CN112997359A

CN112997359A - Antenna array electromagnetic decoupling method and structure

Info

Publication number: CN112997359A
Application number: CN201880099170.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张海伟; 胡豪涛; 张跃江
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-12-17
Filing date: 2018-12-17
Publication date: 2021-06-18
Anticipated expiration: 2038-12-17
Also published as: WO2020124315A1; CN112997359B

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses antenna array decoupling structure, this decoupling structure is located between two adjacent antenna unit, and this decoupling structure includes: the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch, the second inductive branch and the connecting branch; the connecting branch is used for connecting the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch, and the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch are grounded; the decoupling structure can simultaneously support electric coupling and magnetic coupling, and the decoupling structure can respectively introduce the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling in different areas according to the distribution condition of electromagnetic field radiation, on the other hand, the decoupling structure is a phase shifting network, can adjust the phase of the coupling, and realizes broadband coupling on the premise of reducing the influence on the original performance of the antenna as much as possible.

Description

Antenna array electromagnetic decoupling method and structure

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly, to an antenna array decoupling structure.

Background

In wireless communication, an antenna array is required to compensate for path loss and realize a high-gain beam. The operating frequency band of the antenna array is typically a millimeter wave frequency band, and may also be used in non-millimeter wave frequency bands, where the millimeter wave has a wavelength ranging from 1 millimeter to 10 millimeters, and a frequency ranging from 30 gigahertz (GHz) to 300 GHz; to meet performance requirements, the spacing between adjacent elements of the antenna array is typically less than one-half the wavelength of the operating frequency. The antenna array has smaller size due to smaller oscillator spacing, thereby being convenient for system miniaturization; however, the reduction of the element pitch causes strong electromagnetic energy coupling between the antenna elements, which is also referred to as antenna mutual coupling in engineering. The main effects of antenna mutual coupling are: cell gain and radiation efficiency are reduced, MIMO channel capacity is reduced, amplitude/phase control of smart antennas and multi-beam forming is not ideal, and isolation between antenna cells is degraded.

Therefore, how to decouple the antenna array elements is of great significance.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides an antenna array decoupling structure, and antenna decoupling is effectively achieved.

A first aspect of the present application provides an antenna array decoupling structure, the decoupling structure being located between two adjacent antenna elements, the decoupling structure comprising: the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch, the second inductive branch and the connecting branch; the connecting branch is used for connecting the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch, and the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch are grounded.

The decoupling structure provided by the embodiment of the application comprises a first capacitive branch and a second capacitive branch which are equivalent to an electric arm, and a first inductive branch and a second inductive branch which are equivalent to a magnetic arm, wherein the equivalent electric arm is used for generating electric coupling, the equivalent magnetic arm is used for generating magnetic coupling, the decoupling structure can simultaneously support electric coupling and magnetic coupling, and in addition, as the branches generating the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling are separated, the decoupling structure can respectively introduce the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling in different areas according to the distribution condition of electromagnetic field radiation, so that the original radiation performance of the antenna is reduced as much as possible; on the other hand, the decoupling structure is a phase-shifting network and can adjust the phase of coupling, so that equivalent coupling introduced by the decoupling structure and spatial coupling between adjacent antennas can be in equal-amplitude reverse phase, and broadband coupling is realized on the premise of reducing the influence on the original performance of the antennas as much as possible.

In one possible embodiment, the first capacitive branch and the first inductive branch are connected to a first end of the connecting branch, and the second capacitive branch and the second inductive branch are connected to a second end of the connecting branch.

In a possible embodiment, the first capacitive branch is connected in series to the first end of the connecting branch, the first inductive branch is connected in parallel to the first end of the connecting branch, the second capacitive branch is connected in series to the second end of the connecting branch, and the second inductive branch is connected in parallel to the second end of the connecting branch.

In the decoupling structure provided by the embodiment of the application, two capacitive branches and two inductive branches form a pi-type phase-shifting network so as to adjust the phase of coupling introduced by the decoupling structure.

In a possible implementation, the first capacitive branch and the second capacitive branch extend along a first direction, and the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch extend along a second direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction.

In a possible embodiment, the first direction is parallel to the direction of extension of the connecting stub.

In a possible embodiment, the first capacitive branch and the first inductive branch are both connected in parallel to the first end of the connecting branch, the second capacitive branch and the second inductive branch are both connected in parallel to the second end of the connecting branch, and the first capacitive branch and the second capacitive branch are grounded.

In one possible embodiment, the first and second capacitive branches comprise: open metal stubs or capacitive devices; the first and second sensory branches comprise: a grounded metal stub or an inductive device.

In one possible embodiment, the connecting stub comprises: inductive devices or capacitive devices.

In a possible implementation manner, the connection stub is a microstrip line connection stub, the first capacitive stub is a first microstrip line open-circuit stub, the second capacitive stub is a second microstrip line open-circuit stub, the first inductive stub is a first ground via, and the second inductive stub is a second ground via.

In one possible embodiment, the ground via is a through via or a bent via.

In a possible implementation manner, the first microstrip line open-circuit stub extends from the first end of the microstrip line connection stub to the outside in a first plane, the second microstrip line open-circuit stub extends from the second end of the microstrip line connection stub to the outside in the first plane, and the first plane is a plane where the microstrip line connection stub is located; the first ground via hole and the second ground via hole extend perpendicular to the microstrip line connection stub in a second plane, and the second plane is perpendicular to the first plane.

In a possible implementation manner, the first microstrip line open-circuit stub extends from the first end of the microstrip line connection stub to the outside in a first plane, the second microstrip line open-circuit stub extends from the second end of the microstrip line connection stub to the outside in the first plane, and the first plane is a plane where the microstrip line connection stub is located; the first ground via hole and the second ground via hole extend in the first plane perpendicular to the microstrip line connection stub for a first length, and then continue to extend in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane.

In a possible implementation manner, the first microstrip line open-circuit stub and the second microstrip line open-circuit stub extend perpendicular to the microstrip line connection stub in a first plane, and the first plane is a plane where the microstrip line connection stub is located; the first ground via hole and the second ground via hole extend to the outside from two ends of the microstrip line connection stub in the first plane for a first length, and then continue to extend in a second plane, and the second plane is perpendicular to the first plane.

In one possible embodiment, the decoupling structure is a symmetrical structure, or alternatively, the decoupling structure is an asymmetrical structure.

