Frequency of determining based on liquid crystal material scans leaky-wave antenna
Technical field
The present invention relates to a kind of fixed frequency and scan leaky-wave antenna.
Background technology
Leaky-wave antenna is subject to extensive favor as a kind of traditional automatically controlled scanning antenna owing to having very high radiation efficiency.At microwave and millimeter wave band, leaky-wave antenna can play good effect.But leaky-wave antenna can only realize directional diagram scanning by changing operating frequency, cannot realize the directional diagram scanning under certain fixed frequency, thus limit the range of application of leaky-wave antenna.
In Modern Communication System, antenna pattern to determine frequency scan capability extremely important, System's composition can be made greatly to be simplified.Therefore, in recent years, people hanker after that leaky-wave antenna is possessed and determine frequency scan capability, thus the radiation efficiency level of existing automatically controlled scanning antenna is improved.The frequency of determining having two class methods can realize leaky-wave antenna at present scans.
First kind method be in leaky-wave antenna, periodically load that electric control element (such as PIN diode or variable capacitance diode) realizes leaky-wave antenna determine frequency scanning.PIN diode has good isolation and on state characteristic in superhigh frequency band, therefore becomes one of device commonly used the most in reconfigurable antenna field.For the environment only needing switch two states, PIN diode has very high cost performance.Variable capacitance diode, as voltage-controlled electric elements, has the ability regulated continuously, thus can realize the continuous adjustment of physical parameter.But based on above-mentioned electric control element determine frequency scanning leaky-wave antenna can by component encapsulation parameter impact and can only be operated on lower frequency, along with the characteristic of frequency leaky-wave antenna sharply worsens.In addition, MEMS radio frequency electric capacity was also once introduced in the design determining frequency scanning leaky-wave antenna.Although this leaky-wave antenna based on MEMS radio frequency electric capacity can be operated in upper frequency, because it is in the nature mechanical structure, therefore mechanical fatigue becomes the obstacle hindering its extensive use.
This automatically controlled material of liquid crystal material solves these problems in the introducing of microwave section, and the molecule that its automatically controlled characteristic principle is derived from material itself points to skew, and therefore it is at microwave, and Terahertz even optical frequency all has good physical characteristic.But liquid crystal material is not easily processed due to its special state of matter, and therefore good electrical control mechanism becomes vital part in tunable antenna design, but not high in the maturity of this one side Theory and technology, and corresponding method for designing is also extremely short of.
Summary of the invention
The present invention is the demand in order to adapt to the leaky-wave antenna having outstanding electric tuning performance and simple electrical control mechanism concurrently, thus provides a kind of frequency of determining based on liquid crystal material to scan leaky-wave antenna.
Frequency of determining based on liquid crystal material scans leaky-wave antenna, and it comprises medium cover plate 1-1, transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2, medium substrate 1-3 and metal floor 1-4;
Described medium cover plate 1-1, transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2, medium substrate 1-3 and metal floor 1-4 form four-layer structure from top to bottom; Liquid crystal is packaged with between medium cover plate 1-1 and transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2;
Transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2 comprise two 50 ohm microstrip, 1, two trapezoidal match circuits 2 and antenna body and insert with the conduction band 9 between the microstrip line 3 of width, unit and 2N and refer to capacitor cell, and N is positive integer;
The wide end of two trapezoidal match circuits 2 is connected with the two ends of microstrip line 3 respectively; The narrow end of two 50 ohm microstrip 1 match circuit 2 trapezoidal with two is respectively connected;
Insert for 2N and refer to that capacitor cell is all arranged on microstrip line 3, and the cross central line of every two slotting finger capacitor cells all along microstrip line 3 is symmetrical; Insert for two of this symmetry and refer to be connected by conduction band 4 between capacitor cell, both sides are inserted and are referred to that electric capacity forms antenna ends path by described conduction band 4;
Adjacent two slotting finger capacitor cells are connected by the conduction band 9 between unit; Adjacent two slotting conduction bands 9 referred between capacitor cell evenly have M metallic ground through hole; M is positive integer;
Each slotting finger capacitor cell comprises the slotting Part I 5, the metal isolated island 6 for feed, the Part II 7 inserting finger and the liquid crystal 8 inserted between finger that refer to;
The liquid crystal 8 inserted between referring to has to insert and refers to mouth, and described opening is that interpolation refers to mouth towards the part of conduction band 4, and opening is that extrapolation refers to mouth towards the part at microstrip line 3 edge; Part I 5 correspondence of inserting finger is inserted in interpolation and refers in mouth; Part II 7 correspondence of inserting finger is inserted in extrapolation and refers in mouth;
The end of the Part I 5 of described slotting finger is connected with conduction band 4; The end of the Part II 7 of described slotting finger is connected with the metal isolated island 6 for feed; The described metal isolated island 6 for feed, for connecting transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2 and metal floor 1-4, makes 2N on transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2 to insert and refers to capacitor cell and metal floor 1-4 equipotential.
