WO2022264415A1

WO2022264415A1 - Antenna device and wireless communication device

Info

Publication number: WO2022264415A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/023243
Authority: WO
Inventors: 聡史 ▲崎▼田
Original assignee: Ｆｃｎｔ株式会社
Priority date: 2021-06-18
Filing date: 2021-06-18
Publication date: 2022-12-22
Also published as: JPWO2022264415A1

Abstract

Provided are an antenna device and a wireless communication device capable of expanding the millimeter waveband coverage range relative to the prior art. The antenna device is provided with: a plurality of aligned patch antennas for emitting millimeter waveband radio waves; and, for each of the plurality of patch antennas, a set of parasitic elements disposed so as to sandwich the patch antenna. Each of a first set of parasitic elements disposed so as to sandwich a first patch antenna among the plurality of patch antennas is provided outside a region that overlaps a second set of parasitic elements in a directional view of a center line connecting the centers of each of the second set of parasitic elements, which are disposed so as to sandwich a second patch antenna disposed next to the first patch antenna.

Description

Antenna device and wireless communication device

The present invention relates to an antenna device and a wireless communication device.

In recent years, the spread of the 5th generation mobile communication system (5G) has been promoted in order to realize a faster communication environment. Therefore, an antenna device that performs communication in the millimeter wave band used in 5G is installed in wireless communication devices such as smartphones. Such an antenna device employs, for example, a patch antenna (see

Patent Documents

1 and 2, for example).

Because the spatial propagation attenuation of millimeter-wave band radio waves is greater than that of Long Term Evolution (LTE, 4G) radio waves that have been used in the past, the above antenna device uses an array antenna in which multiple patch antennas are aligned. often formed. Forming an array antenna increases the peak intensity of radio waves (beams) emitted from the antenna device, but reduces the coverage range that can be covered by the antenna device. Therefore, the array antenna compensates for the decrease in the coverage range by scanning the peak direction of the beam by beamforming. Further, the prior art discloses that the directivity is controlled by changing the reactance of a parasitic element arranged around a single patch antenna.

JP 2009-246460 A JP 2012-120150 A

When parasitic elements are placed in a conventional array antenna to control the directivity in a direction different from beamforming, the adjacent parasitic elements are capacitively coupled, resulting in the intended directivity. There was a problem that it could not be controlled and desired characteristics could not be obtained. Therefore, there is room for improvement in expanding the coverage range of the millimeter wave band.

One aspect of the disclosed technology aims to provide an antenna device and a wireless communication device that can expand the coverage range of the millimeter wave band more than before.

One aspect of the disclosed technique is exemplified by the following antenna device. This antenna device includes a plurality of aligned patch antennas for emitting radio waves in a millimeter wave band, and a set of parasitic elements arranged to sandwich the patch antenna for each of the plurality of patch antennas. . Each of the first set of parasitic elements arranged to sandwich the first patch antenna among the plurality of patch antennas sandwiches the second patch antenna arranged next to the first patch antenna. When viewed from the direction of the center line connecting the centers of the second set of parasitic elements arranged in the manner described above, the second set of parasitic elements is provided outside the region overlapping with the second set of parasitic elements.

