CN115548692A

CN115548692A - Lens unit, lens array, and array antenna

Info

Publication number: CN115548692A
Application number: CN202110733850.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 齐美清; 方超群; 相亮亮
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-30
Filing date: 2021-06-30
Publication date: 2022-12-30
Also published as: WO2023273600A1

Abstract

The application provides a lens, a lens array and an array antenna. The array antenna includes: the radiator array comprises a plurality of radiator units which are regularly arranged according to a first array, and the radiator array at least has a first array direction; the lens array comprises a plurality of lens units which are regularly arranged according to a first array, the lens units are covered on the radiator units in a one-to-one correspondence manner, and each lens unit is used for adjusting the phase of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the corresponding radiator unit; wherein the lens unit is configured such that, at least in the first array direction, portions of the lens unit have different amounts of phase adjustment on the electromagnetic wave, so that the lens unit can adjust the electromagnetic wave to a plane wave in the first plane. In the application, under the condition of ensuring the gain and the directivity of the array antenna, the radiator units can have larger intervals, so that the structure of the feed network can be simplified.

Description

Lens unit, lens array, and array antenna

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a lens unit, a lens array, and an array antenna.

Background

Array antennas are important devices in wireless communication networks. Compared with a single antenna, the array antenna can superpose electromagnetic waves radiated by a plurality of antenna units, so that higher gain can be obtained.

Miniaturization and integration are the development goals of wireless network devices. However, as the data transmission rate is increased, the number of antenna elements integrated in the array antenna is increased. Taking a Massive MIMO (MM) antenna as an example, the number of integrated antenna elements is typically hundreds. When the number of antenna units is greatly increased, the lamination process of the PCB board (for example, a transceiver unit (also called "TRX board") where the feeding network is located is also increasingly complicated, which not only increases the cost of the array antenna, but also is not beneficial to the miniaturization of the array antenna.

Disclosure of Invention

Some embodiments of the present application provide a lens unit, a lens array, and an array antenna, and the present application is described below in various aspects, and embodiments and advantageous effects of the following aspects may be mutually referred to.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an array antenna, including: the radiator array comprises a plurality of radiator units which are regularly arranged according to a first array, the first array is regular in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array, and the radiator array at least has a first array direction; the lens array comprises a plurality of lens units which are regularly arranged according to a first array, the lens units are covered on the radiator units in a one-to-one correspondence manner, and each lens unit is used for adjusting the phase of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the corresponding radiator unit; wherein the lens unit is configured such that, at least in the first array direction, portions of the lens unit have different amounts of phase adjustment on the electromagnetic wave, so that the lens unit can adjust the electromagnetic wave to a plane wave in the first plane.

According to the embodiment of the application, by arranging the lens array, even under the condition of reducing the number of the radiator units (namely simplifying the feed network structure), the array antenna can still be ensured to have higher gain and better directivity.

In some embodiments, a spacing between adjacent radiator elements along the first array direction is greater than 0.9 λ, where λ is an operating wavelength of the array antenna.

According to the embodiment of the application, the radiators have larger intervals, so that the number of radiator units in the array antenna can be reduced, the feed network structure is simplified, the antenna cost is reduced, and the volume of the array antenna is reduced.

In some embodiments, the lens unit includes a first end portion and a second end portion that are oppositely disposed in the first array direction, the first end portion adjusts the electromagnetic wave by a first adjustment amount, and the second end portion adjusts the electromagnetic wave by a second adjustment amount; the lens unit is configured in such a way that the adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit is gradually increased from the first adjustment amount to a third adjustment amount from the first end to the center of the lens unit in the first array direction; from the second end to the center of the lens unit, the adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit is gradually increased from the second adjustment amount to a third adjustment amount.

In some embodiments, the first adjustment amount is equal to the second adjustment amount; or the first adjustment amount is larger than the second adjustment amount, and the difference between the first adjustment amount and the second adjustment amount is determined according to the downward inclination angle of the array antenna.

In some embodiments, the lens unit is a dielectric lens, and the first parameter of the lens unit gradually changes from the first value to a third value from a first end to a center of the lens unit; the first parameter gradually changes from the second value to a third value from the second end to the center of the lens unit; wherein the first parameter comprises one or more of: a thickness of the lens unit; a refractive index of the lens unit; the size of the opening provided in the lens unit.

In some embodiments, the lens unit is a super-surface lens, the super-surface lens comprising one or more metal layers, each metal layer comprising a plurality of metal sheets arranged along the first array direction; gradually changing the first parameter of the lens unit from the first value to a third value from the first end to the center of the lens unit; gradually changing the first parameter from the second value to a third value from the second end to the center of the lens unit; wherein the first parameter comprises one or more of: the number of metal layers; the spacing between the metal layers; the overall dimension of the metal sheet; pattern type of the metal sheet.

Because the super-surface lens can be manufactured by adopting a PCB manufacturing process (for example, metal coated on the surface of the dielectric layer is etched to obtain a required metal layer shape), the manufacturing is convenient, and the miniaturization of the lens array is favorably realized.

In some embodiments, the super-surface lens is integrated with an electromagnetic wave phase shift function and/or an electromagnetic wave filtering function.

According to the embodiment of the application, the phase shifter or the filter in the feed network can be moved into the super surface lens, so that the feed network structure can be further simplified.

In some embodiments, the lens unit is a combination lens of a dielectric lens and a super surface lens.

In some embodiments, in the first array direction, the electromagnetic wave transmittance of the end portions of the lens unit is greater than the electromagnetic wave transmittance of the middle portion of the lens unit.

According to the embodiment of the application, the amplitude difference of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radiator units can be reduced, so that the gain and the directivity of the array antenna are further ensured.

In some embodiments, the array antenna further comprises a metal reflector capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves, and the metal reflector and the lens array are respectively located on opposite sides of the radiator array.

In some embodiments, the metal reflector plate is a ground plate of the radiator array.

In some embodiments, the first array rule is a rectangular array rule, and the radiators further have a second array direction perpendicular to the first array direction; wherein the first plane is parallel to the first array direction and the second array direction; or the first plane is parallel to the second array direction and forms an included angle of 3-9 degrees with the first array direction.

According to the embodiment of the application, the downward inclination function of the array antenna can be realized.

In some embodiments, in an operating state of the array antenna, the first array direction is a vertical direction and the second array direction is a horizontal direction.

In some embodiments, the distance between adjacent radiator units along the second array direction is 0.25 λ -1 λ, where λ is an operating wavelength of the array antenna.

In some embodiments, the radiator elements are dual polarized antennas; and/or the radiator unit is a slot antenna, a dipole antenna, a dielectric resonance antenna or a microstrip antenna.

In a second aspect, the present embodiments provide a lens unit for an antenna, the lens unit being a dielectric lens, the dielectric lens extending along a first direction, the dielectric lens including a first end portion and a second end portion oppositely disposed along the first direction; the first parameter of the dielectric lens is gradually changed from a first value to a third value from the first end of the dielectric lens to the center of the dielectric lens along the first direction; from the second end to the center of the dielectric lens, the first parameter gradually changes from the second value to a third value; wherein the first parameter comprises one or more of: a thickness of the dielectric lens; the refractive index of the dielectric lens; the size of the opening provided in the dielectric lens.

In a third aspect, the present embodiments provide a lens unit for an antenna, the lens unit being a super-surface lens, the super-surface lens extending along a first direction, the super-surface lens including a first end and a second end oppositely disposed along the first direction; the super-surface lens comprises one or more metal layers, wherein each metal layer comprises a plurality of metal sheets arranged along a first direction; gradually changing a first parameter of the super-surface lens from a first value to a third value from a first end of the super-surface lens to the center of the super-surface lens along a first direction; gradually changing the first parameter from the second value to a third value from the second end to the center of the super-surface lens; wherein the first parameter comprises one or more of: the number of layers of the metal layer; the spacing between the metal layers; the overall dimension of the metal sheet; pattern type of the metal sheet.

In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a lens array for an antenna, where the lens array includes a plurality of lens units regularly arranged according to a first array, the first array rule is a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array rule, and the lens array has at least a first array direction; the lens unit comprises a first end part and a second end part which are oppositely arranged in the first array direction, the adjustment quantity of the first end part to the electromagnetic wave is a first adjustment quantity, and the adjustment quantity of the second end part to the electromagnetic wave is a second adjustment quantity; the lens unit is configured in such a way that the adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit is gradually increased from the first adjustment amount to a third adjustment amount from the first end to the center of the lens unit in the first array direction; from the second end to the center of the lens unit, the adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit is gradually increased from the second adjustment amount to a third adjustment amount.

In some embodiments, at least one lens unit of the plurality of lens units is a dielectric lens; gradually changing the first parameter of the dielectric lens from the first value to a third value from the first end to the center of the dielectric lens; gradually changing the first parameter from the second value to a third value from the second end to the center of the dielectric lens; wherein the first parameter comprises one or more of: a thickness of the dielectric lens; the refractive index of the dielectric lens; the size of the opening provided in the dielectric lens.

In some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of lens units is a super-surface lens, the super-surface lens comprising one or more metal layers, each metal layer comprising a plurality of metal sheets arranged in a first array direction; gradually changing the first parameter of the super-surface lens from the first value to a third value from the first end of the super-surface lens to the center of the super-surface lens; gradually changing the first parameter from the second value to a third value from the second end to the center of the super-surface lens; wherein the first parameter comprises one or more of: the number of layers of the metal layer; the spacing between the metal layers; the overall dimension of the metal sheet; pattern type of the metal sheet.

