阅读说明：本技术 Mimo天线阵列及通信设备 (MIMO antenna array and communication equipment ) 是由 闫小捷 李笑天 安涛 田广中 马瑞峰 于 2020-05-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供了一种MIMO天线阵列及通信设备,涉及基站天线的技术领域,该MIMO天线阵列,包括：沿第一方向相互咬合连接的第一子阵和第二子阵；第一子阵和第二子阵相咬合的位置形成多个咬合点；且,第一子阵和第二子阵对应各咬合点均设置有阵元,阵元均包括多个辐射单元,用于进行信号辐射。本发明提供的MIMO天线阵列及通信设备,通过第一子阵和第二子阵沿第一方向相互咬合连接,形成MIMO的方式,能够使整个天线整个更加紧凑,有助于实现天线的小型化发展。(The invention provides an MIMO antenna array and communication equipment, which relate to the technical field of base station antennas, and the MIMO antenna array comprises: the first subarray and the second subarray are meshed and connected with each other along a first direction; a plurality of occlusion points are formed at the occlusion positions of the first subarray and the second subarray; and the first subarray and the second subarray are provided with array elements corresponding to the respective bite points, and each array element comprises a plurality of radiation units and is used for carrying out signal radiation. According to the MIMO antenna array and the communication equipment provided by the invention, the first subarray and the second subarray are mutually meshed and connected along the first direction to form an MIMO mode, so that the whole antenna is more compact, and the miniaturization development of the antenna is facilitated.)

1. A MIMO antenna array, comprising: the first subarray and the second subarray are meshed and connected with each other along a first direction;

the first subarray and the second subarray are meshed to form a plurality of meshing points;

and the first subarray and the second subarray are provided with array elements corresponding to the respective bite points, and each array element comprises a plurality of radiation units and is used for carrying out signal radiation.

2. A MIMO antenna array according to claim 1, wherein the sum of the number of radiating elements of the first and second sub-arrays at different bite points is equal.

3. A MIMO antenna array according to claim 2, wherein the array elements comprise a plurality of the radiating elements arranged in a second direction across the array elements, wherein the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction.

4. A MIMO antenna array according to claim 3, wherein the elements of the first sub-array comprise a plurality of first elements and a plurality of second elements;

wherein the number of the radiation elements included in the first array element is greater than the number of the radiation elements included in the second array element;

the first array elements and the second array elements are alternately arranged on the first subarray along the first direction;

and the first array element and the second array element respectively correspond to the adjacent bite points.

5. A MIMO antenna array as claimed in claim 4, wherein the elements of the second sub-array comprise a plurality of third elements and a plurality of fourth elements;

wherein the number of the radiation elements included in the third array element is less than the number of the radiation elements included in the fourth array element;

the third array elements and the fourth array elements are alternately arranged on the second subarray along the first direction;

and the third array element and the fourth array element respectively correspond to the adjacent bite points.

6. A MIMO antenna array as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sum of the number of the radiating elements comprised in the first and third array elements corresponding to the same occlusion point is equal to the sum of the number of the radiating elements comprised in the second and fourth array elements corresponding to the adjacent occlusion point.

7. A MIMO antenna array according to claim 1, wherein the MIMO antenna array further comprises an input-output port;

wherein the input/output ports are disposed on the first subarray and the second subarray, and are located along an edge of the first direction.

8. A MIMO antenna array as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first array element, or a plurality of the radiating elements comprised in the second array element, is spaced apart by 0.6 wavelength in the second direction;

in the adjacent first array element and the second array element, the vertical distance between two adjacent radiation units in the first direction is 0.85 wavelength.

9. A MIMO antenna array as claimed in claim 5, wherein the third array element, or a plurality of the radiating elements comprised in the fourth array element, are spaced apart by 0.6 wavelength in the second direction;

in the adjacent third array element and the adjacent fourth array element, the vertical distance between two adjacent radiation units in the first direction is 0.85 wavelength.

10. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device is provided with a MIMO antenna array according to any of claims 1-9.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of base station antennas, in particular to a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna array and communication equipment.

Background

With the rapid development of mobile communication, spectrum resources and space resources are increasingly tense, and operators begin to deeply plough a single low-frequency and high-frequency network, so that MIMO (multiple-in multiple-out) antennas become the main requirements of operators, and the MIMO antennas can fully utilize the space of a base station, arrange multi-surface antennas, and improve the utilization rate of spectrum resources.

