Original Title: Interview with Yinglian Microwave's Chief Designer Hu Nan with China Manufacturing Services Global Manufacturers and Research Institutions
With the development of applications such as 5G millimeter wave and automotive radar, as well as the promotion of aerospace and space exploration projects such as 'Tiangong', 'Shenzhou', 'Kong', FAST, and Ka-band satellite communications, the development trend of high-frequency signal transmission is obvious. And these are inseparable from the participation and support of microwave radio frequency technology. At present, the finished products with frequency of up to 100 GHz continue to emerge. UHF circuits have gradually become the mainstream technology.
Like the high-speed rail, communications equipment, mobile phones and other industries, 'Made in China' shines worldwide. In the field of microwave radio frequency, China has also produced many excellent domestic manufacturers, including the British Alliance Microwave Corporation. Recently, the British Premier Microwave Co., Ltd. Mr. Hu Nan, the designer and design director, received an exclusive interview with the microwave radio frequency network. He described how the BP microwave was approved by the top manufacturers and scientific research institutions in the industry through independent innovation. The products were exported to 65 countries including North America, the European Union and the Middle East.
Mr. Hu Nan is one of the world's leading microwave, RF product design professionals, a senior member of the Microwave Division of the Chinese Institute of Electronics, a member of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), president of the British Alliance Microwave, and a chief designer. Since 2000, Chengdu Information Engineering After graduating from the University of Electronic Engineering, he has been engaged in the design of microwave and RF products. In 2001, he founded the British Alliance Microwave Corporation, specializing in the design and manufacture of microwave and RF products. He has designed a total of antennas and waveguide devices so far. Thousands of products including microwave devices and related subsystems have 44 patents and one software copyright. The products have been used in aerospace, aviation, defense, precision measurement testing, weather, EMC/EMI, and medical care in more than 65 countries around the world. , Communication, automotive, material analysis, sensors, etc. are widely used in dozens of industries.
Ultra-wideband antenna technology has leading edge
With the continuous improvement of wireless communication and radar systems, the industry has proposed antenna features such as small size, light weight, simple manufacture, and wideband requirements. Ultra-wideband antenna technology has emerged as the times require. In this field, many of our country have emerged. The international leader in R & D and design level, experts who make important contributions to scientific research, shipbuilding industry, precision testing and many other fields. Among them, the LB-7180-SF ultra-wideband antenna developed and researched by Hu Nan broke through the world's challenges of frequency coverage, extensive attention.
In the UWB horn antenna field, the design of the high frequency band 1-18 GHz is relatively easy, but it needs to cover 1 GHz or less in the low frequency band. At the same time, the high gain, low VSWR, and small size must be taken into account. The difficulty is great. Especially in the low frequency range. The antenna means a larger size. For example, a standard gain horn antenna of 750MHz-1.12GHz is used. An antenna has a length of about 800mm, which will occupy most of the space in the darkroom, and if all the frequency characteristics of 750MHz to 18GHz are to be tested, A total of 8 antennas were needed during the test, causing the cost of the darkroom to rise and the efficiency of the experiment to be reduced. This problem has long plagued laboratory designers and laboratory personnel. There are also other manufacturers or designers in the world trying to solve this problem, but In the few products that have emerged so far, the standing wave in the low frequency band is very high, and the pattern in the high frequency band above 12 GHz is prone to cracking, which cannot meet the practical application of engineering.
Hu Nan's R&D design of the LB-7180-SF UWB antenna has a frequency coverage of 700 MHz to 18 GHz, a typical VSWR of only 1.5:1 for all bands, a maximum antenna length of 244 mm, a compact appearance, and a wide frequency coverage. It can replace 8 antennas in the standard waveguide frequency band, which can save 80% of space, and perfectly solve many problems faced by the industry. This design has already applied for a patent and has been authorized by the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China.
Because of its technical advantages, the LB-7180-SF ultra-wideband antenna technology is not only widely used in various fields in China, it also solves many technical problems in China, and is also used by European and American governments and enterprises.
In August 2015, an explosion of a hazardous chemicals warehouse occurred in Tianjin Port. In this explosion accident, toxic gas detection was very important. At that time, the relevant departments used the British-link microwave UBL antenna LB-7180-SF The detection of the electromagnetic properties of the toxic gases at the blast site successfully solved the technical challenges of the field test of the big bang in Tianjin in 2015. Due to the extremely complicated on-site situation of the big bang, the extremely harsh testing environment and the distortion of the antenna of the BP, even though it was The indicator is still very stable and has not been affected at all. Compared to the products of foreign top companies, the antennas designed and manufactured by Chinese manufacturers are not inferior.
Broadband dual-polarization antenna technology with unique design concept
Of the 44 patents held by Mr. Hu Nan, dual-polarized antennas are currently top internationally. Dual-polarized antennas are a new type of antenna technology. They are used in military, communications, meteorology, and precision measurement tests. EMC/ EMI and other fields are widely used and are flexible in the face of various complicated conditions. Ordinary antennas are in the form of linear polarization. When the polarization is matched well, the antenna is in good working condition. However, in the case of polarization mismatch, the antenna pattern, Gain and other technical indicators will be greatly affected, and even not work properly. When the polarization form of the signal is unknown, even if the antenna is placed at an angle of 45 degrees polarization, the polarization mismatch problem is still significant, and the antenna in this case The directional pattern after array formation is affected by the earth and the coupling between them is large. Some frequency points even appear distorted patterns, which seriously affects the overall DF accuracy index. This is particularly true at the low end of the frequency (hundreds of MHz). Significantly.
In modern meteorological detection, the detection of clouds is currently the research hotspot of meteorological radar detection. Because the components in the cloud are relatively complex, there are water particles that are approximate spheres, and also there are irregularly shaped ice particles. Therefore, the cloud is oriented to a single polarization. The incident electromagnetic waves will produce differently polarized reflected echoes. To detect these reflected echoes, it is required to realize the same-frequency dual-polarization reception in the receiving antenna of the cloud-detecting radar, and it is possible to invert the cloud by detecting the depolarization ratio. The specific shape of the particles.
The dual-polarization log-periodic dipole antenna (LPDA) is widely used in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) measurement and material electromagnetic parameter testing. Usually, the electromagnetic noise of the device or material under test is measured to give the received electromagnetic wave separately. Vertical and horizontal components.
Well-known Chinese listed company – Fuyao Glass, therefore found Hu Nan, and asked for a dual-polarized log-periodic antenna with a frequency range of 100MHz to 3GHz to test the material electromagnetic parameters of its products. Before the manufacturer visited the US, Europe Waiting for the top companies in this industry, but the frequency of these manufacturers' products can only cover 1GHz, the gain and standing wave fluctuate within the whole band, and the antenna is very bulky to reach 18kg, unable to meet its production test requirements. The requirements are not low, but Hu Nan completed the design of the antenna within half a year, increasing the gain while lowering the standing wave, and covering the frequency to 4 GHz. The antenna weighs only 5 kg. This antenna is not only very satisfactory for manufacturers. The competitor in the United States also praised him for having added. This design has been applied for by Mr. Hu Nan and has been granted a patent by the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China.
Hu Nan designed and patented several broadband dual-polarization horn antennas widely used by several major 5G equipment companies including Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia and Qualcomm to test their upcoming 5G antennas and system equipment. The antenna designed by Hu Nan conquered these world-class technology companies with extremely high precision, perfect technical specifications, and exquisite structural design, which greatly improved the accuracy of data testing of these top technology companies for their product performance and promotion. Implementation provides a solid technical guarantee.
High-precision waveguide products have reached world-class level
To cope with the international market, it is often necessary to compete with excellent foreign counterparts on the same platform. Some products require design director Hu Nan to quickly understand and respond. However, Hu Nan stated that one of his usual important tasks is to read the latest international academic papers and new product information. , Knowing the latest developments of outstanding peers in the industry, and under the circumstances that China's precision machining technology is relatively backward, constantly wondering how electrical design and structural design can achieve the best performance of the products. In a tender in 2015, Hu Nan pressed It is required to successfully produce high-precision vector network analyzer waveguide calibration parts with precision sliding load. At the same time, he further designed and manufactured calibration parts for all waveguide sections from 750 MHz to 110 GHz, and responded to different calibration methods. 4 major series. Not only that, he also through complex and meticulous testing and development, to the calibration parts supporting professional software, so that it can be used at the same time in various international manufacturers of different types of vector network analyzer.
High-precision waveguide devices can be recognized by the top companies in the industry, thanks to a solid theoretical accumulation, and on the other hand, are closely related to the importance of the British Alliance microwave technology reserve. Hu Nan has designed a wide range of waveguide products, all types of products. Thousands of species add up to thousands of types. He has a clear understanding of the performance and design of each type of waveguide device. He always maintains the leading edge in this field. His many designs fill many gaps in high-end products in China. His design Terahertz waveguide devices with frequencies up to 325 GHz and mass production have been the only successful case to date.
5G Millimeter Wave Times Manufacturers with millimeter-wave capabilities usher in new opportunities
The 5th generation mobile communication system (5th generation mobile networks, 5G for short) will be officially commercialized in 2020. Millimeter wave technology can realize ultra-high-speed wireless data transmission by increasing the spectrum bandwidth, becoming one of the key technologies in 5G communication technology. Waves refer to electromagnetic waves with wavelengths on the order of millimeters. Their frequency is approximately between 30 GHz and 300 GHz. According to the communication principle, the maximum signal bandwidth of wireless communication is approximately 5% of the carrier frequency. Therefore, the higher the carrier frequency, the greater the signal bandwidth that can be achieved. Also in the millimeter wave band, the 28GHz band and the 60GHz band are the two bands that are most promising to use in 5G. The usable spectrum bandwidth in the 28GHz band can reach 1GHz, and the available signal bandwidth in each channel in the 60GHz band reaches 2GHz. In contrast, the highest frequency carrier in the 4G-LTE frequency band is above and below 2GHz, and the available spectrum bandwidth is only 100MHz. Therefore, if you use the millimeter wave band, the spectrum bandwidth can easily be doubled and the transmission rate can be huge. Promote.
However, due to the large attenuation of the millimeter wave band in the air and the weak diffraction performance, the millimeter wave technology is not suitable for applications where the distance between the outdoor mobile terminal and the base station is far away. It is to use the more traditional 6GHz frequency band in the outdoor open area to ensure the signal coverage, while in the indoor use the micro base station plus millimeter wave technology to achieve ultra-high speed data transmission.
Millimeter wave compared to the traditional frequency below 6GHz there is also a feature that the physical size of the antenna can be relatively small. The higher the frequency of the antenna, the smaller the corresponding physical size. So 5G manufacturers can easily equipped with millimeter wave on mobile devices Antenna arrays, thereby implementing various MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output), in which a plurality of transmitting and receiving antennas are used at a transmitting end and a receiving end, respectively, so that signals are transmitted and received by multiple antennas at a transmitting end and a receiving end, thereby improving The communication quality) technology, composed of antenna arrays, can also use beamforming techniques to enhance the directivity of signal transmission, thereby enhancing the signal strength in a given direction.
Millimeter wave is not a completely new concept and technology. The difficulty lies in its technical experience and industrial design. Without a strong theoretical foundation and design skills, it is difficult to make products that meet the requirements, let alone to innovate. Due to the embargo on high-end high-frequency test equipment, domestic development and application of microwave products at 40 GHz or even below 18 GHz for a long period of time has made it impossible for many manufacturers to provide mature millimeter-wave products and application solutions. Microwaves have always attached great importance to the development and market of millimeter-wave products. The advantages in this area will be able to grab opportunities in 5G applications. Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Huawei, ZTE, Datang Telecom, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nokia, Rohde & Schwarz Cz, these companies that set standards and provide system equipment in the 5G communications industry, have long-term and stable cooperative relations with ABF Microwave. In recent years, they have used AP Microwave's antenna and waveguide products in the 5G application scenario. .
APB Microwave understands the needs of market customers and launches products, while customers benefit from Hu Nan's technology and achieve win-win goals. Hu Nan stated that only by continuing to learn and practice, strengthen technology accumulation and improve their technical capabilities can they Resonance when required. Antennas and waveguide devices, although in the microwave field are not large devices, but are like the hands and feet of the entire system, have the same role as the “vanguard”, only the products that provide excellent performance can realize the system. Predetermined goals. With the rapid development of 5G communications and military civilian microwave market in recent years, Infineon Microwave and Hu Nan have given priority to this unique background and advantages, focusing on technology and focusing on technological innovation. Meet the new needs of emerging microwave technologies and market applications.
Made in China Serves the world's top manufacturers and research institutes
APRL's microwave antenna and waveguide product lines are abundant and can meet the antenna requirements of different test and measurement system application scenarios. For the EMC darkroom area, there are standardized antenna series available to the market, including standard gain horn antennas and open-ended waveguide probes. These are For traditional conventional antenna products, BASF Microwaves can provide products that meet the needs of near-field testing, far-field scenarios, and compact field testing, and test and measure electromagnetic parameters. For the aerospace and defense industries, BASF Microwave can also provide customized products. Solutions and systems. In different scenarios, APLink microwaves have corresponding antennas and waveguides to support various different regions, different markets and different industry needs.
High-end design continues to achieve successful technological advancements, enabling APLink microwave technology to be integrated and expanded on a wide range of products. The products provide guarantees for efficient implementation of customer projects in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and so on. International, domestic universities, research institutes, top companies in the industry, such as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Huawei, CETC, Southeast University, Tsinghua University, and University of Electronic Science and Technology have established close cooperation.
The company has a vibrant team of technical staff. The number of undergraduate/master (211 projects/985 projects) accounts for 90% of the total. There are 1 senior engineer enjoying national special allowance, 2 senior engineers and 6 professional and technical qualification engineers. The company has passed the quality management system ISO 9001: 2008 and has established a set of strict quality control system to provide high-end products that meet national defense, aerospace and other reliability applications.
The company has established a good and stable cooperation relationship with many well-known brand companies both at home and abroad. The British League microwave products have been exported to North America, the European Union, the Middle East and many other countries and have been well evaluated.
APHL also sent products to internationally renowned test system suppliers, including the China National Institute of Metrology (NIM) and American NSI, to conduct tests to ensure that the products are technologically competitive on an international scale. These efforts have received expectations. Effectiveness. APHL has nearly 20 years of experience in the development of standard gain antennas. Based on cooperation with national authoritative metrology organizations: China Institute of Metrology and Beijing Radio Measurement and Testing Institute, all measurement standards and results are traceable to the country. The highest measurement standard!