In some embodiments, the lens unit is a combination lens of a dielectric lens and a super-surface lens.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an exemplary application scenario of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an array antenna in the prior art;

fig. 3a is a schematic structural diagram (perspective view) of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3b is a schematic structural diagram (cross-sectional view) of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram (top view) of a radiator array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an influence of a distance between radiator units on a phase difference according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an influence of a radiator unit pitch on directivity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram (top view) of a lens array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a principle of adjusting a phase difference of electromagnetic waves by a lens unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a first schematic diagram illustrating an influence of a distance between radiator units on an amplitude difference according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a principle of adjusting an electromagnetic wave amplitude difference by a lens unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a dipole antenna provided in an embodiment of the present application;

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

fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a dielectric resonator antenna according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a linear array mode and a circular array mode provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a lens array provided in an embodiment of the present application when the lens array is disposed along a curved surface;

FIGS. 16a to 16c are schematic structural diagrams of a first super-surface lens provided in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 17 is a simulated graph of phase difference adjustment performed by a super-surface lens according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 18 is a simulated graph of amplitude difference adjustment performed by a super-surface lens according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 19 is a schematic structural diagram of a second super-surface lens provided in the present application;

FIG. 20a is a schematic structural diagram of a super-surface lens III according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 20b is a schematic view of a metal sheet pattern provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 21 is a schematic structural diagram of a super-surface lens iv provided in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 22 is a schematic structural diagram of a super-surface lens V according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 23 is a first schematic structural diagram of a dielectric lens provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 24 is a schematic structural diagram of a second dielectric lens provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 25 is a schematic structural diagram of a dielectric lens iii provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 26 is a schematic structural diagram of a dielectric lens four provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 27 is a schematic structural diagram of a sixth super-surface lens provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 28 is a schematic structural diagram of a super-surface lens seven provided in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 29 is a schematic structural diagram of an assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 30 is a schematic structural view (perspective view) of another array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 31 is a schematic diagram illustrating a principle of adjusting a phase difference of electromagnetic waves by another lens unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 32 is a schematic view of another lens array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 33 is an antenna structure diagram in some implementations;

FIG. 34 is an antenna structure diagram in other implementations;

fig. 35 is a diagram of an antenna structure in further implementations.

Detailed Description

Before describing embodiments of the present application in detail, some terms to which embodiments of the present application may relate will first be described.

An antenna directional pattern: refers to a pattern of the relative field strength (normalized mode value) of the antenna radiation field as a function of direction at a distance from the antenna. The antenna pattern may be represented as a planar pattern in two mutually perpendicular planes, e.g., a horizontal plane pattern and a vertical plane pattern. There are typically multiple radiation beams in the antenna pattern. The radiation beam in which the radiation intensity is the greatest is called the main lobe, and the remaining radiation beams are called the side lobes or side lobes.

Gain and directivity of the antenna: are used to characterize the concentration of the radiated energy from the antenna. Generally, the narrower the main lobe and the smaller the secondary lobe of an antenna pattern, the higher the antenna gain and the better the directivity of the antenna.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiment of the application is used for providing an antenna. Fig. 1 shows an exemplary application scenario of the antenna 1 provided in the present application, specifically an application scenario of a cellular network base station. Referring to fig. 1, an antenna 1 is installed on a tower of a base station for transmitting and/or receiving data signals in the form of electromagnetic waves to and/or from terminal equipment within a cell, thereby implementing a wireless signal coverage function of the base station. In the scenario shown in fig. 1, the terminal device communicating with the base station may be a mobile phone, a wearable device, an unmanned vehicle, and the like, and the present application is not limited thereto.

Specifically, the antenna 1 is an array antenna including a plurality of radiator elements (also referred to as "elements" or "antenna elements") arranged regularly in an array. The radiator elements are connected to the feed network to receive an excitation signal (e.g., a radio frequency signal) from the feed network (simply "feed network"). When the radiator unit receives the excitation signal from the feed source, electromagnetic waves corresponding to the excitation signal are radiated outwards. The electromagnetic waves radiated by each radiator unit are mutually overlapped and interfered, so that the function which can not be realized by a single antenna can be realized.

For example, array antennas may be used to increase the gain and directivity of the antenna. For a single radiator, the amount of energy radiated is limited, and the direction of the radiated energy is difficult to concentrate, and thus, the gain and directivity of the single radiator are limited. The array antenna can obtain better gain and directivity by superposing the energy of a plurality of radiators.

As another example, the array antenna may also implement a scanning function. By applying a specific excitation to each radiator element, the main lobe of the array antenna can be directed in a given direction. By varying the excitation applied to each radiator element (e.g., varying the phase of the excitation), the main lobe of the array antenna can be directed in different directions, thereby achieving the scanning function of the array antenna. For a base station antenna in a cellular network, the sector angle of the sector covered by the base station antenna is 120 °, and therefore, the base station antenna generally needs to have scanning capability within ± 60 ° in the horizontal plane.

According to the antenna theory, when the distance between adjacent radiator units in the array antenna is about 0.5 λ (λ is the operating wavelength of the antenna), the energy radiated by the array antenna can be concentrated in the main lobe direction, and at this time, the array antenna can obtain higher gain and better directivity. Therefore, in the prior art, the pitch between the radiator elements in the array antenna is usually controlled to be about 0.5 λ. In the prior art, the radiator units are relatively dense. With the same aperture size (the gain of the array antenna is proportional to the aperture size), the number of radiator units is large, which increases the complexity of the PCB board (e.g., TRX board) on which the feed network is located, and occupies the space for arranging other components (e.g., phase shifters, filters, amplifiers) on the TRX board, thereby increasing the cost and volume of the array antenna.

Take a key device in 5G technology, a Massive MIMO (MM) antenna as an example. Fig. 2 shows an example of a prior art MM antenna 1'. Referring to fig. 2, the mm antenna 1 'includes 32 radiator elements 21' arranged in a rectangular array (specifically, a two-dimensional array of 8 × 4). The spacing between adjacent radiator units 21' is 0.5 λ in the horizontal array direction (X direction shown in fig. 2); the spacing between adjacent radiator units 21' in the vertical array direction (Y direction in fig. 2) is 0.67 λ.

For ease of understanding, in fig. 2, the number of radiator units 21' is 8 × 4= 32. However, in practical applications, the number of radiator elements on the MM antenna may reach hundreds to realize large-capacity data transmission. This may make the lamination process of the PCB board (e.g., TRX board) where the feed net is located too complicated, which not only increases the cost of the antenna, but also is not beneficial to the miniaturization of the antenna.

Therefore, in the array antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application, the adjacent radiator units have a larger pitch than that in the prior art. Thus, under the condition that the size of the aperture surface is not changed (namely under the condition that the gain of the array antenna is not changed), the number of the radiator units can be reduced, and the structure of the feed net is simplified.

As the radiator cell pitch increases, the problem of phase difference becomes more of a concern. After the distance between the radiator units is widened, the phase difference of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the array antenna is enlarged. This causes the grating lobes on the array antenna pattern to rise, the main lobe energy to be dispersed, and the gain and directivity of the array antenna to be significantly reduced.

In order to eliminate the influence, the array antenna provided by the application further comprises a lens array, wherein the lens array comprises a plurality of lens units, and the lens units are arranged in the same array mode as the radiator array. The lens units are covered on the radiator units in a one-to-one correspondence mode, and each lens unit is used for adjusting the phase of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the corresponding radiator unit. Wherein the lens unit is configured such that, in at least one array direction, each portion of the lens unit has a different phase adjustment amount for the electromagnetic wave to adjust the electromagnetic wave emitted from the radiator unit to a plane wave. Thus, the electromagnetic waves emitted from the array antenna can have substantially the same phase, so that the gain and directivity of the array antenna can be ensured.

Therefore, the array antenna provided by the embodiment of the application can ensure that the array antenna has higher gain and better directivity by arranging the lens array even under the condition of reducing the number of the radiator units (namely simplifying the feed network structure).

In the present application, the "plane wave" referred to in the present application is not strictly required to be an electromagnetic wave in which the phase difference at each point in the plane is completely 0 (that is, the phases of the electromagnetic waves at each point in the plane are not strictly equal) in consideration of the following factors 1 to 3; instead, when the phase difference of the electromagnetic wave at each point in a plane is smaller than a certain threshold, the electromagnetic wave is referred to as a plane wave in the plane.

Factor 1: the array antenna usually operates in a certain frequency spectrum range (e.g., 3.4GHz to 3.8 GHz), and when the lens array adjusts electromagnetic waves of a certain frequency (e.g., 3.6 GHz) in the operating frequency spectrum range to have a phase difference of 0 in a plane, it is usually difficult to adjust electromagnetic waves of other frequencies (e.g., 3.4 GHz) to have a phase difference of 0 in a plane, and therefore, a certain phase difference of the electromagnetic waves in the plane should be allowed;

factor 2: in view of the cost of the array antenna, when the distance between the radiator units is less than a certain value (e.g., 0.7 λ), the phase difference of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the array antenna at each point in the plane is small (e.g., within 40 °), and in this case, the electromagnetic waves emitted from the array antenna can be directly regarded as plane waves without lens adjustment;

factor 3: based on the manufacturing process of the lens unit, the actual adjustment amount of the phase of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit is difficult to completely match the theoretical adjustment amount, and therefore, the electromagnetic wave should be allowed to have a certain phase difference (for example, 20 °) in the plane.

In view of the above factors, for an electromagnetic wave whose phase difference at each point in a plane is smaller than a certain threshold, the electromagnetic wave is referred to as a plane wave in the plane. The specific value of the threshold is not limited in the present application, for example, when the array antenna has a wide operating spectrum range (e.g., 45% of the relative bandwidth), the threshold may be a large value (e.g., 45 °); when the operating spectrum range of the array antenna is narrow (e.g., 15% relative bandwidth), the threshold value may be a small value (e.g., 30 °).

