Substrate-type antenna for global navigation satellite system
11581649 · 2023-02-14
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H01Q1/3233
ELECTRICITY
H01Q21/28
ELECTRICITY
H01Q5/50
ELECTRICITY
H01Q5/40
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H01Q1/28
ELECTRICITY
H01Q5/50
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
Provided is an antenna for receiving radio waves including frequencies in the L6 band unique to QZSS to realize accurate positioning by QZSS. A substrate-type antenna 1 comprises an arcuate antenna element 20 including a long arcuate antenna element 22 and a short arcuate antenna element 24, each of which includes an integral antenna element compatible with three frequency bands and a single antenna element compatible with one frequency band and arranged with a space from the integral antenna element. Each of the integral antenna element and the single antenna element extends from an outer peripheral part of the arcuate antenna element toward an inner peripheral part thereof. The substrate-type antenna 1 further comprises a plurality of connection units 34 connected to the long arcuate antenna element 22 and the short arcuate antenna element 24, respectively, and a coupler 30 to which the plurality of connection units 34 is coupled.
Claims
1. A substrate-type antenna for a global navigation satellite system, the substrate-type antenna comprising: a substrate; and an arcuate antenna element that is compatible with a plurality of frequency bands, the arcuate antenna element being formed on one surface of the substrate, divided into two elements, and arranged around a center point of the substrate, the arcuate antenna element including a first arcuate antenna element and a second arcuate antenna element, each of the first arcuate antenna element and the second arcuate antenna element including an integral antenna element that is compatible with three frequency bands and a single antenna element that is compatible with one frequency band and is arranged with a space from the integral antenna element, each of the integral antenna element and the single antenna element being arranged to extend from an outer peripheral part of the arcuate antenna element toward an inner peripheral part thereof, and the substrate-type antenna further comprising a plurality of connection units connected to one end of the first arcuate antenna element and one end of the second arcuate antenna element, respectively, and a coupling portion to which the plurality of connection units is coupled, so as to configure a dipole antenna type circularly polarized antenna.
2. The substrate-type antenna for a global navigation satellite system according to claim 1, wherein the coupling portion has a shape of an ellipse, includes a plurality of coupling elements each of which is arranged with a space therebetween, and is formed such that a part of each of the plurality of coupling elements is divided and arranged with a space therebetween, and the coupling portion is connected to the first arcuate antenna element and the second arcuate antenna element, respectively, by the plurality of connection units.
3. The substrate-type antenna for a global navigation satellite system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a feeding coupling portion is provided on the other surface of the substrate which is an opposite side of the one surface so as to face the coupling portion, and gain received for each of the plurality of frequency bands is combined on the feeding coupling portion.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
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(9)
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
(10) Hereinafter, an example of a substrate-type antenna for a global navigation satellite system (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a “substrate-type antenna”) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
(11) <Overall Configuration of Substrate-Type Antenna>
(12)
(13) As illustrated in
(14) [Substrate]
(15) As illustrated in
(16) [Arcuate Antenna Element]
(17) As illustrated in
(18) In the present embodiment, the long arcuate antenna element 22 extends across an imaginary reference line L toward the substrate depth direction Y side. The long arcuate antenna element 22 has a distal end 22X that is one of the ends of the arc and a connection end 22Y that is the other one of the ends thereof. Here, the long arcuate antenna element 22 is an example of a first arcuate antenna element.
(19) In the present embodiment, the short arcuate antenna element 24 is formed on the substrate depth direction Y side that is further than the imaginary reference line L in the substrate depth direction Y. The short arcuate antenna element 24 has a distal end 24X that is one of the ends of the arc and a connection end 24Y that is the other one of the ends thereof. The distal end 24X of the short arcuate antenna element 24 faces the connection end 22Y of the long arcuate antenna element 22 with a space interposed therebetween. The connection end 24Y of the short arcuate antenna element 24 faces the distal end 22X of the long arcuate antenna element 22 with a space interposed therebetween. Here, the short arcuate antenna element 24 is an example of a second arcuate antenna element.