If magnetic coupling is introduced into a region with strong magnetic field radiation, the magnetic field distribution is disturbed due to the existence of the coupling, so that the magnetic field radiation of the antenna is influenced and the performance of the antenna is deteriorated; similarly, the introduction of electrical coupling in areas of high electric field can affect the normal electric field radiation of the antenna. The embodiment of the application correspondingly introduces the electric coupling or the magnetic coupling according to the strength of the magnetic field or the electric field radiation, the electric coupling is introduced when the magnetic field radiation is strong, the magnetic coupling is introduced when the electric field radiation is strong, the original magnetic field radiation and the electric field radiation of the antenna are influenced as little as possible, the original performance of the antenna is prevented from being influenced, and the normal working state of the antenna is ensured.

In one possible embodiment, the decoupling structure is located between a first antenna element and a second antenna element, the first antenna element and the second antenna element being two adjacent antenna elements in the antenna array; the first antenna element comprises a first boundary and a second boundary, and the second antenna element comprises a third boundary and a fourth boundary; wherein the first boundary is parallel to the polarization direction of the first antenna element, the second boundary is perpendicular to the polarization direction of the first antenna element, the third boundary is parallel to the polarization direction of the second antenna element, and the fourth boundary is perpendicular to the polarization direction of the second antenna element; the first capacitive branch is close to the first boundary, the first inductive branch is close to the second boundary, the second capacitive branch is close to the third boundary, and the second inductive branch is close to the fourth boundary.

In the embodiment of the present application, the region with the strongest electric field radiation of the antenna unit is close to the boundary perpendicular to the polarization direction of the antenna unit, and the region with the strongest magnetic field radiation is close to the boundary parallel to the polarization direction of the antenna unit. The capacitive branch is close to the area with the strongest magnetic field radiation to introduce electric coupling, and the inductive branch is close to the area with the strongest electric field radiation to introduce magnetic coupling, so that the influence on the original magnetic field radiation and electric field radiation of the antenna unit can be reduced to the greatest extent, the original performance of the antenna is prevented from being influenced, and the normal working state of the antenna is ensured. A second aspect of the present application provides an antenna array decoupling structure, the decoupling structure being located between two adjacent antenna elements, the decoupling structure comprising: the first capacitor branch circuit, the second capacitor branch circuit, the first grounding branch circuit, the second grounding branch circuit and the connecting branch circuit are arranged in the circuit board; the connecting branch is used for connecting the first capacitor branch, the second capacitor branch, the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch, wherein the first capacitor branch and the first grounding branch are connected to a first end of the connecting branch, and the second capacitor branch and the second grounding branch are connected to a second end of the connecting branch.

In a possible embodiment, the first capacitance branch is connected in series to the first end of the connection branch, the first grounding branch is connected in parallel to the first end of the connection branch, the second capacitance branch is connected in series to the second end of the connection branch, and the second grounding branch is connected in parallel to the second end of the connection branch.

In one possible embodiment, the first and second capacitive branches extend in a first direction, and the first and second ground branches extend in a second direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction.

In a possible embodiment, the first direction is parallel to the extension direction of the connecting branch.

In one possible embodiment, the connecting branch comprises: an inductor or a capacitor is connected.

In one possible embodiment, the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch include: a grounded inductance or a grounded capacitance.

In a possible implementation manner, the connection branch is a microstrip line connection branch, the first capacitor branch is a first microstrip line open-circuit branch, the second capacitor branch is a second microstrip line open-circuit branch, the first ground branch is a first ground branch, and the second ground branch is a second ground branch.

In one possible embodiment, the first and second ground branches are ground vias, and the ground vias are through vias or bent vias.

A third aspect of the present application provides an antenna array decoupling structure, the decoupling structure being located between two adjacent antenna elements, the decoupling structure comprising: the first grounding inductor, the second grounding inductor, the first grounding branch circuit, the second grounding branch circuit and the connecting branch circuit; the connection branch is used for connecting the first grounding inductor, the second grounding inductor, the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch, wherein the first grounding inductor and the first grounding branch are connected to a first end of the connection branch, and the second grounding inductor and the second grounding branch are connected to a second end of the connection branch.

In a possible embodiment, the first grounding inductor and the first grounding branch are connected in parallel to the first end of the connecting branch, and the second grounding inductor and the second grounding branch are connected in parallel to the second end of the connecting branch.

In a possible embodiment, the first grounding inductor and the second inductor are connected in an extension direction of the connecting branch, and the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch are perpendicular to the extension direction of the connecting branch.

In a possible implementation manner, the connection branch is a microstrip line connection branch, the first grounding branch is a ground capacitor of the first microstrip line open-circuit branch, the second grounding branch is a ground capacitor of the second microstrip line open-circuit branch, the first grounding inductor is a first grounding via, and the second grounding inductor is a second grounding via.

In one possible embodiment, the ground via is a through via or a bent via.

A fourth aspect of the present application provides an antenna array comprising: at least two antenna elements and a decoupling structure according to the first to third aspects or any possible implementation thereof, the decoupling structure being located between two adjacent antenna elements of the at least two antenna elements.

In one possible embodiment, the antenna array further includes: a separation wall including a plurality of metal ground vias surrounding each of the at least two antenna elements.

In the embodiment of the application, the separation wall is used for blocking electromagnetic field coupling in a medium existing between the antenna units.

In a possible embodiment, the separation wall is not connected to the decoupling structure.

In one possible embodiment, the decoupling structure of the symmetrical structure is located at a symmetrical position in the antenna array, and the at least two antenna elements in the antenna array are symmetrically distributed about the symmetrical position.

In one possible embodiment, the decoupling structure of the asymmetric structure is located at an asymmetric position of the antenna array, and the at least two antenna elements in the antenna array are asymmetrically distributed with respect to the asymmetric position.

A better decoupling effect can be obtained by adaptively selecting a symmetrical or asymmetrical decoupling structure according to the electromagnetic environment of the antenna array.

In one possible embodiment, the array form of the antenna array includes: a rectangular array, a circular array, or a polygonal array.

In one possible implementation, the antenna elements in the antenna array comprise single-polarized antennas or dual-polarized antennas.

A fifth aspect of the present application provides a method of antenna array decoupling, the method comprising: introducing electrical and magnetic coupling between a first antenna element and a second antenna element based on a decoupling structure, the first antenna element and the second antenna element being two adjacent antenna elements in the antenna array, the decoupling structure comprising: the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch, the second inductive branch and the connecting branch; the connecting branch is used for connecting the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch, wherein the first capacitive branch and the first inductive branch are close to the first antenna unit, and the second capacitive branch and the second inductive branch are close to the second antenna unit; forming the electrical coupling with the first antenna element based on the first capacitive stub; forming the magnetic coupling with the first antenna element based on the first inductive stub; the spatial coupling between the first antenna element and the second antenna element is cancelled based on an equivalent coupling of the electrical coupling and the magnetic coupling.