In addition, the operating spectrum range of the array antenna in the embodiment of the present application is not limited. For example, the array antenna may operate in any frequency spectrum range between 1GHz and 81 GHz. In some examples, the array antenna operates in the spectral range of a 2G, 3G, or LTE communication network; in some examples, the array antenna operates in the spectral range of a 5G communication network (e.g., sub 6G band (450 MHz-6000 MHz), millimeter wave band (24250 MHz-52600 MHz)).

Specific embodiments of the present application are described below in conjunction with the scenario illustrated in fig. 1. It should be noted that the scenario shown in fig. 1 is only an exemplary illustration of an array antenna application scenario. The array antenna provided by the present application can also be applied to other scenarios than fig. 1, for example, the array antenna can be applied to terminal devices (e.g., mobile phones, PCs, autonomous vehicles), industrial devices (e.g., loading and unloading devices of an automated dock), other network devices (e.g., wireless network access devices in public places such as stadiums and airports) other than base stations, and the like.

In addition, the characteristics of a transmitting antenna (antenna for transmitting electromagnetic waves) are also applied to a receiving antenna (antenna for receiving electromagnetic waves) according to the antenna reciprocity theorem. Therefore, in the following embodiments, only the case where the array antenna is used as the transmitting antenna is described, and details of the case where the array antenna is used as the receiving antenna are omitted.

[ EXAMPLES one ]

Fig. 3a and 3b are schematic structural diagrams of the array antenna 1 provided in this embodiment, where fig. 3a is a perspective view of the array antenna 1, and fig. 3b is a cross-sectional view of the array antenna 1.

Referring to fig. 3a and 3b, the array antenna 1 includes a radiator array 10 and a lens array 20. The lens array 20 covers the radiator array 10, and when the electromagnetic wave emitted from the radiator array 10 passes through the lens array 20, the lens array 20 can adjust the electromagnetic wave emitted from the radiator array 10 into a plane wave, thereby ensuring the gain and directivity of the array antenna 1.

The radiator array 10 includes a plurality of radiator units 11, and each radiator unit 11 is implemented as a ± 45 ° dual-polarized microstrip patch antenna. The dual-polarized antenna comprises two pairs of antennas with mutually orthogonal polarization directions, so that the dual-polarized antenna can simultaneously work in a transceiving duplex mode, and the number of radiator units 11 in the array antenna 1 can be saved.

Each radiator cell 11 is disposed on the upper surface (the surface is a plane) of the dielectric substrate 30, and the metal ground plate 40 of the radiator cell 11 is attached to the lower surface of the dielectric substrate 30. When a feed network (not shown) feeds the radiator unit 11, the radiator unit 11 may convert excitation (e.g., radio frequency excitation) from the feed network into an electromagnetic wave radiated into space.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the radiator array 10. Referring to fig. 4, a plurality of radiator units 11 in the radiator array 10 are arranged according to a rectangular array rule R (as a first array rule). It is understood that the radiator array 10 includes two mutually perpendicular array directions, one being a row array direction (shown as X direction, as a second array direction), the number of radiator units 11 in the array direction being M =8; the other is a column array direction (shown as Y direction, as the first array direction), in which the number of radiator units 11 is N =4 (corresponding to the radiator array 10 being an M × N rectangular array). In this embodiment, the radiator unit 11 in the ith row and the jth column in the rectangular array is denoted as 11 _ij For example, the radiator element 11 in the upper right corner of fig. 4 is denoted by 11 ₁₈ 。

In the present embodiment, specific values of M and N are not limited, and may be integers of 2 or more. Illustratively, when the array antenna 1 is implemented as an MM antenna, M may be any integer between 10 and 15 (e.g., M = 12), and N may be any integer between 6 and 10 (e.g., N = 8).

In the present embodiment, when the array antenna 1 is mounted to a base station tower (refer to the scenario shown in fig. 1), the row array direction extends in the horizontal direction, and the column array direction extends in the vertical direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the row array direction is also referred to as a horizontal array direction, and the column array direction is also referred to as a vertical array direction.

Referring to fig. 4, the pitch of the adjacent radiator units 11 ranges from 0.25 λ to 1 λ (illustrated as 0.5 λ) in the horizontal array direction; the pitch between the adjacent radiator units 11 is in the range of 0.9 λ to 3 λ (illustrated as 2 λ) in the vertical array direction. That is, in the horizontal array direction, the pitch between the radiator units 11 (herein, the pitch is referred to as "pitch x") substantially coincides with the prior art; in the vertical array direction, the spacing between the radiator units 11 (referred to herein as "spacing y") is enlarged compared to the prior art (from 0.67 λ shown in fig. 2 to 2 λ). Thus, in the B-B cross section of fig. 4, the phase difference of the electromagnetic wave is significantly increased compared to the prior art.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows the phase difference of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the radiator unit 11 on the plane Pr after the distance y is enlarged to 2 λ. The distance between the plane Pr and the plane where the radiator array 10 is located is 0.5 λ (the distance is also the distance between the incident surface of the lens unit and the radiator array 10). The point O is the center of the sphere of the spherical wave emitted by the radiator unit 11, the point c is a point on the plane Pr, and the point c is aligned with the point O in the height direction (the illustrated Z direction, perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction) of the array antenna 1. The point a is located to the left of the point c and the point b is located to the right of the point c. The distances between the points a, b and c are all 1 λ, so that the distance between the points a and b is exactly the distance y =2 λ.

Assuming that the phase of the point O is 0,c and the distance between the point O and the point O is 0.5 λ, the phase of the point c is 180 °; and the distance between the point a and the point c is

The phase of the point a is 1.12 × 360 ° =402 °. Therefore, the phase difference between the point a and the point c is 222 ° (the phase of the point a is advanced by 222 ° with respect to the point c). Similarly, the phase difference between the b point and the c point is 222 °.

If the pitch y =0.67 λ (the structure shown in fig. 2), the phase difference between the point a (or the point b) and the point c is 37 ° in the same plane Pr. That is, after the pitch y of the radiator array 10 is increased from 0.67 λ to 2 λ, the phase difference of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the radiator array 10 is increased from 37 ° to 222 ° in the plane Pr. This reduces the gain and directivity of the array antenna 1.

Fig. 6 shows the change in directivity of the array antenna 1 after the distance y is increased from 0.67 λ to 2 λ. The abscissa is the direction angle θ, and the ordinate is the directional gain (unit dBi) of the array antenna 1. Fig. 6 (a) and 6 (b) show the directional gain of the array antenna 1 when the pitch y =0.67 λ (the structure shown in fig. 2) and the pitch y =2 λ, respectively. Comparing fig. 6 (a) and fig. 6 (b), it can be seen that the directional gain of the array antenna 1 is reduced from 25.65dBi to 21.81dBi after the distance y is pulled up from 0.67 λ to 2 λ.

Fig. 6 (c) shows the definition of the direction angle θ. Referring to fig. 6 (c), a rectangular coordinate system Oxyz is established with reference to the plane of the radiator array 10, where point O is a point on the plane of the radiator array 10, the x-axis is parallel to the horizontal array direction, the y-axis is parallel to the vertical array direction, and the z-axis is perpendicular to the plane of the radiator array 10. For any point P in the space, the projection of the point P in the Oxz plane is a point P ', and the included angle between the connecting line of the point O and the point P' and the z axis is the direction angle theta. In addition, the projection of the point P in the Oxy plane is P, and the included angle between the connecting line of the point O and the point P' and the x axis is a direction angle psi. In this embodiment, in the operating state of the array antenna 1, the Oxz plane is a horizontal plane, and therefore, the direction angle θ is also called a horizontal plane direction angle θ; the xy plane is a vertical plane, and therefore, the orientation angle ψ is also called a vertical plane orientation angle ψ.

For this, the present embodiment is provided with a lens array 20 above the radiator array 10, and the lens array 20 is used for adjusting the electromagnetic wave emitted by the radiator array 10. Specifically, after the electromagnetic wave emitted from the radiator array 10 passes through the lens array 20, the lens array 20 may adjust the electromagnetic wave into a plane wave. By providing the lens array 20, the array antenna 1 can have better directivity after the distance y is enlarged.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic configuration diagram (top view) of the lens array 20 in the present embodiment. Referring to fig. 7, the lens array 20 includes a plurality of lens cells 21, and the plurality of lens cells 21 are arranged in the same array rule (i.e., a rectangular array rule R) as the radiator array 10. Similar to the radiator array 10, in the present embodiment, the lens unit 21 in the ith row and the jth column in the rectangular array is denoted by 21 _ij For example, the lens unit 21 in the upper right corner of FIG. 7 is denoted by 21 ₁₈ 。

In this embodiment, the plurality of lens units 21 are covered on the plurality of radiator units 11 in a one-to-one correspondence. That is, the lens unit 21 _ij Cover radiator unit 11 _ij Above. That is, in the height direction of the array antenna 1, the lens unit 21 _ij And a radiator unit 11 _ij Are aligned with each other.

In the present embodiment, the distance between the lens array 20 and the radiator array 10 along the height direction of the array antenna 1 is 0.5 λ, but the present application is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the spacing between the lens array 20 and the radiator array 10 may be any value. It can be understood that the smaller the spacing between the lens array 20 and the radiator array 10, the more advantageous the miniaturization of the array antenna 1. Optionally, the lens array 20 is located in the near-field range of the radiator array 10, for example, the distance between the lens array 20 and the radiator array 10 is 0.1 λ -3 λ (e.g., 0.1 λ,1.2 λ,2 λ or 3 λ).

