Patent Grant
11677141
The present application claims the benefit of priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202010917815.1, filed on Sep. 3, 2020, and to Chinese Patent Application No. 202110472134.3, filed on Apr. 29, 2021, the entire contents of each above identified application incorporated by reference as if set forth herein.
The present disclosure relates to communication systems, and more particularly, to base station antennas, and feeder components and frame components for base station antennas.
Wireless base stations are well known in the art, and generally include baseband units, radios, antennas and other components. Antennas are configured to provide bidirectional radio frequency (“RF”) communication with fixed and mobile subscribers (“users”) located throughout the cell. Generally, antennas are installed on towers or raised structures such as poles, roofs, water towers, etc., and separate baseband units and radio equipment are connected to the antennas.
In order to transmit and receive RF signals to and from the defined coverage area, the antenna beam of the antenna 50 is usually inclined at a certain downward angle with respect to the horizontal plane (called “downtilt”). In some cases, the antenna 50 may be designed so that the “electronic downtilt” of the antenna 50 can be adjusted from a remote location. With the antenna 50 including such an electronic tilt capability, the physical orientation of the antenna 50 is fixed, but the effective tilt of the antenna beam can still be adjusted electronically, for example, by controlling phase shifters that adjust the phase of signals provided to each radiating element of the antenna 50. The phase shifter and other related circuits are usually built in the antenna 50 and can be controlled from a remote location. Typically, AISG control signals are used to control the phase shifter.
Many different types of phase shifters are known in the art, including rotary wiper arm phase shifters, trombone style phase shifters, sliding dielectric phase shifters, and sliding metal phase shifters. The phase shifter is usually constructed together with the power divider as a part of the feeding network (or feeder component) for feeding the phased array. The power divider divides the RF signal input to the feed network into a plurality of sub-components, and the phase shifter applies a changeable respective phase shift to each sub-component so that each sub-component is fed to one or plurality of radiators.
The present disclosure provides base station antennas and feeder components for the base station antennas.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a base station antenna may be provided. The base station antenna may include: a reflector; a first radiator located at the front side of the reflector; first and second ground plates extending backward from the reflector basically perpendicular to the reflector and parallel to each other; and a first conductor strip extending on a plane between the first and second ground plates and configured to feed power to the first radiator, wherein the first conductor strip and the first and second ground plates are configured as a first stripline transmission line, wherein the reflector and the first and second ground plates are configured as one piece so that the reflector is grounded via the first and second ground plates without soldering.
According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a base station antenna is provided, comprising: a reflector; a first radiator located at the front side of the reflector; a first cavity element located at the rear side of the reflector, wherein the first cavity element comprises first and second ground plates which are parallel to each other and extend backward from the reverse side of the reflector basically perpendicular to the reverse side of the reflector, and each of the first and second ground plates has a first edge part close to the reflector; a first conductor strip extending on a plane between the first and second ground plates and configured to feed the first radiator, wherein be first conductor strip and the first and second ground plates constitute a first stripline transmission line; and a first dielectric layer located between the first side of the first and second ground plates and the reflector, wherein the first side of the first ground plate extends laterally far away from the first conductor strip and out of a first coupling part basically parallel to the reverse surface of the reflector; a first edge part of the second ground plate extends laterally far away from the first conductor strip and out of a second coupling part basically parallel to the reverse surface of the reflector; and the first and second coupling parts are each electrically coupled to the reflector via the first dielectric layer, so that the reflector is grounded via the first cavity element without soldering.
According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a feeder component is provided, which is used for columns of radiators for feeding a base station antenna, wherein the feeder component includes a stripline transmission line located at the rear side of a reflector and basically perpendicular to the reflector, the stripline transmission line includes first and second ground plates parallel to each other, and a conductor strip extending on a plane between the first and second ground plates, the conductor strip has an input part and a plurality of output parts, wherein the first and second ground plates are electrically connected to an outer conductor of a coaxial transmission line for feeding the column, the input part is electrically connected to an inner conductor of the coaxial transmission line, the plurality of output parts are configured to be electrically connected to the column to feed the column, and the first and second ground plates are constructed as one piece with the reflector so that the reflector is grounded via the first and second ground plates without soldering.
According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a frame for a base station antenna is provided, comprising: a first planar element extending along a first plane, wherein the surface of a first side of the first planar element is configured to reflect electromagnetic radiation of the base station antenna; and mutually parallel second and third planar elements extending basically perpendicularly from the first planar element to a second side of the first planar element, wherein the second and third planar elements are configured to define a first chamber for a first conductor strip, wherein the first to third planar elements are constructed as one piece so as to be commonly grounded.
Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be made clear by the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification, describe embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
Note, in the embodiments described below, the same signs are sometimes used in common between different drawings to denote the same parts or parts with the same functions, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted. In some cases, similar labels and letters are used to indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent figures.
For ease of understanding, the position, dimension, and range of each structure shown in the attached drawings and the like may not indicate the actual position, dimension, and range. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the position, size, range, etc. disclosed in the attached drawings.
The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the attached drawings, which show several embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below. In fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the present disclosure more complete and to fully explain the protection scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure may be combined in various ways so as to provide more additional embodiments.
It should be understood that the terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. All terms used herein (including technical terms and scientific terms) have meanings normally understood by those skilled in the art unless otherwise defined. For brevity and/or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be further described in detail.