In one possible embodiment, the first antenna element includes a first boundary and a second boundary, and the second antenna element includes a third boundary and a fourth boundary; wherein the first boundary is parallel to the polarization direction of the first antenna element, the second boundary is perpendicular to the polarization direction of the first antenna element, the third boundary is parallel to the polarization direction of the second antenna element, and the fourth boundary is perpendicular to the polarization direction of the second antenna element; the first capacitive branch is close to the first boundary, the first inductive branch is close to the second boundary, the second capacitive branch is close to the third boundary, and the second inductive branch is close to the fourth boundary. The forming the electrical coupling with the first antenna element based on the first capacitive stub includes: forming the electrical coupling at the first boundary of the first antenna element based on the first capacitive stub; should form this magnetic coupling based on this first sensitivity branch and this first antenna element, include: the magnetic coupling is formed at the second boundary of the first antenna element based on the first inductive stub.

In one possible embodiment, the method further comprises: dielectric coupling between the first antenna element and the second antenna element is removed based on a separation wall that includes a plurality of metal ground vias surrounding each antenna element in the antenna array.

In one possible embodiment, the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch are sized and positioned such that the equivalent coupling is equal in amplitude and opposite in phase to the spatial coupling.

In one possible embodiment, the antenna array comprises: a symmetric position about which the antenna elements in the antenna array are symmetrically distributed and an asymmetric position about which the antenna elements in the antenna array are asymmetrically distributed, the method further comprising: introducing equivalent coupling between adjacent antenna elements at the symmetric location based on the symmetric decoupling structure to cancel spatial coupling between the adjacent antenna elements; alternatively, equivalent coupling is introduced between adjacent antenna elements based on an asymmetric decoupling structure at the asymmetric location to cancel spatial coupling between the adjacent antenna elements.

Drawings

Fig. 1a is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary decoupling structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 1b is a circuit diagram of an exemplary decoupling structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 1c is a circuit diagram of an exemplary decoupling structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 1d is a circuit diagram of an exemplary decoupling structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2a is a circuit diagram of another exemplary decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2b is a circuit diagram of another exemplary decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2c is a circuit diagram of another exemplary decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2d is a circuit diagram of another exemplary decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

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

fig. 3b is a schematic diagram of an exemplary decoupling structure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary decoupling structure provided by embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary decoupling structure provided by embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary decoupling structure provided by embodiments of the present application;

fig. 7a is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary coupling principle between adjacent antennas according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7b is a schematic diagram of an exemplary electric field and magnetic field distribution provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is an exemplary antenna array including decoupling structures provided by embodiments of the present application;

fig. 9 is another exemplary antenna array including two decoupling structures provided by embodiments of the present application;

fig. 10a is a perspective view of an exemplary antenna array including decoupling structures provided by embodiments of the present application;

fig. 10b is a front view of an exemplary antenna array including decoupling structures provided by embodiments of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a simulation result of a pre-decoupling and post-decoupling isolation of an exemplary antenna array including a decoupling structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a comparison of decoupled front and back radiation directions of an exemplary antenna array including decoupling structures according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is another exemplary antenna array including decoupling structures provided by embodiments of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary dual-band dual-polarized antenna array provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 15 is a schematic diagram of a simulation result of an exemplary dual-band and dual-polarized antenna array decoupling front-back isolation degree according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and in the claims of the present application and in the above-described drawings are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. Furthermore, the terms "comprises" and "comprising," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such as a list of steps or elements. A method, system, article, or apparatus is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements explicitly listed, but may include other steps or elements not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, system, article, or apparatus.

It should be understood that in the present application, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or" for describing an association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships, e.g., "a and/or B" may indicate: only A, only B and both A and B are present, wherein A and B may be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item(s) or plural items. For example, at least one (one) of a, b, or c, may represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", wherein a, b, c may be single or plural.

The embodiment of the application provides a structure and a method for antenna array decoupling, which can realize broadband decoupling between adjacent antenna units on the premise of not influencing the original performances of directional diagrams, gains and the like of antennas. And the decoupling structure has a simple structure, has low requirement on processing precision, and is suitable for low-cost application.

Fig. 1a illustrates an exemplary antenna array decoupling structure provided in an embodiment of the present application. The decoupling structure comprises a first capacitive branch, a second capacitive branch, a first inductive branch, a second inductive branch and a connecting branch, wherein the connecting branch is used for connecting the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch. The first capacitive branch and the first inductive branch are connected to the first end of the connecting branch, the second capacitive branch and the second inductive branch are connected to the second end of the connecting branch, and the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch are grounded. The first capacitive branch and the second capacitive branch are used for generating electric coupling, or the first capacitive branch and the second capacitive branch can be called as an electric arm, and the electric arm is used for generating electric coupling; the first and second inductive branches may be used to generate magnetic coupling, or the first and second inductive branches may be referred to as magnetic arms, and the magnetic arms may be used to generate magnetic coupling. It should be understood that when the first and second capacitive branches are electrically coupled to an external antenna, the first and second inductive branches adjust the phase of the electrical coupling; when the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch are magnetically coupled with an external antenna, the first capacitive branch and the second capacitive branch adjust the phase of the magnetic coupling. In this embodiment, the first capacitive branch is connected in series to the first end of the connection branch, the first inductive branch is connected in parallel to the first end of the connection branch, and correspondingly, the second capacitive branch is connected in series to the second end of the connection branch, and the second inductive branch is connected in parallel to the second end of the connection branch. It should be understood that series and parallel connections are referred to herein with respect to the main path signal in the decoupling network, if the main path signal in the decoupling network flows in from one end of a device and out from the other end, then the devices are considered to be connected in series, as shown in fig. 1a as first and second capacitive branches C1 and C2; if the main path signal in the decoupling network flows only through one end of a device, the device is considered to be connected in parallel, such as the grounded first inductive branch and the second inductive branch shown in fig. 1 a. It should be understood that the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch are arranged to form a pi-type network, and have a phase shifting function, so as to adjust the phase of coupling between adjacent antennas. For example, as shown in fig. 1a, the first capacitive branch and the second capacitive branch extend along a first direction, and the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch extend along a second direction, where the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and optionally, the first direction intersects with but is not perpendicular to the second direction, where the first direction is parallel to the extending direction of the connection branch.