The relative dielectric constant of medium cover plate 1-1 is 2.2, thickness 1mm.
The relative dielectric constant of medium substrate 1-3 is 4.4, thickness 2.5mm.
Metal floor 1-4's covers copper thickness 0.035mm.
The present invention is based on the character of liquid crystal material self, in conjunction with the method for designing of periodic structure, propose a kind of leaky-wave antenna having outstanding electric tuning performance and simple electrical control mechanism concurrently.Periodic structure design combines together with electrical control mechanism design by this leaky-wave antenna, and have scanning angle large, bias voltage is little, the feature that the response time is fast.
Accompanying drawing explanation
Fig. 1 periodic structure equivalent-circuit model;
Fig. 2 is structural representation of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is forward sight structural representation of the present invention;
Fig. 4 is left TV structure schematic diagram of the present invention;
Fig. 5 is the plan structure schematic diagram of the second layer;
Embodiment
Embodiment one, composition graphs 1 to 5 illustrate this embodiment, and the frequency of determining based on liquid crystal material scans leaky-wave antenna, and it comprises medium cover plate 1-1, transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2, medium substrate 1-3 and metal floor 1-4;
Described medium cover plate 1-1, transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2, medium substrate 1-3 and metal floor 1-4 form four-layer structure from top to bottom; Liquid crystal is packaged with between medium cover plate 1-1 and transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2;
Transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2 comprise two 50 ohm microstrip, 1, two trapezoidal match circuits 2 and antenna body and insert with the conduction band 9 between the microstrip line 3 of width, unit and 2N and refer to capacitor cell, and N is positive integer;
The wide end of two trapezoidal match circuits 2 is connected with the two ends of microstrip line 3 respectively; The narrow end of two 50 ohm microstrip 1 match circuit 2 trapezoidal with two is respectively connected;
Insert for 2N and refer to that capacitor cell is all arranged on microstrip line 3, and the cross central line of every two slotting finger capacitor cells all along microstrip line 3 is symmetrical; Insert for two of this symmetry and refer to be connected by conduction band 4 between capacitor cell, both sides are inserted and are referred to that electric capacity forms antenna ends path by described conduction band 4;
Adjacent two slotting finger capacitor cells are connected by the conduction band 9 between unit; Adjacent two slotting conduction bands 9 referred between capacitor cell evenly have M metallic ground through hole; M is positive integer;
Each slotting finger capacitor cell comprises the slotting Part I 5, the metal isolated island 6 for feed, the Part II 7 inserting finger and the liquid crystal 8 inserted between finger that refer to;
The liquid crystal 8 inserted between referring to has to insert and refers to mouth, and described opening is that interpolation refers to mouth towards the part of conduction band 4, and opening is that extrapolation refers to mouth towards the part at microstrip line 3 edge; Part I 5 correspondence of inserting finger is inserted in interpolation and refers in mouth; Part II 7 correspondence of inserting finger is inserted in extrapolation and refers in mouth;
The end of the Part I 5 of described slotting finger is connected with conduction band 4; The end of the Part II 7 of described slotting finger is connected with the metal isolated island 6 for feed; The described metal isolated island 6 for feed, for connecting transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2 and metal floor 1-4, makes 2N on transmission and leaky wave structure 1-2 to insert and refers to capacitor cell and metal floor 1-4 equipotential.