As used herein, when an element is said to be “on” another element, “attached” to another element, “connected” to another element, “coupled” to another element, or “in contact with” another element, etc., the element may be directly on another element, attached to another element, connected to another element, coupled to another element, or in contact with another element, or an intermediate element may be present. In contrast, if an element is described “directly” “on” another element, “directly attached” to another element, “directly connected” to another element, “directly coupled” to another element or “directly in contact with” another element, there will be no intermediate elements. As used herein, when one feature is arranged “adjacent” to another feature, it may mean that one feature has a part overlapping with the adjacent feature or a part located above or below the adjacent feature.
In this specification, elements, nodes or features that are “coupled” together may be mentioned. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, “coupled” means that one element/node/feature can be mechanically, electrically, logically or otherwise connected with another element/node/feature in a direct or indirect manner to allow interaction, even though the two features may not be directly connected. That is, “coupled” is intended to comprise direct and indirect connection of components or other features, including connection using one or a plurality of intermediate components.
As used herein, spatial relationship terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “high” and “low” can explain the relationship between one feature and another in the drawings. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientations shown in the attached drawings, the terms expressing spatial relations also comprise different orientations of a device in use or operation. For example, when a device in the attached drawings rotates reversely, the features originally described as being “below” other features now can be described as being “above” the other features. The device may also be oriented by other means (rotated by 90 degrees or at other locations), and at this time, a relative spatial relation will be explained accordingly.
As used herein, the term “A or B” comprises “A and B” and “A or B,” not exclusively “A” or “B,” unless otherwise specified.
As used herein, the term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance or explanation,” not as a “model” to be accurately copied. Any realization method described exemplarily herein is not necessarily interpreted as being preferable or advantageous over other realization methods. Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited by any expressed or implied theory given in the above technical field, background art, summary, or embodiments.
As used herein, the term “basically” or “substantially” is intended to include any minor changes caused by design or manufacturing defects, device or component tolerances, environmental influences, and/or other factors. The term “basically” or “substantially” is also intended to encompass the gap from the perfect or ideal situation due to parasitic effects, noise, and other practical considerations that may be present in the actual implementation.
In addition, for reference purposes only, “first,” “second” and similar terms may also be used herein, and thus are not intended to be limitative. For example, unless the context clearly indicates, the words “first,” “second” and other such numerical words involving structures or elements do not imply a sequence or order.
It should also be understood that when the term “comprise/include” is used herein, it indicates the presence of the specified feature, entirety, step, operation, unit and/or component, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or a plurality of other features, steps, operations, units and/or components and/or combinations thereof.
With reference to
A plurality of dual-polarized radiating elements 121, 131, 141, 151 and 161 are installed to extend forwardly from the front surface of the reflector 113. The radiating elements include low-band radiating elements 121, middle-band radiating elements 131 and 141, and high-band radiating elements 151 and 161. The low-band radiating elements 121 are installed in two columns to form two linear arrays 120-1, 120-2 of low-band radiating elements 121. The mid-band radiating elements 131 are installed in two columns to form two linear arrays 130-1, 130-2 of mid-band radiating elements 131. The mid-band radiating elements 141 are installed in two columns to form two linear arrays 140-1, 140-2 of mid-band radiating elements 141. The linear arrays 130-1 and 140-1 are adjacent each other. The arrays 130-1 and 140-1, taken together, can extend basically the entire length of the antenna 100. The linear arrays 130-2 and 140-2 are adjacent each other. The arrays 130-2 and 140-2, taken together, can also extend basically the entire length of the antenna 100. The high-band radiating elements 151 are installed in four columns to form an array 150 of high-band radiating elements 151. The high-band radiating elements 161 are installed in four columns to form an array 160 of high-band radiating elements 161. Array 150 may stacked above array 160. It should be noted that similar elements may be individually referred to by their complete drawing reference numerals (e.g., linear array 120-1) or collectively referred to by the first part of their drawing reference numerals (e.g., linear array 120).
In some embodiments, the numbers of low-band, middle-band and/or high-band radiating elements and their linear arrays may be different from the numbers shown in
Each of radiation elements 121, 131, 141, 151, 161 may be mounted on feed board printed circuit boards 51, as best seen in
The frame 110 includes a reflector 113 and a plurality of cavity components 111 extending rearward from the reflector 113. The cavity components extend perpendicular to the reflector 113. Each cavity component 111 provides at least one chamber 24 for accommodating a conductor strip component 310. Each cavity component 111 may extend basically the entire length of the reflector 113 in the longitudinal direction. The frame 110 may be constructed as an integral piece of metal (e.g., aluminum), and may be integrally formed by a pultrusion process, so that the reflector 113 and the cavity component 111 are grounded together, enabling the reflector 113 to provide a ground plane for the radiating elements 121, 131, 141, 151, and 161. The frame 110 is constructed as an integral piece, so that the reflector 113 can be grounded via the cavity component 111 without soldering, which may improve, and may significantly improve, the passive intermodulation (PIM) performance of the base station antenna.
