KR102432378B1 - Multi-fed antenna and device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the RF device may include a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) chip and an antenna module disposed on a top surface of the RFIC chip, wherein the antenna module is parallel to the RFIC chip, and the RFIC a first patch having a top surface providing radiation in a direction perpendicular to the chip, a ground plane parallel to the first patch between the first patch and the RFIC, and a first patch connected to the bottom surface of the first patch and from the RFIC chip may include a plurality of feed lines for supplying at least one differential signal to .

Description

MULTI-FED ANTENNA AND DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME

The technical idea of the present disclosure relates to a patch antenna, and to a multi-feed patch antenna and an apparatus including the same.

An antenna used for wireless communication is a reversible element and may include a conductor. A signal can be transmitted by radiating an electromagnetic wave from a conductor, and a signal can be induced by the electromagnetic wave reaching the conductor. A conductor included in the antenna may have various shapes, and an antenna including a conductor having a suitable shape according to an application may be used. For example, as a type of planar antenna, the patch antenna may include a ground plate, a low-loss dielectric on the ground plate, and a patch on the dielectric, and is widely used in mobile applications.

For applications requiring space and power efficiency, such as a mobile phone, the antenna may have a limited size, while high power consumption and high power consumption and Since problems such as heat generation may occur, the antenna may be required to have high power efficiency in a limited size.

The technical idea of the present disclosure is to provide a patch antenna having a high power efficiency and a reduced size by having a multi-feeding structure, and an apparatus including the same.

In order to achieve the above object, an RF device according to an aspect of the technical idea of the present disclosure may include a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) chip and an antenna module disposed on the upper surface of the RFIC chip, and the antenna module silver, a first patch having a top surface parallel to the RFIC chip and providing radiation in a direction perpendicular to the RFIC chip, a ground plate between the first patch and the RFIC parallel to the first patch, and a bottom surface of the first patch and a plurality of feed lines coupled to the RFIC chip to supply at least one differential signal to the first patch.

An antenna module according to an aspect of the technical idea of the present disclosure includes a ground plate, a first patch having an upper surface parallel to the ground plate on the upper surface of the ground plate, and an upper surface providing radiation in a direction perpendicular to the ground plate, and a first may include a plurality of feeding lines respectively connected to a plurality of feeding points on the lower surface of the patch, wherein the plurality of feeding points include a first feeding point and a second feeding point spaced apart in a first horizontal direction, It may include a third feeding point and a fourth feeding point spaced apart in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction.

An RF device according to an aspect of the inventive concept may include a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) chip and an antenna module disposed on an upper surface of the RFIC chip, wherein the RFIC includes a first differential signal and a second differential signal wherein the antenna module comprises: a first patch having a top surface parallel to the RFIC chip and providing radiation in a direction perpendicular to the RFIC chip, a ground plate parallel to the first patch between the patch and the RFIC, and the first patch It may include first differential feed lines and second differential feed lines connected to the lower surface of the ?

According to the patch antenna and the apparatus including the same according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to achieve high transmission power while maintaining power consumption of the transmitter.

In addition, according to the patch antenna and the apparatus including the same according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the transmitter while maintaining the transmission power.

In addition, according to the patch antenna and the apparatus including the same according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the size of the antenna can be reduced and high transmission power can be provided even with a limited size provided for the antenna.

In addition, according to the patch antenna and the apparatus including the same according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an extended communication range may be obtained due to a wide beamwidth.

Effects that can be obtained in the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned are common knowledge in the art to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure pertain from the following description. It can be clearly derived and understood by those who have That is, unintended effects of carrying out the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be derived by those of ordinary skill in the art from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

The drawings attached to this specification may not fit to scale for convenience of illustration, and components may be exaggerated or reduced.
1 is a block diagram illustrating a communication device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
2A-2C show examples of a layout of components of the communication device of FIG. 1 according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;
3A is a perspective view showing an antenna module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 3B is a side view of the RF system including the antenna module of FIG. 3A as viewed in the Y-axis direction according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
4 is a diagram illustrating a patch and an electric field formed by the patch according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
5A and 5B show simulation results of antenna modules.
6A is a perspective view illustrating an antenna module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 6B is a view showing a lower surface of the lower patch of FIG. 6 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
7 shows simulation results of antenna modules.
8 is a diagram illustrating antenna modules according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
9A to 9C are diagrams illustrating antennas according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
10 is a block diagram illustrating an antenna and an RFIC according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
11 is a block diagram illustrating an RFIC according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
12 is a diagram illustrating an antenna module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
13 is a block diagram illustrating examples of a communication device including an antenna according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
14 shows examples of a communication device including an antenna according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a communication device 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1 , the communication device 10 may include an antenna 100 , and may communicate with a counterpart communication device in a wireless communication system by transmitting or receiving a signal through the antenna 100 , It may also be referred to as a communication device.

A wireless communication system in which the communication device 10 communicates with the counterpart communication device is, as a non-limiting example, a 5th generation wireless (5G) system, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, an LTE-Advanced system, and a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system. It may be a wireless communication system using a cellular network, such as a system, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) system, or the like, and may be a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system or any other wireless communication system. Hereinafter, a wireless communication system will be mainly described with reference to a wireless communication system using a cellular network, but it will be understood that exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the communication device 10 may include an antenna 100 , a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) 200 and a signal processor 300 , and the antenna 100 and the RFIC 200 . may be connected through a feed line 15 . In this specification, the antenna 100 may be referred to as an antenna module, and the antenna 100 and the feed line 15 may be collectively referred to as an antenna module. Also, the antenna 100 , the feed line 15 , and the RFIC 200 may be collectively referred to as an RF system or RF device.