According to the disclosed technology, the coverage range of the millimeter wave band can be expanded.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an antenna device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an antenna of the antenna device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship of antennas arranged adjacent to each other. FIG. 4 is a first diagram showing variations in which the angle between the alignment direction of the antenna and the arrangement direction of the conductor elements is changed. FIG. 5 is a second diagram showing a variation in which the angle between the alignment direction of the antenna and the arrangement direction of the conductor elements is changed. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the intensity distribution of radio waves radiated by the antenna of the antenna device according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a first diagram illustrating the intensity distribution (dBi) of radio waves radiated by the antenna when the phase of the conductor element is changed. FIG. 8 is a second diagram illustrating the intensity distribution (dBi) of radio waves radiated by the antenna when the phase of the conductor element is changed. FIG. 9 is a third diagram illustrating the intensity distribution (dBi) of radio waves radiated by the antenna when the phase of the conductor element is changed. FIG. 10 is a fourth diagram illustrating the intensity distribution (dBi) of radio waves radiated by the antenna when the phase of the conductor element is changed. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a radiation pattern of an antenna according to the embodiment; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a conductor element provided with control elements exemplified by inductors and capacitors. FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing a conductor element provided with a control element. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an antenna device according to a comparative example; FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the intensity distribution of radio waves radiated by the patch antenna of the antenna device according to the comparative example. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a radiation pattern of a patch antenna in a comparative example; FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the intensity distribution (dBi) of radio waves radiated by the patch antenna of the antenna device according to the comparative example. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the relationship between the coverage range and the gain of the antenna device according to the comparative example. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the relationship between the coverage range and gain of the antenna device according to the embodiment. FIG. 20 is a table comparing coverage ranges and gains of the antenna device according to the comparative example and the antenna device according to the embodiment based on FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a smartphone in which an antenna device according to a comparative example is mounted; FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a smart phone on which the antenna device according to this embodiment is mounted. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna device according to a first modified example. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna device according to a second modified example. FIG. 25 is a first diagram showing a variation in which the angle between the alignment direction of the antennas and the arrangement direction of the conductor elements is changed in the second modification. FIG. 26 is a second diagram showing a variation in which the angle between the alignment direction of the antennas and the arrangement direction of the conductor elements is changed in the second modification.

<Embodiment>
The configuration of the embodiment shown below is an example, and the disclosed technology is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment. An antenna device according to an embodiment has, for example, the following configuration. An antenna device according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of aligned patch antennas for emitting radio waves in the millimeter wave band, and a set of parasitic elements arranged so as to sandwich the patch antenna for each of the plurality of patch antennas. And prepare. Each of the first set of parasitic elements arranged to sandwich the first patch antenna among the plurality of patch antennas sandwiches the second patch antenna arranged next to the first patch antenna. When viewed from the direction of the center line connecting the centers of the second set of parasitic elements arranged in the manner described above, the second set of parasitic elements is provided outside the region overlapping with the second set of parasitic elements.

According to such an antenna device, the direction of beamforming in each patch antenna can be changed to the direction of the center line connecting the centers of a pair of parasitic elements. Further, each of the parasitic elements of the first set is provided outside the region overlapping the parasitic elements of the second set when viewed in the direction of the center line connecting the centers of the parasitic elements of the second set, The gain of the patch antenna can be improved by arranging the parasitic element. Therefore, according to this antenna device, the coverage range of the millimeter wave band can be expanded. In addition, in the above antenna device, "aligning" is not limited to aligning in one line, and may be aligning in two or more lines.

The above antenna device will be further described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna device 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the antenna device 1. FIG. The antenna device 1 includes a substrate 20 and a plurality of antennas 10 arranged on the substrate 20 . The antenna device 1 is an array antenna in which a plurality of antennas 10 are arranged in a line.

The substrate 20 is, for example, a printed circuit board. A ground plane is formed on the surface of the substrate 20 on which the antennas 10 are aligned. Four antennas 10 are arranged in a row on the substrate 20 . Although four antennas 10 are aligned on the substrate 20 in FIG. 1, the number of antennas 10 aligned on the substrate 20 is not limited to four, and may be three or less, or five. or more.

Antenna 10 includes patch antenna 11 , feeding point 12 and conductor element 13 . The patch antenna 11 receives power from the feeding point 12 and emits radio waves. The patch antenna 11 is, for example, square in plan view. The antennas 10 are aligned at regular intervals along the alignment direction L1. Each of the antennas 10 is arranged at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the alignment direction L1 in which the antennas 10 are arranged. As a result, of the four vertices of patch antenna 11, a pair of vertices P1 and P2 that do not share a side are arranged in alignment direction L1. That is, the pair of vertices P1 and P2 that do not share the sides of the patch antenna 11 are aligned in the alignment direction L1. The alignment interval D1 of the patch antennas 11 is substantially equal to the wavelength λ of radio waves emitted by the patch antennas 11, for example.

The conductor element 13 is a parasitic element made of a conductor such as metal. The conductor element 13 is formed, for example, in a rectangular shape in plan view, and the length of the long side is approximately equal to the length of one side of the antenna 10 . The conductor element 13 is arranged so as to sandwich the patch antenna 11 with its long side facing the patch antenna 11 . Therefore, in each antenna 10, the conductor element 13, the patch antenna 11, and the conductor element 13 are arranged in this order along the arrangement direction L2 inclined by 45 degrees with respect to the alignment direction L1. The arrangement direction L2 can be said to be the direction of a line segment connecting the centers of the conductor element 13, the patch antenna 11, and the conductor element 13 in each of the antennas 10, for example.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the antenna 10 of the antenna device 1 according to the embodiment. 2A is a plan view of the antenna 10, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the antenna 10. FIG. FIG. 2A also shows the alignment direction L1. A side length S1 of one side of the antenna 10 is approximately equal to λ/2. As can be understood by referring to FIG. 2B, each of the conductor elements 13 is arranged in the radio wave emitting direction of the patch antenna 11 rather than the patch antenna 11 . Each of the conductor elements 13 is provided in a direction of 45 degrees with respect to the normal line N1 of the patch antenna 11 and at a distance of λ/4 from the patch antenna 11 . That is, the angle θ formed by the normal N1 and the line segment L3 connecting the center of the patch antenna 11 and the center of the conductor element 13 is 45 degrees, and the length of the line segment L3 is λ/4. By thus arranging the patch antenna 11 and the conductor element 13 along the arrangement direction L2, the polarization direction of the antenna device 1 can be set along the arrangement direction L2. That is, in the antenna device 1, the beam scanning direction by beamforming can be shifted from the alignment direction L1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship of the antennas 10 arranged side by side. FIG. 3 also shows an extension region R1 formed by extending the short side of the conductor element 13 which is rectangular in plan view. The extension region R1 can be said to be a region that overlaps with the set of conductor elements 13 when viewed from the direction of the center line connecting the centers of the set of conductor elements 13 arranged to sandwich the antenna 10 . The conductor element 13 in each of the antennas 10 is arranged outside the extension region R1 of the adjacent antenna 10 .

Here, the arrangement of the conductor elements 13 will be considered. 4 and 5 are diagrams showing variations in which the angle between the alignment direction L1 of the antenna 10 and the arrangement direction L2 of the conductor element 13 is changed. In FIG. 4A, the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 0 degrees, and in FIG. 4B, the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 15 degrees. In FIG. 5A, the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 30 degrees, in FIG. 5B the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 60 degrees, and in FIG. The angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 75 degrees. 4 and 5, the extension region R1 for one conductor element 13 is illustrated to avoid complication of the drawings, but the extension region R1 extends to all the conductor elements 13 as illustrated in FIG. formed about.

When the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 0 degrees (FIG. 4A) and 15 degrees (FIG. 4B), the conductor element 13 of a certain antenna 10 is the extended area of the adjacent antenna 10. Conductive element 13 is arranged in R1. In such an arrangement, the conductor elements 13 of adjacent antennas have parasitic capacitance, which may reduce the gain of the patch antenna 11 . On the other hand, when the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 30 degrees (FIG. 5A), 45 degrees (FIG. 3), 60 degrees (FIG. 5B), and 75 degrees (FIG. 5C). In some cases, the conductor element 13 of one antenna 10 is arranged outside the extension region R1 of the adjacent antenna 10 . By arranging them in this manner, the gain of the patch antenna 11 is improved because the conductor elements 13 of adjacent antennas do not have parasitic capacitance. That is, in order to improve the gain of the antenna device 1 by arranging the conductor element 13, it is preferable that the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 30 degrees or more.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the intensity distribution of radio waves radiated by the antenna 10 of the antenna device 1 according to the embodiment. As can be understood by referring to FIG. 6, the peak direction of the radio waves radiated by the antenna 10 is in the direction of the polar angle of 30 degrees and the azimuth angle of 270 degrees.