The structure of each cavity component 111 is shown in
The conductor strip 313 in the conductor strip component 310 extends between the adjacent ground plates 22, so that the conductor strip 313 and the ground plates 22 located on both sides of the conductor strip 313 form a stripline transmission line to feed the radiators. Because the conductor strip 313 is within the cavity component 111, the energy radiated by the RF signals transmitted on the conductor strip 313 to the outside of the cavity component 111 can be reduced, and the radiation interference from the outside of the cavity component 111 can also be reduced. In the conductor strip component 310 shown in
The conductor strip 313 may provide power dividers (power combiners in the receiving path of the antenna) from the input part 311 to the plurality of output parts 312, and these power dividers may be used to divide the RF signal input at the input part 311 into a plurality of sub-components that are output through the respective output parts 312. In addition, in the content component 300 shown in
The content component 300 further comprises a holder 33 made of a dielectric material and positioned between the conductor strip component 310 and the ground plates 22, which is used to hold the conductor strip 313 approximately in the middle of two adjacent ground plates 22, especially when the conductor strip 313 is thin, flexible, and/or soft. In the stripline transmission line, the higher the dielectric constant between the conductor strip and the ground plate, the lower the speed of the RF signal transmitted on the conductor strip. Therefore, the holder 33 may be designed to cover only a small portion of the conductor strip 313, so that the dielectric between the conductor strip 313 and the ground plate 22 is mostly air, which has a low dielectric constant. As shown in
In the embodiment described in
As shown in
Next, with reference to
Next, with reference to
To ensure the stability of the mechanical connection between the cavity element 212 and the reflector 211, screws or clamps can be used for fixing. In a specific example, the coupling parts 25-1 and 25-3 are fixedly connected with the reflector 211 by screws (such as screws 55 in
The antenna 200 further includes feed plates 51 on the front surface of the reflector 211 for feeding power to the radiating elements 221, 222, and 223. The front surfaces of the feed plates 51 are printed with conductor traces configured to feed the radiating elements (for electrical connection with the conductor strip 313 as described below), and the rear surface of each feed plate 51 is printed with a conductor plane for grounding (also referred to as “grounding plane”). The ground plane is electrically coupled to the reflector 211 so as to be grounded together with the reflector 211. In this embodiment, the cavity element 212 and the reflector 211 are commonly grounded by electrical coupling, and the ground planes of the feed plates 51 and the reflector 211 are also commonly grounded by electrical coupling. Therefore, in order to further ensure the continuity of the grounding of the cavity element 212, the reflector 211, and the ground planes of the feed plates 51 (i.e., making the ground potentials of the three be the same, so as to truly realize common grounding). In some embodiments, as shown in
In the embodiment shown in
Similar to the embodiment shown in
The transition between the stripline transmission line formed by the conductor strip 313 and the ground plates 22 on both sides thereof, and the coaxial transmission line 70 for transmitting RF signals between the radio device and the base station antenna will be described below with reference to
The transition piece 610 includes a joint part 612 configured in a curved shape for being welded to the outer conductor 71 in such a manner as to surround at least partially the outer conductor 71, and a joint part 611 configured in a flat shape for being electrically connected to the partition plate 23 in an electrical coupling manner, so that the ground plate 22 configured as one piece with the partition plate 23 is grounded. In the embodiment shown in
In an embodiment, the transition between the stripline transmission line and the coaxial transmission line 70 is realized by a transition element 630 and a transition printed circuit board 64 as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The transition element 630 further includes a transition piece 635 for transition connection of the inner conductor 72. The transition piece 635 includes joint parts 636 and 637 at both ends thereof, respectively. One end of the joint part 631 is provided with an opening 639 so that the inner conductor 72 protrudes from the opening 639 (the inner conductor 72 is longer than the outer conductor 71), so that the joint part 636 having an arc surface is welded to the inner conductor 72 in such a manner as to surround at least partially the inner conductor 72. The joint part 637 passes through the through hole 643 on the board 64, protrudes upward from the board 64, and is welded to the pad 644. The pad 644 may be electrically connected to the input part 311 which also protrudes upward from the board 64 through conductor traces printed on the upper surface of the board 64. In this way, the transition element 63 can also electrically connect the inner conductor 72 of the coaxial transmission line 70 to the input part 311 of the conductor strip 313.
Next, the transition between the conductor strip 313 and a feed plate 51 (implemented by the printed circuit board) located on the front side of the reflector 21 for feeding the radiation element 52 will be described with reference to 10A to 10D. In the embodiment shown in
The front surface of the feed plate 51 is printed with conductor traces, and the rear surface is provided with a ground plane, so that the conductor traces on the feed plate 51 become micro-strip transmission lines for feeding the radiating elements. Since the reflector 21 and the ground plate 22 are grounded together, the ground plane of the feed plate 51 only needs to be grounded with the reflector 21, and does not need to be grounded with the ground plate 22 of the stripline transmission line. Therefore, the connection (usually by soldering) between the ground plane of the micro-strip transmission line and the ground plate of the stripline transmission line can be omitted. In some embodiments, the rear surface of the feed plate 51 is printed with a conductor plane which is capacitively coupled to the reflector 21 (for example, the feed plate 51 is mounted on the front surface of the reflector 21 so that the conductor plane printed on the rear surface is electrically coupled to the reflector 21 via solder resist ink coated on the conductor plane), thereby being commonly grounded with the reflector 21. In some embodiments, the rear surface of the feed plate 51 has no printed conductor, but the rear surface of the dielectric substrate of the feed plate 51 is closely attached to the front surface of the reflector 21, so that the reflector 21 serves as a ground plane for the conductor traces of the feed plate 51.