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the lens unit 21 adjusting the phase of the electromagnetic wave. Referring to fig. 8, when the radiator unit 11 radiates the electromagnetic wave W outward, the electromagnetic wave W passes through the lens unit 21. The lens unit 21 can adjust the phase of the electromagnetic wave W to adjust the electromagnetic wave W to a plane wave in the plane P1 (as a first plane). The plane P1 is parallel to the plane of the radiator array 10. It will be appreciated that the plane P1 is parallel to both the horizontal array direction and the vertical array direction. In addition, the present embodiment does not limit the specific position of the plane P1, as long as the plane is located within the range of the outgoing wave of the lens 21. Illustratively, the plane P1 is located in the near field range of the array antenna 1, for example, the distance between the plane P1 and the radiator array 10 is less than 5 λ.

Referring to fig. 8, the plane P1 coincides with the exit surface Pe of the lens unit 21 for easy understanding. To adjust the electromagnetic wave W to a plane wave in the plane P1, the electromagnetic wave W should have the same phase at each point of the exit surface Pe of the lens unit 21. Since the electromagnetic wave W has different phases at each point of the incident surface Pi of the lens unit 21 (referring to fig. 5, the phase of both end points of the incident surface Pi is 402 °, and the phase of the midpoint of the incident surface Pi is 180 °), the phase adjustment amount of each portion of the lens unit 21 with respect to the electromagnetic wave W is different in the vertical array direction (the illustrated Y direction).

In the present embodiment, the lens unit 21 is provided with a configuration such that the amount W of phase adjustment of the electromagnetic wave by the end a of the lens unit 21 is a first adjustment amount, and the amount W of adjustment of the electromagnetic wave by the end B is a second adjustment amount. Wherein the first regulating quantity is equal to the second regulating quantity

The embodiment pair

The value of (a) is not limited,

and may be positive, negative or 0.

The structure of the lens unit 21 is also such that the phase adjustment amount of the center C of the lens unit 21 for the electromagnetic wave is a third adjustment amount, which is 222 ° in phase advance of the end (end a or end B) with respect to the center C, and therefore has a value of 222 ° +

It is understood that the third adjustment amount is the maximum phase adjustment amount of each portion of the lens unit 21 for the electromagnetic wave.

The structure of the lens unit 21 may be set in such a manner that the dielectric lens is set to a specific thickness, or the super surface lens is set to have a specific metal layer structure, or the like. For consistency of description, a specific implementation of the lens unit 21 will be described later.

The above description has been made on the determination methods of the first adjustment amount, the second adjustment amount, and the third adjustment amount, but it is understood that the phase adjustment amount of any portion on the lens unit 21 can be determined by the above methods. Fig. 8 shows the phase adjustment amount of different portions of the lens unit 21 by different gradations, in which the phase adjustment amount is larger in a portion where the gradation is deeper. Referring to fig. 8, the phase adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit 21 is gradually increased from the first adjustment amount to a third adjustment amount from the end a of the lens unit 21 to the center C of the lens unit 21; the phase adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit 21 is gradually increased from the second adjustment amount to the third adjustment amount from the end B of the lens unit 21 to the center C of the lens unit 21. In this embodiment, the phase adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit 21 is distributed symmetrically with respect to the central axis S of the lens unit 21.

Fig. 8 illustrates the principle of the lens unit 21 adjusting the phase of the electromagnetic wave W in the vertical array direction. In the present embodiment, since the distance between the adjacent radiator units 11 is small in the horizontal array direction, the phase difference of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the lens unit 21 in the direction is small (the maximum phase difference of the electromagnetic wave in the Pa plane is 21 ° in the horizontal array direction), and the lens unit 21 may not adjust the phase difference in the horizontal array direction.

In the present embodiment, each lens unit 21 has the same structure, that is, each lens unit 21 has the same phase adjustment amount for the radiator unit 11. In this way, when the feed network applies excitation of the same phase to each radiator unit 11, the array antenna 1 as a whole can generate plane waves in the P1 plane. Thus, even if the array antenna 1 has a larger pitch y, the array antenna 1 can maintain a higher gain and a better directivity.

In other embodiments, different lens units 21 may have different structures, for example, for lens units 21 ₁₂ Therein is disclosed

The value is taken as 0; for the lens unit 21 ₂₂ Which is

The value was taken to be 10. At this time, the array antenna 1 may be caused to generate plane waves on the P1 plane by applying excitations of different phases to the radiator units 11, for example, applied to the radiator units 11 ₁₂ Is applied to the radiator unit 11 ₂₂ The upper phase lags by 10.

The lens unit 21 shown in fig. 8 is only for explaining the principle of adjusting the phase of the lens unit 21, and does not limit the actual shape of the lens unit 21. For example, in practical applications, the incident surface and/or the exit surface of the lens unit 21 may be provided as a curved surface as long as the electromagnetic wave can be adjusted to a plane wave within the P1 plane.

To further provide the directivity of the array antenna 1, the lens array 20 may also adjust the amplitude distribution of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the radiator array 10 to reduce the amplitude difference of the electromagnetic waves in the plane P1. Here, the amplitude represents the intensity of the electromagnetic wave, and the amplitude may be the amplitude of the electric field strength of the electromagnetic wave, the amplitude of the magnetic field strength, the power of the electromagnetic wave, or the like.

Still referring to fig. 8, since the electromagnetic wave emitted from the radiator unit 11 can be regarded as a spherical wave, the closer the point in space to the position of the radiator unit 11 (i.e., the point O shown in fig. 8), the smaller the corresponding spherical radius, and the larger the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave at the point. Fig. 9 shows the amplitude distribution of the electromagnetic wave in the incident plane Pi by different gradations. The deeper the gradation, the larger the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave. It is understood that when the distance y is enlarged from 0.67 λ to 2 λ, the amplitude difference of the electromagnetic wave in the incident plane Pi is increased accordingly, which is disadvantageous to the gain and directivity of the array antenna 1.

Fig. 10 shows the principle of the lens unit 21 adjusting the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave. Referring to fig. 10, portions on the lens unit 21 have different transmittances in the vertical array direction. Fig. 10 represents the transmittance of the lens unit 21 at different positions by different gradations, where the transmittance is smaller and the reflectance is larger at a position where the gradation is deeper (the sum of the transmittance and the reflectance at the same position is equal to 1). That is, the transmittance of the end portion (end portion a or end portion B) of the lens unit 21 is greater than the transmittance of the middle portion (e.g., center C) of the lens unit 21.

That is, the transmittance distribution rule of the lens unit 21 is opposite to the amplitude distribution rule of the electromagnetic wave. The transmittance of the lens unit 21 is small at a position where the electromagnetic wave amplitude is large; the transmittance of the lens unit 21 is high at a position where the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave is small. Thus, the lens unit 21 can adjust the amplitude distribution of the electromagnetic waves to reduce the amplitude difference of the electromagnetic waves.

Further, referring to fig. 10, after the electromagnetic wave R0 emitted from the radiator unit 11 is directed to the lens unit 21, a part (R1) is transmitted through the lens unit 21, and another part (R2) is reflected (primary reflection) by the lens unit 21. A metal ground plate 40 is disposed below the radiator array 10, and the primarily reflected electromagnetic wave (R2) is reflected again (secondary reflection) by the metal ground plate 40. The twice-reflected electromagnetic wave (R3) is again directed to the lens unit 21, wherein a portion (R4) passes through the lens unit 21 and another portion (R5) is again reflected (three times of reflection) by the lens unit 21. In this way, the electromagnetic wave is reflected between the lens unit 21 and the metal ground plate 40 a plurality of times and then emitted from the end of the lens unit 21. By the multiple reflection, the energy of the electromagnetic wave is gradually dispersed from the middle of the lens unit 21 to both ends, thereby further reducing the amplitude difference of the electromagnetic wave (the outgoing wave of the lens unit 21).

In the present embodiment, the ground plate 40 of the radiator unit 11 is used as a reflection plate for electromagnetic waves, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, a metal reflective plate for reflecting electromagnetic waves may be additionally disposed below the radiator unit 11.

In summary, in the array antenna 1 provided by the present embodiment, the lens array 20 can adjust the phase and the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the radiator array 10, so as to reduce the phase difference and the amplitude difference of the electromagnetic wave in the plane P1. Therefore, the array antenna 1 provided by the present embodiment can still maintain a higher gain and a better directivity under the condition that the radiator units 11 have a larger pitch.

In this embodiment, after the distance y is increased from 0.67 λ to 2 λ, the number of the radiator units 11 can be reduced to one third. In other words, the number of radiator units can be significantly reduced while the original gain is maintained, so that the structure of the PCB (e.g., TRX board) where the feed network is located is simplified, which is beneficial to reducing the volume of the array antenna and reducing the cost of the array antenna.

It should be noted that this embodiment is only an exemplary illustration of the technical solution of the present application, and those skilled in the art may make other modifications.

For example, in the present embodiment, the spacing between adjacent radiator units is 0.1 λ to 3 λ in the horizontal array direction, and the spacing between adjacent radiator units is 0.9 λ to 3 λ in the vertical array direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the vertical array direction, the spacing between adjacent radiator units may be substantially identical to the prior art (e.g., spacing y =0.7 λ). Thus, by adding the lens array, the phase difference and the amplitude difference of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the array antenna can be further reduced, so that the gain and the directivity of the array antenna can be further improved.

For another example, in the present embodiment, the pitches between adjacent radiator units are the same along the same array direction, but the application is not limited thereto. For example, in some embodiments, the radiator unit 11 ₁₂ And a radiator unit 11 ₂₂ With a spacing of 2 lambda between them, the radiator unit 11 ₂₂ And a radiator unit 11 ₃₂ With a spacing of 2.5 lambda therebetween.

As another example, in the present embodiment, the lens unit is provided to adjust the phase and amplitude of the electromagnetic wave only in the vertical array direction, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the lens unit may also be arranged to adjust the amplitude and phase of the electromagnetic waves in both the horizontal and vertical array directions. In this embodiment, the spacing between adjacent radiator units along the horizontal array direction may also be set to a large value, for example, 0.9 λ or more.