(20) [Relation Between Frequency Band and Antenna Element]
(21) The substrate-type antenna 1 is compatible with QZSS, and not only receives radio waves in the L1 band (1575.42 MHz±15.35 MHz, also referred to as “L1”), the L2 band (1227.60 MHz±1.535 MHz, also referred to as “L2”), and the L5 band (1176.45 MHz±12.45 MHz, also referred to as “L5”), but also receives radio waves of the L6 band (1278.75 MHz±21 MHz, also referred to as “L6”) which is unique to QZSS.
(22) As illustrated in
(23) The short arcuate antenna element 24 is configured with an arcuate integral antenna element on which an L5 corresponding element 24A corresponding to the three frequency bands of the L5 band, the L2 band, and the L6 band, an L2 corresponding element 24B, and an L6 corresponding element 24C are integrated in the order from the outside with respect to the center point O. In addition, at a position spaced apart from the L6 corresponding element 24C of the integral antenna element in the direction toward the center point O, an L1 corresponding element 24D corresponding to the L1 band is formed. Here, the L1 corresponding element 24D is an example of a single antenna element.
(24) [Antenna-Side Coupler]
(25) As illustrated in
(26) [Connection Unit]
(27) As illustrated in
(28) In this way, the long arcuate antenna element 22 and the short arcuate antenna element 24 are connected to the antenna-side coupler 30 by the connection unit 34 having the four elements of the first element 30A, the second element 30B, the third element 30C, and the fourth element 30D, whereby the whole of which is formed as a dipole antenna type circularly polarized antenna.
(29) In the present embodiment, a base material of the arcuate antenna element 20 is a copper foil, and the arcuate antenna element 20 is formed by etching the copper foil formed in advance on the substrate front surface 10A of the substrate 10. In
(30) [Power Feeding-Side Coupler]
(31) As illustrated in
(32) [Feeding Coupling Element]
(33) The feeding coupling element 42 is formed on a position of the substrate back surface 10B, which corresponds to the position of the substrate front surface 10A where the antenna-side coupler 30 is formed. The feeding coupling element 42 has an imaginary center on an imaginary reference line that is perpendicular to the imaginary reference line L at the center point O, which is on the opposite side to the substrate depth direction Y side across the center point O, and is formed into an ellipse including the coupler-side gap 44. The coupler-side gap 44 is formed by dividing a portion of the feeding coupling element 42 on the side opposite to the center point O across the imaginary center in the substrate depth direction Y. In other words, the feeding coupling element 42 is formed in an ellipse while a part of the ellipse is divided at a portion thereof on the side opposite to the substrate depth direction Y side with the imaginary center interposed therebetween.
(34) [Feeding Point]
(35) The feeding point includes the first terminal 48A and the second terminal 48B. Specifically, as illustrated in
(36) In the present embodiment, a base material of the feeding-side coupler 40 is a copper foil, and the feeding-side coupler 40 is formed by etching the copper foil formed in advance on the substrate back surface 10B of the substrate 10.
(37) As described above, the arcuate antenna element 20 and the antenna-side coupler 30 are formed on the substrate front surface 10A, and the feeding-side coupler 40 is formed on the substrate back surface 10B, whereby the substrate-type antenna 1 is configured. In the following, a characteristic method of forming the arcuate antenna element 20 will be described.
(38) <Method of Forming Antenna Element>
(39) As described above, the antenna element 20 includes the long arcuate antenna element 22 and the short arcuate antenna element 24. As illustrated in
(40) The length dimension of the long arcuate antenna element 22 and the short arcuate antenna element 24 is predetermined as a whole for each frequency to receive radio waves of each frequency from a satellite. On the other hand, the substrate-type antenna 1 is not used independently but used in a state of being accommodated in a casing of any type of device, such as in a casing of a portable terminal or in an antenna casing of an automobile, which is configured to receive radio waves from a satellite for use.