The RFIC 200 may provide a signal generated by processing the transmit signal TX provided from the signal processor 300 in the transmit mode to the antenna 100 through the feed line 15 while in the receive mode. The received signal RX may be provided to the signal processor 300 by processing a signal received from the antenna 100 through the feed line 15 . For example, the RFIC 200 may include a transmitter, and the transmitter may include a filter, a mixer, and a power amplifier (PA). Also, the RFIC 200 may include a receiver, and the receiver may include a filter, a mixer, and a low noise amplifier (LNA). In some embodiments, the RFIC may include a plurality of transmitters and receivers, and the transmitter and receiver may include a combined transceiver.

The signal processor 300 may generate a transmission signal TX by processing a signal including information to be transmitted, and may generate a signal including information by processing a reception signal RX. For example, the signal processor 300 may include an encoder, a modulator, and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to generate the transmission signal TX. Also, the signal processor 300 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a demodulator, and a decoder to process the received signal RX. The signal processor 300 may generate a control signal for controlling the RFIC 200 , and may set a transmission mode or a reception mode through the control signal or adjust power and gain of components included in the RFIC 200 . can In some embodiments, the signal processor 300 may include one or more cores and a memory that stores instructions executed by the cores, and at least a portion of the signal processor 300 may include a software block stored in the memory. have. In some embodiments, the signal processor 300 may include a logic circuit designed through logic synthesis, and at least a portion of the signal processor 300 may include a hardware block implemented as a logic circuit.

A wireless communication system may define a high spectrum band for a high data rate. For example, the 5G cellular system (or 5G wireless system) officially designated as IMT-2020 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) specifies millimeter wave (mmWave) above 24 GHz. Millimeter wave (mmWave) enables wideband transmission and enables miniaturization of RF systems, i.e., antenna 100 and RFIC 200, as well as providing improved directivity, while being prone to attenuation. Reducing this attenuation can be important.

In order to mitigate signal attenuation due to the high frequency band, high transmit power may be required. According to the Friis transmission formula, the transmission power may be calculated as the product of the output power of the power amplifier and the gain of the antenna 100 . Due to the low power efficiency of the power amplifier included in the RFIC 200, increasing the power by the power amplifier may cause heat generation, power consumption, etc., so it may be important to obtain a high antenna gain in order to increase the transmit power. have. The antenna gain may be proportional to the size of the effective aperture area, but in the case of an application requiring space efficiency, such as a mobile phone, the effective aperture area may also be limited. As the antenna gain increases, the beam width output from the antenna 100 becomes narrower. A problem in which the communication range is reduced may occur.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna 100 may receive a differential signal from the RFIC 200 through two or more feed lines. Accordingly, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 4 , two signals having opposite phases are supplied to the spaced feeding points of the antenna 100 , thereby achieving high transmission power without reducing the performance of the antenna 100 . . Since the RFIC 200 may be manufactured by a semiconductor process, constraints for integrating circuits for generating a differential signal may be relatively weak.

2A-2C show examples of a layout of components of the communication device 10 of FIG. 1 according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, FIGS. 2A to 2C will be described with reference to FIG. 1 , and overlapping descriptions of FIGS. 2A to 2C will be omitted. In this specification, the mutually orthogonal X-axis direction and Y-axis direction may be referred to as a first horizontal direction and a second horizontal direction, respectively, and a plane formed of the X-axis and Y-axis may be referred to as a horizontal plane. Also, the area may refer to an area in a plane parallel to the horizontal plane, and a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, that is, the Z-axis direction, may be referred to as a vertical direction. A component disposed in the +Z-axis direction relative to other components may be referred to as being above other components, and a component disposed in the -Z-axis direction relative to other components may be referred to as being below other components. may be referred to. In addition, among the surfaces of the component, a surface in the +Z axis direction may be referred to as an upper surface of the component, and a surface in the -Z axis direction may be referred to as a lower surface of the component.

In a high frequency band such as a millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency band, most loss parameters may deteriorate, so the layouts of the antenna 100 and the RFIC 200 used in a low frequency band, for example, a band less than 6 GHz, are It may not be easy to hire them as they are. For example, the antenna feeding structure used in the low frequency band may significantly reduce the attenuation characteristics of the signal in the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency band, and reduce EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) and noise figure. Overall, it may deteriorate. Accordingly, in order to minimize signal attenuation by the feed line 15 of FIG. 1 , the antenna 100 and the RFIC 200 may be disposed extremely adjacently. In particular, a high space efficiency may be required in a mobile application such as a mobile phone, and accordingly, as illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2C , a system-in-package in which the antenna 100 is disposed on the RFIC 200 ( A System-in-Package (SiP) structure may be employed.