For another example, in this embodiment, when the array antenna is in an operating state, the row array direction of the radiator array extends along the horizontal direction, and the column array direction of the radiator array extends along the vertical direction, but the application is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments, the column array direction may form an angle of 4 ° to 10 ° with the vertical direction, so as to implement the downward tilt function of the array antenna.

For another example, in this embodiment, a dual-polarized patch antenna is taken as an example of the radiator unit, but the present application is not limited thereto. In other examples, the radiator unit may be implemented as other types of antenna units, for example, a dipole antenna shown in fig. 11, a slot antenna shown in fig. 12, a dielectric resonator antenna shown in fig. 13, and the like. In addition, each type of antenna unit may also be implemented in different forms, for example, fig. 13 shows three implementation forms of the dielectric resonator antenna, which are a rectangular dielectric resonator antenna shown in fig. 13 (a), a cylindrical dielectric resonator antenna shown in fig. 13 (b), and a hemispherical dielectric resonator antenna shown in fig. 13 (c), respectively.

For another example, in the present embodiment, the radiator array is a rectangular array, but the present application is not limited thereto. In other examples, the radiator array may be other one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrays, such as a linear array shown in fig. 14 (a) or a circular array shown in fig. 14 (b). It is to be understood that the linear array is a one-dimensional array having one array direction, i.e., the X1 direction shown in fig. 14 (a); the annular array is a two-dimensional array having two array directions, a circumferential array direction (X2 direction shown in fig. 14 (b)) and a radial array direction (Y2 direction shown in fig. 14 (b)).

For another example, in the present embodiment, the radiator array and the lens array are both disposed along a plane, but the application is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the radiator array and/or the lens array may be disposed along a curved surface. Fig. 15 is an example in which the lens array is arranged along a curved surface. It should be noted that, in fig. 15, the lens units in the lens array are covered on the radiator units in the radiator array in a one-to-one correspondence manner, and after the lens units in the lens array are projected to the surface of the radiator array along the Z direction, the projections of the lens units are exactly superposed with the radiator units one by one, so that even if the lens array is arranged along a curved surface, the lens array and the radiator array have the same array rule (specifically, rectangular array rule).

For another example, in this embodiment, the number of lens units in the lens array is the same as the number of radiator units in the radiator array, but the application is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the number of lens cells may be greater than the number of radiator cells, e.g., the radiator array is a rectangular array of dimensions M × N, and the lens array is a rectangular array of dimensions (M + 2) × N. Thus, the 2 nd to (M + 1) th rows of the lens array are covered on the radiator array, and the 1 st row and the M +2 th row are respectively positioned at two sides of the radiator array along the vertical array direction, so as to adjust the phase and amplitude of the electromagnetic wave at the edge of the radiator array.

The principle of the lens unit for adjusting the phase and amplitude of the electromagnetic waves is explained above, and an exemplary specific implementation form of the lens unit is described below. The lens unit mainly comprises two different types of realization, one being a super-surface lens and one being a dielectric lens, which are described below separately.

The super-surface lens is first described. The super-surface lens comprises one or more metal layers with the thickness smaller than the operating wavelength of the antenna, and two adjacent metal layers are separated by a non-conductive dielectric layer (hereinafter referred to as a dielectric layer in examples one to five). Each metal layer comprises metal solid parts and gap parts positioned between the solid parts, the solid parts can be regarded as inductance elements, and the gap parts can be regarded as capacitance elements. By changing the distribution of the solid parts and the gap parts, the amplitude and/or the phase of the electromagnetic wave can be flexibly adjusted.

The material of the metal layer is, for example, a conductive material such as silver or copper. The material of the dielectric layer is, for example, a substrate material of a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), a resin foam material, or other non-conductive material. The super-surface lens can be manufactured by adopting a manufacturing process of a PCB (for example, metal coated on the surface of a dielectric layer is etched to obtain a required metal layer shape), so that the manufacturing is convenient, and the miniaturization of the lens array is favorably realized.

Several examples of the method of setting the super surface lens are given below. In the following example, parameters are provided that affect the amount of phase adjustment and the amount of amplitude adjustment of the super-surface lens. The super-surface lens can be gradually increased from the end part A to the center C from the first adjustment amount to the third adjustment amount by adjusting one or more parameters provided by each example; from the end B to the center C, the phase adjustment amount may be gradually increased from the second adjustment amount to a third adjustment amount; and the electromagnetic wave transmissivity of the end part of the super surface lens is larger than that of the middle part. The means for adjusting each parameter is, for example, a numerical simulation means, a product test means, or the like.

In examples one to five described below, the super surface lenses are symmetrically disposed with respect to the central axis S thereof in the vertical array direction, so that the phase adjustment amount and/or the amplitude adjustment amount of the super surface lens electromagnetic wave can be symmetrically distributed with respect to the central axis S. In some examples, only the arrangement of the super-surface lens from the end a to the center C is described, and the arrangement from the end B to the center C may refer to the arrangement from the end a to the center C.

The first example is as follows: fig. 16a and 16b are schematic structural views of the super surface lens 21a provided in this example. Fig. 16a is a perspective view of the super surface lens 21a, and fig. 16b is a cross-sectional view of the super surface lens 21 a. Referring to fig. 16b, the super-surface lens 21a includes 3 metal layers, namely a metal layer a1, a metal layer a2 and a metal layer a3, the metal layer a1 and the metal layer a2 are separated by a dielectric layer a4, and the metal layer a2 and the metal layer a3 are separated by a dielectric layer a 5.

In this example, 3 metal layers have the same arrangement. Fig. 16c shows the arrangement of one of the metal layers (metal layer a 1). Referring to fig. 16c, the metal layer includes a plurality of solid metal pieces a11, and each of the metal pieces a11 is square. The plurality of metal pieces a11 are arranged in two identical rows in the horizontal array direction (the illustrated X direction), and each row includes 7 metal pieces a11 of different sizes arranged at intervals in the vertical array direction (the illustrated Y direction) (the intervals between the metal pieces a11 may be used as the void portions of the capacitor elements). The size (size may be an area, a side length, or the like) of the metal sheet a11 is larger closer to the center C of the super surface lens 21 a.

Specifically, the size of the metal piece (as a first parameter) gradually increases from the first value to a third value from the end a of the super surface lens 21a to the center C of the super surface lens 21 a; the size of the metal sheet gradually increases from a second value to a third value from the end B of the super surface lens 21a to the center C of the super surface lens 21a, wherein the first value is equal to the second value, and the third value is greater than the first value. In addition, specific numerical values of the first value, the second value, and the third value may be determined (for example, determined by numerical simulation means or product test means) in accordance with the phase adjustment amount of the super surface lens 21 a.

Fig. 17 shows a phase distribution simulation curve of the electromagnetic wave in the plane Pa before and after the super surface lens 21a is disposed. In fig. 17, the abscissa is a measured point position coordinate, and the ordinate is an electromagnetic wave phase. Fig. 17 (a) and 17 (b) show phase distribution curves of the electromagnetic wave in the plane Pa before and after the super surface lens 21a is disposed, respectively. As shown in fig. 17 (a), before the super surface lens 21a is provided, the phase difference of the electromagnetic wave in the plane P1 is 185 °; as shown in fig. 17 (b), after the super surface lens 21a is provided, the phase difference of the electromagnetic wave in the plane P1 is reduced to 9.5 °. Therefore, by providing the super-surface lens 21a, the phase difference of the electromagnetic wave in the plane P1 can be greatly reduced, and the spherical wave emitted from the radiator unit can be adjusted to the plane wave, thereby improving the gain and directivity of the antenna.

Fig. 18 shows an amplitude distribution simulation curve of the electromagnetic wave in the plane P1 before and after the super surface lens 21a is disposed. In fig. 18, the abscissa is a coordinate of a measured point position (normalized coordinate), and the ordinate is the amplitude of the electromagnetic field intensity. Fig. 18 (a) and 18 (b) show the amplitude distribution curves of the electromagnetic wave in the plane P1 before the super surface lens 21a is disposed and after the super surface lens 21a is disposed, respectively. As shown in fig. 18 (a), before the super surface lens 21a is disposed, the amplitude difference of the electromagnetic wave in the plane P1 is 16.89dB; as shown in fig. 18 (b), after the super surface lens 21a is provided, the amplitude difference of the electromagnetic wave in the plane P1 is reduced to 4.2dB. Therefore, by providing the super-surface lens 21a, the amplitude difference of the electromagnetic wave in the plane P1 can be greatly reduced, thereby further improving the gain and directivity of the antenna.

Table 1 gives the gain of the array antenna 1 in each scanning direction. As seen from table 1, the gain in each scan direction exceeds 20dBi. The gain in the 0-degree direction is 25.24dBi (the gain of the array antenna in the 0-degree direction shown in fig. 2 is 25.65 dBi). Therefore, the array antenna provided by the present embodiment can ensure the gain and directivity of the array antenna 1 even when the radiator units 11 have a large pitch by providing the super-surface lens 21 a.

TABLE 1 gain of array antenna in each scanning direction (operating frequency: 3.4GHz, # 135. DegreeTp.)

Horizontal plane direction angle theta	0°	10°	19°	27°	37°	43°	49°
								gain/dBi	25.24	24.97	24.39	23.25	22.68	22.00	20.83

Example two: this example is based on example one. In this example, the specific structure of the metal layer is different from that of the first example.

