Radio frequency module and communication device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11211718-B2
Application number	US-202016898799-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2020
Priority date	Dec 12, 2017
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

An array antenna includes a plurality of first patch antennas configured to radiate a polarized wave in an X direction at a first operating frequency and configured to radiate a polarized wave in a Y direction at a second operating frequency higher than the first operating frequency, and a plurality of second patch antennas configured to radiate a polarized wave in the Y direction at the first operating frequency and configured to radiate a polarized wave in the X direction at the second operating frequency. When a distance between any one of the first patch antennas and another one of the first patch antennas closest to the any one first patch antenna is defined as D1, and a distance between any one of the first patch antennas and the second patch antenna closest to the any one first patch antenna is defined as D2, D1>D2 is satisfied.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radio frequency module comprising:
a multilayer dielectric substrate;
an RFIC connected to the multilayer dielectric substrate and having a plurality of RF input/output terminals; and
an array antenna placed on or in the multilayer dielectric substrate and configured with a plurality of polarized wave sharing antennas configured to radiate polarized waves in an X direction and a Y direction, the X direction and the Y direction being orthogonal to each other, wherein
the RFIC includes, for each of the plurality of RF input/output terminals, a switching unit for switching ON and OFF states of input or output of an RF signal, and a variable phase shifter,
two of the plurality of RF input/output terminals are connected to each of the plurality of polarized wave sharing antennas at feeding points corresponding to polarized waves orthogonal to each other,
the plurality of polarized wave sharing antennas includes a plurality of first polarized wave sharing antennas configured to radiate a first polarized wave in the X direction at a first operating frequency and configured to radiate a second polarized wave in the Y direction at a second operating frequency higher than the first operating frequency, and a plurality of second polarized wave sharing antennas configured to radiate a third polarized wave in the Y direction at the first operating frequency and configured to radiate a fourth polarized wave in the X direction at the second operating frequency, and
when a distance between any one of the first polarized wave sharing antennas and another one of the first polarized wave sharing antenna closest to the any one of the first polarized wave sharing antennas is defined as D 1 , and
a distance between any one of the first polarized wave sharing antennas and the second polarized wave sharing antenna closest to the any one of the first polarized wave sharing antennas is defined as D 2 ,
a condition D 1 >D 2 is satisfied.

2. A radio frequency module comprising:
a multilayer dielectric substrate;
an RFIC connected to the multilayer dielectric substrate and having a plurality of RF input/output terminals; and
an array antenna placed in or on the multilayer dielectric substrate and configured with a plurality of polarized wave sharing antennas configured to radiate polarized waves in X and Y directions orthogonal to each other, wherein
the RFIC includes, for each of the plurality of RF input/output terminals, a switching unit for switching ON and OFF states of input or output of an RF signal and a variable phase shifter,
two of the plurality of RF input/output terminals are connected to each of the plurality of polarized wave sharing antennas at feeding points corresponding to polarized waves orthogonal to each other,
the plurality of polarized wave sharing antennas includes a plurality of first polarized wave sharing antennas configured to radiate a first polarized wave in the Y direction at a first operating frequency and configured to radiate a second polarized wave in the X direction at a second operating frequency higher than the first operating frequency, and a plurality of second polarized wave sharing antennas configured to radiate a third polarized wave in the X direction at a third operating frequency different from the first operating frequency and the second operating frequency and configured to radiate a fourth polarized wave in the Y direction at the second operating frequency.

3. The radio frequency module according to claim 2 , wherein
an operating band of the third operating frequency and an operating band of the first operating frequency or the second operating frequency overlap each other on a frequency axis.

4. The radio frequency module according to claim 2 , wherein
an operating band of the third operating frequency and an operating frequency of the first operating frequency or the second operating frequency are adjacent to each other on a frequency axis.

5. The radio frequency module according to claim 2 , wherein
an operating band of the third operating frequency and operating bands of the first operating frequency and the second operating frequency are spaced apart from each other on a frequency axis.

6. The radio frequency module according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of first polarized wave sharing antennas and the plurality of second polarized sharing antennas are arranged linearly in one line and are alternately arranged.

7. The radio frequency module according to claim 2 , wherein
the plurality of first polarized wave sharing antennas and the plurality of second polarized sharing antennas are arranged linearly in one line and are alternately arranged.

8. The radio frequency module according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of first polarized wave sharing antennas is arranged linearly in a first line,
the plurality of second polarized wave sharing antennas forms a second line different from the first line, and is arranged linearly in the second line in parallel with the first line, and
the first polarized wave sharing antennas and the second polarized wave sharing antennas are alternately arranged with respect to a direction in which the first polarized wave sharing antennas and the second polarized wave sharing antennas are arranged linearly.

9. The radio frequency module according to claim 2 , wherein
the plurality of first polarized wave sharing antennas is arranged linearly in a first line,
the plurality of second polarized wave sharing antennas forms a second line different from the first line, and is arranged linearly in the second line in parallel with the first line, and
the first polarized wave sharing antennas and the second polarized wave sharing antennas are alternately arranged with respect to a direction in which the first polarized wave sharing antennas and the second polarized wave sharing antennas are arranged linearly.

10. The radio frequency module according to claim 1 , wherein
any one of the first polarized wave sharing antennas is surrounded by four of the second polarized wave sharing antennas and is arranged at a center position of the four of the polarized wave sharing antennas.

11. The radio frequency module according to claim 2 , wherein
any one of the first polarized wave sharing antennas is surrounded by four of the second polarized wave sharing antennas and is arranged at a center position of the four of the polarized wave sharing antennas.

12. A radio frequency module comprising:
a multilayer dielectric substrate;
an RFIC connected to the multilayer dielectric substrate and having a plurality of RF input/output terminals; and
an array antenna placed in or on the multilayer dielectric substrate and configured with a plurality of polarized wave sharing antennas configured to radiate polarized waves in X and Y directions orthogonal to each other, wherein
the RFIC includes, for each of the plurality of RF input/output terminals, a switching unit for switching ON and OFF states of input or output of an RF signal and a variable phase shifter,
two of the plurality of RF input/output terminals are connected to each of the plurality of polarized wave sharing antennas at feeding points corresponding to polarized waves orthogonal to each other,
the plurality of polarized wave sharing antennas includes a plurality of first polarized wave sharing antennas configured to radiate a first polarized wave in the X direction at a first operating frequency and configured to radiate a second polarized wave in the Y direction at a second operating frequency higher than the first operating frequency, and a plurality of second polarized wave sharing antennas configured to a

Assignees

• Murata Manufacturing Co

Inventors

• Ueda Hideki

Classifications

• H01Q3/36

  with variable phase-shifters · CPC title

• H01Q21/245

  provided with means for varying the polarisation  (polarising devices H01Q15/24; tracking by comparing linear polarisation compounds G01S3/146; reducing depolarisation effects H04B7/00; polarisation diversity H04B7/10) · CPC title

• H01Q23/00

  Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them · CPC title

• H01Q1/2283

  mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package · CPC title

• H01Q21/24

  Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction {(circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001)} · CPC title