In the example shown in
The depth of the cavity component 111 or the cavity element 212 is limited by the antenna size. In some cases, for example, when the conductor strip 313 is implemented as sheet metal, the depth of the cavity component 111 or the cavity element 212 may not be enough to accommodate the conductor strip 313. In this case, two cavities 24 (even more, if necessary) placed in parallel in the lateral direction can be configured for a linear array of polarized radiators, the conductor strip 313 can be divided into two parts accordingly, and these two parts are arranged in these two cavities 24 respectively. That is, the stripline transmission line used to feed the linear array of polarized radiators is divided into two sections placed horizontally and side-by-side to reduce the depth of the cavity component 111 or cavity element 212. Description will be made below with reference to 11A to 11C.
In the embodiment shown in
As shown in
Compared with the cavity element 411 shown in
Compared with the cavity element 411 shown in
The linear array 520 is mounted to the cavity element 510 to form the column component shown in
The brackets 530 and 540 for fixedly positioning each cavity element (or column component) in the base station antenna will be described below with reference to
In view of the above, the present disclosure provides many different embodiments. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a base station antenna. The base station antenna may include a reflector. The antenna may include a first radiator located at the front side of the reflector. The antenna may include mutually parallel first and second ground plates extending backward from the reflector and basically perpendicular to the reflector. The antenna may include a first conductor strip extending between the first and second ground plates and configured to feed power to the first radiator, the first conductor strip and the first and second ground plates may be configured as a first stripline transmission line. The antenna may include the reflector and the first and second ground plates may be configured as one piece so that the reflector may be grounded via the first and second ground plates without soldering.
In some embodiments, one or more of the following features may be included. The base station antenna may include: a printed circuit board located between the reflector and the first radiator, the front surface of the printed circuit board may be printed with conductor traces configured to feed the first radiator, the rear surface of the printed circuit board may be printed with a conductor plane, the first conductor strip may be electrically connected to the conductor traces and the conductor plane may be grounded by being electrically coupled to the reflector. The first conductor strip may have a projecting part extending and passing through the reflector and the printed circuit board in front of the reflector, and the projecting part may be soldered to the conductor trace. The front surface of the printed circuit board may be printed with conductor traces configured to feed the first radiator, the first conductor strip may be electrically connected to the conductor traces, and the rear surface of the printed circuit board abuts against the front surface of the reflector, so that the reflector acts as a ground plane for the conductor traces.
The base station antenna according to some embodiments may include a second radiator located at the front side of the reflector, and the first and second radiators may be configured to transmit and receive radio frequency signals along the first and second polarization directions, respectively; mutually parallel third and fourth ground plates extending backward from the reflector basically perpendicular to the reflector; and a second conductor strip extending between the third and fourth ground plates and configured to feed the second radiator, the second conductor strip and the third and fourth ground plates constitute a second stripline transmission line laterally adjacent to the first stripline transmission line, the reflector and the first to fourth ground plates may be constructed as one piece so that the reflector may be grounded via the first to fourth ground plates without soldering; and the second and fourth ground plates may be configured as the same ground plate.
The base station antenna according to some embodiments may include: a transition piece configured to connect a coaxial transmission line feeding the base station antenna to the first stripline transmission line. The coaxial transmission line may include an inner conductor and an outer conductor, and the transition piece may include a first transition piece and a second transition piece, the inner conductor may be electrically connected to the first conductor strip via the first transition piece, and the outer conductor may be electrically coupled to the first and second ground plates via the second transition piece. The first conductor strip may be sheet metal. The first conductor strip may be a conductor line printed on a dielectric substrate. The conductor lines may include first and second lines printed on opposite first and second surfaces of the dielectric substrate respectively, and the projection of at least the first part of the first line on the dielectric substrate may coincide or completely coincide with the projection of the second line on the dielectric substrate. The first line and the second line may be electrically connected via a conductive through-hole passing through the dielectric substrate.
The base station antenna according to some embodiments may include a moving element movable relative to the first conductor strip. The moving element may be configured to be able to change the phase shift brought by the first stripline transmission line to the signal transmitted thereon by its movement.
The base station antenna according to some embodiments may include a holder configured to hold a first conductor strip component approximately halfway between the first and second ground plates. The holder may be made of a dielectric material. An opening may be provided in the holder to reduce the covering area of the holder on the first conductor strip component. The surface of the holder close to the first conductor strip component may have an indented part. The covering area of the holder on the first conductor strip component may be less than 10% of the area of the first conductor strip component. The holder may include first and second parts, the first part having a thickness smaller than the second part in the thickness direction of the holder from the first conductor strip component to the corresponding ground plate, so as to reduce the dielectric constant of a medium between the first conductor strip component and the corresponding ground plate. The surface of the holder close to the first conductor strip component and/or the surface close to the ground plate may have a reduced thickness. The first conductor strip component may include a dielectric substrate and the first conductor strip printed on the dielectric substrate, and the holder may be positioned between the dielectric substrate and the first ground plate, and between the dielectric substrate and the second ground plate so that the holder basically does not cover the first conductor strip.