Fig. 19 is a schematic structural view of the metal layer b1 provided in the present example. Referring to fig. 19, the metal layer b1 includes a plurality of (9 as illustrated) metal pieces b11 thereon, and the metal pieces b11 have a rectangular shape. Besides, the metal sheet may have other shapes such as a circle, a triangle, a hexagon, etc., and this example is not limited. The closer to the center C of the metal layer b1, the larger the size (the size may be an area, a length, a width, etc.) of the metal sheet b 11.

In fig. 19, the 9 metal sheets b11 are aligned in a vertical array direction (Y direction in the figure). However, the metal sheets b11 may be arranged in other arrangements, for example, 15 metal sheets are included on the metal layer 21, and the 15 metal sheets are arranged in 3 rows and 5 columns.

Example three: this example is based on example one and example two. This example deforms the pattern of the metal sheet on the basis of the above example. The hollow part in the pattern can also be used as a gap part of the capacitor element.

Fig. 20a is a schematic structural view of the metal layer c1 provided in this example. Referring to fig. 20a, a metal layer c1 includes a plurality (14) of square metal pieces c11 thereon. The 14 metal sheets c11 are arranged in 2 rows and 7 columns, the 2 metal sheets c11 in the same column have the same pattern type, and the metal sheets c11 in different columns have different pattern types (as a first parameter). For example, the pattern of the 2 metal pieces c11 in the first row is a solid triangle (as a first value), the pattern of the 2 metal pieces c11 in the second row is a frame shape, the pattern of the 2 metal pieces c11 in the third row is a cross shape, and the pattern of the 2 metal pieces c11 in the fourth row is a yersinia shape (as a third value). In addition, the metal sheet pattern may be provided in any other pattern as needed. For example, any of the 12 patterns shown in fig. 20 b.

In addition, each metal piece c11 may be set to have a different outer shape size as needed, and the pattern detail size of each metal piece c11 may also be adjusted as needed. For example, for a cruciform pattern, the length of the horizontal and vertical axes forming the cross may be different; and the widths of the horizontal and vertical axes may also be different.

Example four: this example is based on example one to example three. This example is based on the above example, and the number of layers of the metal layer (as the first parameter) is modified.

Generally, the larger the number of metal layers, the larger the amount of phase adjustment of the electromagnetic wave by the super-surface lens. Thus, in this example, a greater number of layers are provided in the middle of the super surface lens and a lesser number of layers are provided at the ends of the super surface lens in the vertical array direction.

Fig. 21 is a schematic configuration diagram (sectional view) of a super surface lens 21d provided in the present example. Referring to fig. 21, the super surface lens 21d is divided into 3 regions from an end a of the super surface lens 21d to a center C of the super surface lens 21d, and divided into regions 1 to 3. Wherein, in the region 1, the number of layers of the metal layer is 1 (as a first value); in the region 2, the number of metal layers is 2; in the region 3, the number of metal layers is 3 (as a third value).

But the application is not limited thereto. For example, from the end point a of the super-surface lens to the center C of the super-surface lens, the super-surface lens may be divided into 4 regions, and the number of metal layers in each region is 1 layer, 2 layers, 3 layers, and 4 layers in sequence; alternatively, the super-surface lens is divided into 3 regions as shown in fig. 21, but the number of metal layers in the region 3 is 4.

In this example, the metal sheet is not limited to be disposed on each metal layer. One skilled in the art can combine any of the shapes, sizes, patterns, numbers, spacings, arrangements, etc. of the metal sheets as desired.

Example five: this example is based on example one to example four. The present example deforms the pitch between the metal layers (as the first parameter) on the basis of the above example.

Generally, the larger the spacing between adjacent metal layers, the greater the amount of phase adjustment of the electromagnetic wave by the lens. Thus, in this example, the closer to the middle of the super-surface lens, the greater the spacing between adjacent metal layers in the vertical array direction; closer to the end of the super-surface lens, there is less spacing between adjacent metal layers.

Fig. 22 is a schematic structural view (sectional view) of a super surface lens 21e provided in the present example. Referring to fig. 22, the super surface lens 21e is divided into 3 regions from the end a of the super surface lens 21e to the center C of the super surface lens 21e, and divided into regions 1 to 3. Each region is provided with 3 metal layers, and in different regions, the adjacent metal layers have different intervals. Wherein in region 1, the spacing between adjacent metal layers is d1 (as a first value); in the region 2, the distance between adjacent metal layers is d2; in region 3, the spacing between adjacent metal layers is d3 (as a third value), where d3> d2> d1.

But the application is not limited thereto. For example, from the end a of the super surface lens to the center C of the super surface lens, the super surface lens is divided into 2 regions, and the metal layer pitch in each region is d1 and d2, respectively, where d2> d1. In addition, the metal layers may be set to different numbers of layers in each region, for example, the number of layers of the metal layers is 2 in region 1; in the regions 2 and 3, the number of metal layers is 3.

In addition, the present example does not limit the arrangement of the metal sheets on each metal layer, and those skilled in the art can arbitrarily combine the design parameters (for example, the size, pitch, pattern, arrangement, etc. of the metal sheets).

In some examples, the super surface lens further integrates an electromagnetic wave phase shift function and/or an electromagnetic wave filtering function. For example, a switch circuit (e.g., a PIN tube) is disposed between different metal sheets and/or between different parts of the same metal sheet, and by controlling different on-off states of the switch circuit, an electromagnetic wave phase shift function and/or an electromagnetic wave filtering function can be achieved. In this example, the phase shifters or filters in the TRX board can be migrated into the super surface lenses, so that the layout of the TRX board can be further simplified.

The dielectric lens is described below. The principle of the dielectric lens for adjusting the electromagnetic wave may refer to the principle of the optical lens. The dielectric lens is made of a material (e.g., polyethylene, resin, glass, etc.) having a refractive index (or dielectric constant) greater than 1, and the dielectric lens decelerates electromagnetic waves when the electromagnetic waves pass through the dielectric lens. The more the deceleration is (for example, the larger the refractive index and/or the lens thickness is), the larger the phase adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave is.

In the following examples, parameters that affect the amount of phase adjustment and the amount of amplitude adjustment of a dielectric lens are provided. By adjusting one or more parameters provided by each example, the phase adjustment amount of the dielectric lens can be gradually increased from the first adjustment amount to the third adjustment amount from the end portion a to the center C; from the end B to the center C, the phase adjustment amount may be gradually increased from the second adjustment amount to a third adjustment amount; and the electromagnetic wave transmissivity of the end part of the dielectric lens is larger than that of the middle part. The means for adjusting each parameter is, for example, a mathematical calculation means, a numerical simulation means, a product test means, or the like.

In examples six to nine described below, the dielectric lenses are symmetrically disposed with respect to the central axis S thereof in the vertical array direction, so that the phase adjustment amount and/or the amplitude adjustment amount of the super surface lens electromagnetic wave can be symmetrically distributed with respect to the central axis S. In some examples, only the arrangement of the dielectric lenses from the end a to the center C is described, and the arrangement from the end B to the center C may refer to the arrangement from the end a to the center C.

Example six: fig. 23 is a schematic structural diagram of a dielectric lens 21f provided in this example. Referring to fig. 23, the dielectric lens 21f is a uniform dielectric lens 21f, and refractive indices (or dielectric constants) of respective points on the dielectric lens 21f are the same. However, the dielectric lens 21f has a different thickness (as a first parameter), and the thickness of the dielectric lens 21f is larger closer to the middle of the dielectric lens 21 f.

Specifically, the thickness of the dielectric lens 21f gradually increases from d1 (e.g., d1=0 as a first value) to d3 (as a third value) from the end a to the center C of the dielectric lens 21 f; from the end B to the center C of the dielectric lens 21f, the thickness of the dielectric lens 21f gradually increases from d2 (e.g., d2=0 as a second value) to d3, where d1= d2, d3> d1.

In fig. 23, the electromagnetic wave incident surface of the dielectric lens 21f is a curved surface and the electromagnetic wave exit surface is a flat surface, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other examples, the incident surface of the dielectric lens may be set to be a flat surface and the exit surface may be set to be a curved surface; or, both the incident surface and the exit surface of the dielectric lens are set to be curved surfaces.

Example seven: this example is based on example six. In this example, a through hole is formed in the dielectric lens based on example six.

Fig. 24 is a schematic configuration diagram of a dielectric lens 21g provided in this example. Referring to fig. 24, the dielectric lens 21g has a regular shape (rectangular parallelepiped shape). At different positions of the dielectric lens 21g, cylindrical through holes of different diameters are provided. By setting the cylindrical holes to different diameters (as a first parameter), the dielectric lens 21g can be equivalently made different in thickness. It is understood that the smaller the diameter of the cylindrical hole, the larger the equivalent thickness of the dielectric lens 21g, and the larger the amount of phase adjustment. Therefore, in the present example, the diameter of the cylindrical hole is smaller closer to the center of the dielectric lens 21 g.

Specifically, from the end a to the center C of the dielectric lens 21g, the diameter of the cylindrical hole is gradually reduced from D1 (e.g., as a first value) to D3 (as a third value); from the end portion B to the middle portion C of the dielectric lens 21g, the diameter of the cylindrical hole is gradually reduced from D2 (as a second value) to D3 (as a third value), where D1= D2, and D3 < D1.

Example eight: this example is based on example seven. This example deforms the shape of the opening in the dielectric lens based on example seven.

Fig. 25 is a schematic structural view of the dielectric lens 21h provided in this example. Referring to fig. 25, the opening on the dielectric lens 21h is a square cylindrical hole. Besides, the opening may be an elliptic cylinder, a hexagonal cylinder, or the like, and this example is not limited. In addition, the open hole can be a through hole or a blind hole.

Example nine: this example is based on example six to example eight. The present example transforms a uniform dielectric lens into a non-uniform dielectric lens on the basis of the above example.

