Liquid crystal antenna and communication device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12494589-B2
Application number	US-202218580147-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2022
Priority date	Jul 30, 2021
Publication date	Dec 9, 2025
Grant date	Dec 9, 2025

Abstract

A liquid crystal antenna and a communication device. The liquid crystal antenna includes: a first substrate; a second substrate; a plurality of antenna structures; a grounding electrode located on the side of the second substrate away from the antenna structures; each antenna structure includes a first microstrip line, a second microstrip line, and a liquid crystal layer, the first microstrip line includes first sub-microstrip lines and second sub-microstrip lines connected to the first sub-microstrip lines, the second microstrip line includes third sub-microstrip lines and fourth sub-microstrip lines connected to the third sub-microstrip lines, the first sub-microstrip lines and the third sub-microstrip lines all extend in a first direction and is arranged in a second direction, the orthographic projection of the liquid crystal layer covers at least part of the area of the orthographic projection of the first sub-microstrip lines and the orthographic projection of the plurality of third sub-microstrip lines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A liquid crystal antenna, comprising:
a first substrate; a second substrate arranged opposite the first substrate; a plurality of antenna structures arranged in an array and disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and a grounding electrode disposed at a side of the second substrate facing away from the antenna structures; wherein each of the plurality of antenna structures comprises:
a first microstrip line;
a second microstrip line disposed at a side, close to the first substrate, of the first microstrip line; and
a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first microstrip line and the second microstrip line; wherein
the first microstrip line comprises: a plurality of first microstrip sub-lines and a second microstrip sub-line connected with the plurality of first microstrip sub-lines; and
the second microstrip line comprises: a plurality of third microstrip sub-lines and a fourth microstrip sub-line connected with the plurality of third microstrip sub-lines; wherein
the plurality of first microstrip sub-lines and the plurality of third microstrip sub-lines extend in a first direction and are arranged in a second direction, and the first direction intersects with the second direction;
an orthographic projection of the liquid crystal layer on the second substrate covers at least part of regions of orthographic projections of the plurality of first microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate and at least part of regions of orthographic projections of the plurality of third microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate; and
in the first direction, at least part of a region of an orthographic projection of the second microstrip sub-line on the second substrate and at least part of a region of an orthographic projection of the fourth microstrip sub-line on the second substrate are disposed at two sides of the orthographic projection of the liquid crystal layer on the second substrate, respectively.

2 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1 , wherein the grounding electrode is electrically connected with the first microstrip line.

3 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first microstrip sub-lines and the plurality of third microstrip sub-lines are alternately arranged in the second direction; and
the orthographic projections of the first microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate do not overlap the orthographic projections of the third microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate.

4 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 3 , wherein the orthographic projections of the first microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate do not overlap the orthographic projection of the fourth microstrip sub-line on the second substrate, and the orthographic projections of the third microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate do not overlap the orthographic projection of the second microstrip sub-line on the second substrate.

5 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 4 , wherein the orthographic projection of the liquid crystal layer on the second substrate does not overlap the orthographic projection of the second microstrip sub-line on the second substrate and the orthographic projection of the fourth microstrip sub-line on the second substrate, and the orthographic projections of the first microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate and the orthographic projections of the third microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate fall within the orthographic projection of the liquid crystal layer on the second substrate.

6 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 3 , wherein orthographic projections of some of the first microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate overlap the orthographic projection of the fourth microstrip sub-line on the second substrate; and
orthographic projections of some of the third microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate overlap the orthographic projection of the second microstrip sub-line on the second substrate.

7 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 4 , wherein an orthographic projection of the first microstrip sub-line on the second substrate is connected with orthographic projections of two adjacent third microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate.

8 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 3 , wherein the first microstrip sub-lines and the third microstrip sub-lines are arranged in parallel in the first direction; and the orthographic projections of the first microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate overlap the orthographic projections of the third microstrip sub-lines on the second substrate.

9 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna structure further comprises a first insulation layer; wherein
the first insulation layer is disposed between the liquid crystal layer and the first microstrip line; and or, the first insulation layer is disposed between the liquid crystal layer and the second microstrip line.

10 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 6 , wherein the second microstrip sub-line and the fourth microstrip sub-line are in a non-rectilinear shape; and the second microstrip sub-line is bent towards a side where the first microstrip sub-lines is located, and the fourth microstrip sub-line is bent towards a side where the third microstrip sub-lines is located.

11 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 10 , wherein the orthographic projection of the liquid crystal layer on the second substrate overlaps the orthographic projection of the second microstrip sub-line on the second substrate and the orthographic projection of the fourth microstrip sub-line on the second substrate.

12 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1 , wherein a width of the first microstrip sub-lines is equal to a width of the third microstrip sub-lines in the second direction.

13 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1 , wherein a width of the first microstrip sub-lines is greater than a width of the third microstrip sub-lines in the second direction.

14 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1 , wherein a width of the first microstrip sub-lines is smaller than a width of the third microstrip sub-lines in the second direction.

15 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1 , wherein lengths of the first microstrip sub-lines are equal to lengths of the third microstrip sub-lines in the first direction.

16 . The liquid crystal antenna according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna structure further comprises:
an encapsulation structure for defining an area where the liquid crystal layer is located and disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

17 . A communication device, comprising a liquid crystal antenna, wherein the liquid crystal antenna comprises:
a first substrate; a second substrate arranged opposite the first substrate; a plurality of antenna structures arranged in an array and disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and a grounding electrode disposed at a side of the second substrate facing away from the antenna structures; wherein each of the plurality of antenna structures comprises:
a first microstrip line;
a second microstrip line disposed at a side, close to the first substrate, of the first microstrip line; and
a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first microstrip line and the second microstrip line; wherein
the first microstrip line comprises: a plurality of first microstrip sub-lines and a second microstrip sub-line connected with the plurality of

Assignees

• Beijing Boe Technology Dev Co Ltd
• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fan Xichao
• Wang Yali
• Li Biqi
• Qu Feng
• Li Wei
• Liu Zongmin
• Guo Junwei

Classifications

• H01Q13/106

  Microstrip slot antennas (patch antenna elements H01Q9/0407) · CPC title

• H01Q21/061 Primary

  Two dimensional planar arrays · CPC title

• H01Q3/44

  varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element · CPC title

• H01Q1/38 Primary

  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 title