However, in the conventional MIMO antenna, when a multi-surface antenna is used in a layout, the problem of horizontal plane side lobe interference is conspicuous, and at the same time, the conventional MIMO antenna often occupies a large space and is difficult to be disposed in a miniaturized manner.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a MIMO antenna array and a communication device, so as to alleviate the above technical problems.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a MIMO antenna array, including: the first subarray and the second subarray are meshed and connected with each other along a first direction; the first subarray and the second subarray are meshed to form a plurality of meshing points; and the first subarray and the second subarray are provided with array elements corresponding to the respective bite points, and each array element comprises a plurality of radiation units and is used for carrying out signal radiation.

Preferably, in a preferred embodiment, the sum of the numbers of the radiation units of the first subarray and the second subarray at different bite points is equal.

Preferably, in a preferred embodiment, the array element comprises a plurality of the radiation elements arranged along the second direction on the array element; wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

Preferably, in a preferred embodiment, the array elements of the first sub-array include a plurality of first array elements and a plurality of second array elements; wherein the number of the radiation elements included in the first array element is greater than the number of the radiation elements included in the second array element; the first array elements and the second array elements are alternately arranged on the first subarray along the first direction; and the first array element and the second array element respectively correspond to the adjacent bite points.

Preferably, in a preferred embodiment, the array elements of the second sub-array include a plurality of third array elements and a plurality of fourth array elements; wherein the number of the radiation elements included in the third array element is less than the number of the radiation elements included in the fourth array element; the third array elements and the fourth array elements are alternately arranged on the second subarray along the first direction; and the third array element and the fourth array element respectively correspond to the adjacent bite points.

Preferably, in a preferred embodiment, the sum of the numbers of the radiation elements included in the first array element and the third array element corresponding to the same occlusion point is equal to the sum of the numbers of the radiation elements included in the second array element and the fourth array element corresponding to the adjacent occlusion point.

Preferably, in a preferred embodiment, the MIMO antenna array further includes an input/output port; wherein the input/output ports are disposed on the first subarray and the second subarray, and are located along an edge of the first direction.

Preferably, in a preferred embodiment, the first array element, or a plurality of the radiation elements included in the second array element, has a spacing of 0.6 wavelength along the second direction; in the adjacent first array element and the second array element, the vertical distance between two adjacent radiation units in the first direction is 0.85 wavelength.

Preferably, in a preferred embodiment, the third array element or the fourth array element includes a plurality of radiation units, and the distance between the radiation units along the second direction is 0.6 wavelength; in the adjacent third array element and the adjacent fourth array element, the vertical distance between two adjacent radiation units in the first direction is 0.85 wavelength.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a communication device, where the communication device is configured with the MIMO antenna array described in the first aspect.

The embodiment of the invention has the following beneficial effects:

the MIMO antenna array and the communication equipment provided by the embodiment of the invention comprise a first subarray and a second subarray which are mutually meshed and connected along a first direction, wherein a plurality of meshing points are formed at the meshed positions of the first subarray and the second subarray; the first subarray and the second subarray are provided with array elements corresponding to the respective occlusion points, and specifically, the array elements each comprise a plurality of radiation units for signal radiation; the first subarray and the second subarray are connected in a meshed mode along the first direction to form an MIMO mode, the whole antenna can be made to be more compact, and miniaturization development of the antenna is facilitated.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

In order to make the aforementioned and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, preferred embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a MIMO antenna array according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another MIMO antenna array according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another MIMO antenna array according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Icon: 100-a first sub-array; 200-a second sub-array; 110-a first array element; 101-a radiating element; 120-a second array element; 210-a third array element; 220-fourth array element.

Detailed Description

To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

At present, in the process of using a multi-surface antenna in a layout mode, the existing MIMO antenna is difficult to be miniaturized, and meanwhile, the problem of horizontal side lobe interference is also obvious, the horizontal side lobe not only can interfere two antennas, but also can cause the waste of a large amount of radiation power outside a coverage area, so that the design of the miniaturized MIMO antenna with high horizontal side lobe suppression is particularly urgent. Therefore, the MIMO antenna array and the communication equipment provided by the embodiment of the invention can be deployed in a miniaturized manner, and can effectively inhibit the problem of side lobe interference.