(41) Generally, as a base material of such a casing, polycarbonate resin having a dielectric constant of approximately 2.4 is often used. The dielectric constant changes in accordance with, for example, the type and plate thickness of the base material of the casing. Accordingly, it is necessary to adjust the total length dimension of the long arcuate antenna element 22 and the short arcuate antenna element 24 in accordance with the dielectric constant of the material used for the casing.
(42) In order to achieve the adjustment above, the total length dimension of the long arcuate antenna element 22 and the short arcuate antenna element 24 are set in advance shorter than one wavelength corresponding to each frequency in L1, L2, L5, L6. Then, for each frequency, a process of adjusting an axial ratio (AR) of an elliptically-polarized wave of the antenna, which will be described later, to 3 or less is performed by adjusting the length dimension of the long arcuate antenna element 22 or the short arcuate antenna element 24, or the length dimension of both of them. At the same time, when the impedance of the feeding point formed by the first terminal 48A and the second terminal 48B illustrated in
(43) In the present embodiment, for example, when the substrate 10 of the substrate-type antenna 1 is made of glass epoxy resin as its base material and formed such that the dimension thereof in the substrate thickness direction Z (plate thickness) is 0.3 mm, and when the casing to which the substrate-type antenna 1 is attached is made of polycarbonate resin as its base material and formed such that the plate thickness thereof is 0.2 mm, the total length dimension of the long circular arcuate antenna element 22 and the short circular arcuate antenna element 24 is reduced at a reduction rate of about 80% to 90% of the original length dimension corresponding to one wavelength.
(44) In this way, by adjusting the total length dimension of the long arcuate antenna element 22 and the short arcuate antenna element 24 so as to further increase the reception accuracy of radio waves from a satellite, it is possible to receive the radio waves at each frequency in L1, L2, L5, L6 with high accuracy. As a result, the substrate-type antenna 1 can exhibit high performance in receiving radio waves from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System).
(45) <Operations of Main Portions>
(46) Hereinafter, operations of main portions will be described mainly with reference to
(47) The antenna-side coupler 30 formed on the substrate front surface 10A and the feeding-side coupler 40 formed on the substrate back surface 10B face each other with the thickness of the substrate 10 therebetween. With this configuration, gain due to the radio waves received by the antenna element 20 for each frequency band of L1, L2, L5, L6 is combined at one portion where the antenna-side coupler 30 and the feeding-side coupler 40 face each other.
(48)
(49) In
(50) As illustrated in
(51)
(52)
(53)
(54) As described above, the substrate-type antenna 1 for a global navigation satellite system comprises a substrate 10 and an arcuate antenna element 20 that is compatible with a plurality of frequency bands. The arcuate antenna element is formed on a substrate front surface 10A of the substrate 10, divided into two elements, and arranged around a center point O of the substrate 10. The arcuate antenna element 20 includes a long arcuate antenna element 22 and a short arcuate antenna element 24. Each of the long arcuate antenna element 22 and the short arcuate antenna element 24 includes an integral antenna element that is compatible with three frequency bands and a single antenna element that is compatible with one frequency band and is arranged with a space from the integral antenna element. Each of the integral antenna element and the single antenna element is arranged to extend from an outer peripheral part of the arcuate antenna element toward an inner peripheral part thereof. The substrate-type antenna 1 further comprises a plurality of connection units 34 connected to a connection end 22Y of the long arcuate antenna element 22 and a connection end 24Y of the short arcuate antenna element 24, respectively, and an antenna-side coupler 30 to which the plurality of connection units 34 is coupled, so as to configure a dipole antenna type circularly polarized antenna.
(55) With this configuration, it is possible to receive circularly polarized waves for QZSS having broad band characteristics and multi-band characteristics while reducing the phase difference.