Referring to FIG. 2A , the communication device 10a may include an RF system 20a, a digital integrated circuit 13a, and a carrier board 500a, and the RF system is disposed on the upper surface of the carrier board 500a. 20a and the digital integrated circuit 13a may be mounted. The RF system 20a and the digital integrated circuit 13a may be communicatively connected to each other through conductive patterns formed on the carrier board 500a. In some embodiments, the carrier board 500a may be a printed circuit board (PCB). The digital integrated circuit 13a may include the signal processor 300 of FIG. 1 , and thus may transmit a transmit signal TX to the RFIC 200a or receive a receive signal RX from the RFIC 200a. Also, a control signal for controlling the RFIC 200a may be provided. In some embodiments, the digital integrated circuit 13a may include one or more cores and/or memory and may control the operation of the communication device 10a.

The RF system 20a may include an antenna module 100a and an RFIC 200a. The antenna module 100a may be referred to as an antenna package, and may include a substrate 120a and a conductor 110a formed on the substrate 120a as shown in FIG. 2A . For example, the antenna module 100a may include a ground plane parallel to a horizontal plane and a patch, as will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B , and from the RFIC 200a It may include a feed line for supplying a signal to the patch. The RFIC 200a may have an upper surface electrically connected to a lower surface of the antenna module 100a, and may be referred to as a radio die. In some embodiments, the antenna module 100a and the RFIC 200a may be connected through a controlled collapse chip connection (C4). The RF system 20a of FIG. 2A may be advantageous for heat dissipation and may have a stable structure.

Referring to FIG. 2B , the communication device 10b may include an RFIC 200b, a digital integrated circuit 13b, and a carrier board 500b, and an RFIC 200b and a digital integrated circuit on a lower surface of the carrier board 500b. The circuit 13b may be mounted. The RFIC 200b and the digital integrated circuit 13b may be communicatively connected to each other through conductive patterns formed on the carrier board 500b.

In the communication device 10b of FIG. 2B , the RF system 20b may include the antenna module 100b formed on the carrier board 500b and the RFIC 200b mounted on the lower surface of the carrier board 500b. As shown in FIG. 2B , the antenna module 100b may include a conductor 110b formed on the carrier board 500b, and a power supply formed on the carrier board 500b to which a signal is supplied from the RFIC 200b. It may contain lines. In the RF system 20b of FIG. 2B , the process of mounting the RF system 20b on the carrier board 500b can be omitted, and the substrate for the antenna is omitted, so that the height is reduced, that is, the length in the Z-axis direction is reduced. can have

Referring to FIG. 2C , the communication device 10c may include an RF system 20c , a carrier board 400 , and a digital integrated circuit 13c . As shown in FIG. 2C , the digital integrated circuit 13c may be mounted on the lower surface of the carrier board 400 , while the RF system 20c and the carrier board 400 may communicate with each other through a jumper 17 . can be connected

In the communication device 10c of FIG. 2C , the RF system 20c may include an antenna module 100c and an RFIC 200c mounted on a lower surface of the antenna module 100c. The antenna module 100c, as shown in FIG. 2c, may include an antenna board 120c and a conductor 110c formed on the board 120c, and the signal is supplied from the RFIC 200c, the antenna board. It may include a feeding line formed in (120c). In the RF system 20c of FIG. 2C , the substrate for the antenna may be omitted, and the RF system 20c and the carrier board 400 may be independently manufactured, so it may be advantageous in terms of productivity of the communication device 10c.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described primarily with reference to the RF system 20a of FIG. 2A , however, not only the examples shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C , but also any structure including an antenna module and an RFIC ( For example, it will be appreciated that it is also applicable to RF systems of a System-on-Chip (SoC).

3A is a perspective view illustrating an antenna module 30 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 3B is a Y-axis view of an RF system including the antenna module 30 of FIG. 3A according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. This is a side view looking in the direction. 3A and 3B show the antenna module 30 as an example of a patch antenna, and only some components of the antenna module 30 are shown for convenience of description.

Referring to Figure 3a, the antenna module 30 may include an upper patch (top-patch) 31 and a lower patch (bottom-patch) 32 disposed parallel to each other and spaced apart in the Z-axis direction, It is possible to provide radiation of electromagnetic waves in the +Z-axis direction. The upper patch 31 and the lower patch 32 may be made of a conductive material such as metal, and may have a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 3A . In some embodiments, differently as shown in FIG. 3A , at least one of the patches 31 , 32 may have a shape different from a rectangle, such as a circle, an ellipse, a rhombus, or the like. Although not shown in FIG. 3A , the antenna module 30 may further include a ground plate 33 under the lower patch 32 as shown in FIG. 3B , and in some embodiments the upper patch 31 . ) can be omitted.

The antenna module 30 may include a first port PORT1 and a second port PORT2 connected to the lower patch 32 . As shown in FIG. 3A , the first port PORT1 and the second port PORT2 may be spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction, and may each include a feeding line for supplying a signal to the lower patch 32 . . As will be described later with reference to FIG. 4 , the lower patch 32 may receive a differential signal from two feeding points spaced apart in the X-axis direction through the first port PORT1 and the second port PORT2 and , and thus can have high power efficiency.

Referring to FIG. 3B , the RFIC 200d may be mounted on the lower surface of the antenna module 30 , and the RFIC 200d is lower through the feed lines included in the first port PORT1 and the second port PORT2 . It is possible to provide a signal, ie, a differential signal, to the patch 32 . For example, as shown in FIG. 3B , the second port PORT2 may include a feed line 35 connected to the lower patch 32 and a plurality of buried vias 36 . have. The feed line 35 may include portions extending in the Z-axis direction (eg, vias) and portions extending in the X-axis direction (eg, a metal pattern). Feeding points where the feeding lines of the first port PORT1 and the second port PORT2 are connected to the lower patch 32 may be spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction.

The plurality of buried vias 36 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the feed line 35 . For example, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B , the plurality of buried vias 36 may be regularly disposed to be spaced apart from the feed line 35 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The plurality of buried vias 36 may be configured to apply a positive potential, and for example, as illustrated in FIG. 3B , the plurality of buried vias 36 may be connected to the ground plate 33 .

The first port PORT1 may also have the same or similar structure as the second port PORT2 , and in some embodiments, the first port PORT1 and the second port PORT2 may have a plane formed of the Z axis and the Y axis. It may have a symmetrical structure around a plane parallel to. In addition, the port structure shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is merely an example, and ports having a structure different from the structure shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B may be spaced apart in the X-axis direction in order to supply a differential signal to the patch. It is noted

The upper surface of the RFIC 200d may be electrically connected to the lower surface of the antenna module 30 through a plurality of paths. In some embodiments, the antenna module 30 and the RFIC may be interconnected in a flip chip manner. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B , a metalized pad 37 may be disposed on the lower surface of the antenna module 30 , and a solder ball 38 may be disposed on the pad 37 . have. The solder ball 38 may contact a connector composed of a conductor on the upper surface of the RFIC 200d. As described above, the RFIC 200d may be connected to the feed line 35 through a controlled collapse chip connection (C4) and may provide one of the differential signals to the feed line 35 . Also, the RFIC 200d may be connected to the ground plate 33 , and may apply a ground potential to the ground plate 33 or receive a ground potential from the ground plate 33 .

4 is a diagram illustrating a patch 42 and an electric field formed by the patch 42 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, the left side of FIG. 4 shows feeding points P1 and P2 connected to two feeding lines on the lower surface of the patch 42 , and the right side of FIG. 4 is between the patch 42 and the ground plate 43 . represents the electric field generated in

Referring to the left side of FIG. 4 , the patch 42 may have a rectangular shape, and may have a length L in the X-axis direction and a length W in the Y-axis direction. In some embodiments, the length L in the X-axis direction of the patch 42 may be half the wavelength of radiation by the differential signal. Two feeding lines may be connected on the lower surface of the patch 42 at the first feeding point P1 and the second feeding point P2 . The first feeding point P1 and the second feeding point P2 may be spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction, and the positions of the first feeding point P1 and the second feeding point P2 on the lower surface of the patch 42 are It may be determined by impedance matching. In some embodiments, the first feeding point P1 and the second feeding point P2 may be disposed proximate to a first centerline LY parallel to the X axis and crossing the center of the patch 42 . .

In the electric field distribution of the patch antenna, an electric field having an opposite phase may be formed at both ends around an axis to be fed. Accordingly, when two input signals having opposite phases, ie, a differential signal, are applied on the axis to be fed, higher power transmission may be possible without reducing the performance of the patch antenna. For example, as shown in the right side of FIG. 4 , due to the differential signal, a relatively high potential signal is applied to the first feeding point P1 and a relatively low potential signal is applied to the second feeding point P2 . When a signal is applied, an electric field having an opposite phase may be formed at both ends with respect to an axis crossing the first feeding point P1 and the second feeding point P2 , that is, an axis parallel to the X axis. Accordingly, compared with the single feed structure, the antenna gain can be maintained, while the EIRP can be doubled. In the following, favorable characteristics of antenna modules comprising two feeding lines for supplying a differential signal will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B.

5A and 5B show simulation results of antenna modules. Specifically, FIG. 5A shows simulation results of an antenna module 51 to which a differential signal is fed through two ports and an antenna module 52 to which a signal is fed through a single port, and FIG. 5B is through two ports. The results of simulating the antenna module 53 to which the differential signal is fed and the antenna module 54 including two patches each fed the signal through a single port are shown. Hereinafter, redundant content in the description of FIGS. 5A and 5B will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 5A , the antenna module 51 including a first port PORT1 and a second port PORT2 may be referred to as a dual-fed patch antenna, and a first port PORT1 . The antenna module 52 comprising only the antenna module 52 may be referred to as a single-fed patch antenna. Referring to the table of FIG. 5A , the dual-fed antenna module 51 has a higher antenna gain (ie, 6.52 dBi > 5.92) when compared to the single-feed antenna module 52 at the same power input (ie, 10 dBm). dBi). Also, EIRP and radiated power can be increased by about 3 dB or more without power combining loss.

Referring to FIG. 5B , the dual-fed antenna module 53 may include a first port PORT1 and a second port PORT2 connected to one lower patch. The antenna module 54 may include a first port PORT1 and a second port PORT2 connected to each of two sub-patches spaced apart in the Y-axis direction, and is referred to as a 1x2 patch array antenna. can be Referring to the table of FIG. 5B , the antenna module 53 has a reduced antenna gain but a smaller area ( That is, not only can it have 8mm x 8mm < 13mm x 8mm), but it can also provide a wider beamwidth according to the radiation pattern.