7 to 10 are diagrams illustrating intensity distributions (dBi) of radio waves radiated by the antenna 10 when the phase of the conductor element 13 is changed when scanning the beam in the alignment direction L1. 7 to 10, the vertical axis indicates the polar angle in three-dimensional polar coordinates, and the horizontal axis indicates the azimuth angle. That is, in FIGS. 7 to 10, the range larger than 90 degrees polar angle (upper side of the drawing) indicates the back side of the substrate 20, and the range smaller than 90 degrees polar angle (lower side of the drawing) indicates the front side of the substrate 20 (the antenna 10). side). FIG. 7 illustrates a case where two conductor elements 13 included in the antenna 10 have the same phase. FIG. 8 illustrates a case where two conductor elements 13 included in the antenna 10 are out of phase. FIG. 9 illustrates a case where two conductor elements 13 included in the antenna 10 are out of phase when the phase advance and phase delay are reversed from those in FIG. FIG. 10 illustrates a case where the intensity distributions of radio waves illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9 are synthesized. As can be understood with reference to FIG. 10, by controlling the phase of the conductor element 13, the peak direction of the radio waves emitted by the antenna 10 can be controlled.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the radiation pattern of the antenna 10 according to the embodiment. The arrow A1 illustrates the direction in which the patch antenna 11 radiates strongly without the conductor element 13 . Arrows A2 and A3 illustrate directions in which the antenna 10 radiates strongly. The directions of the arrows A2 and A3 are changed by changing the inductance and reactance of the conductor element 13 . That is, the antenna 10 can control the phase of the conductor element 13 by changing the inductance and reactance of the conductor element 13, thereby controlling the radiation direction of strong radio waves.

In order to control the phase of the conductor element 13, for example, an inductor or a capacitor may be provided in the conductor element 13. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a conductor element 13 provided with a control element 131 exemplified by an inductor or a capacitor. FIG. 12A shows a plan view of the antenna 10 provided with the control element 131. FIG. 12(B) shows a side view of the antenna 10 provided with the control element 131 from the direction of the arrow in FIG. 12(A). If the conductor element 13 is provided with the control element 131 , a control line 132 for controlling the control element 131 is connected to the conductor element 13 . The control signal from the control line 132 can control the reactance and inductance of the control element 131 . Here, by arranging the control line 132 in a direction orthogonal to the substrate 20, a decrease in the gain of the patch antenna 11 is suppressed.

FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing the conductor element 13 provided with the control element 131. FIG. FIG. 13A schematically shows conductor element 13 provided with variable inductor 1311 as control element 131 . FIG. 13B schematically shows conductor element 13 provided with variable capacitor 1312 as control element 131 . As illustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the variable inductor 1311 and the variable capacitor 1312 may be provided in the middle of the conductor element 13, for example. By controlling the inductance of the variable inductor 1311 and the capacitance of the variable capacitor 1312 (that is, controlling the reactance) with a control signal from the control line 132, the beam peak direction of the antenna 10 can be controlled.

<Comparative example>
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna device 500 according to a comparative example. The antenna device 500 differs from the antenna device 1 according to the embodiment in that the patch antennas 11 are arranged without being inclined with respect to the alignment direction L1 in which the patch antennas 11 are arranged, and that the conductor element 13 is not provided. Antenna device 500 is an array antenna in which patch antennas 11 are arranged in a row.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the intensity distribution of radio waves radiated by the patch antenna 11 of the antenna device 500 according to the comparative example. It can be understood that the patch antenna 11 of the antenna device 500 radiates strong radio waves in the direction of the 0 degree polar angle. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a radiation pattern of patch antenna 11 in a comparative example. The antenna device 500 can scan the peak direction of radio waves in a direction along the alignment direction L1 by beamforming. That is, the antenna device 500 can scan the peak direction of radio waves in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 20 .

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the intensity distribution (dBi) of radio waves radiated by the patch antenna 11 of the antenna device 500 according to the comparative example when scanning the beam in the alignment direction L1. In FIG. 17, the vertical axis indicates polar angles in three-dimensional polar coordinates, and the horizontal axis indicates azimuth angles. That is, in FIG. 17, the range larger than 90 degrees polar angle (upper side of the figure) shows the back side of the substrate 20, and the range smaller than 90 degrees polar angle (lower side of the figure) shows the front side of the substrate 20 (where the patch antenna 11 is arranged). side).