(56) The antenna-side coupler 30 has a shape of an ellipse, includes a first element 30A to a fourth element 30D each of which is arranged with a space therebetween, and is formed such that a part of each of the first element 30A to the fourth element 30D is divided and arranged with a space therebetween. The coupling portion is connected to the long arcuate antenna element 22 and the short arcuate antenna element 24, respectively, by the plurality of connection units 34.
(57) With this configuration, it is possible to collectively combine the gain of the radio waves of four frequencies received by the substrate-type antenna 1 from a satellite at one portion, namely at the antenna-side coupler 30.
(58) The substrate-type antenna 1 is provided with a feeding-side coupler 40 on the other surface 10B which is an opposite side of the one surface 10A so as to face the antenna-side coupler 30 so that gain received for each of the plurality of frequency bands is combined on the feeding-side coupler 40.
(59) With this configuration, it is possible to collectively combine the gain due to the radio waves received by the substrate-type antenna 1 from a satellite at one portion, namely at the feeding-side coupler 40, and accordingly, the QZSS radio waves can be used with high accuracy. The gain combined at one portion is output to the feeding point formed by the first terminal 48A and the second terminal 48B. Furthermore, combination of the board-type antenna 1 and 5G technology can realize automatic driving of self-driving vehicles, and moreover, can realize control in remote control systems with higher accuracy than the one which does not make use of the radio waves in the L6 band.
(60) It should be noted that the above-described embodiment of the antenna substrate 1 of the present invention is an example. The present invention is not limited thereto, and thus can be modified as various embodiments within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. It is needless to say that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described as an example.
(61) For example, in the embodiment above, the dimension of the substrate 10 has been described as 34 mm×34 mm×0.3 mm, meanwhile, the dimension thereof is not limited thereto. The planar shape of the substrate 10 may be a circle or a rectangle as long as the shape and thickness of the substrate 10 allows formation of the antenna elements as a circularly polarized antenna.
(62) Furthermore, in the embodiment above, the antenna-side coupler 30 has been described as having an imaginary center on an imaginary reference line that is perpendicular to the imaginary reference line L at the center point O, which is on the opposite side to the substrate depth direction Y side across the center point O. Meanwhile, the position of the antenna-side coupler 30 is not limited thereto, and it may be positioned to have an imaginary center on an imaginary reference line that does not pass through the center point O. In this case, the position of the feeding coupling element 42 of the feeding-side coupler 40 formed on the substrate back surface 10B may also be changed to a position corresponding to the moved position of the antenna side coupler 30.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
(63) 1 substrate-type antenna for a global navigation satellite system (substrate-type antenna) 10 substrate 10A substrate front surface (example of one surface) 10B substrate back surface (example of the other surface) 20 arcuate antenna element 22 long arcuate antenna element (example of first arcuate antenna element) 22A L1 corresponding element (single antenna element) 22B L6 corresponding element (example of integral antenna element formed by L2 corresponding element and L5 corresponding element) 22C L2 corresponding element (example of integral antenna element formed by L6 corresponding element and L5 corresponding element) 22D L5 corresponding element (example of integral antenna element formed by L6 corresponding element and L2 corresponding element) 22X distal end 22Y connection end 24 short arcuate antenna element (example of second arcuate antenna element) 24A L5 corresponding element (example of integral antenna element formed by L6 corresponding element and L2 corresponding element) 24B L2 corresponding element (example of integral antenna element formed by L6 corresponding element and L5 corresponding element) 24C L6 corresponding element (example of integral antenna element formed by L5 corresponding element and L2 corresponding element) 24D L1 corresponding element (example of single antenna element) 24X distal end 24Y connection end 30 antenna-side coupler (example of coupling portion) 30A first element (example of coupling element) 30B second element (example of coupling element) 30C third element (example of coupling element) 30D fourth element (example of coupling element) 32 antenna-side gap 34 connection unit 40 feeding-side coupler (example of feeding-side coupling portion) 42 feeding coupling element 42A one end 42B other end 44 coupler-side gap 46A first feeding line 46B second feeding line 48A first terminal 48B second terminal O center point L imaginary reference line