Patent Publication Number: US-2022239013-A1

Title: Antenna array device and antenna unit thereof

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/142,519 filed on Jan. 28, 2021, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     Some references, which may include patents, patent applications and various publications, may be cited and discussed in the description of this disclosure. The citation and/or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to the disclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates to an antenna, and more particularly to an antenna array device and an antenna unit thereof. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     A conventional antenna device includes a plurality of antenna units and a plurality of spacers that are provided to separate the antenna units from each other. In other words, any two of the antenna units adjacent to each other are separated from each other by one of the spacers. However, since each of the antenna units of the conventional antenna device needs to be assembled with at least one of the spacers, a production process of the conventional antenna device is prolonged, and an issue of tolerance accumulation easily occurs in the assembling of the antenna units and the spacers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     In response to the above-referenced technical inadequacies, the present disclosure provides an antenna array device and an antenna unit thereof, so as to effectively improve on the issues associated with conventional antenna devices. 
     In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an antenna array device, which includes a first housing, a second housing, and an antenna module. The first housing and the second housing are connected to each other so as to jointly define a distribution space. The antenna module is located in the distribution space, and includes a first antenna unit and a second antenna unit. The first antenna unit includes a support and a first antenna structure. The support is integrally formed as a single one-piece structure, and the support has a first substrate, a first stand, and a second stand. The first stand and the second stand extend from two opposite sides of the first substrate, respectively, and the first stand faces toward the first housing. The first substrate and at least one of the first stand and the second stand jointly define a plurality of cavities. The first antenna structure includes a plurality of first patches that are formed on the first substrate and that are arranged in the cavities. The second antenna unit is connected to the second stand of the support. 
     In another aspect, the present disclosure provides an antenna unit of an antenna array device. The antenna unit includes a support and an antenna structure. The support is integrally formed as a single one-piece structure, and has a substrate, a first stand, and a second stand. The first stand and the second stand extend from two opposite sides of the substrate, respectively. The substrate and at least one of the first stand and the second stand jointly define a plurality of cavities. The antenna structure includes a plurality of patches that are formed on the substrate and that are arranged in the cavities. 
     Therefore, the antenna unit (e.g., the first antenna unit) of the present disclosure is provided with the support that is integrally formed as a single one-piece structure having the cavities, so that the first patches can be formed on the support and arranged in the cavities, thereby reducing a quantity of components to be assembled in the antenna array device. Accordingly, a production process of the antenna array device can be shortened, and tolerance accumulation generated from assembling the components of the antenna array device can be effectively reduced. 
     These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings and their captions, although variations and modifications therein may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The described embodiments may be better understood by reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an antenna array device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic cross-sectional view of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective cross-sectional view showing a first antenna unit (or an antenna unit) of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows an enlarged view of part V of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of a first antenna structure (or an antenna structure) according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  shows an enlarged view of part VIIA of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a top view showing the first antenna unit (or the antenna unit) of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 9  shows an enlarged view of part IX of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective cross-sectional view showing the first antenna unit (or the antenna unit) of  FIG. 2  from another angle of view; 
         FIG. 11  shows an enlarged view of part XI of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12A  is a partial cross-sectional view of the first antenna structure and a second antenna structure according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 12B  is an exploded view of  FIG. 12A ; 
         FIG. 13  shows an enlarged view of part XIII of  FIG. 10 ; and 
         FIG. 14  is a schematic view of a feeding antenna unit according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     The present disclosure is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the drawings indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference, and the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”. Titles or subtitles can be used herein for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The terms used herein generally have their ordinary meanings in the art. In the case of conflict, the present document, including any definitions given herein, will prevail. The same thing can be expressed in more than one way. Alternative language and synonyms can be used for any term(s) discussed herein, and no special significance is to be placed upon whether a term is elaborated or discussed herein. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the present disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the present disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given herein. Numbering terms such as “first”, “second” or “third” can be used to describe various components, signals or the like, which are for distinguishing one component/signal from another one only, and are not intended to, nor should be construed to impose any substantive limitations on the components, signals or the like. 
     In addition, the term “connect” used herein refers to a physical connection between two elements, which can be a direct connection or an indirect connection. Moreover, the term “couple to” or “coupling to” used herein refers to two elements being separated and having no physical connection, and an electric field generated by a current of one of the two elements excites that of the other one. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 14 , an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an antenna array device  100 . As shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , the antenna array device  100  in the present embodiment can be a satellite antenna device that is used to emit and receive signals to and from a satellite, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The antenna array device  100  includes a first housing  10 , a second housing  20 , and an antenna module  30  that is located between the first housing  10  and the second housing  20 . 