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the relationship between the coverage range and gain of the antenna device 500 according to the comparative example. Also, FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the relationship between the coverage range and the gain of the antenna device 1 according to the embodiment. The vertical axis in FIGS. 18 and 19 indicates the coverage range, and the horizontal axis indicates the gain. 18 and 19, the coverage range is indicated by a cumulative distribution function (CDF). 20 is a table comparing coverage ranges and gains of the antenna device 500 according to the comparative example and the antenna device 1 according to the embodiment based on FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. In the antenna device 500 according to the comparative example, −16.3 dBi at a CDF gain of 20%, −7.1 dBi at a CDF gain of 50%, and a maximum gain of 14.3 dBi. On the other hand, the antenna device 1 according to the embodiment has −11.1 dBi at a CDF gain of 20%, −3.5 dBi at a CDF gain of 50%, and a maximum gain of 14.2 dBi. That is, it can be understood that the antenna device 1 according to the present embodiment has a wider coverage range that achieves a higher gain than the antenna device 500 according to the comparative example.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a smartphone in which the antenna device 500 according to the comparative example is mounted. In FIG. 21 , the housing of the smartphone that is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is indicated by a dotted line, and the antenna device 500 mounted inside the housing is indicated by a solid line. In FIG. 21, three antenna devices 500 are mounted on the smart phone. Two antenna devices 500 out of the antenna devices 500 mounted on the smart phone are arranged with the emission direction of radio waves facing the side surface of the housing. One antenna device 500 among the antenna devices 500 mounted on the smart phone is arranged with the emission direction of radio waves facing the bottom surface of the housing. As described above, the antenna device 500 scans the peak direction of the beam along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 20 . Therefore, for example, the antenna device 500 arranged with the radio wave emitting direction facing the side surface of the housing cannot scan the peak direction in the thickness direction of the housing.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a smartphone 300 on which the antenna device 1 according to this embodiment is mounted. In the antenna device 1 according to the embodiment, as described above, the beam scanning direction by beamforming can be shifted from the alignment direction L1. Therefore, when the antenna device 1 is mounted on the smartphone 300, even if the antenna device 1 is arranged so that the emission direction of radio waves faces the side surface of the housing, it is possible to scan the peak direction in the thickness direction of the housing. It becomes possible.

<Action and effect of the embodiment>
According to this embodiment, by arranging the conductor element 13, the direction of beamforming of the antenna device 1 can be changed from the direction along the alignment direction L1 to the direction along the arrangement direction L2. Therefore, the antenna device 1 according to the present embodiment can cover a range that could not be covered by beamforming by the antenna device 500 according to the comparative example.

As described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, the antenna device 1 including the conductor element 13 has a wider high-gain range than the antenna device 500 according to the comparative example. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the coverage range of the antenna device 1 can be improved.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, if the conductor element 13 is arranged within the extension region R1, the gain of the patch antenna 11 may decrease. In this embodiment, in each of the antennas 10, the conductor element 13 is arranged outside the extension region R1 of the antenna 10 arranged next to it. By arranging the conductor element 13 in this way, not only is the decrease in the gain of the patch antenna 11 due to the provision of the conductor element 13 suppressed, but also the coverage of the antenna device 11 is reduced as described with reference to FIG. Improved range.

<First modification>
In the embodiment described above, by inclining the arrangement direction L2 with respect to the alignment direction L1, the conductor elements 13 of the adjacent antennas 10 are arranged outside the extension region R1. In the first modified example, an example will be described in which the conductor elements 13 of the adjacent antennas 10 are arranged outside the extension region R1 in a different arrangement from the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the antenna device 1a according to the first modified example. FIG. 23 is a plan view of the antenna device 1a. In the antenna device 1a, the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 are parallel. That is, the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 0 degrees. In the antenna device 1a, by shifting the positions of the adjacent antennas 10 in the height direction of the substrate 20, the conductor elements 13 of the adjacent antennas 10 are arranged outside the extension region R1. Such an arrangement also improves the coverage of patch antenna 11 by providing conductor element 13 .

<Second modification>
In the embodiments described above, the case where there is one plane of polarization has been described. In the second modified example, a case where there are two planes of polarization will be described. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna device 1b according to a second modified example. FIG. 24 is a plan view of the antenna device 1b. In the antenna device 1 according to the embodiment, a pair of conductor elements 13 are arranged so as to sandwich the patch antenna 11 . An antenna device 1b according to the second modification includes an antenna 10a in which two sets of conductor elements 13 are arranged to sandwich a patch antenna 11 therebetween. The arrangement direction L2 of one set of conductor elements 13 arranged so as to sandwich the patch antenna 11 and the arrangement direction L4 of the other set of conductor elements 13 are orthogonal to each other. By arranging two sets of conductor elements 13 so that the arrangement direction L2 and the arrangement direction L4 are perpendicular to each other, the antenna device 1b can support two polarization planes. That is, the antenna device 1b can scan the beamforming peak direction in the arrangement direction L2 and the arrangement direction L4.