For the convenience of understanding the present embodiment, a detailed description will be given to a MIMO antenna array disclosed in the present embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a MIMO antenna array, such as the schematic structural diagram of the MIMO antenna array illustrated in fig. 1, including: a first sub-array 100 and a second sub-array 200 which are mutually engaged and connected along a first direction.

Wherein, the direction shown by the arrow in fig. 1 is a first direction, generally the first direction is along the longitudinal direction of the MIMO antenna array body, the first sub-array 100 and the second sub-array 200 are disposed on the radiator of the MIMO antenna array, and the first sub-array 100 and the second sub-array 200 are generally disposed at two sides of the antenna normal, wherein the antenna normal is generally along the first direction, and at the center line position of the radiator, not shown in fig. 1.

Further, a plurality of engagement points are formed at the positions where the first subarray 100 and the second subarray 200 are engaged; i.e. the toothed positions of mutual engagement in fig. 1. And, the first subarray 100 and the second subarray 200 are provided with array elements corresponding to the respective bite points, and the array elements each include a plurality of radiation units for performing signal radiation.

In fig. 1, each of the first subarray 100 and the second subarray 200 includes a plurality of array elements, such as the array elements shown by dotted lines in fig. 1, and each of the array elements shown by dotted lines includes a plurality of radiation units 101, and in a specific implementation, the radiation units in the MIMO antenna array shown in fig. 1 are basic radiation units that constitute an antenna, and can effectively radiate or receive radio waves, for example, the radiation units may be radiation units such as a hertzian electric oscillator, a hertzian element, a huygens element radiator, and the like, and may be specifically set according to an actual use condition to meet radiation performance of the antenna, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

The MIMO antenna array provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises a first subarray and a second subarray which are mutually meshed and connected along a first direction, wherein a plurality of meshing points are formed at the meshed positions of the first subarray and the second subarray; the first subarray and the second subarray are provided with array elements corresponding to the respective occlusion points, and specifically, the array elements each comprise a plurality of radiation units for signal radiation; the first subarray and the second subarray are connected in a meshed mode along the first direction to form an MIMO mode, the whole antenna can be made to be more compact, and miniaturization development of the antenna is facilitated.

Further, in fig. 1, the first subarray and the second subarray are engaged with each other along the first direction, so that the first subarray and the second subarray which are respectively located on two sides of the normal of the antenna can be embedded into each other, when the radiation unit is a dual-polarization radiation unit, four independent 33 ° beams (2 +45 °, two-45 °) can be formed, and an MIMO structure is formed on the radiation surface, which not only can meet the miniaturization requirement of the antenna, but also can make the horizontal beam width converge, thereby achieving the purpose of horizontal plane sidelobe suppression.

Further, the sum of the numbers of the radiation units of the first subarray and the second subarray on different bite points is equal. I.e. the number of radiating elements per row shown in fig. 1 is equal.

Further, the plurality of radiation elements included in the array element are arranged in a second direction on the array element, where the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, that is, the second direction is a transverse direction along a radiation plane of the MIMO antenna array in the embodiment of the present invention.

It should be understood that, in fig. 1, an embodiment of a limited number of engagement points is shown, and the position corresponding to each engagement point is provided with array elements of the first subarray and the second subarray, further, the number of array elements shown in fig. 1, and the number of radiation units included in each array element are all described by taking a limited number as an example, in actual use, the number of engagement points formed by the array elements of the first subarray and the second subarray, and the number of radiation units included in each array element may be set according to an actual use situation, that is, both the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the MIMO antenna array may be set according to an actual use situation, which is not limited by the embodiment of the present invention.

Further, as shown in fig. 1, the array elements of the first sub-array include a plurality of first array elements 110 and a plurality of second array elements 120;

the number of the radiation elements 101 included in the first array element 110 is greater than that of the radiation elements included in the second array element; the first array elements and the second array elements are alternately arranged on the first subarray along the first direction; and the first array element and the second array element respectively correspond to adjacent bite points.