     The first housing  10  and the second housing  20  are connected to each other so as to jointly define a distribution space S, and the antenna module  30  is located in the distribution space S. The distribution space S is a substantially enclosed space, and at least one of the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  preferably has a structure arranged in the distribution space S for holding the antenna module  30 . However, the specific structure of any one of the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  can be adjusted or changed according to design requirements, and is not limited by the present embodiment. 
     The antenna module  30  includes a first antenna unit  1 , a second antenna unit  2 , and a feeding antenna unit  3 . The feeding antenna unit  3 , the second antenna unit  2 , and the first antenna unit  1  in the present embodiment are sequentially stacked on the second housing  20 . In other words, the first antenna unit  1  is arranged adjacent to the first housing  10 , the feeding antenna unit  3  is disposed on the second housing  20 , and the second antenna unit  2  is sandwiched between the first antenna unit  1  and the feeding antenna unit  3 . 
     It should be noted that the first antenna unit  1  in the present embodiment is in cooperation with the second antenna unit  2 , the feeding antenna unit  3 , the first housing  10 , and the second housing  20 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure (not shown in the drawings), the first antenna unit  1  can be independently used (e.g., sold) or can be used in cooperation with other components. The following description describes the structure and connection relationship of each component of the antenna module  30 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , the first antenna unit  1  includes a support  12  and a first antenna structure  11  that is formed on the support  12 . In other words, the first antenna structure  11  and the support  12  in the present embodiment cannot be separate from each other. 
     The support  12  is integrally formed as a single one-piece structure. The support  12  has a first substrate  123 , a first stand  121 , and a second stand  122 . Moreover, the first stand  121  and the second stand  122  extend from two opposite sides of the first substrate  123  (e.g., the upper surface and the lower surface of the first substrate  123  shown in  FIG. 4 ), respectively. It should be noted that the antenna module  30  in the present embodiment excludes any multi-piece support (e.g., a riveting support or an engaging support) different from the support  12 , so that the antenna module  30  can be assembled with high precision. 
     Specifically, the first substrate  123  and at least one of the first stand  121  and the second stand  122  jointly define a plurality of cavities  125 . In the present embodiments, the cavities  125  include a plurality of first cavities  1251  that are defined by the first substrate  123  and the first stand  121  and a plurality of second cavities  1252  that are defined by the first substrate  123  and the second stand  122 . 
     The first antenna structure  11  includes a plurality of first patches  111  that are formed on the first substrate  123  and that are arranged in the cavities  125 . The first patches  111  in the present embodiment are formed on an upper surface of the first substrate  123  and are arranged in the first cavities  1251 , and each of the first patches  111  is substantially in a circular shape, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure (not shown in the drawings), the first patches  111  can be formed on the upper surface and/or a lower surface of the first substrate  123  (i.e., the first patches  111  can be arranged in the first cavities  1251  and/or the second cavities  1252 ), and the shape of the first patch  111  can be adjusted or changed according to design requirements. 
     Specifically, the first patches  111  of the present embodiment are plated on the first substrate  123  in a laser direct structuring (LDS) manner or a laser circuit technology (LCT) manner. Moreover, the support  12  can be made of polycarbonate (PC) and/or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and the first patches  111  can be made of copper or a combination of copper and nickel gold. 
     In addition, as shown in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , the first patches  111  are arranged in a plurality of rows each parallel to a first direction D 1 , and the first patches  111  are also arranged in a plurality of columns each parallel to a second direction D 2 . The second direction D 2  is perpendicular to the first direction D 1 . In the present embodiment, any two of the rows of the first patches  111  are not overlapped with each other along the second direction D 2 , and any two of the columns of the first patches  111  are partially overlapped with each other along the first direction D 1 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure (not shown in the drawings), any two of the columns of the first patches  111  can be not overlapped with each other along the first direction D 1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , the first stand  121  is formed on the upper surface of the first substrate  123  by a predetermined pattern. Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , the first stand  121  includes a plurality of first partitions  1211  connected to each other. The first partitions  1211  integrally extend from the upper surface of the first substrate  123 , and surround the first patches  111 . In the present embodiment, a quantity of the first patches  111  surrounded by any one of the first partitions  1211  is less than or equal to four. 
     Specifically, each of the first partitions  1211  has a shape of a regular polygon having N number of sides, and N is a positive integer greater than three. Any two of the first partitions  1211  connected to each other share one side. In other words, one of the first partitions  1211  is at most connected to N number of the first partitions  1211 . In the present embodiment, N is six, and a quantity of the first patches  111  surrounded by any one of the first partitions  1211  is one, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure (not shown in the drawings), the shape of the first partition  1211  can be different from the regular polygon shape (e.g., can be a circular shape). 