For example, the first and second capacitive branches may include: open-circuit branches, such as open-circuit microstrip line branches or open-circuit metal branches, patch capacitors or other common capacitor devices, interdigital capacitors or flat capacitors, and the like; it should be understood that the open-circuit metal stub may be an open-circuit metal wire or an open-circuit microstrip line. The first and second perceptual branches may comprise: a ground via, a ground metal stub, a transformer, a spiral inductor or a ground coil, etc.; by way of example, the material of the ground via may include: the metal may be, for example, copper, aluminum, gold, tin, or the like. It should be appreciated that an antenna array typically includes multiple metal layers with non-metallic dielectric layers between different metal layers, penetrates the non-metallic dielectric layers between different metal layers, and fills with a metallic material to form vias between the metal layers. In an optional case, the non-metal dielectric layer may be a base layer of the antenna array, and the base layer of the antenna array may also be a non-metal dielectric layer below a bottommost metal layer in the antenna array, where a through hole is drilled in the base layer of the antenna array and a metal material is filled in the through hole to form a via hole. The connecting stub may include: inductors, capacitive devices, metal connecting lines or microstrip lines, etc. Illustratively, the connection stub of the decoupling structure shown in fig. 1a is an inductor, and the connection stub of the decoupling structure shown in fig. 1b is a capacitor. It should be understood that the capacitive device of the connection branch may be any one of a first capacitive branch and a second capacitive branch, and the inductance of the connection branch may be any one of a first inductive branch and a second inductive branch, and is not limited thereto.

It should be understood that in the decoupling structure shown in fig. 1a and 1b, when the first capacitive branch and the second capacitive branch are electrically coupled to the external antenna, the capacitance between the first capacitive branch and the external antenna is C1, the capacitance between the second capacitive branch and the external antenna is C2, and the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch form a pi-type phase shifter to adjust the phase of the electrical coupling.

In an alternative structure, the first capacitive branch and the first inductive branch are both connected in parallel to the first end of the connecting branch, and the second capacitive branch and the second inductive branch are both connected in parallel to the second end of the connecting branch, at this time, the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch are all grounded, as shown in fig. 1c and fig. 1 d. In this case, the extending direction of the first capacitive branch and the second capacitive branch is perpendicular to the extending direction of the connecting branch, and optionally, the extending direction of the first capacitive branch and the second capacitive branch intersects with but is not perpendicular to the extending direction of the connecting branch. In the decoupling structure, the connecting branches may be inductive devices as shown in fig. 1c, or may be capacitive devices as shown in fig. 1 d.

It should be understood that in the decoupling structure shown in fig. 1c and 1d, when the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch are magnetically coupled to an external antenna, the first capacitive branch and the second capacitive branch form a pi-type phase shifter to adjust the phase of the magnetic coupling. It should be understood that when the first and second inductive branches are magnetically coupled to the external antenna, equivalent ground capacitances exist between the first and second capacitive branches and the ground plane, respectively: c3 and C4.

The decoupling structure provided by the embodiment of the application comprises a first capacitive branch and a second capacitive branch which are equivalent to an electric arm, and a first inductive branch and a second inductive branch which are equivalent to a magnetic arm, wherein the equivalent electric arm is used for generating electric coupling, the equivalent magnetic arm is used for generating magnetic coupling, the decoupling structure can simultaneously support electric coupling and magnetic coupling, and in addition, the branches generating the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling are separated, so the decoupling structure can respectively introduce the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling in different areas according to the distribution condition of electromagnetic field radiation, and the original radiation performance of the antenna is reduced as much as possible. On the other hand, the decoupling structure is a phase-shifting network and can adjust the phase of coupling, so that equivalent coupling introduced by the decoupling structure and spatial coupling between adjacent antennas can be in equal amplitude and opposite phase, and broadband coupling is realized on the premise of reducing the influence on the original performance of the antenna as much as possible. The sizes of the capacitive branch and the inductive branch can be adjusted to adjust the amplitude of the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling, so that the amplitude of the equivalent coupling generated by the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling introduced by the decoupling structure is equal to the amplitude of the spatial coupling between the adjacent antenna units; furthermore, the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch of the decoupling structure are arranged to form a phase shifting network, that is, the decoupling structure is a phase shifting network with a phase shifting function, and the shape and size of the decoupling structure are adjusted, for example, the relative positions of the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch, the relative position of the decoupling structure and the antenna unit, the capacitance value of the capacitive branch and the inductance value of the inductive branch are adjusted, so that the phases of the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling can be adjusted, so that the phases of the equivalent coupling generated by the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling introduced by the decoupling structure are opposite to the phases of the spatial coupling between adjacent antennas, or the phases of the equivalent coupling generated by the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling and the spatial coupling between adjacent antennas are different by an odd multiple of 180 degrees. As shown in fig. 2 a-2 d, there are provided circuit schematic diagrams of 4 other exemplary decoupling structures according to embodiments of the present application. The decoupling structure shown in fig. 2a includes a first open capacitive branch C1, a second open capacitive branch C2, a first grounding capacitive branch C3, a second grounding capacitive branch C4, and an inductive connecting branch, which may also be a capacitive connecting branch, as shown in fig. 2 b. When the open-circuit capacitive branches C1 and C2 in the decoupling structure shown in fig. 2a and 2b are electrically coupled with an external antenna, the grounded capacitive branches C3 and C4 form a pi-type phase shift network to adjust the phase of the electrical coupling.

The decoupling structure shown in fig. 2c includes a first grounded inductive branch, a second grounded inductive branch, a third grounded inductive branch, a fourth grounded inductive branch, and an inductor connection branch, where the first grounded inductive branch and the second grounded inductive branch are two grounded branches on the outer side, and the third grounded inductive branch and the fourth grounded inductive branch are two grounded branches on the inner side. Optionally, the inductive connection stub may also be a capacitive connection stub, as shown in fig. 2 d. When the two grounding inductive branches at the outer side in the decoupling structure shown in fig. 2c and fig. 2d are magnetically coupled with an external antenna, the two grounding inductive branches at the inner side form a pi-type phase shifting network to adjust the phase of the magnetic coupling.