Further, as shown in fig. 1, the array elements of the second sub-array include a plurality of third array elements 210 and a plurality of fourth array elements 220;

the number of the radiation elements included in the third array element 210 is less than the number of the radiation elements included in the fourth array element 220; the third array elements 210 and the fourth array elements 220 are alternately arranged along the first direction on the second subarray; the third array element 210 and the fourth array element 220 correspond to adjacent bite points, respectively.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, on the first subarray, the plurality of first array elements 110 and the plurality of second array elements 120 are alternately arranged in sequence, on the second subarray, the plurality of third array elements 210 and the plurality of fourth array elements 220 are alternately arranged in sequence, and in actual use, in order to make the sum of the numbers of radiation elements on different engagement points of the first subarray and the second subarray equal, the array elements are usually set to be at one engagement point, corresponding to the first array element of one first subarray and the third array element of one second subarray, that is, in the form shown in fig. 1, the top first engagement point corresponds to the first array element 110 and the third array element 210, and at this time, the radiation elements included in the first array element 110 and the third array element 210 are arranged in the second direction.

Similarly, the second meshing point corresponds to the second array element 120 and the fourth array element 220, and at this time, the radiation units included in the second array element 120 and the fourth array element 220 are also arranged along the second direction. The MIMO antenna array shown in fig. 1 can be formed on the radiation surface by alternately arranging the array elements in sequence.

As shown in fig. 1, the sum of the numbers of the radiation units included in the first array element and the third array element corresponding to the same occlusion point is equal to the sum of the numbers of the radiation units included in the second array element and the fourth array element corresponding to the adjacent occlusion point.

For example, the number of radiation elements included in the first array element is denoted by M, the number of radiation elements included in the second array element is denoted by N, the number of radiation elements included in the third array element is denoted by P, and the number of radiation elements included in the fourth array element is denoted by Q, where the number of radiation elements included in each array element satisfies: m + P ═ N + Q.

In practical use, for the first sub-array, the number relation of the radiation elements included in the first array element and the second array element usually satisfies M ═ N +1, and for the second sub-array, the number relation of the radiation elements included in the third array element and the fourth array element usually satisfies P ═ Q-1.

For example, in the MIMO antenna array shown in fig. 1, M is 3, N is 2, P is 2, and Q is 3, that is, the above-mentioned number relationship is satisfied.

In practical use, the specific numbers M, N, P and Q may be set according to practical use conditions so as to satisfy the number relationship and the performance requirement of the MIMO antenna array, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

Further, the spacing between the plurality of radiation elements included in the first array element or the second array element along the second direction is generally set to 0.6 wavelength, and the vertical spacing between two adjacent radiation elements in the first direction in adjacent first array elements and second array elements is 0.85 wavelength.

That is, on the radiation surface, the distance between two adjacent radiation units in the first array element in the transverse direction is 0.6 wavelength, and the distance between two adjacent radiation units in the longitudinal direction is 0.85 wavelength.

Further, the third array element or the fourth array element includes a plurality of radiation units with a spacing of 0.6 wavelength along the second direction; and in the adjacent third array element and the fourth array element, the vertical spacing between two adjacent radiation units in the first direction is 0.85 wavelength.

That is, on the radiation surface, the distance between two adjacent radiation units in the second array element in the transverse direction is 0.6 wavelength, and the distance between two adjacent radiation units in the longitudinal direction is 0.85 wavelength.

In actual use, the distance parameter between the radiation units may also be adjusted on the distance interval according to actual use conditions, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

Further, the MIMO antenna array further includes an input/output port; the input/output ports are arranged on the first subarray and the second subarray, and are arranged along the edge position of the first direction.

For the convenience of understanding, fig. 2 also shows a schematic structural diagram of another MIMO antenna array on the basis of fig. 1.

In fig. 2, a first subarray 100 and a second subarray 200 which are mutually engaged and connected along a first direction are included, and a plurality of first array elements 110 and a plurality of second array elements 120 included in the first subarray 100, and a plurality of third array elements 210 and a plurality of fourth array elements 220 included in the second subarray 200; the plurality of first array elements 110 and the plurality of second array elements 120 are alternately arranged in the first direction, and the plurality of third array elements 210 and the plurality of fourth array elements 220 are also alternately arranged in the first direction.