Fig. 26 is a schematic structural view of the dielectric lens 21i provided in this example. Referring to fig. 26, the dielectric lens 21i has a regular shape (rectangular parallelepiped shape). In the Y direction, different portions of the dielectric lens 21i have different refractive indices (or dielectric constants, as first parameters). In fig. 26, different refractive indexes are represented by different gradations. The closer to the center C, the larger the refractive index of the dielectric lens 21i, the larger the phase adjustment amount for the electromagnetic wave.

Specifically, the refractive index of the dielectric lens 21i gradually increases from F1 (for example, as a first value) to F3 (as a third value) from the end a to the center C of the dielectric lens 21 i; from the end B to the midpoint C of the dielectric lens 21i, the refractive index of the dielectric lens 21i gradually increases from F2 (e.g., as a second value) to F3, where F1= F2, and F1 < F3.

The arrangement of the dielectric lenses is described above by way of example six to example nine. It should be noted that the above examples are merely illustrative of the arrangement of the dielectric lens, and those skilled in the art may make other modifications. For example, along the Y direction, each position of the dielectric lens may have a different refractive index while having a different thickness and/or an equivalent thickness. That is, one skilled in the art may arbitrarily combine one or more parameters (e.g., thickness, refractive index, area of the opening) of the dielectric lens as long as the phase adjustment amount of the lens unit is gradually changed from the first adjustment amount to the second adjustment amount.

In addition, by adjusting the above-described structural parameters of the dielectric lens, the transmittance of the dielectric lens may also be adjusted so that the transmittance of the end portions of the lens unit is greater than the transmittance of the middle portion of the lens unit, thereby adjusting the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave. The method for adjusting the transmittance of the dielectric lens is not limited in the present application. For example, providing a larger area aperture at the end of the dielectric lens and a smaller area aperture at the middle of the dielectric lens (as shown in fig. 24) may allow the transmittance at the end of the lens unit to be greater than the transmittance at the middle of the lens unit; for another example, since the transmittance of the lens unit has a certain correlation with the refractive index of the lens unit, the transmittance is generally lower at a position where the refractive index is higher, and therefore, when the middle portion of the lens unit has a higher refractive index than the end portion of the lens unit (the structure shown in fig. 26), the transmittance at the end portion of the lens unit is greater than the transmittance at the middle portion of the lens unit.

Specific implementations of the super surface lens and the dielectric lens are described above. In the above examples (example one to example nine), the lens unit portions are located at substantially the same height, where the height of the lens unit is the distance from the radiator array in the Z direction. In other examples, the lens unit portions may also be located at different heights. Specific examples are given below.

Example ten: referring to fig. 26, in the present example, the lens cells 21j are distributed along a circular arc surface, and the height of the end portions of the lens cells 21j is smaller than the height of the middle portion of the lens cells 21 j.

Example eleven: referring to fig. 27, in the present example, different portions of the lens unit 21k are staggered in the height direction (illustrated Z direction).

For a portion of the lens unit having a lower height, the wave path of the electromagnetic wave from the radiator unit to the portion is closer, and the phase difference accumulation is less, so that for the portion of the lens unit having a lower height, the amount of phase adjustment by the lens unit can be reduced accordingly. Therefore, by changing the heights of the respective portions of the lens unit, the phase difference of the electromagnetic waves can also be adjusted. In addition, in the above-described tenth and eleventh examples, the lens unit may be implemented as a super surface lens, and may also be implemented as a dielectric lens (shown as a super surface lens in fig. 27 and 28).

In the above examples, the lens unit is implemented in the form of a single lens (one of a super surface lens or a dielectric lens). In other examples, the lens unit may also be implemented as a combined lens of a super surface lens and a dielectric lens. The combination lens may combine the features of both the super surface lens and the dielectric lens to achieve advantages not available with the single lens form. For example, a smaller volume is achieved.

Fig. 28 is an exemplary structural view of a combined lens formed of a super surface lens and a dielectric lens. Referring to fig. 28, the lens unit 21m includes a uniform dielectric lens m1, and the dielectric lens m1 has a plurality of openings. The plurality of openings are distributed in a plurality of rows (7 rows) in the Y direction. Wherein, in 6 (3 rows) openings in the middle of dielectric lens m1, each inlays and is equipped with the multilayer metal sheet. The multiple layers of metal sheets collectively form a super-surface lens m2. That is, this example corresponds to embedding the super surface lens m2 in the dielectric lens m1, and thus forming a combined lens of the dielectric lens m1 and the super surface lens m2.

By embedding the super-surface lens m2 in the middle of the dielectric lens m1, the phase adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit 21m from the end portion a to the center C can realize an increase in a large gradient in the same volume. In other words, in the case where the gradient of the increase in the phase adjustment amount is a set value (for example, the phase adjustment amount is increased from the first adjustment amount to the second adjustment amount from the end a to the center C), with the combination lens shown in fig. 28, the lens unit 21m can be made to have a smaller volume.

Fig. 28 is an exemplary illustration of a combination lens form, and other variations may be made by those skilled in the art. For example, in another example, the dielectric lens is a non-uniform dielectric lens, the super-surface lens is a plurality of metal sheets with different patterns and the like provided on the surface of the non-uniform dielectric lens. The flexible combination can be performed by those skilled in the art according to the needs, and is not described in detail.

[ EXAMPLE II ]

The present embodiment is directed to providing an array antenna. The present embodiment is based on the first embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, in the present embodiment, the lens unit is an asymmetric lens, and is used to implement the downward tilt angle of the array antenna.

The effect of the downtilt of the array antenna is first described. Typically, the base station antenna is at a certain height from the ground, and the user equipment is located on the ground. To improve energy efficiency, it is desirable that the direction of the antenna main lobe be directed toward the ground. The included angle between the main lobe direction of the antenna and the horizontal plane is the downward inclination angle alpha of the antenna. In the present embodiment, specific values of the downtilt angle α are not limited, for example, α =4 °, α =10 °, and the like, and the downtilt angle α of the array antenna is usually within 15 °. Hereinafter, α =6 ° (which is a downward inclination angle frequently used in practical applications) is exemplified.

Fig. 30 is a schematic structural view of the array antenna 2 provided in the present embodiment. Referring to fig. 30, the array antenna 2 includes a radiator array 60 and a lens array 70, where the arrangement manner of the radiator array 60 is the same as that of the radiator array 10 in the first embodiment, and thus reference may be made to the description in the first embodiment, which is not repeated. The lens array 70 includes a plurality of lens units 71, and the arrangement of the plurality of lens units 71 is also the same as that of the lens units in the first embodiment, so that reference may also be made to the description in the first embodiment, which is not repeated.

Unlike the first embodiment, the lens unit 71 in the present embodiment has an asymmetric structure. The lens unit 71 in the present embodiment is described below.

Fig. 31 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the lens unit 71 adjusting the phase of the electromagnetic wave. Referring to fig. 31, to realize a downward inclination angle of α =6 °, the lens unit 71 needs to adjust the electromagnetic wave emitted from the radiator unit to a plane wave in a plane P2 (as a first plane). Wherein, the angle between the normal of the plane P2 and the plane of the radiator array 60 is equal to the downward inclination angle α =6 °. Equivalently, the plane P2 is parallel to the horizontal array direction (shown in the figure X direction) and makes an angle with the vertical array direction (shown in the figure Y direction) equal to the down tilt angle α. For ease of understanding, in fig. 31, the plane P2 intersects the end B of the lens unit 71.

According to the description of the first embodiment, when the phase of the position (i.e., the point O) of the radiator unit is 0, the phase of the left end point or the right end point of the incident surface Pi of the lens unit 71 is 402 °, and the phase of the midpoint is 180 °. From the geometrical relationship shown in fig. 31, it can be calculated that, in order to adjust the electromagnetic wave to a plane wave in the plane P2, the phase of the left end point of the exit surface Pe of the lens unit 71 should be advanced by 2 × 360 ° × sin α =76 ° with respect to the right end point. Therefore, the phase adjustment amount of each portion of the lens unit 71 for the electromagnetic wave is different in the vertical array direction (the illustrated Y direction).

The adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the end portion a is referred to as a first adjustment amount, and the adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the end portion B is referred to as a second adjustment amount. Suppose that the phase of the left end point of the exit surface Pe of the lens unit 71 is

The phase of the right end point is

Therefore, the phase adjustment amount (i.e., the first adjustment amount) of the end a of the lens unit 71 for the electromagnetic wave is

The phase adjustment amount (i.e., the second adjustment amount) of the end portion B for the electromagnetic wave is

Wherein the content of the first and second substances,

and may be positive, negative or 0.

The maximum phase adjustment amount of the center C of the lens unit 71 for the electromagnetic wave is still referred to as a third adjustment amount. Unlike the first embodiment, the phase of the electromagnetic wave at the center C of the lens unit 71 is adjusted by the amount

From the geometric relationship shown in fig. 31, it can be seen that the position where the phase adjustment amount is the largest is still the center C of the lens unit 71.

The above description has been made on the determination methods of the first adjustment amount, the second adjustment amount, and the third adjustment amount, but it is understood that the phase adjustment amount of any portion on the lens unit 71 can be determined by the above methods. Fig. 31 shows the phase adjustment amounts of different portions of the lens unit 71 by different gradations, in which the phase adjustment amount is larger in a portion where the gradation is deeper. Referring to fig. 31, the phase adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit 71 is gradually increased from the first adjustment amount to the third adjustment amount from the end a of the lens unit 71 to the center C of the lens unit 71; the phase adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit 71 is gradually increased from the second adjustment amount to the third adjustment amount from the end B of the lens unit 71 to the center C of the lens unit 71. And the third regulating quantity is greater than the first regulating quantity, and the first regulating quantity is greater than the second regulating quantity.