As shown in fig. 3a, an exemplary decoupling structure provided for the embodiment of the present application is schematically illustrated, where a first capacitive branch and a second capacitive branch of the decoupling structure are open-circuited branches, and a first inductive branch and a second inductive branch are ground branches, the decoupling structure includes: the first open-circuit branch, the second open-circuit branch, the first grounding branch, the second grounding branch and the connecting branch. Illustratively, the first open-circuit branch and the second open-circuit branch are metal open-circuit branches or microstrip line open-circuit branches, and the first ground branch and the second ground branch are ground metal branches or ground vias, and optionally, the ground vias may be through holes or bent holes. As shown in fig. 3a, the connecting branch extends laterally and is used to connect the first open-circuit branch, the second open-circuit branch, the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch. The first open-circuit branch and the second open-circuit branch may be equivalent to a capacitor, and when the first open-circuit branch and the second open-circuit branch are close to the antenna, the first open-circuit branch and the second open-circuit branch are electrically coupled to the antenna, or the first open-circuit branch and the second open-circuit branch may be referred to as an arm, and the arm is configured to be electrically coupled to the antenna. The first grounding branch and the second grounding branch may be equivalent to an inductor, and when the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch are close to the antenna, the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch form magnetic coupling with the antenna, or the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch may also be referred to as a magnetic arm, and the magnetic arm is used for forming magnetic coupling with the antenna. In an alternative case, the first open-circuit branch and the second open-circuit branch are disposed near the region where the magnetic field radiation of the antenna is strongest, and the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch are disposed near the region where the electric field radiation of the antenna is strongest, at this time, the open-circuit branch is electrically coupled to the antenna in the region where the magnetic field radiation is strongest, and the grounding branch is magnetically coupled to the antenna in the region where the electric field radiation is strongest. In addition, the decoupling structure shown in fig. 3a is arranged as a pi-type phase shift network, and the phases of the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling can be adjusted so that the equivalent coupling generated by the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling is in opposite phase with the spatial coupling between the adjacent antennas, or the phases of the equivalent coupling generated by the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling and the spatial coupling between the adjacent antennas are different by an odd multiple of 180 degrees. The pi-type phase-shifting network comprises four branches, wherein the first open-circuit branch, the second open-circuit branch, the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch form the four branches of the pi-type phase-shifting network respectively. As shown in fig. 3a, the first open-circuit branch and the second open-circuit branch extend to both ends of the connection branch in a first plane, where the connection branch is located, the first ground branch and the second ground branch change their extending directions after extending perpendicular to the connection branch for a first length in the first plane, and extend for a second length in a second plane, where the second plane is perpendicular to the first plane. The length of the first open-circuit branch and the length of the second open-circuit branch are L1, the length L1 may be referred to as the arm length of the electric arm, the length of the connecting branch is L2, the first length of the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch extending in the first plane is L3, and the second length of the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch extending in the second plane is h, it should be understood that, since the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch extend longitudinally in the second plane, the height of the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch may also be h; the width of the first open-circuit branch and the second open-circuit branch is W1, the width of the connecting branch is W2, and the width of the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch is W3. L1, L2, L3, W1, W2, W3 and h may be adjusted adaptively according to the coupling condition, and W1, W2 and W3 may be equal or different. It should be appreciated that varying the coupling capacitance between the open stub and the antenna may adjust the amount of electrical coupling, for example, varying the length L1 and the width W1 of the first and second open stubs may adjust the amount of electrical coupling. Changing the magnetic flux between the first and second ground branches and the antenna to adjust the amount of magnetic coupling, for example, changing L3, h of the first and second ground branches and the distance between the whole decoupling structure and the antenna to adjust the amount of magnetic coupling; in addition, the electric coupling and magnetic coupling phases can be adjusted through the pi-type phase shifting network, for example, the electric coupling and magnetic coupling phases can be adjusted by adjusting the arrangement position of four branches of the pi-type phase shifting network, the length and the width of each branch, and the distance between the pi-type phase shifting network and an antenna. It will be appreciated that the adjustments to amplitude and phase are not cleaved, and that several variables that affect the magnitude of the coupling will also affect the phase.

It should be understood that fig. 3a is only an example of a decoupling structure and should not be considered as limiting the decoupling structure. The first and second ground branches of the decoupling structure shown in fig. 3a extend straight in a second plane, and in an alternative case, the first and second ground branches may also extend bent in the second plane, as shown in fig. 3 b. Fig. 4 provides another exemplary decoupling structure having a first open-circuit stub and a second open-circuit stub extending in a first plane toward both ends of a connecting stub, the first plane being a plane in which the connecting stub lies, the first ground stub and the second ground stub extending in a second plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the connecting stub, the second plane being perpendicular to the first plane. The first ground branch and the second ground branch extend vertically in the second plane, and the first ground branch and the second ground branch are through ground vias. The decoupling structures shown in fig. 3a, 3b, and 4 are axisymmetric, and the decoupling structures can also be designed to be centrosymmetric or asymmetric, as shown in fig. 5, which provides another exemplary decoupling structure for the embodiments of the present application. The decoupling structure of fig. 5 is asymmetric, wherein the first open stub and the second open stub may have different lengths, the first ground stub extends a length in a first plane and then extends toward a second plane, and the second ground stub extends directly toward the second plane. It will be appreciated that other forms of asymmetric decoupling structures may also be present.

In an alternative case, the positions of the open branches and the ground branches can be changed, the ground branches are located at both ends of the pi-type network, and the open branches are located in the middle of the pi-type network. As shown in fig. 6, an exemplary decoupling structure is provided for embodiments of the present application. The first open-circuit branch knot and the second open-circuit branch knot extend perpendicular to the connecting branch knot in a first plane, and the first plane is a plane where the connecting branch knot is located; the first grounding branch and the second grounding branch extend to the two ends of the connecting branch in a first plane for a first length and then change the extension direction, and extend for a second length in a second plane, wherein the second plane is perpendicular to the first plane. In practical application, the arrangement form of the open-circuit branch and the grounding branch in the decoupling structure can be adjusted according to the distribution conditions of magnetic field radiation and electric field radiation.