6A is a perspective view showing the antenna module 60 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 6B is a view showing a lower surface of the lower patch 62 of FIG. 6A according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 6A and 6B show the antenna module 60 as an example of a patch antenna, and only some components of the antenna module 60 are shown for convenience of description.

Referring to FIG. 6A , the antenna module 60 may include an upper patch 61 and a lower patch 62 disposed parallel to each other and spaced apart in the Z-axis direction, and provides radiation of electromagnetic waves in the +Z-axis direction. can do. Similar to the antenna module 30 of FIG. 3A , the upper patch 61 and the lower patch 62 may be made of a conductive material such as metal, and may have a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 6A . Although not shown in FIG. 6A , the antenna module 60 may further include a ground plate under the lower patch 62 , and in some embodiments, the upper patch 61 may be omitted.

The antenna module 60 may include four ports PORT1 to PORT4. As shown in FIG. 6A , the first port PORT1 and the second port POPRT2 may be spaced apart in the X-axis direction, while the third port PORT3 and the fourth port PORT4 are aligned in the Y-axis direction. can be spaced apart. In some embodiments, each of the four ports PORT1 to PORT4 may have the same or similar structure to the port structure described above with reference to FIG. 3B .

The lower patch 62 may receive the first differential signal through the first port PORT1 and the second port PORT2 spaced apart in the X-axis direction, and a third port PORT3 spaced apart in the Y-axis direction. and a second differential signal may be supplied through the fourth port PORT3. The RFIC (eg, 200a of FIG. 2A ) connected to the antenna module 60 may generate a first differential signal and a second differential signal and provide the first differential signal and the second differential signal to the antenna module 60 . Accordingly, the antenna module 60, as described above with reference to FIG. 4 , the first port PORT1 and the second port PORT2 for supplying the first differential signal as well as the second port for supplying the second differential signal Due to the third port PORT3 and the fourth port PORT4 , high power efficiency may be achieved. In addition, due to the first port (PORT1) and the second port (PORT2) spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction and the third port (PORT3) and the fourth port (PORT4) spaced apart from each other in the Y-axis direction, the antenna module ( 60) may provide dual-polarization.

Referring to FIG. 6B , the lower patch 62 may have a rectangular shape, and may have a length L1 in the X-axis direction and a length L2 in the Y-axis direction. The four feeding lines respectively included in the four ports PORT1 to PORT4 of FIG. 6A may be connected to the lower surface of the lower patch 62 at the four feeding points P1 to P4 . That is, the feeding line of the first port PORT1 may be connected to the lower patch 62 at the first feeding point P1 , and the feeding line of the second port PORT2 may be connected to the lower patch at the second feeding point P2 . may be connected to 62 , the feeding line of the third port PORT3 may be connected to the lower patch 62 at the third feeding point P3 , and the feeding line of the fourth port PORT4 may be connected to the fourth feeding point It may be connected to the lower patch 62 at (P4). Accordingly, as indicated by a solid circle in FIG. 6B , the first differential signal may be applied to the first feeding point P1 and the second feeding point P2 . Also, as indicated by a hollow circle in FIG. 6B , the second differential signal may be applied to the third feeding point P3 and the fourth feeding point P4 .

In some embodiments, the length L1 in the X-axis direction of the lower patch 62 may be half the wavelength of radiation by the first differential signal, and the length L2 in the Y-axis direction of the lower patch 62 is the second differential signal It may be half of the wavelength of radiation by The positions of the four feeding points P1 to P4 may be determined by impedance matching. In some embodiments, the first feeding point P1 and the second feeding point P2 may be disposed proximate to a first centerline LY parallel to the X axis and crossing the center of the lower patch 62 . have. In some embodiments, the third feeding point P3 and the fourth feeding point P4 may be disposed proximate to a second center line LX parallel to the Y axis and crossing the center of the lower patch 62 . have.

7 shows simulation results of antenna modules. Specifically, FIG. 7 shows simulation results of an antenna module 71 to which two differential signals are fed through four ports and an antenna module 72 to which signals are fed through a single port.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the antenna module 71 including a first port PORT1 , a second port PORT2 , a third port PORT3 and a fourth port PORT4 is dual-feed dual-polarized (dual). It may be referred to as a -fed dual-polarized patch antenna, and the antenna module 72 including only the first port PORT1 may be referred to as a single-fed patch antenna. Referring to the table of FIG. 7 , the dual-fed dual-polarized antenna module 71 has the same area (ie, 8 mm x 8 mm) as compared to the single-feed antenna module 52 at the same power input (ie, 10 dBm). ), and the EIRP and radiated power can be increased by about 3 dB or more without power coupling loss. Consequently, the simulation results show that the dual-feed structure can also be applied to dual-polarization applications without loss of power coupling.

