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EP-4102646-B1 - LENS ANTENNA, DETECTION APPARATUS, AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

EP4102646B1EP 4102646 B1EP4102646 B1EP 4102646B1EP-4102646-B1

Inventors

  • YUAN, Shutian

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20200313

Claims (15)

  1. A lens antenna (100), comprising a lens (20), a feed source (11), a radio frequency switch (12), at least two narrow beam radiation units (14), and a wide beam radiation unit (15), wherein the feed source (11) is adapted to feed any narrow beam radiation unit (14) or the wide beam radiation unit (15) by using the radio frequency switch (12); the wide beam radiation unit (15) comprises a plurality of radiation sub-units (151), and the plurality of radiation sub-units (151) are connected to the radio frequency switch (12) by using a power splitter (13); and a first radiation region of the wide beam radiation unit (15) covers a second radiation region of each narrow beam radiation unit (14); and characterized in that the at least two narrow beam radiation units (14) are disposed around the wide beam radiation units (15).
  2. The lens antenna (100) according to claim 1, wherein a sum of regions covered by all the second radiation regions is the same as the first radiation region.
  3. The lens antenna (100) according to claim 1, wherein a distance between each of the narrow beam radiation units (14) and any adjacent radiation sub-unit (151) is not less than a wavelength corresponding to an operating frequency band of the lens antenna (100).
  4. The lens antenna (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of narrow beam radiation units (14) are arranged in two rows; and the plurality of radiation sub-units (151) are arranged in a single row, and are located between the two rows of the narrow beam radiation units (14).
  5. The lens antenna (100) according to claim 4, wherein the narrow beam radiation units (14) and the wide beam radiation sub-units (151) have a shape comprising corners, and one diagonal line of any narrow beam radiation unit (14) is parallel to a first direction, and the first direction is an arrangement direction of each row of narrow beam radiation units (14); and one diagonal line of each radiation sub-unit (151) is parallel to the first direction.
  6. The lens antenna (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one of the following is met: the lens antenna (100) is a dual-polarized antenna; and/or each narrow beam radiation unit (14) is a square radiation patch; and/or each radiation sub-unit (151) is also a square radiation patch.
  7. The lens antenna (100) according to claim 6, wherein a notch (152) for increasing a beam width is provided on a side of each radiation sub-unit (151).
  8. The lens antenna (100) according to claim 7, wherein the notch (152) is a triangle.
  9. The lens antenna (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a substrate (16), wherein the substrate (16) comprises a first surface (161) and a second surface (162); the narrow beam radiation unit (14) and the wide beam radiation unit (15) are disposed on the first surface (161); and the power splitter (13), the radio frequency switch (12), and the feed source (11) are disposed on the second surface (162).
  10. The lens antenna (100) according to claim 9, wherein the lens antenna (100) further comprises a stratum; and the stratum is embedded in the substrate (16) and is located between the first surface (161) and the second surface (162).
  11. The lens antenna (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the power splitter (13) is an equal-power splitter.
  12. The lens antenna (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, where the power splitter (13) may be a microstrip power splitter, a waveguide power splitter, or a coaxial power splitter.
  13. A detection apparatus (201), comprising a processor (30) and the lens antenna (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 12 that is connected to the processor (30).
  14. A communications apparatus, comprising a processor (30) and the lens antenna (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 12 that is connected to the processor (30).
  15. A lens antenna (100), comprising a lens (20), a feed source (11), a radio frequency switch (12), at least two narrow beam radiation units (14), and a wide beam radiation unit (15), wherein the feed source (11) is adapted to feed any narrow beam radiation unit (14) or the wide beam radiation unit (15) by using the radio frequency switch (12); the wide beam radiation unit (15) comprises a plurality of radiation sub-units (151), and the plurality of radiation sub-units (151) are connected to the radio frequency switch (12) by using a power splitter (13); and a first radiation region of the wide beam radiation unit (15) covers a second radiation region of each narrow beam radiation unit (14); and characterized in that the plurality of narrow beam radiation units (14) are arranged in two rows; and the plurality of radiation sub-units (151) are arranged in a single row, and are located between the two rows of the narrow beam radiation units (14).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and the invention in particular relates to a lens antenna, a detection apparatus, and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND In optics, a spherical wave emitted by a point light source on a focal point of a lens is converted into a plane wave after refraction of the lens. A lens antenna with an electromagnetic wave is fabricated by using a same principle as that of the optical lens. The lens antenna includes a lens and a feed source placed on a focal point of the lens, and is an antenna that converts, by using the lens, a spherical wave or a cylindrical wave of the feed source into a plane wave to obtain a pen-shaped, sector-shaped, or another-shaped beam. JP 2003/037 541 A describes a lens for readio waves. This lens is used to produce narrow beams. A feed line is used for each patch antenna element of a narrow beam antenna and the feed line of the patch antenna element of a wide beam antenna are formed by using an inner layer of a multilayer substrate as a wiring layer, thereby forming a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit. Also disclosed are antenna switches. An example is described which includes 8x8 patch antenna elements arranged on the multilayer substrate. At the time of high-speed data communication, a signal is transmitted by connecting a first antenna switch to the narrow beam antenna and connecting a second antenna switch to the transmission circuit. Further, at the time of low-speed data communication or when the communication distance is short, a signal is transmitted by connecting the first antenna switch to the wide beam antenna and connecting the second antenna switch to the transmission circuit. Furthermore, directional axes of the narrow beam antenna and the wide beam antenna can be completely matched. SUMMARY The object of the present invention is to provide a lens antenna, a detection apparatus, and a communication apparatus, to improve a detection effect of the detection apparatus. This object is solved by the attached independent claims and further embodiments and improvements of the invention are listed in the attached dependent claims. Hereinafter, up to the "brief description of the drawings", expressions like "...aspect according to the invention", "according to the invention", or "the present invention", relate to technical teaching of the broadest embodiment as claimed with the independent claims. Expressions like "implementation", "design", "optionally", "preferably", "scenario", "aspect" or similar relate to further embodiments as claimed, and expressions like "example", "...aspect according to an example", "the disclosure describes", or "the disclosure" describe technical teaching which relates to the understanding of the invention or its embodiments, which, however, is not claimed as such. According to a first aspect according to the invention, a lens antenna is provided and is applied to a detection apparatus. The lens antenna includes a feed source, a radio frequency switch, at least two narrow beam radiation units, and a wide beam radiation unit, where the feed source is configured to selectively send a signal to the narrow beam radiation unit and the wide beam radiation unit. For example, the feed source may selectively feed any narrow beam radiation unit or the wide beam radiation unit by using the radio frequency switch. The narrow beam radiation unit or the wide beam radiation unit may be connected to the feed source by switching of the radio frequency switch. A first radiation region of the wide beam radiation unit covers a second radiation region of each narrow beam radiation unit. The wide beam radiation unit includes a plurality of radiation sub-units. The plurality of radiation sub-units are connected to the radio frequency switch by using a power splitter. In this way, radiation of the plurality of radiation sub-units forms a wide beam. In the foregoing technical solution, switching between a narrow beam and a wide beam can be implemented by using the radio frequency switch. When scanning needs to be performed, the wide beam may be used. When communication needs to be performed for a specific region, the narrow beam may be used through switching. This improves a detection effect of the detection apparatus. In a specific implementable solution, a sum of regions covered by all the second radiation regions is the same as the first radiation region. Certainly, the first radiation region may be alternatively greater than the regions covered by all the second radiation regions. According to the invention, the at least two narrow beam radiation units are disposed around the wide beam radiation unit. In this way, regions covered by the narrow beam and the wide beam can overlap each other. In a specific implementable solution, a distance between each of the narrow beam radiation units and any adjacent radiation sub-unit is not less than a wavelength corresponding to an operating f