Fig. 7a is a schematic diagram illustrating a coupling principle between adjacent antennas according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 7a shows a 2 × 1 binary antenna array comprising a first antenna and a first antenna, both arranged on a Ground Plane (Ground Plane). When the first antenna and the second antenna operate, electromagnetic radiation is usually performed to the outside, and the electric field and the magnetic field always exist at the same time, but generally, the intensity of the magnetic field radiation and the intensity of the electric field radiation are not uniform, so that the first antenna and the second antenna both have regions with the strongest magnetic field radiation and the strongest electric field radiation, as shown in fig. 7b, a schematic diagram of the distribution of the electric field and the magnetic field intensity is provided for the embodiment of the present application. The direction of the arrow shown in the figure is the polarization direction of the antenna, which may also be referred to as the flow direction of the current. Generally, the areas of strongest electric field radiation are perpendicular to the polarization direction of the antenna and the areas of strongest magnetic field radiation are parallel to the polarization direction of the antenna. The antenna element shown in fig. 7b comprises four boundaries, upper, lower, left and right, the upper and lower boundaries being parallel to the polarization direction of the antenna, so that the regions close to the upper and lower boundaries are the regions where the radiation of the antenna magnetic field is strongest; the left and right borders are perpendicular to the polarization direction of the antenna, so the areas near the left and right borders are the areas where the antenna electric field radiates most strongly. In an alternative case, the capacitive branches of the decoupling structure are close to the area where the upper or lower boundary of the antenna unit is located, and the inductive branches are close to the area where the left and right boundary of the antenna unit is located. Optionally, if the antenna unit is circular, the circular antenna unit includes four upper, lower, left, and right tangents, the upper and lower tangents corresponding to the upper and lower boundaries, and the left and right tangents corresponding to the left and right boundaries. It will be appreciated that the proximity represents a distance between the decoupling structure and the boundary of the antenna array that is less than a preset threshold, which may be obtained from experimental data or empirically by one skilled in the art; in addition, the antenna units and antennas mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are not different, or the antenna units may be equivalent to antennas, for example, one antenna array may include multiple antennas, or one antenna array may include multiple antenna units.

As shown in fig. 7a, the left and right side regions of the first antenna and the second antenna are regions with the strongest electric field radiation, and the upper and lower side regions are regions with the strongest magnetic field radiation. If magnetic coupling is introduced into the region with the strongest magnetic field radiation, the magnetic field distribution is disturbed due to the existence of the coupling, so that the magnetic field radiation of the antenna is influenced and the performance of the antenna is deteriorated; similarly, introducing galvanic coupling in the areas where the electric field is strongest can affect the normal electric field radiation of the antenna. The embodiment of the application correspondingly introduces the electric coupling or the magnetic coupling according to the strength of the magnetic field or the electric field radiation, the electric coupling is introduced when the magnetic field radiation is strong, the magnetic coupling is introduced when the electric field radiation is strong, the original magnetic field radiation and the electric field radiation of the antenna are influenced as little as possible, the original performance of the antenna is prevented from being influenced, and the normal working state of the antenna is ensured. In an alternative case, as shown in fig. 7a, electric coupling is introduced in the region with the strongest magnetic field radiation, and magnetic coupling is introduced in the region with the strongest electric field radiation, and the coupling mode can reduce the influence on the original performance of the antenna to the greatest extent; in another optional case, by introducing the electric coupling in the region where the radiation intensity of the magnetic field is greater than the preset threshold and introducing the magnetic coupling in the region where the radiation intensity of the electric field is greater than the preset threshold, the influence on the original performance of the antenna can be reduced while the spatial coupling between the antennas is cancelled.

As shown in fig. 8, an antenna array 800 including decoupling structures is provided for embodiments of the present application. The antenna array 800 is a 2 × 1 binary antenna array, and the antenna array 800 includes a ground plane 801, a first antenna 802, a second antenna 803, and a decoupling structure 804. The decoupling structure 804 may be the decoupling structure shown in fig. 1 a-6 described above, but is not limited to the decoupling structure shown in fig. 1 a-6. The two transverse branches of the decoupling structure are a first capacitive branch and a second capacitive branch, the two longitudinal branches are a first inductive branch and a second inductive branch, the longitudinal branch close to the first antenna is the first inductive branch, and the longitudinal branch close to the second antenna is the second inductive branch. In an alternative case, the first capacitive branch of the decoupling structure is close to the boundary of the first antenna parallel to the polarization direction of the antenna, that is, the first capacitive branch is close to the region where the magnetic field radiation of the first antenna is strongest, and the first inductive branch of the decoupling structure is close to the boundary of the first antenna perpendicular to the polarization direction of the antenna, that is, the first inductive branch is close to the region where the magnetic field radiation of the first antenna is strongest; correspondingly, the second capacitive branch of the decoupling structure is close to the boundary of the second antenna parallel to the antenna polarization direction, that is, the second capacitive branch is close to the region of the second antenna with the strongest magnetic field radiation, and the second inductive branch of the decoupling structure is close to the boundary of the second antenna perpendicular to the antenna polarization direction, that is, the second inductive branch is close to the region of the second antenna with the strongest electric field radiation. There is spatial coupling between the first antenna 802 and the second antenna 803 and the decoupling structure 804 introduces an equivalent electromagnetic coupling between the first antenna 802 and the first antenna 803 that acts to cancel the spatial coupling between the first antenna 802 and the first antenna 803. The following illustrates the spatial coupling and equivalent electromagnetic coupling: after a part of electromagnetic waves radiated by the first antenna 802 is absorbed by the second antenna 803 through spatial transmission, induced current is generated on the second antenna 803, so that spatial coupling is formed between the first antenna 802 and the second antenna 803; similarly, a part of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the second antenna 803 is absorbed by the first antenna 802 and generates an induced current. After the electromagnetic wave radiated by the first antenna 802 is partially absorbed by the decoupling structure 804, an induced current is formed on the decoupling structure 804, the induced current generates electromagnetic waves radiated outwards, and after the electromagnetic wave radiated by the decoupling structure 804 is partially absorbed by the second antenna 803, an induced current is also generated, so that equivalent electromagnetic coupling is formed between the first antenna 802 and the second antenna 803. The induced current generated by the first antenna 802 on the second antenna 803 through the decoupling structure 804 can cancel the induced current generated by the first antenna 802 on the second antenna 803; in an alternative case, the induced current generated by the first antenna 802 on the second antenna 803 through the decoupling structure 804 has the same amplitude and opposite phase with the induced current generated by the first antenna 802 on the second antenna 803. It can also be said that the equivalent electromagnetic coupling cancels the spatial coupling, in an alternative case, the equivalent electromagnetic coupling is of equal amplitude and opposite phase to the spatial coupling.

In an alternative case, two decoupling structures may be disposed between adjacent antennas, as shown in fig. 9, which provides another antenna array 900 including two decoupling structures for the embodiment of the present application. The antenna array 900 comprises a ground plane 901, a first antenna 902, a second antenna 903, a first decoupling structure 904 and a second decoupling structure 905. The first and

second decoupling structures

904 and 905 may be the decoupling structures shown in fig. 1 a-6 described above, but are not limited to the decoupling structures shown in fig. 1 a-6. The equivalent electromagnetic coupling introduced by the first and

second decoupling structures

904, 905 serves to cancel the spatial coupling between the first and

second antennas

902, 903. The positions of the first and

second decoupling structures

904, 905 from the first and

second antennas

902, 903 may be adjustable, and the first and

second decoupling structures

904, 905 may be disposed symmetrically or asymmetrically on both sides of two adjacent antennas.

As shown in fig. 10a and 10b, another antenna array including a decoupling structure is provided in the present application, where fig. 10a is a perspective view of the antenna array, and fig. 10b is a front view of the antenna array. The antenna array comprises M1, M2 and M3 layers, wherein the heights of M1, M2 and M3 are different. In the antenna array, the metal layer on the top layer of the antenna is laid on the M1 layer, the feeding network can be arranged on the M2 layer, a separation wall is arranged outside each of the first antenna and the second antenna, the separation wall comprises a plurality of grounding via holes surrounding the antennas, and exemplarily, the plurality of grounding via holes surround the antennas to form the separation wall, and the separation wall is used for blocking electromagnetic field coupling in a medium existing between the antennas. The ground vias shown in fig. 10a and 10b are routed from the ground plane all the way to the antenna top metal layer M1 layer, where the height of the ground vias is equal to the height of the antenna metal layer, it should be understood that the height of the ground vias may be less than the height of the antenna metal layer, and for example, the ground vias may be selectively routed to the M2 layer or the M3 layer as required by the antenna operating bandwidth. The antenna array includes decoupling structures, although two decoupling structures are shown in fig. 10a and 10b, only one decoupling structure or more than two decoupling structures may be actually provided, and the number of decoupling structures is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The isolation wall is used for blocking dielectric coupling between the first antenna and the second antenna, and the decoupling structure is used for further removing spatial coupling between the first antenna and the second antenna. The decoupling structure is not connected to the isolation wall, and for example, an undercut process may be performed on the isolation wall formed by the ground via, so that the decoupling structure penetrates through the isolation wall. In the antenna array provided by the embodiment of the present application, the decoupling structure is laid on the M3 layer, and the position and height of the decoupling structure can be adjusted according to the amplitude and phase of the equivalent coupling introduced by the decoupling structure, and for example, the decoupling structure can also be located at some other height between the ground plane and the antenna top metal layer M1 layer, for example, the decoupling structure can be laid on the height of the M2 layer.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a simulation result of a decoupling front-back isolation degree of an antenna array including a decoupling structure according to an embodiment of the present application. Where the abscissa is the operating frequency and the ordinate is the isolation S21, it should be understood that a smaller value for the isolation S21 indicates a higher isolation between the antennas, resulting in a better decoupling. It can be seen that in the frequency band range of 57-66GHz (which is a usable wireless spectrum resource), the isolation of the antennas before decoupling is about-18 dB, the isolation after decoupling is less than-24 dB, the isolation is improved by about 6-15dB, the isolation between the antennas is significantly improved, and the isolation in the whole frequency band range of 57-66GHz meets the requirement (the isolation is less than 20dB), the working bandwidth supported by the antennas is widened, so that the decoupling structure can realize broadband decoupling.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a comparison of decoupled front and back radiation directions of an antenna array including a decoupling structure according to an embodiment of the present application. The radial coordinate of the figure is the directional gain, and the-180 marked on the circumference is the directional angle, and the larger the directional gain, the stronger the signal in the direction. It can be seen that the antenna radiation patterns before and after decoupling are basically coincident, and the antenna radiation directions before and after decoupling are not changed greatly. Therefore, the decoupling structure provided by the embodiment of the application has little influence on the directional performance of the antenna.

Fig. 13 shows another antenna array including decoupling structures according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 13 shows a 4X4 antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements, a separation wall, and a plurality of decoupling structures, which may be symmetrical structures or asymmetrical structures. In the antenna array, the electromagnetic environments of the antenna units near the edge are asymmetric, while the electromagnetic environments of the antenna units in the middle are symmetric, in order to better improve the decoupling effect, the form of the decoupling structure needs to be adjusted according to the position of the decoupling structure in the antenna array, and the decoupling structure can be designed into a symmetric structure or an asymmetric structure. Illustratively, at symmetrical positions of the antenna array, the decoupling structure is designed to be symmetrical; at asymmetric positions of the antenna array, the decoupling structure is designed to be asymmetric. A better decoupling effect can be obtained by adaptively selecting a symmetrical or asymmetrical decoupling structure according to the electromagnetic environment of the antenna array. A plurality of antenna units in the antenna array are symmetrically distributed about the symmetric position, for example, in fig. 13, there are 4 symmetric positions on the axis 1, two antenna units are respectively located on two sides of each symmetric position, and the number of the antenna units on two sides of the symmetric position is the same; the asymmetric position is marked in fig. 13, where there are 3 antenna elements on the left side and 1 antenna element on the right side, and the number of antenna elements on both sides of the asymmetric position is different.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, the specific form of the antenna may be any form of microstrip antenna, for example, it may be a direct feed, a coupled feed, a differential feed, etc., the antenna array size may also support various array sizes, such as 2 × 1, 2 × 2, 4 × 2, or 4 × 4, etc., and the antenna array form may also be various, for example, it may be a rectangular array, a circular array, a polygonal array, etc. In addition, according to the size of the coupling amount in the antenna array and the array requirement, decoupling can be selectively carried out at any position of the antenna array.

The decoupling structure and the decoupling method provided by the embodiment of the application can be applied to single-frequency and single-polarization antennas and can also be applied to double-frequency and double-polarization antennas. Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of a dual-frequency and dual-polarized antenna array according to an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna array is a centrosymmetric structure, and correspondingly, the decoupling structure is also designed to be a centrosymmetric structure. In the antenna array, mutual coupling among four antenna units needs to be considered simultaneously, and the central space of the array is limited, so that four decoupling structures are respectively arranged on the sides of the four antennas, or a decoupling structure is arranged between every two adjacent antennas. It should be understood that there is also electromagnetic coupling between the four decoupling structures. The electromagnetic coupling between the four decoupling structures and the coupling of the decoupling structures with the antennas act together to cancel the spatial coupling between adjacent antennas.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram of a simulation result of the dual-frequency and dual-polarization antenna array decoupling front-back isolation degree provided by the embodiment of the present application.