The base station antenna according to some embodiments may include partition plates located at the rear side of the reflector and extending basically parallel to the reflector. The partition plates may be respectively connected with the edges of the first and second ground plates which may be far away from the reflector, and the partition plates and the first and second ground plates may be constructed as an integral piece. In some embodiments, a support may be mounted on the partition plate, and the support may be configured to support the first conductor strip forwardly so that a first part of the first conductor strip extends and passes through the reflector from the front of the reflector to facilitate connection with a circuit element located at a front side of the reflector.
In some embodiments, the first stripline transmission line may include first and second sections, each of which may be configured to extend from the reflector, the conductor strip of the first section and the conductor strip of the second section may be electrically coupled by a connector. In some embodiments, the second section may be laterally adjacent the first section, and the ground plates adjacent to each other of the first and second sections may be configured as a common ground plate. The base station antenna according to some embodiments may include a pair of partition plates located at the rear side of the reflector and extending basically parallel to the reflector. The partition plates may be respectively connected with the edges of the ground plates of the first and second sections far away or distal from the reflector, the partition plates and the ground plates of the first and second sections may be constructed as an integral piece respectively, and the partition plates and/or the same ground plate may be provided with holes for the connector to pass through. The first section may include a first part of the first stripline transmission line with a first electrical distance to the first radiator, and the second section includes a second part of the first stripline transmission line with a second electrical distance to the first radiator, the second electrical distance may be less than the first electrical distance.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a base station antenna. The base station antenna may include a reflector. The antenna may include a first radiator located at the front side of the reflector. The antenna may include a first cavity element located at the rear side of the reflector, the first cavity element may include mutually parallel first and second ground plates extending backward from the rear side of the reflector and basically perpendicular to the rear side of the reflector, and each of the first and second ground plates has a first edge part close to the reflector. The antenna may include a first conductor strip extending between the first and second ground plates and configured to feed the first radiator, the first conductor strip and the first and second ground plates constitute a first stripline transmission line. The antenna may include a first dielectric layer located between the first edge parts of the first and second ground plates and the reflector. The antenna may include the first edge part of the first ground plate extends laterally away from the first conductor strip to form a first coupling part which may be basically parallel to the rear surface of the reflector. The antenna may include the first edge part of the second ground plate extends laterally away from the first conductor strip to form a second coupling part which may be basically parallel to the rear surface of the reflector. The antenna may include the first and second coupling parts may be respectively electrically coupled to the reflector via the first dielectric layer, so that the reflector may be grounded via the first cavity element without soldering.
In some embodiments, one or more of the following features may be included. The base station antenna may include: a printed circuit board located between the reflector and the first radiator, the front surface of the printed circuit board may be printed with conductor traces configured to feed the first radiator, the rear surface of the printed circuit board may be printed with a conductor plane, the first conductor may be electrically connected to the conductor traces and the conductor plane may be grounded by being electrically coupled to the reflector.
The base station antenna may include a pin configured to electrically connect the first cavity element to the conductor plane so that the first cavity element, the conductor plane, and the reflector may be grounded in common. The second coupling part, the reflector and the printed circuit board respectively may include first to third position-corresponding openings, the pin may pass through the first to third openings in sequence, the pin may be electrically connected to the second coupling part through pressure riveting process, and to the conductor traces printed on the upper surface of the printed circuit board by soldering, and the pin may be not electrically connected to the reflector.
The base station antenna may include: a printed circuit board located between the reflector and the first radiator, and the front surface of the printed circuit board may be printed with conductor traces configured to feed the first radiator. The first conductor strip may be electrically connected to the conductor traces, and the rear surface of the printed circuit board may abut against the front surface of the reflector, so that the reflector acts as a ground plane for the conductor traces.
In some embodiments, the first conductor strip may have a protruding part extending and passing through the reflector and the printed circuit board in front of the reflector, and the protruding part may be soldered to the conductor trace.
In some embodiments, the first cavity element may include a third ground plate and a fourth ground plate which may be parallel to each other and extend backward from the rear surface of the reflector and may be basically perpendicular to the rear surface of the reflector, and each of the third and fourth ground plates has a first edge part close to the reflector; and the base station antenna further may include: a second radiator located at the front side of the reflector, the first and second radiators may be configured to transmit and receive radio frequency signals along the first and second polarization directions, respectively; a second conductor strip extending between the third and fourth ground plates and configured to feed the second radiator, the second conductor strip and the third and fourth ground plates constitute a second stripline transmission line laterally that may be adjacent the first stripline transmission line; and a second dielectric layer between the first edge parts of the third and fourth ground plates and the reflector, the first edge part of the third ground plate extends laterally away from the second conductor strip and out of a third coupling part which may be basically parallel to the rear surface of the reflector; the first edge of the fourth ground plate extends laterally away from the second conductor strip and out of a fourth coupling part which may be basically parallel to the rear surface of the reflector; the third and fourth coupling parts may be each electrically coupled to the reflector via the second dielectric layer, so that the reflector may be grounded via the first cavity element without soldering; and the second and fourth coupling parts adjacent to each other may be configured as the same coupling part. In some embodiments, the length of the same coupling part extending laterally may be not less than half of the length of any of the first and third coupling parts extending transversely.