Here, the arrangement of the two sets of conductor elements 13 will be considered. 25 and 26 are diagrams showing variations in which the angle between the alignment direction L1 of the antenna 10 and the arrangement direction L2 of the conductor element 13 is changed. In FIG. 25A, the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 0 degrees, and in FIG. 25B the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 15 degrees. The angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 30 degrees in FIG. 26(A), the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 60 degrees in FIG. The angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 75 degrees. 25 and 26 each show the extension region R1 for one conductor element 13 in order to avoid complication of the drawings. formed about.

When the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 0 degrees (FIG. 25(A)), 15 degrees (FIG. 25(B)), and 75 degrees (FIG. 26(C)), the conductor element of a certain antenna 10a A conductor element 13 is arranged in an extension region R1 of the adjacent antenna 10a. Therefore, the gain of the patch antenna 11 may be reduced due to the influence of the conductor element 13 . On the other hand, when the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 30 degrees (FIG. 26(A)), 45 degrees (FIG. 24), and 60 degrees (FIG. 26(B)), the conductor element of a certain antenna 10a A conductive element 13 is arranged outside the extension region R1 of the adjacent antenna 10a. Therefore, the gain of the patch antenna 11 is improved even if the conductor element 13 is arranged. That is, in order to improve the gain of the antenna device 1b by arranging the conductor element 13, it is preferable that the angle between the alignment direction L1 and the arrangement direction L2 is 30 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less.

<Other variations>
Although the rectangular patch antenna 11 is employed in the embodiments and modifications described above, the patch antenna 11 may have other shapes. The patch antenna 11 may be circular, triangular, or polygonal with pentagons or more, for example.

The embodiments and modifications disclosed above can be combined.

REFERENCE SIGNS

LIST

1, 1a,

1b Antenna device

10, 10a Antenna 11 Patch antenna 12 Feeding point 13 Conductor element 20 Substrate 131 Control element 132 Control line 300 Smart phone 500 Antenna device 1311 Variable inductor 1312 Variable capacitor L1 Alignment direction L2 Arrangement direction L3 Line segment L4 Arrangement direction D1 Alignment interval S1 Side length N1 Normal R1・Extension area P1, P2 ・・・ Vertex A1, A2, A3 ・・・ Arrow

Claims

a plurality of aligned patch antennas that emit millimeter waveband radio waves;
a set of parasitic elements arranged to sandwich the patch antenna for each of the plurality of patch antennas;
Each of the first set of parasitic elements arranged to sandwich the first patch antenna among the plurality of patch antennas sandwiches the second patch antenna arranged next to the first patch antenna. Provided outside the region overlapping the second set of parasitic elements when viewed from the direction of the center line connecting the centers of the second set of parasitic elements arranged in such a manner,
antenna device.
The angle between the center line connecting the centers of the first set of parasitic elements and the direction in which the plurality of patch antennas are aligned is 30 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less.
The antenna device according to claim 1.
The first set of parasitic elements is provided in the emission direction of radio waves emitted from the first patch antenna,
the length of each line segment connecting the center of each of the first set of parasitic elements and the center of the first patch antenna is 1/2 wavelength of the radio wave;
The angle between the normal line of the first patch antenna and each of the line segments is 45 degrees,
The antenna device according to claim 1 or 2.
Each of the parasitic elements is provided with a variable capacitor or a variable inductor,
The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The first patch antenna is formed in a rectangular shape,
A pair of vertices that do not share a side among the vertices of the first patch antenna are aligned in the direction in which the plurality of patch antennas are aligned.
The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
each of the plurality of patch antennas is formed in a rectangular shape,
The length of one side of the plurality of rectangular patch antennas is half the wavelength of the radio waves emitted from each of the plurality of patch antennas.
The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
An interval between each of the plurality of patch antennas is equal to a wavelength of radio waves emitted from each of the plurality of patch antennas,
The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
For each of the plurality of patch antennas, further comprising a set of additional parasitic elements arranged so as to sandwich the patch antenna from a direction different from the set of parasitic elements,
The antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
An antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
wireless communication device.