point values: 30 °,60 °,120 °,150 °,210 °,240 °,300 °, and 330 °.

5. The antenna module of claim 3, wherein the first included angle β is any one of 45 °,135 °,225 °, and 315 °.

6. The antenna module of claim 2, wherein the first angle β is in a range of:

any value of 0 ° to 30 °,60 ° to 120 °,150 ° to 210 °,240 ° to 300 °,330 ° to 360 °, or 45 °,135 °,225 °, and 315 °;

wherein the value of the first included angle β does not include the endpoint values: 30 °,60 °,120 °,150 °,210 °,240 °,300 °, and 330 °.

7. An antenna module according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the first transmit and first receive elements are co-located.

8. The antenna module according to any of claims 2 to 7, wherein the first and second transmitting elements are spaced apart by a first distance, the first distance being d1;

in the second array element group, the line spacing or the column spacing between any two adjacent receiving array elements is a second distance, and the second distance is d2;

wherein, the first and the second end of the pipe are connected with each other,

9. The antenna module of claim 8, wherein the first distance d1 has a range of values

To is that

Any value in between;

wherein, including the end values:

and

10. the antenna module of claim 8 or 9, wherein a is equal to 0.5 and the first distance d1 has a value of

11. The antenna module of claim 8, wherein the first distance d1 has a range of values

Except that

To

Any value outside the range of the interval.

12. The antenna module of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the antenna array further comprises a third array element group;

the third array element group comprises at least one transmitting array element or at least one receiving array element.

13. The antenna module of claim 12, wherein at least one transmit array element of the third array element group comprises a third transmit array element,

the third transmitting array element is located at the edge position of the second array element group, and the interval between the third transmitting array element and the array element at the edge position is not less than the second distance d2.

14. The antenna module of claim 13, wherein the third transmit element is spaced from the edge position by a distance equal to the second distance d2 or

15. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device comprises: a processor and an antenna module, the processor and the antenna module coupled,

the antenna module comprising an antenna array according to any of claims 1 to 14.