In some embodiments, the first conductor strip may be a conductor line printed on a dielectric substrate, the conductor line may include first and second lines printed on the opposite first and second surfaces of the dielectric substrate respectively, and the projection of the first part of the first line on the dielectric substrate may coincide or may completely coincides with the projection of the second line on the dielectric substrate, the first line and the second line may be electrically connected through a conductive through hole passing through the dielectric substrate.
The base station antenna according to some embodiments may include a holder configured to hold the first conductor strip approximately halfway between the first and second ground plates. An opening may be formed on the holder to reduce the covering area of the first conductor strip by the holder. A first part of the holder may have a reduced thickness to reduce the dielectric constant of the medium between the first conductor strip and the corresponding ground plate.
In some embodiments, the first cavity element may include: partition plates located at the rear side of the reflector and extending basically parallel to the reflector, the partition plates may be respectively connected with the second edge parts of the first and second ground plates opposite to the first edge parts, the partition plate and the first and second ground plates may be constructed as one piece.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a feeder component for feeding a column of radiators configured to operate in a first polarization direction of a base station antenna. The feeder component may include a stripline transmission line located at the rear side of the reflector and basically perpendicular to the reflector. The stripline transmission line may include first and second ground plates that are parallel to each other, and a conductor strip extending between the first and second ground plates. The conductor strip may have an input part and a plurality of output parts. The first and second ground plates may be electrically connected to an outer conductor of a coaxial transmission line for feeding the column. The input part may be electrically connected to the inner conductor of the coaxial transmission line. The plurality of output parts may be configured to be electrically connected to the column to feed the column. The first and second ground plates may be constructed as one piece with the reflector, so that the reflector may be grounded via the first and second ground plates without soldering.
In some embodiments, one or more of the following features may be included. The feeder component may include a plurality of micro-strip transmission lines located at the front side of the reflector for feeding the column. Each of the micro-strip transmission lines may include a conductor trace printed on the front surface of a dielectric substrate and a conductor plane printed on the rear surface of the dielectric substrate, each of the output parts may be electrically connected to a respective one of the conductor traces, and the conductor plane may be grounded by being electrically coupled to the reflector. Each of the output parts may extend and pass through the reflector and the dielectric substrate to be soldered to the respective conductor traces in front of the reflector. The feeder component may include a plurality of pins extending and passing through the reflector and the dielectric substrate, and a first end of each pin may extend in between the first and second ground plates to be electrically connected to the corresponding output part, and a second end of each pin extends to the front side of the dielectric substrate to be electrically connected to a corresponding conductor trace.
In some embodiments, the column may include a first radiator, the plurality of output parts may include a first output part, and the plurality of micro-strip transmission lines may include a first micro-strip transmission line, the first output part may be electrically connected to the conductor trace of the first micro-strip transmission line, and the conductor trace of the first micro-strip transmission line may be configured to feed the first radiator without feeding any radiators other than the first radiator.
In some embodiments, the column includes adjacent first and second radiators, the plurality of output parts includes a first output part, and the plurality of micro-strip transmission lines includes a first micro-strip transmission line, the first output part may be electrically connected to the conductor trace of the first micro-strip transmission line, and the conductor trace of the first micro-strip transmission line may be configured to feed the first and second radiators.
The feeder component may include a first transition piece electrically connecting the input part to the inner conductor. The first transition piece may include: a first joint part configured in a curved shape so as to be welded to the inner conductor to at least partially surround the inner conductor; and a second joint part configured to be electrically connected to the input part. An input part of the conductor strip may be formed at an edge of the stripline transmission line away from the reflector, the coaxial transmission line may be positioned near the input part, the second joint part may be configured to protrude between the first and second ground plates so as to be electrically connected to the input part. The second joint part may be configured in a flat shape to facilitate soldering and/or screw connection to the input part in a plane contact manner.
The feeder component may include a transition printed circuit board on the front surface of the reflector, the input part of the conductor strip may be configured to extend and pass through the reflector and the transition printed circuit board to the front of the reflector, and the coaxial transmission line may be positioned near the input part on the rear side of the reflector. The first transition piece may extend and pass through the reflector and the transition printed circuit board such that the first joint part may be located at the rear side of the reflector and the second joint part may be located at the front side of the transition printed circuit board, and the second joint part may be electrically connected to the input part via conductor traces printed on the transition printed circuit board.
The feeder component may include a second transition piece electrically connecting the first and second ground plates to the outer conductor. The second transition piece may include: a first joint part configured in a curved shape so as to be welded to the outer conductor in such a manner as to at least partially surround the outer conductor; and a second joint part configured to be electrically connected to the first and second ground plates. The edges of the first and second ground plates far away or distal from the reflector may extend out of the extension part basically parallel to the reflector, and the second joint part may be flat and may be electrically coupled to the extension part so as to be electrically connected to the first and second ground plates.
The feeder component may include a transition printed circuit board on the front surface of the reflector. The rear surface of the transition printed circuit board may be printed with a conductor plane electrically coupled to the reflector, the coaxial transmission line may be positioned at the rear side of the reflector close to the reflector; the transition printed circuit board may be provided with a conductive through hole, and the second joint part may pass through and may be electrically connected to the conductive through hole to be electrically connected to the conductor plane and thus further to the first and second ground plates.