The technical solution adopted for the present invention to solve the technical problems is: leaky-wave antenna main body adopts class microstrip line construction, and two ends are transition line match circuits, the matched well realizing from 50 ohm coaxial lines to aerial radiation main body.The series capacitance that radiating principal adopts finger-cross structure and grounded metal via hole to realize respectively needing and shunt inductance, liquid crystal is filled in the gap between finger-cross structure.
The finger-cross structure of each radiating element is divided into two parts.Slotting finger outside being positioned at is divided and is separated by gap and inboard portion, is also to insert the part referring to electric capacity while this gap completely cuts off direct current (DC) bias.Bias voltage is added in outside and inserts on the isolated island that finger-type becomes, and the deflection that electrical potential difference that finger-type becomes regulates the liquid crystal molecule between finger-cross structure is inserted in it and inner side, thus controls the relative dielectric constant of liquid crystal material, the finally beam-scanning angles of control leaky-wave antenna.
The encapsulation that the relatively little medium cover plate of one piece of moderate dielectric constant of thickness realizes liquid crystal is added on radiating principal top.
With reference to Fig. 2, antenna is formed by four layers under upper.Ground floor is medium cover plate, it and third layer medium substrate jointly liquid crystal is packaged in the second layer insert refer to electric capacity refer between gap in.Ground floor medium cover plate relative dielectric constant 2.2, thickness 1mm, guarantees there are enough rigidity.Third layer medium substrate relative dielectric constant 4.4, thickness 2.5mm, the 4th layer is metal floor, covers copper thickness 0.035mm.
With reference to Fig. 5,1 is 50 ohm microstrip, and it is connected with 50 ohm coaxial lines, is antenna feed; 2 is trapezoidal match circuit, it 1 be impedance-matched to 3; 3 are and the microstrip line of antenna body with width, suppress higher mode, reduce the interference of higher mode; 4 is connect both sides to insert and refer to and form the conduction band of antenna ends path, and it plays the effect of certain inductance, for antenna surface electric current provides a path, while also in order to feed; 5 is parts of the slotting finger be connected on 4; 6 is be used as the metal isolated island of feed, it is connected to another part 7 of finger-cross structure, and is connected between the slotting finger on 4 and forms electrical potential difference, controls to insert the dielectric constant of liquid crystal between referring to; 8 is insert the liquid crystal between referring to; 9 is the conduction bands between each unit, ensures the integrality be electrically connected between each unit; 10 is metallic ground through holes, and it is in third layer medium, connects the second layer and the 4th layer of metal, makes second layer upper module 1-5 and ground equipotential.Positive potential is added on the isolated island identical with module 6, and coupled slotting finger 7 positively charged, forms electrical potential difference between 7 and 5, control the dielectric constant of liquid crystal 8 therebetween, and then changes slotting finger capacitance, and main radiation direction changes thereupon, reaches the effect of determining frequency electricity and sweeping.
With reference to Fig. 1, traditional transmission-line equivalent circuit is only containing there being series inductance L
rSwith shunt capacitance C
rP, periodic structure then introduces equivalent series capacitance C
rSwith shunt inductance L
rP.In microwave technology, finger-cross structure can be equivalent to electric capacity, and the metal throuth hole of ground connection can be equivalent to inductance.With reference to Fig. 5, in the design, adopt finger-cross structure and grounding through hole to realize equivalent capacity and inductance.Electromagnetic wave then can be radiated external environment from gap between slotting finger.
With reference to Fig. 5, liquid crystal is filled in be inserted between finger in gap, and by orientation, ordered liquid crystal molecule is arranged in advance, now the relative dielectric constant of liquid crystal is 2.5; When biasing between finger-cross structure, Liquid Crystal Molecules Alignment direction changes, and now the relative dielectric constant of liquid crystal becomes 3.3, insert and refer to that the value of electric capacity changes, and then the main radiation direction of antenna also changes thereupon.