8 is a diagram illustrating antenna modules according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 8 shows the antenna modules 82 and 83 having better characteristics than the antenna module 81 corresponding to the dual-polarized antenna.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the antenna module 81 may include four patches 81_1 to 81_4 , and each of the four patches 81_1 to 81_4 may have a single-fed double-polarization structure. For example, in each of the four patches 81_1 to 81_4, an electric field having a varying magnitude along a direction parallel to the X-axis may be formed by a signal applied to a feeding point indicated by a solid circle, while An electric field having a varying magnitude along a direction parallel to the Y-axis may be formed by a signal applied to a feeding point indicated by an empty circle.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 4, 5A and 5B, the antenna module of the dual-feed structure may have advantageous characteristics, and the antenna modules 82, 83 of the dual-feed structure may be configured according to the requirements of the application. can be hired For example, in the case of a communication device requiring high space efficiency, the antenna module 82 having a dual-feed dual-polarization 1x2 patch array structure may be used, and the antenna module 82 may be configured to operate the antenna module 81 at the same power input. ), it can have a reduced area while providing a similar EIRP. In addition, in the case of a communication device requiring high power efficiency and high radiated power, the antenna module 82 having a dual-feed dual-polarization 2x2 patch array structure may be used, and the antenna module 83 is configured to operate the antenna module at the same power input. Compared with (81), it is possible to provide a higher EIRP while having the same area. It will be understood that the antenna modules 82 and 83 of FIG. 8 are only examples, and antenna modules of a dual-feed structure including patches arranged in various ways may be employed according to an application.

9A to 9C are diagrams illustrating antennas according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 9A shows an antenna module 90a of a single-feed 1x2 patch array structure according to a comparative example, and FIGS. 9B and 9C show a dual-feed 1x2 patch array structure according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. An antenna module 90b and an antenna module 90c of a dual-feed single patch structure are shown.

Referring to FIG. 9A , each of the first patch 91a and the second patch 92a included in the antenna module 90a may receive a signal from one power amplifier through one feeding point. Referring to FIG. 9B , each of the first patch 91b and the second patch 92b included in the antenna module 90b may receive a differential signal from two power amplifiers through two feeding points. Referring to FIG. 9C , the first patch 91c included in the antenna module 90c may receive differential signals from two power amplifiers through two feeding points. In the example of FIGS. 9A to 9C , the length of the feed lines connected to the patch is the same, the power amplifiers each output power of 6 DBm, and each of the patches of the antenna modules 90a , 90b , 90c is 5 dBi It is assumed to provide an antenna gain of

The EIRP by the antenna module 90a of FIG. 9A may be calculated as shown in Equation 1 below.

In [Equation 1], a leading 10log ₁₀ 2 may correspond to two power amplifiers, and a following 10log ₁₀ 2 may correspond to two patches 91a and 92a.

The EIRP by the antenna module 90b of FIG. 9b may be calculated as in [Equation 2] below.

In [Equation 2], 10log ₁₀ 4 may correspond to four power amplifiers, and 20log ₁₀ 2 may correspond to two patches 91b and 92b. Accordingly, high EIRP can be achieved by the dual-feed structure in the same 1x2 patch array. On the other hand, in order to achieve reduced power consumption by the power amplifier, when the output power of the power amplifiers of FIG. 9B is lowered to 3 dBm, the EIRP by the antenna module 90b of FIG. 9B is calculated as below [Equation 3] can be calculated as follows, and thus the same EIRP as that of the antenna module 90a of FIG. 9A can be achieved.

The EIRP of the antenna module 90c of FIG. 9c may be calculated as in [Equation 4] below. Compared with the antenna module 90a of FIG. 9A, a reduction in EIRP occurs, but an area reduced by about 40% can be achieved by using only one patch.

10 is a block diagram illustrating an antenna 100' and an RFIC 200' according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 10 shows an antenna 100' including two dual-fed double-polarized patches 101 and 102 and an RFIC 200' including eight transceivers 221 to 228. show

The RFIC 200' may be connected through eight feed lines 15' corresponding to the eight ports of the antenna 100'. For example, as described above with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C , an antenna module including an antenna 100' and feed lines 15' may be disposed on the RFIC 200', and the RFIC ( At least one connection may be formed on the upper surface of 200' and the lower surface of the antenna module. Antenna 100' provides four differential signals from RFIC 200' via eight feed lines 15' that are respectively connected to eight feed points in the first patch 101 and second patch 102. can receive To this end, a pair of transceivers included in the RFIC 200 ′ may generate one differential signal, and accordingly, the eight transceivers 221 to 228 may generate four differential signals.

The switch/duplexer 220 may connect or disconnect the output terminals or input terminals of the eight transceivers 221 to 228 with the eight feed lines 15' according to the transmit mode or the receive mode. . For example, the switch/duplexer 220 may connect the output terminal of the first transceiver 221 with a first feed line among eight feed lines 15 ′ in the transmission mode, and The connection between the input terminal and the first feeding line may be disconnected. In addition, the switch/duplexer 220 may connect the input terminal of the first transceiver 221 with the first feed line in the reception mode, and disconnect the output terminal of the first transceiver 221 and the first feed line. have. An example of a transceiver included in the RFIC 200 ′ will be described below with reference to FIG. 11 .

11 is a block diagram illustrating an RFIC 200" according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 11 illustrates an example of transceivers included in the RFIC 200' of FIG. 10. See FIG. As described above, the first transceiver 221 ′ and the third transceiver 223 ′ of FIG. 11 may output a differential signal, and the switch/duplexer 220 ′ supplies the differential signal to the feed lines in the transmission mode. That is, the first transmission signal TX1 output from the first transceiver 221 ′ and the third transmission signal TX3 output from the third transceiver 223 ′ are separated by two in one patch. In addition, the first reception signal RX1 received by the first transceiver 221 ′ and the third reception signal RX3 received by the third transceiver 223 ′ are one It may be received from two spaced apart feed points in the patch.