The feeder component may include a moving element movable relative to the conductor strip. The moving element may be configured to be able to change the phase shift injected by the stripline transmission line to the signal transmitted thereon by its movement.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a frame for a base station antenna. The frame may include a first planar element extending along a first plane, with a first side of the first planar element configured to reflect electromagnetic radiation of the base station antenna. The frame may include mutually parallel second and third planar elements extending basically perpendicularly from a second side of the first planar element, and the second and third planar elements may be configured to define a first chamber for a first conductor strip. The frame may include the first to third planar elements may be configured as one piece so as to be commonly grounded.
In some embodiments, one or more of the following features may be included. The frame may include a fourth planar element extending basically perpendicularly from the first planar element to the second side of the first planar element and parallel to the third planar element, the third and fourth planar elements may be configured to define a second chamber for a second conductor strip, and the first to fourth planar elements may be configured as one piece so as to be commonly grounded.
The frame may include a fifth planar element parallel to the first plane located on the second side of the first planar element. The fifth planar element may be connected with a rear edge of each of the second to fourth planar elements, so that each of the first and second chambers may be basically closed, and the fifth planar element and the first to fourth planar elements may be formed as one piece so as to be commonly grounded. The fifth planar element may have a first opening so that the first and second conductor strips may be connected with circuit elements located outside the first and second chambers, respectively. The fifth planar member may have a second opening for mounting a support for supporting the first and second conductor strips in a direction toward the first side of the first planar member. At least one end of the first chamber along the length direction may be open to accommodate the first conductor strip, and at least one end of the second chamber along the length direction may be open to accommodate the second conductor strip. The first to fifth planar elements may be configured as a first cavity element, and the frame further may include a second cavity element having the same structure as the first cavity element, the first cavity element may be connected to the second cavity element by a friction stir soldering process. The first cavity element may be connected to the second cavity element along the length direction. The first to fifth planar elements may be configured as a first cavity element, and the frame further may include a second cavity element having the same structure as the first cavity element, the first cavity element and the second cavity element may be positioned laterally adjacent and separate from each other so that the first planar element of the first cavity element and the first planar element of the second cavity element may be basically coplanar. The first to fifth planar elements may be configured as a first cavity element, and the frame further may include a second cavity element having the same structure as the first cavity element, the first cavity element and the second cavity element may be positioned separate from each other so that an edge part of the first planar element of the first cavity element overlaps an edge part of the first planar element of the second cavity element. The fifth planar element may have an extension extending beyond the second and/or fourth planar element to connect a mounting bracket for mounting the base station antenna. The second planar element may be close to the first edge part of the first planar element, and the extension may extend beyond the second planar element at least in the direction toward the first edge part. The first to fifth planar elements may be integrally formed based on a metal material using a pultrusion process. Each of the first to fifth planar elements may extend basically along the entire length of the base station antenna.
The base station antenna may include a dual-polarized radiating element located on a first side of the first planar element, the second to fourth planar elements may be positioned to facilitate the feeding by the first and second conductor strips to the radiators of the dual-polarized radiating element operating in two polarization directions, respectively. The first planar element may have a third opening so that the first conductor strip protrudes to a first side of the first planar element to be connected with a circuit element located at the first side of the first planar element.
The base station antenna may include first and second columns of radiators arranged along the length direction on the first side of the first planar element, and the frame further may include: mutually parallel sixth and seventh planar elements extending basically perpendicularly from the first planar element to the second side of the first planar element, the sixth and seventh planar elements may be configured to define a third chamber for a third conductor strip, the first to third, sixth and seventh planar elements may be formed as one piece so as to be grounded together, the second and third planar elements may be positioned to facilitate feeding of the first conductor strip to the first column of radiators, and the sixth and seventh planar elements may be positioned to facilitate feeding of the third conductor strip to the second column of radiators. The first column of radiators may operate in a first frequency band and the second column of radiators operates in a second frequency band, and the width of the first chamber may be basically equal to that of the second chamber.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a reflector for a base station antenna. The reflector may include a plurality of sub-reflectors extending in the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna. Each of the plurality of sub-reflectors may be configured to be mounted with a radiating element of the base station antenna. The plurality of sub-reflectors may be fixedly positioned such that the plurality of sub-reflectors may be separated from each other, and the plurality of sub-reflectors may be commonly grounded.
In some embodiments, one or more of the following features may be included. The plurality of sub-reflectors may be fixedly positioned such that a substantially flat forward surface of a first sub-reflector of the plurality of sub-reflectors and a substantially flat forward surface of a second sub-reflector of the plurality of sub-reflectors adjacent to the first sub-reflector may be basically coplanar. The substantially flat forward surface of the first sub-reflector and the substantially flat forward surface of the second sub-reflector may be both electrically connected to an outer conductor of a radio frequency cable for feeding the radiating elements of the base station antenna so that the first and the second sub-reflectors may be commonly grounded.
The reflector may include a metal bracket, and the plurality of sub-reflectors may be mounted on the metal bracket so as to be fixedly positioned. The substantially flat forward surface of the first sub-reflector and the substantially flat forward surface of the second sub-reflector may be both electrically connected to the metal bracket so that the first and the second sub-reflectors may be commonly grounded.
The reflector may include a metal plate, and a first edge part of the metal plate may overlap an edge part of the first sub-reflector adjacent the second sub-reflector to form a first capacitive coupling connection. A second edge part of the metal plate may overlap an edge part of the second sub-reflector adjacent the first sub-reflector to form a second capacitive coupling connection, so that the first and the second sub-reflectors may be commonly grounded.