The decoupling structure provided by the embodiment of the application comprises an open-circuit branch for forming electric coupling and a grounding branch for forming magnetic coupling, and the electric coupling and the magnetic coupling can be introduced at different positions of an antenna at the same time; on the other hand, the decoupling structure is a phase-shifting network and has the phase-shifting function, so that equivalent coupling introduced by the decoupling structure and spatial coupling between adjacent antennas have the same amplitude and opposite phase, and the spatial coupling is counteracted on the premise of reducing the influence on the original performance of the antenna as much as possible. In addition, the decoupling structure supports a phase shifting function, so that the application of broadband antenna decoupling can be met; the decoupling structure is simple, low in machining precision requirement and suitable for low-cost application.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a method for decoupling an antenna array, where the method includes:

introducing electrical and magnetic coupling between a first antenna element and a second antenna element based on a decoupling structure, the first antenna element and the second antenna element being two adjacent antenna elements in the antenna array, the decoupling structure comprising: the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch, the second inductive branch and the connecting branch; the connecting branch is used for connecting the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch, wherein the first capacitive branch and the first inductive branch are close to the first antenna unit, and the second capacitive branch and the second inductive branch are close to the second antenna unit;

forming an electrical coupling with the first antenna element based on the first capacitive stub;

forming a magnetic coupling with the first antenna unit based on the first inductive stub;

the spatial coupling between the first antenna element and the second antenna element is cancelled based on an equivalent coupling of the electrical coupling and the magnetic coupling.

In a possible implementation, the first capacitive branch is close to a first region, the first inductive branch is close to a second region, the first region is parallel to the polarization direction of the first antenna unit, and the second region is perpendicular to the polarization direction of the first antenna unit; forming the electrical coupling in the first region of the first antenna element based on the first capacitive stub; the magnetic coupling is formed in the second region of the first antenna element based on the first inductive stub.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only used for illustrating the technical solutions of the present application, and not for limiting the same; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application. For example, some specific operations in an apparatus embodiment may refer to previous method embodiments.

Claims

An antenna array decoupling structure, wherein the decoupling structure is located between two adjacent antenna elements, the decoupling structure comprising: the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch, the second inductive branch and the connecting branch;

the connecting branch is used for connecting the first capacitive branch, the second capacitive branch, the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch, and the first inductive branch and the second inductive branch are grounded.
A decoupling structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first capacitive branch and said first inductive branch are connected at a first end of said connecting branch, and said second capacitive branch and said second inductive branch are connected at a second end of said connecting branch.
A decoupling structure as claimed in claim 2 wherein said first capacitive branch is connected in series at said first end of said connecting branch, said first inductive branch is connected in parallel at said first end of said connecting branch, said second capacitive branch is connected in series at said second end of said connecting branch, and said second inductive branch is connected in parallel at said second end of said connecting branch.
A decoupling structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said first capacitive stub and said second capacitive stub extend in a first direction and said first inductive stub and said second inductive stub extend in a second direction, said first direction being perpendicular to said second direction.
A decoupling structure as claimed in claim 4 wherein the first direction is parallel to the direction of extension of the connecting stub.
A decoupling structure as claimed in claim 2 wherein said first capacitive stub and said first inductive stub are both connected in parallel at said first end of said connecting stub, said second capacitive stub and said second inductive stub are both connected in parallel at said second end of said connecting stub, and said first capacitive stub and said second capacitive stub are grounded.
A decoupling structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the first and second capacitive stubs include: open metal stubs or capacitive devices;

the first and second sensory branches comprise: a grounded metal stub or an inductive device.
A decoupling structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the connecting limbs comprise: inductive devices or capacitive devices.
The decoupling structure of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the connection stub is a microstrip line connection stub, the first capacitive stub is a first microstrip line open stub, the second capacitive stub is a second microstrip line open stub, the first inductive stub is a first ground via, and the second inductive stub is a second ground via.
The decoupling structure of claim 9 wherein said ground vias are through vias or meander vias.
The decoupling structure of claim 9 wherein the first microstrip line open-circuit stub extends from a first end of the microstrip line connection stub to the outside in a first plane, the second microstrip line open-circuit stub extends from a second end of the microstrip line connection stub to the outside in the first plane, and the first plane is a plane in which the microstrip line connection stub is located;

the first ground via hole and the second ground via hole extend perpendicular to the microstrip line connection stub in a second plane, and the second plane is perpendicular to the first plane.
The decoupling structure of claim 9 wherein the first microstrip line open-circuit stub extends from a first end of the microstrip line connection stub to the outside in a first plane, the second microstrip line open-circuit stub extends from a second end of the microstrip line connection stub to the outside in the first plane, and the first plane is a plane in which the microstrip line connection stub is located;

the first ground via hole and the second ground via hole extend in a first plane perpendicular to the microstrip line connection stub for a first length, and then continue to extend in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane.
The decoupling structure of claim 9 wherein the first microstrip line open-circuit stub and the second microstrip line open-circuit stub extend perpendicular to the microstrip line connection stub in a first plane, the first plane being a plane in which the microstrip line connection stub is located;

the first ground via hole and the second ground via hole extend to the outside from two ends of the microstrip line connection stub in the first plane for a first length, and then continue to extend in a second plane, wherein the second plane is perpendicular to the first plane.
A decoupling structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the decoupling structure is a symmetrical structure or the decoupling structure is an asymmetrical structure.
A decoupling structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14 wherein the decoupling structure is located between a first antenna element and a second antenna element, the first antenna element and the second antenna element being two adjacent antenna elements in the antenna array, the first antenna element comprising a first boundary and a second boundary, the second antenna element comprising a third boundary and a fourth boundary;

wherein the first boundary is parallel to a polarization direction of the first antenna element, the second boundary is perpendicular to the polarization direction of the first antenna element, the third boundary is parallel to the polarization direction of the second antenna element, and the fourth boundary is perpendicular to the polarization direction of the second antenna element;

the first capacitive branch is close to the first boundary, the first inductive branch is close to the second boundary, the second capacitive branch is close to the third boundary, and the second inductive branch is close to the fourth boundary.
An antenna array, comprising: at least two antenna elements and a decoupling structure according to any of claims 1 to 15, said decoupling structure being located between two adjacent antenna elements of said at least two antenna elements.
An antenna array according to claim 16, further comprising: a separation wall comprising a plurality of metal ground vias surrounding each of the at least two antenna elements.
An antenna array according to claim 17 wherein the separation walls are not connected to the decoupling structure.
An antenna array according to any of claims 16 to 18, wherein the decoupling structures of the symmetrical structure are located at symmetrical positions in the antenna array, and the at least two antenna elements in the antenna array are symmetrically distributed about the symmetrical positions.
An antenna array according to any of claims 16 to 19, wherein the asymmetrically structured decoupling structure is located at an asymmetric position of the antenna array, and wherein said at least two antenna elements of the antenna array are asymmetrically distributed with respect to said asymmetric position.
An antenna array according to any of claims 16 to 20, wherein the array configuration of the antenna array comprises: a rectangular array, a circular array, or a polygonal array.
An antenna array according to any of claims 16 to 21, wherein the antenna elements in the antenna array comprise single or dual polarized antennas.