Referring to FIG. 11 , the first transceiver 221 ′ may include a power amplifier 221_1 , a low noise amplifier 221_3 , and phase shifters 221_2 and 221_4 . Similarly, the third transceiver 223 ′ may also include a power amplifier 223_1 , a low noise amplifier 221_3 , and phase shifters 223_2 and 223_4 . In the transmission mode, the power amplifiers 221_1 and 223_1 of the first transceiver 221 ′ and the third transceiver 223 ′ may respectively output the first transmission signal TX1 and the third transmission signal TX3 . . In the reception mode, the low-noise amplifiers 221_3 and 223_3 of the first transceiver 221 ′ and the third transceiver 223 ′ may receive the first reception signal RX1 and the third reception signal RX3 , respectively. .

The phase shifters 221_2 and 221_4 of the first transceiver 221 ′ and the phase shifters 223_2 and 223_4 of the third transceiver 223 ′ may provide a phase difference of 180 degrees from each other. For example, the transmit phase shifter 221_2 of the first transceiver 221' may provide an output signal having a zero phase difference with respect to the input signal to the power amplifier 221_1, while the third transceiver ( The transmission phase shifter 223_2 of 223' transmits an output signal having a phase difference of 180 degrees with respect to the same input signal as the input signal provided to the transmission phase shifter 221_2 of the first transceiver 221' to the power amplifier 223_1. can provide Accordingly, the first transmission signal TX1 and the third transmission signal TX3 may have a phase difference of 180 degrees, and may constitute a differential signal. In addition, the reception phase shifter 221_4 of the first transceiver 221' may output a signal having a phase difference of zero with respect to the output signal of the low-noise amplifier 221_3, while the third transceiver 223' The reception phase shifter 223_4 of the may output a signal having a phase difference of 180 degrees with respect to the output signal of the low noise amplifier 223_3.

12 is a diagram illustrating an antenna module 100 ″ according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above with reference to the drawings, the antenna module 100 ″ has a plurality of feeding lines to which differential signals are supplied. may include patch antennas 111 to 114 respectively connected to the . Each of the patch antennas 111 to 114 may also be applied with two differential signals for dual-polarization.

Referring to FIG. 12 , the antenna module 100 ″ may include not only patch antennas 111 to 114 but also dipole antennas 121 to 124 . As such, the patch antennas 111 to 114 . ), the coverage can be extended by adding different types of antennas The arrangement of the patch antennas 111 to 114 and the dipole antennas 121 to 124 shown in FIG. It is noted that the antennas may be positioned differently than described.

13 is a block diagram illustrating examples of a communication device including an antenna according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 13 shows an example in which a base station 610 and a user equipment 620 wirelessly communicate in a wireless communication system 600 using a cellular network. The base station 610 and the user equipment 620 may include an antenna of a multi-feed structure, and may include an RFIC providing a differential signal.

The base station 610 may be a fixed station that communicates with user equipment and/or other base stations. For example, the base station 610 is a Node B, an evolved-Node B (eNB), a sector, a site, a base transceiver system (BTS), an access pint (AP), a relay node, It may be referred to as a remote radio head (RRH), a radio unit (RU), a small cell, and the like. The user equipment 620 may be fixed or mobile, and may communicate with a base station to transmit/receive data and/or control information. For example, the user equipment 620 may be a terminal equipment, a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), a user terminal (UT), a subscriber station (SS), a wireless device, or a portable device. (handheld device), etc. may be referred to.

As shown in FIG. 13 , the base station 610 and the user equipment 620 may each include a plurality of antennas, and may perform wireless communication through a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) channel 630 . Each of the plurality of antennas may have a multi-feed structure or a dual-polarization structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. A differential signal may be provided to the antenna by the RFIC, and the requirements of the base station 610 or the user equipment 620 in which the antenna is installed may be satisfied. For example, EIRP can be increased by doubling the RF path, and thus the antenna area (or form factor) can be reduced in half. In addition, improved EIRP can enable wide beams, DC power dissipation can be reduced in half, and complexity can be reduced in phase resolution. In addition, since more RF paths of the RFIC can be utilized, implementation of a millimeter wave (mmWave) antenna module can be facilitated using more relaxed transmit power. In addition, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a dual-polarized patch antenna may be easily implemented by applying two pairs of differential feeding structures to one patch antenna.

14 shows examples of a communication device including an antenna according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 14 shows an example in which various wireless communication devices communicate with each other in a wireless communication system using WLAN. Each of the various wireless communication devices shown in FIG. 14 may include a multi-feed antenna, and may include an RFIC that provides a differential signal to the multi-feed antenna.

The home device 721 , the home appliance 722 , the entertainment device 723 , and the AP 710 may constitute an Internet of Things (IoT) network system. Each of the home appliance 721 , the home appliance 722 , the entertainment device 723 , and the access point (AP) 710 may include a transceiver according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure as a component. The home device 721 , the home appliance 722 , and the entertainment device 723 may wirelessly communicate with the AP 710 , and the home device 721 , the home appliance 722 , and the entertainment device 723 may wirelessly communicate with each other. have.