Referring to fig. 31, it can be understood that, in order to realize the downward inclination angle α, the phase adjustment amounts of the respective portions of the lens unit 71 for the electromagnetic waves are asymmetrically distributed with respect to the central axis S thereof. In general, in fig. 31, the amount of phase adjustment on the left side of the central axis S of the lens unit 71 is larger than the amount of phase adjustment on the right side of the central axis S.

In the present embodiment, each lens unit 71 in the lens array 70 has the same structure to simplify the array antenna1, manufacturing process. Thus, referring to fig. 32, when the feed network supplies excitation of the same phase to the adjacent radiator cells, the outgoing waves of the adjacent lens cells 71 have a phase difference

At this time, the outgoing wave of the entire lens array 70 can be made a plane wave as long as the control feed network provides excitation with a phase difference of-76 ° to the adjacent radiator units.

Other details (for example, a specific implementation manner of the lens unit 71, a setting manner of the transmittance of the lens unit 71, etc.) not described in this embodiment are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus reference may be made to the description in the first embodiment, which is not described again.

Compared with other ways of improving the directivity of the array antenna, the array antenna provided by the embodiment of the application has the advantages that the distance between the radiator units can be larger, and the miniaturization is easy. The following is a comparison with three other ways of improving the directivity of the array antenna.

Fig. 33 shows the first mode. In particular, fig. 33 provides a super-surface lens antenna with a super-surface array loaded over one feed. The super-surface array is designed in two dimensions, super-surface structure units with phase gradient change characteristics are designed and realized, the unit structures are arranged according to a parabolic focusing equation, and the combined super-surface transmission array can convert vertically incident quasi-spherical waves into plane waves, so that the high-gain antenna is obtained. However, in this method, the super-surface array size is large relative to the feed sources, and is only suitable for the scene of a single feed source. The array difficulty is high, the array antenna is not suitable for the scene of the array antenna, and the scanning capability of the array antenna cannot be realized through the feed source.

Compared with the mode, the lens unit provided by the embodiment of the application can form a lens array, and the array is convenient to assemble. Moreover, the lens array can be suitable for the array antenna, and is beneficial to realizing the scanning capability of the array antenna.

Fig. 34 shows the second mode. Specifically, fig. 34 shows an active antenna composed of a phased array antenna array loaded with a dielectric lens, the feed source is a microstrip antenna array, the number of microstrip elements in the horizontal direction is 8-64, the number of microstrip elements in the vertical direction is 1-8, the dielectric lens is a multilayer concentric structure, and the designed beam scans in the horizontal direction. In the design, the maximum value of the unit spacing of the feed source along the horizontal direction is 0.6-0.65 wavelength, and the maximum value of the unit spacing along the vertical direction is 0.85-0.9 wavelength, so that the unit spacing of more than one wavelength cannot be realized. In addition, the design is too thick in profile to be suitable for low profile scenarios.

Compared with the mode, the array antenna provided by the embodiment of the application has the advantages that the radiator units can have larger intervals (more than 0.9 wavelength), so that the simplification of a feed network structure is facilitated, and the volume of the antenna is reduced.

Fig. 35 shows a third mode. Fig. 35 provides a high-gain wide-angle scanning phased array antenna, in which the feed source is a phased array antenna array, and a two-dimensional super-surface transmission array is loaded above the phased array antenna array for adjusting the phase distribution, and the design can realize the scanning capability of ± 60 ° while realizing high gain. However, the aperture size of the lens array of the design is larger than that of the feed source array, and the array spacing is only 0.7 wavelength.

Claims

1. An array antenna, comprising:

the array comprises a plurality of radiator units which are regularly arranged according to a first array, wherein the first array rule is a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array rule, and the radiator array at least has a first array direction;

the lens array comprises a plurality of lens units which are regularly arranged according to the first array, the lens units are covered on the radiator units in a one-to-one correspondence manner, and each lens unit is used for adjusting the phase of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the corresponding radiator unit;

wherein the lens unit is configured such that, at least in the first array direction, portions of the lens unit have different amounts of phase adjustment on the electromagnetic wave, so that the lens unit can adjust the electromagnetic wave to a plane wave in a first plane.

2. The array antenna of claim 1, wherein a spacing between adjacent radiator elements along the first array direction is greater than 0.9 λ, where λ is an operating wavelength of the array antenna.

3. The array antenna according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lens unit includes a first end portion and a second end portion that are disposed opposite to each other in the first array direction, the first end portion adjusts the electromagnetic wave by a first adjustment amount, and the second end portion adjusts the electromagnetic wave by a second adjustment amount;

the lens unit is configured such that, in the first array direction, from the first end to a center of the lens unit, an adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit is gradually increased from the first adjustment amount to a third adjustment amount; from the second end to the center of the lens unit, the adjustment amount of the electromagnetic wave by the lens unit is gradually increased from the second adjustment amount to the third adjustment amount.

4. The array antenna of claim 3, wherein the first adjustment amount is equal to the second adjustment amount; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the first adjustment amount is greater than the second adjustment amount, and a difference between the first adjustment amount and the second adjustment amount is determined according to a downtilt angle of the array antenna.

5. The array antenna of claim 3, wherein the lens unit is a dielectric lens, and the first parameter of the lens unit gradually changes from a first value to a third value from the first end to the center of the lens unit; gradually changing the first parameter from a second value to the third value from the second end to the center of the lens unit;

wherein the first parameter comprises one or more of: a thickness of the lens unit; a refractive index of the lens unit; the size of the opening provided in the lens unit.

6. The array antenna of claim 3, wherein the lens unit is a super-surface lens, the super-surface lens comprising one or more metal layers, each metal layer comprising a plurality of metal sheets arranged along the first array direction;

gradually changing the first parameter of the lens unit from a first value to a third value from the first end to the center of the lens unit; from the second end to the center of the lens unit, the first parameter gradually changes from a second value to the third value;

wherein the first parameter comprises one or more of: the number of layers of the metal layer; the spacing between the metal layers; the overall dimension of the metal sheet; pattern type of the metal sheet.

7. The array antenna of claim 6, wherein the super surface lens is integrated with an electromagnetic wave phase shift function and/or an electromagnetic wave filtering function.

8. The array antenna of claim 3, wherein the lens unit is a combination lens of a dielectric lens and a super-surface lens.

9. The array antenna of claim 1, wherein in the first array direction, the electromagnetic wave transmittance of the end portions of the lens unit is greater than the electromagnetic wave transmittance of the middle portion of the lens unit.

10. The array antenna of claim 9, further comprising a metal reflector capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves, wherein the metal reflector and the lens array are respectively located on opposite sides of the radiator array.

11. The array antenna of claim 10, wherein the metal reflector plate is a ground plate of the radiator array.

12. The array antenna of claim 1, wherein the first array rule is a rectangular array rule, and the radiator further has a second array direction perpendicular to the first array direction;

wherein the first plane is parallel to the first array direction and the second array direction; or the first plane is parallel to the second array direction and forms an included angle of 3-9 degrees with the first array direction.

13. An array antenna as claimed in claim 12, wherein in the operational state of the array antenna, the first array direction is a vertical direction and the second array direction is a horizontal direction.

14. The array antenna of claim 12, wherein a spacing between adjacent radiator elements along the second array direction is 0.25 λ -1 λ, where λ is an operating wavelength of the array antenna.

15. The array antenna of claim 1, wherein the radiator elements are dual polarized antennas; and/or the radiator unit is a slot antenna, a dipole antenna, a dielectric resonance antenna or a microstrip antenna.

16. A lens unit for an antenna, wherein the lens unit is a dielectric lens, the dielectric lens extending along a first direction, the dielectric lens including a first end portion and a second end portion oppositely disposed along the first direction; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

gradually changing a first parameter of the dielectric lens from a first value to a third value along the first direction from a first end of the dielectric lens to a center of the dielectric lens; gradually changing the first parameter from a second value to the third value from the second end to the center of the dielectric lens;

wherein the first parameter comprises one or more of: a thickness of the dielectric lens; a refractive index of the dielectric lens; the size of the opening provided in the dielectric lens.

17. A lens unit for an antenna, wherein the lens unit is a super-surface lens, the super-surface lens extending along a first direction, the super-surface lens comprising a first end and a second end oppositely disposed along the first direction; the super-surface lens comprises one or more metal layers, and each metal layer comprises a plurality of metal sheets arranged along the first direction;

gradually changing a first parameter of the super-surface lens from a first value to a third value along the first direction from the first end of the super-surface lens to the center of the super-surface lens; gradually changing the first parameter from a second value to the third value from the second end to the center of the super-surface lens;

18. A lens array for an antenna, the lens array comprising a plurality of lens elements regularly arranged according to a first array, the first array being a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array, the lens array having at least a first array direction;

the lens unit comprises a first end part and a second end part which are oppositely arranged in the first array direction, the adjustment quantity of the first end part to the electromagnetic wave is a first adjustment quantity, and the adjustment quantity of the second end part to the electromagnetic wave is a second adjustment quantity;

19. The lens array of claim 18, wherein at least one of the plurality of lens units is a dielectric lens;

gradually changing a first parameter of the dielectric lens from a first value to a third value from a first end of the dielectric lens to the center; gradually changing the first parameter from a second value to the third value from the second end to the center of the dielectric lens;

20. The lens array of claim 18, wherein at least one of the lens units is a super-surface lens, the super-surface lens comprising one or more metal layers, each metal layer comprising a plurality of metal sheets arranged along the first array direction;

gradually changing a first parameter of the super-surface lens from a first value to a third value from a first end of the super-surface lens to the center of the super-surface lens; gradually changing the first parameter from a second value to the third value from the second end to the center of the super-surface lens;

21. The lens array of claim 18, wherein the lens unit is a combination lens of a dielectric lens and a super-surface lens.