     The second stand  122  includes a plurality of second partitions  1221  connected to each other. The second partitions  1221  integrally extend from the lower surface of the first substrate  123 . In the present embodiment, a projection region defined by orthogonally projecting the second partitions  1221  onto the first stand  121  overlaps with the first partitions  1211 . 
     In other words, a contour (or a cross section) of the first stand  121  in the present embodiment is substantially identical to a contour (or a cross section) of the second stand  122 , so that the first stand  121  and the second stand  122  can have a better supporting effect along a direction perpendicular to the first substrate  123 , thereby preventing the first antenna structure  11  from being damaged. 
     In addition, any one of the first partitions  1211  has a first height H 1  relative to the first substrate  123  (e.g., the upper surface), any one of the second partitions  1221  has a second height H 2  relative to the first substrate  123  (e.g., the lower surface), and the second height H 2  is less than the first height H 1 . 
     According to the above, the first antenna unit  1  in the present embodiment is provided with the support  12  that is integrally formed as a single one-piece structure having the cavities  125 , so that the first patches  111  can be arranged in the cavities  125 , thereby reducing a quantity of components to be assembled in the antenna array device  100 . Accordingly, a production process of the antenna array device  100  can be shortened, and tolerance accumulation generated from assembling the components of the antenna array device  100  can be effectively reduced. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3 , and  FIG. 12A , the second antenna unit  2  is disposed on the second stand  122  of the support  12 , and includes a second substrate  22  being in a flat shape and a second antenna structure  21  that is formed on the second substrate  22 . The first stand  121  faces toward the first housing  10 , and the second stand  122  faces toward the substrate  22  of the second antenna unit  2 . Moreover, a thickness of the second substrate  22  in the present embodiment can be within a range from 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm. 
     As shown in  FIG. 12A  and  FIG. 12B , the second antenna structure  21  includes a plurality of second patches  211  that are formed (e.g., plated) on the second substrate  22  and that respectively correspond in position to the first patches  111  along a height direction H. In other words, the second substrate  22  is sandwiched between the second stand  122  and the feeding antenna unit  3 , and the second patches  211  are (respectively) arranged in the second cavities  1252 . Accordingly, any one of the second patches  211  can couple to a corresponding one of the first patches  111 . 
     It should be noted that the second height H 2  in the present embodiment is less than the first height H 1  and can be in a range from 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm, so that a distance between any one of the first patches  111  and a corresponding one of the second patches  211  can be within a range from 0.8 mm to 1.35 mm. Accordingly, the coupling performance of any one of the first patches  111  and a corresponding one of the second patches  211  can be effectively enhanced. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3 , and  FIG. 14 , the feeding antenna unit  3  is located between the second housing  20  and the second antenna unit  2  (e.g., the second substrate  22 ), and is configured to couple to the second antenna structure  21 . In the present embodiment, the feeding antenna unit  3  includes a circuit board  31  and at least one feeding cable  32  that is connected to the circuit board  31 . The circuit board  31  has at least one antenna  311  having a slot (e.g., a slot antenna) and at least one radiating portion  312  that is configured to couple to the at least one antenna  311 . The at least one antenna  311  is arranged adjacent to the second antenna structure  21  and is configured to couple to the second antenna structure  21 . The antenna  311  is excited by the at least one radiating portion  312  which is connected to and fed by the at least one feeding cable  32  (i.e., the at least one radiating portion  312  is configured to couple to the at least one antenna  311 ), and the second antenna structure  21  can be further configured to couple to the first antenna structure  11 . In another embodiment, the antenna  311  may be a patch which is connected to the feeding cable  32 . In other embodiments of the present disclosure (not shown in the drawings), the at least one antenna  311  can be a patch. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 13 , the support  12  in the present embodiment has a plurality of thru-holes  126  that are distributed outside of the first patches  111  and that are arranged along the peripheral edge of the support  12 , and the support  12  includes a plurality of engaging arms  124  respectively passing through the thru-holes  126 , so that the first antenna structure  11  can be assembled to other components through the thru-holes  126  and the engaging arms  124 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure (not shown in the drawings), the support  12  can be provided without any thru-hole  126  and any engaging arm  124 . 
     BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     In conclusion, the antenna unit (e.g., the first antenna unit) in the present disclosure is provided with the support that is integrally formed as a single one-piece structure having the cavities, so that the first patches can be formed on the support and arranged in the cavities, thereby reducing a quantity of components to be assembled in the antenna array device. Accordingly, a production schedule of the antenna array device can be shortened, and tolerance accumulation generated from assembling the components of the antenna array device can be effectively reduced. 
     The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. 
     The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope.