KR101309520B1 - Folding antenna array - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A foldable antenna array is provided to adjust the function and size of an antenna suitably for the environment of users by being configured with a foldable structure. CONSTITUTION: A foldable antenna array (100) comprises a plurality of antenna devices (101-104), a plurality of connection portions (120), and a control unit (140). The plurality of antenna devices is arranged on the antenna array to space apart from each other at a fixed distance and transmits and receives radio waves. The plurality of connection portions connects the plurality of antenna devices. The control unit controls the connection portion such that the plurality of antenna devices can be laminated by folding the connection portion. The plurality of antenna devices comprises first and second antenna devices. The second antenna device is arranged on the same plane as first the antenna device to space apart from the first antenna device. [Reference numerals] (101) First antenna device; (102) Second antenna device; (103) Third antenna device; (104) Fourth antenna device; (120) Connection portion; (140) Control unit

Description

Folding antenna array

The present invention relates to a foldable antenna array, and more particularly, to an antenna array that can be folded and moved in use.

Recently, with the rapid development of the communication market, wireless communication services have been commercialized not only for voice information but also for various types of data transmission. In addition, due to the increase in data transmission and the depletion of frequency support, research on high frequencies is being actively conducted. The development of devices operating at these high frequencies is very important. Among them, the antenna is one of the important elements. Here, the antenna is a conductor which is hypothesized in the air to efficiently radiate radio waves in a space or to maintain an electromotive force by radio waves in order to achieve the purpose of communication in wireless communication. An antenna is an essential component that is essential in a device for performing wireless communication.

In addition, wide range and mobile wireless communication methods such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), which are emerging as next-generation communication methods, use MIMO (multiple antennas) to simultaneously improve bandwidth range and reliability by using a plurality of antennas to reduce the difference between wired communication and wireless communication. A multi-dimensional signal such as a multiple antenna, a smart antenna for controlling a desired communication environment using a plurality of antennas is used. In the next-generation broadband wireless communication method, a plurality of antennas are used to increase the space occupied by the antennas, and it becomes more difficult to design and deploy antennas such as additional antennas are required for multi-band support by the integration of the multiple communication methods. have.

Looking at the related art in detail, Korean Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-0077462 (name of the invention: wireless communication flat array antenna) relates to a wireless communication flat array antenna having a folding structure, a plurality of repeaters depending on the installation situation Disclosed is an array antenna capable of assuring effective radio wave transmission by adjusting an angle between microstrip antennas.

In addition, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0860941 (name of the invention: printed, etched and foldable directional antenna) relates to a mobile communication cell type communication system and can be compactly configured for use in a mobile subscriber unit. An antenna device is disclosed.

The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to arrange and fold each antenna element constituting the antenna array, to have a structure that can be expanded during use and foldable on the move to adjust the function and size of the antenna array according to the user environment To provide a foldable antenna array.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a foldable antenna array comprising: a plurality of antenna elements, each antenna element having a predetermined distance from the antenna array to transmit and receive radio waves, the plurality of antenna elements; A plurality of connection parts connecting the plurality of antenna elements to each other; And a control unit for adjusting the connection unit such that the connection unit is folded and the plurality of antenna elements are stacked on each other.

According to the foldable antenna array according to the present invention, it is possible to have a structure that can be folded by properly placing each antenna element constituting the antenna array. That is, by having a structure that can be unfolded during use and foldable when moving, it is possible to adjust the function and size of the antenna array according to the user environment.

Furthermore, in the use of antennas in wireless communication technology, not only the use in a fixed place, but also to be able to fold on the move to enable the application that can be folded and unfolded according to the use environment. Among the technologies in the field of RF (Radio Frequency), the operation can be changed during stationary state and movement, and the structure can also be applied to various fields of the wireless communication technology that needs to be changed by folding and unfolding the structure.

In addition, the operating frequency can be adjusted by adjusting the substrate size and the patch size of the antenna, and by adding other functions of the antenna, it is possible to implement an antenna array capable of excellent RF characteristic modulation while being compatible with other technologies.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a foldable antenna array according to the present invention;
2 is a view showing the antenna element structure constituting a foldable antenna array according to an embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a graph showing an S-parameter result according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a graph showing a frequency-maximum gain relationship according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a view showing a three-dimensional radiation pattern according to an embodiment of the present invention,
6 is a view showing the antenna element structure constituting a foldable antenna array according to another embodiment of the present invention,
7 is a graph showing an S-parameter result according to another embodiment of the present invention;
8 is a graph illustrating a frequency-maximum gain relationship according to another embodiment of the present invention, and
9 is a view showing a three-dimensional radiation pattern according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the foldable antenna array 100 according to the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a foldable antenna array 100 according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the foldable antenna array 100 according to the present invention includes a plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104,..., 10N, a connecting portion 120, and a controller 140.

In the foldable antenna array 100 according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104,... Send and receive At this time, the antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104, ..., 10N may use any kind of antenna. The plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104,..., 10N may be positioned on individual substrates (not shown), and a ground plane GND may exist on a lower surface of the substrate.

At this time, the substrate (not shown) may use a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) substrate. Thereby, the metal film on the PCB substrate surface can be removed in a predetermined form, and a plurality of antenna elements can be produced on the substrate at once. However, in the plurality of antenna elements according to the present invention, it is preferable that each antenna element is manufactured on each substrate. There is no need to deposit a separate material on the substrate, and since a very thin metal film constitutes a plurality of antenna elements, it may be implemented in a flat plate shape that is nearly two-dimensional. Accordingly, the volume of the antenna can be minimized. In addition, the substrate may be a flexible substrate.

The plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104,..., 10N may be connected to each other through a plurality of connection parts 120. In this case, the plurality of connection parts 120 may be manufactured in a shape having a foldable structure to connect the plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104,..., 10N.

The control unit 140 is a plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104, .. The connection unit 120 connecting the plurality of antenna elements (101, 102, 103, 104, ..., 10N) are sequentially folded. ., 10N) to control the connection portion 120 to be sequentially stacked. That is, the control unit 140 rotates one end of the connecting portion 121 connecting the first antenna element 101 and the second antenna element 102 by 180 degrees to form the first antenna element 101 and the second antenna element 102. ) Overlaps face to face. Therefore, the first antenna element 101 is stacked on the second antenna element 102. By repeating this process, the controller 140 adjusts the plurality of connection parts 120 to be sequentially folded so that the plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104,..., 10N may be stacked in order. The areas of the plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104, ..., 10N superposed on the face are made equal to the area of one antenna element.

2 is a view showing the antenna element structure constituting the foldable antenna array 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2, the antenna array according to the present invention may be composed of four antenna elements. That is, the first antenna element 101, the second antenna element 102, the third antenna element 103, and the fourth antenna element 104 are disposed to be spaced apart from each other on the same plane. In this case, the connection unit 120 connecting each antenna element may exist as many as the number of antenna elements. That is, the antenna elements 101, 102, 103, and 104 may be connected to each other through the first connector 121, the second connector 122, the third connector 123, and the fourth connector 124. The size of the connection part 120 may be manufactured to such an extent that the antenna elements 101, 102, 103, and 104 do not interfere with the function of the antenna.

When the foldable antenna array 100 according to the present invention operates as an antenna, it is widely spread on the same plane as shown in FIG. 2. However, when a situation arises in which the foldable antenna array 100 according to the present invention should move the foldable antenna array 100 without operating as an antenna, each antenna element 101, 102, 103, 104 spread out on the same plane. It is efficient to fold and minimize the volume to move. Therefore, the controller 140 first rotates one end of the first connector 121 and the third connector 123 by 180 degrees in the A direction to stack the first antenna element 101 on the second antenna element 102. The fourth antenna element 104 may be stacked over the third antenna element 103. Next, the control unit 140 rotates one end of the second connecting portion 122 and the fourth connecting portion 124 simultaneously 180 degrees in the B direction, the second antenna element 102 and the first antenna element stacked in a face-to-face manner. The 101 may be stacked on the third antenna element 103 and the fourth antenna element 104 which are stacked face to face. Through this process, the plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104 may be sequentially stacked. At this time, the folding order and direction are not determined, and the plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, 104 need only be stacked on each other.

3 is a graph showing an S-parameter (Scattering-parameter) result according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a graph showing a maximum gain relationship with frequency according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that S (1,1), an S-parameter representing an input reflection coefficient, has a value of -14.1748 dB at 2.4 GHz and a value of -12.4823 dB at 2.6 GHz. In addition, referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the same frequency values (2.4 GHz and 2.6 GHz) have gains of 0.9634 dB and 1.0222 dB, respectively. That is, when there is no ground plane on the lower surface of the substrate, it can be seen that the peak gain is relatively low while the bandwidth is wide. In addition, the three-dimensional radiation pattern according to an embodiment of the present invention is as shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an antenna element structure constituting a foldable antenna array according to another embodiment of the present invention. This is the same as the description of FIG. 2 described above, except that ground planes 201, 202, 203, and 204 exist on lower surfaces of the plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, and 104. At this time, in the embodiment according to the present invention, the ground planes 201, 202, 203, and 204 are directly attached to the lower substrates of the plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, and 104, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, an air gap (not shown) may be formed between the substrate and the ground planes 201, 202, 203, and 204 so that a predetermined dielectric may be inserted into a space in which the air gap (not shown) is located.

Referring to FIG. 7, unlike FIG. 3, which illustrates a case of a plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, and 104 having no ground plane on the lower surface, S (1, S, which is an S-parameter representing an input reflection coefficient). It can be seen that 1) has a value of -10.3741 dB at 2.4 GHz and -13.3808 dB at 2.45 GHz. In addition, referring to FIG. 8, unlike FIG. 4, which illustrates a case of a plurality of antenna elements 101, 102, 103, and 104 having no ground plane on the lower surface, respectively at each frequency value (2.4 GHz and 2.5 GHz), respectively. It can be seen that the gain of 2.5444 dB and 1.9598 dB. That is, when the ground plane is located on the lower surface of the substrate, it can be seen that the peak gain is high while the bandwidth is narrow. In addition, the three-dimensional radiation pattern according to another embodiment of the present invention is as shown in FIG.

In the above description, terms such as 'first', 'second', and the like are used to describe various components, but each component should not be limited by these terms. That is, terms such as 'first' and 'second' are used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a 'first component' may be referred to as a 'second component', and similarly, a 'second component' may also be referred to as a 'first component' . In addition, the term 'and / or' is used to mean a combination of a plurality of related items or any item of a plurality of related items.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation in the embodiment in which said invention is directed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

100: foldable antenna array 101: first antenna element
102: second antenna element 103: third antenna element
104: fourth antenna element 120: connecting portion
140:

Claims (6)

An antenna array for transmitting and receiving radio waves by arranging a plurality of antenna elements spaced at a predetermined distance,
The plurality of antenna elements;
A plurality of connection parts connecting the plurality of antenna elements to each other; And
And a control unit for adjusting the connection unit such that the connection unit is folded so that the plurality of antenna elements can be stacked on each other. The method of claim 1,
The plurality of antenna elements,
And a first antenna element and a second antenna element spaced at a predetermined distance from the same plane as the first antenna element. The method of claim 2,
The control unit rotates one end of the first connecting portion connecting the first antenna element and the second antenna element by 180 degrees so that the first antenna element and the second antenna element overlap with each other in a face-to-face manner, on the first antenna element. Foldable antenna array, characterized in that the second antenna elements are stacked. The method of claim 1,
The plurality of antenna elements are each located on a substrate,
Folding antenna array, characterized in that the ground plane is located on the lower surface of the substrate. 5. The method of claim 4,
The substrate is foldable antenna, characterized in that the flexible (flexible). The method of claim 1,
The control unit controls the plurality of connection parts to be sequentially folded so that the plurality of antenna elements can be stacked in order so that the area of the plurality of antenna elements nested in a face-to-face is the same as that of one antenna element. Foldable antenna array characterized in.

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