CURVED NEAR-FIELD-FOCUSED SLOT ARRAY ANTENNAS

• US 20190326679A1
• Filed: 04/17/2019
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
• Original Assignee: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
• Inventors: CHENG, Yujian, WU, Yafei, ZHANG, Jinfan, ZHAO, Fan, BAI, Chunxu, FAN, Yong, SONG, Kaijun, ZHANG, Bo, LIN, Xianqi, ZHANG, Yonghong
• Granted Patent: US 10,985,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/081 Microstriplines
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/121 integrated in a substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/08 for linking dissimilar lines or devices H01P1/16, H01P5/04 take precedence; linking lines of the same kind but with different dimensions H01P5/02
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/50 Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/22 Longitudinal slot in boundary wall of waveguide or transmission line H01Q13/203 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/064 using horn or slot aerials slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/28 using the near field of leaky cables, e.g. of leaky coaxial cables

Abstract

A slot array antenna including a smooth curved surface and planar feed structures which are respectively disposed at two ends of the smooth curved surface and are tangent to the smooth curved surface. The smooth curved surface includes at least two arcs mutually connected by smooth transition. The at least two arcs each includes an upper copper metal layer, a lower copper metal layer, and a dielectric substrate layer between the upper and lower copper metal layers. The upper copper metal layer includes radiating slots, and the adjacent radiating slots in a linear array have opposite offsets along the center line of the slot array antenna. The dielectric substrate layer includes metallic vias symmetrically arranged on both sides of the central line of the antenna to form a substrate integrated waveguide.

Claims

1. A slot array antenna, comprising a smooth curved surface and planar feed structures which are respectively disposed at two ends of the smooth curved surface and are tangent to the smooth curved surface;

wherein;

the smooth curved surface comprises at least two arcs mutually connected by smooth transition;

the at least two arcs each comprises an upper copper metal layer, a lower copper metal layer, and a dielectric substrate layer between the upper and lower copper metal layers;

the upper copper metal layer comprises radiating slots, and adjacent radiating slots in a linear array have opposite offsets along a center line of the slot array antenna; and

the dielectric substrate layer comprises metallic vias symmetrically arranged on both sides of the central line of the antenna to form a substrate integrated waveguide.

2. The slot array antenna of claim 1, wherein:

an arc distance between an i-th radiating slot and an (i+1)-th radiating slot is represented by L_i, and a curve function of a projection of a surface between the two radiating slots on an xoz plane is represented by z=ƒ

_i(x);

L_i and z=ƒ

_i(x) should satisfy the equations;

3. The slot array antenna of claim 1, wherein the slot array antenna comprises 24 radiating slots, which are the same in width and length.

4. The slot array antenna of claim 1, wherein the upper and lower copper metal layers and the dielectric substrate layer are formed by a planar PCB processing technology, and then proactively conformal to a 3D-printed framework.

5. The slot array antenna of claim 1, wherein the planar feed structures are a T-shaped structure in which a microstrip line transits to the substrate integrated waveguide.

6. A slot array antenna, being in the shape of a circular arc comprising an upper copper metal layer, a lower copper metal layer, and a dielectric substrate layer between the upper and lower copper metal layers;

the upper metal copper layer being an inner layer relative to a center of the circular arc;

wherein;

the dielectric substrate layer comprises metallic vias;

the metallic vias comprise two rows of lateral metallic vias symmetrically arranged on both sides of a center line of the circular arc and one column of metallic vias located at one end of the circular arc;

the two rows of metallic vias are adapted to form a substrate integrated waveguide, and the one column of metallic vias are adapted to close one end of the two rows of metallic vias to form a short circuit;

the other end of the two rows of metallic vias is provided with a planar feed structure; and

the upper metal copper layer comprises a plurality of radiating slots staggered on both sides of the center line of the circular arc.

7. The slot array antenna of claim 6, wherein the plurality of radiating slots has the same length, width, and offset distance from the center line of the circular arc:

a distance between adjacent radiating slots is ½

λ

_g;

a distance between the short circuit and one radiating slot closest to the short circuit is ¼

λ

_g, where λ

_g is a waveguide wavelength of an electromagnetic wave propagating inside the substrate integrated waveguide.

8. The slot array antenna of claim 6, wherein the slot array antenna comprises 16 radiating slots.

9. The slot array antenna of claim 6, wherein a central angle of the circular arc is 90°

.

10. The slot array antenna of claim 6, wherein one end of the dielectric substrate layer close to the planar feed structure comprises two metalized matching vias which are adapted to adjust an impedance matching between the planar feed structure and the radiating slots.

11. The slot array antenna of claim 6, wherein the upper and lower copper metal layers and the dielectric substrate layer are formed by a planar PCB processing technology, and then proactively conformal to a 3D-printed framework.

12. The slot array antenna of claim 6, wherein the planar feed structures are a T-shaped structure in which a microstrip line transits to the substrate integrated waveguide.