Exemplary embodiments have been disclosed in the drawings and specification as described above. Although the embodiments have been described using specific terms in the present specification, these are used only for the purpose of explaining the technical spirit of the present disclosure and not used to limit the meaning or the scope of the present disclosure described in the claims. . Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Accordingly, the true technical protection scope of the present disclosure should be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims (20)

An RF device comprising a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) chip and an antenna module disposed on an upper surface of the RFIC chip,
The antenna module is
a first patch having a top surface parallel to the RFIC chip and configured to provide radiation in a direction perpendicular to the RFIC chip;
a ground plate parallel to the first patch between the first patch and the RFIC; and
a plurality of feed lines connected to a lower surface of the first patch and configured to supply a plurality of differential signal pairs from the RFIC chip to the first patch;
The plurality of feeding lines are,
a first feeding line and a second feeding line respectively connected to a first feeding point and a second feeding point on a lower surface of the first patch and configured to supply one of the plurality of differential signal pairs to the first patch; and
a third feeding line and a fourth feeding line respectively connected to a third feeding point and a fourth feeding point on a lower surface of the first patch and configured to supply the other one of the plurality of pairs of differential signals to the first patch including,
The first feeding point, the second feeding point, the third feeding point and the fourth feeding point are disposed for double polarization on the lower surface of the first patch,
Each of the plurality of differential signal pairs, RF device, characterized in that comprising two signals having opposite phases. The method according to claim 1,
The first feeding point and the second feeding point are RF device, characterized in that spaced apart in a first horizontal direction. 3. The method according to claim 2,
The first feeding point and the second feeding point are located adjacent to a first center line crossing the center of the first patch in the first horizontal direction. 3. The method according to claim 2,
The first feeding point and the second feeding point are RF device, characterized in that each is spaced apart by the same distance from the center of the first patch. 3. The method according to claim 2,
The first feeding line includes a portion extending in the first horizontal direction and a portion extending in the vertical direction,
The second feeding line, RF device, characterized in that it comprises a portion extending in the first horizontal direction and the portion extending in the vertical direction. 3. The method according to claim 2,
An upper surface and a lower surface of the first patch have a rectangular shape having a pair of sides parallel to the first horizontal direction. 3. The method according to claim 2,
The third feeding line and the fourth feeding point are spaced apart from each other in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. 8. The method of claim 7,
The third feeding point and the fourth feeding point are located adjacent to a second center line crossing the center of the first patch in the second horizontal direction. 8. The method of claim 7,
The third feeding point and the fourth feeding point are respectively spaced apart from the center of the first patch by the same distance. 8. The method of claim 7,
The third feeding line includes a portion extending in the second horizontal direction and a portion extending in the vertical direction,
The fourth feeding line, RF device, characterized in that it includes a portion extending in the second horizontal direction and the portion extending in the vertical direction. 8. The method of claim 7,
The antenna module is
a second patch spaced apart from the first patch in the first horizontal direction; and
and a plurality of feeding lines connected to a lower surface of the second patch and configured to supply at least one differential signal from the RFIC chip to the second patch. 12. The method of claim 11,
The antenna module is
a third patch spaced apart from the first patch in the second horizontal direction;
a fourth patch spaced apart from the second patch in the second horizontal direction; and
Further comprising a plurality of feeding lines respectively connected to the lower surfaces of the third patch and the fourth patch and configured to respectively supply at least one differential signal from the RFIC chip to the third patch and the fourth patch Characterized by RF devices. The method according to claim 1,
The antenna module, RF device characterized in that it further comprises a top patch (top-patch) parallel to the first patch on the top surface of the first patch. The method according to claim 1,
The RFIC comprises at least one phase shifter for generating the plurality of differential signal pairs. The method according to claim 1,
The RFIC, RF device, characterized in that it further comprises at least one phase shifter for processing the signals received through the plurality of feed lines. ground plate;
a first patch on the top surface of the ground plate and having a top surface parallel to the ground plate and configured to provide radiation in a direction perpendicular to the ground plate; and
a plurality of feed lines respectively connected to a plurality of feed points on a lower surface of the first patch and configured to supply a plurality of differential signal pairs to the first patch;
The plurality of feeding points are,
a first feeding point and a second feeding point spaced apart in a first horizontal direction for a first polarization;
a third feeding point and a fourth feeding point spaced apart in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction for a second polarization;
Antenna module, characterized in that each of the plurality of differential signal pairs, comprising two signals having opposite phases. 17. The method of claim 16,
The first feeding point and the second feeding point are located close to a first center line crossing the center of the first patch in the first horizontal direction,
The third feeding point and the fourth feeding point are located close to a second center line crossing the center of the first patch in the second horizontal direction. 17. The method of claim 16,
The first feeding point and the second feeding point are spaced apart from each other by the same distance from the center of the first patch,
The third feeding point and the fourth feeding point are respectively spaced apart from the center of the first patch by the same distance. 17. The method of claim 16,
a second patch spaced apart from the first patch in the first horizontal direction; and
The antenna module further comprising a plurality of feeding lines respectively connected to a plurality of feeding points on the lower surface of the second patch. 20. The method of claim 19,
a third patch spaced apart from the first patch in the second horizontal direction;
a fourth patch spaced apart from the second patch in the second horizontal direction; and
The antenna module further comprising a plurality of feeding lines respectively connected to a plurality of feeding points on lower surfaces of the third patch and the fourth patch.

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