In fig. 2, a plurality of array elements are described as an example, and the plurality of array elements are replaced with ellipses in fig. 2.

It should be understood that, in fig. 2, the number of array elements may be set according to actual use requirements, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

Further, in addition to the above structure, fig. 2 includes a plurality of input/output ports. Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, four input/output ports are included: port1, Port2, Port3, Port 4.

In practical use, in fig. 2, ports 1 and 2 are a set of input/output ports, i.e., one is an input Port and one is an output Port; similarly, ports 3 and 4 are also a set of input/output ports, and therefore, in the MIMO antenna array shown in fig. 2, ports 1 and 2 are both 2T 2R; port3 and Port4 are both 2T2R, thereby forming a 4T4R MIMO structure.

Further, based on the MIMO antenna array shown in fig. 2, a MIMO structure of 8T8R may also be formed, at this time, two MIMO antenna arrays shown in fig. 2 may be used in cascade, specifically, as shown in another structural schematic diagram of the MIMO antenna array shown in fig. 3, two MIMO antenna arrays shown in fig. 2 are included, where in fig. 3, the structure of each MIMO antenna array is the same as that in fig. 2, and in fig. 3, in addition to the input/output ports Port1, Port2, Port3, and Port4, an input/output Port is also included: ports 5, 6, 7, and 8, and the input/output ports Port5 to Port8 may be provided in the same manner as the input/output ports Port1 to Port4, so that an 8T8R MIMO structure can be formed.

In practical use, the number of the input/output ports may also be set according to practical use conditions, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

In summary, the MIMO antenna array provided in the embodiment of the present invention forms an MIMO mode by engaging and connecting the first sub-array and the second sub-array along the first direction, so that the antenna can be miniaturized, and meanwhile, the horizontal beam width can be expanded, the horizontal side lobe suppression effect is improved, and the use performance of the antenna is further improved.

Further, on the basis of the above embodiment, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a communication device, where the communication device is configured with the MIMO antenna array described in the above embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication device, which includes modules such as an antenna system 410, a Radio Remote Unit (RRU) system 420, a baseband processing Unit (BBU) system 430, a core network system 440, and a terminal 450.

For convenience of explanation, fig. 4 shows only portions related to the embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the configuration of the communication device shown in fig. 4 does not constitute a limitation of the communication device and may include more or fewer components than those shown, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components.

The following describes each constituent element of the communication apparatus in detail with reference to fig. 4:

the antenna system 410 is used for converting spatial electromagnetic waves into guided waves, and particularly, converts spatial electromagnetic waves into guided waves and transmits the guided waves to the RRU for radio frequency processing, or converts radio frequency signals transmitted by the RRU into spatial electromagnetic waves. Typically the antenna system includes, but is not limited to, a radiating element, a reflective surface, a housing, a radio frequency cable, a control unit, etc.

The RRU system 420 is used for guided wave transceiving processing for processing antenna end conversion. Typically, RRU systems include, but are not limited to, a Receiver (RX), a Transmitter (TX), a power amplifier, a filter, etc.

The BBU system 430 is used to implement encoding and modulation of digital signals. Typically, BBU systems include, but are not limited to, modems, encoders, decoders, and the like.

The core network system 440 is a neural center of the entire communication system and is responsible for command and packet switching of the entire communication system. The main functions are to provide user connection, user management and service bearing. The core network system includes, but is not limited to, switches, routers, and the like.

The terminal 450 is an object of a communication system service, is an object of task initiation and service termination, and is an important human-computer interaction device. The main function is to complete the intercommunication between human and machine. Terminals include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, computers, and the like.

It will be appreciated that the configuration of the communication device shown in fig. 4 is merely illustrative, and that the communication device may also include more or fewer components than shown in fig. 4, or have a different configuration than shown in fig. 4. The components shown in fig. 4 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

The communication device provided by the embodiment of the present invention has the same technical characteristics as the MIMO antenna array provided by the above embodiment, so that the same technical problems can be solved, and the same technical effects can be achieved.

In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases for those skilled in the art.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

Finally, it should be noted that: although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that the following embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention, and not restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto: any person skilled in the art can modify or easily conceive the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or equivalent substitutes for some technical features within the technical scope of the present disclosure; such modifications, changes or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present invention, and they should be construed as being included therein. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.