The plurality of sub-reflectors may be fixedly positioned such that an edge part of a first sub-reflector of the plurality of sub-reflectors adjacent a second sub-reflector and an edge part of the second sub-reflector adjacent the first sub-reflector overlap to form a capacitive coupling connection between the first and the second sub-reflectors, so that the first and the second sub-reflectors may be commonly grounded.
The reflector may include a metal element, which has a first part extending parallel to a substantially flat forward surface of a third sub-reflector of the plurality of sub-reflectors, and a second part extending from the first part to the front of the base station antenna, the third sub-reflector being located at a lateral edge part of the reflector component. The edge part of the first part and the edge part of the forward surface of the third sub-reflector overlap back and forth to form a capacitive coupling connection, so that the metal element and the third sub-reflector may be commonly grounded, and the second part may be configured to adjust a radiation pattern of the base station antenna.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a reflector for a base station antenna. The reflector may include a first cavity element. The reflector may include a second cavity element. Each cavity element may include a planar part extending in the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna and a cavity part extending basically perpendicularly from the planar part to the rear of the base station antenna, and each planar part may be configured to be mounted with the radiating elements of the base station antenna and reflect electromagnetic radiation of the base station antenna. The cavity part may be configured to accommodate at least part of a circuit for feeding the radiating elements. The first and the second cavity elements may be positioned such that the first cavity element and the second cavity element may be separated from each other.
In some embodiments, one or more of the following features may be included. The first and second cavity elements may be positioned such that the planar part of the first cavity element and the planar part of the second cavity element may be laterally adjacent and basically coplanar. The reflector may include a metal plate, and first edge part of the metal plate may overlap an edge part of the planar part of the first cavity element adjacent to the second cavity element back and forth to form a first capacitive coupling connection. A second edge part of the metal plate may overlap an edge part of the planar part of the second cavity element adjacent to the first cavity element back and forth to form a second capacitive coupling connection, so that the planar part of the first cavity element and the planar part of the second cavity element may be commonly grounded.
The first and the second cavity elements may be positioned such that an edge part of the planar part of the first cavity element adjacent the second cavity element and an edge part of the planar part of the second cavity element adjacent the first cavity element overlap to form a capacitive coupling connection, so that the planar part of the first cavity element and the planar part of the second cavity element may be commonly grounded.
The reflector may include a first bracket formed of a dielectric material. The cavity part of each of the first and second cavity elements may have a first groove extending in a front-to-rear direction, the first bracket may have second grooves respectively matched with each of the first grooves, and the first bracket may be configured to position the first and second cavity elements through the matching of the first groove and the corresponding second groove. The rear surface of the cavity part of each of the first and second cavity elements may have a hole, the second bracket may have protrusions matched with each of the holes, and the second bracket may be configured to position the first and second cavity elements by inserting the protrusions into the corresponding holes in the longitudinal direction.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a column component for a base station antenna. The column component may include a reflector extending in the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna. The component may include a linear array of radiating elements extending in the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna, each radiating element in the linear array being mounted to the reflector so as to extend forwardly from the reflector. The component may include a cavity extending basically perpendicularly from the reflector to the rear of the base station antenna, the cavity being configured to accommodate at least part of a circuit for feeding the linear array. The component may include the column component may be positioned to be separated from other column components.
In some embodiments, one or more of the following features may be included. The column component may be further positioned such that the substantially flat forward surface of the reflector and the substantially flat forward surfaces of reflectors of the other column components may be basically coplanar. The column component may be further positioned such that the substantially flat forward surface of the reflector and the substantially flat forward surface of a reflector adjacent to the column component in the other column components overlap.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a base station antenna. The base station antenna may include a plurality of reflectors extending in the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna. The antenna may include a plurality of linear arrays extending in the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna, each linear array including a plurality of radiating elements mounted to a corresponding reflector so as to extend forwardly from the corresponding reflector. The antenna may include the plurality of reflectors may be fixedly positioned such that the plurality of reflectors may be separated from each other and each linear array may have the same azimuth-angle visual-axis pointing direction.
In some embodiments, one or more of the following features may be included. The plurality of reflectors may be fixedly positioned such that the substantially flat forward surface of the first reflector in the plurality of reflectors and the substantially flat forward surface of another reflector in the plurality of reflectors other than the first reflector may be basically coplanar. The base station antenna may include a metal plate. A first edge part of the metal plate may overlap an edge part of the first reflector adjacent to the second reflector back and forth to form a first capacitive coupling connection, and a second edge part of the metal plate may overlap an edge part of the second reflector adjacent to the first reflector back and forth to form a second capacitive coupling connection, so that the first and the second reflectors may be commonly grounded. The plurality of reflectors may be fixedly positioned such that an edge part of the first reflector in the plurality of reflectors adjacent to the second reflector and an edge part of the second reflector adjacent to the first reflector overlap back and forth to form a capacitive coupling connection between the first and second reflectors, so that the first and second reflectors may be commonly grounded.
The base station antenna may include a metal element which has a first part extending parallel to a substantially flat forward surface of a third reflector of the plurality of reflectors, and a second part extending from the first part to the front of the base station antenna, the third reflector being located at a lateral edge part of the base station antenna. The edge part of the first part and the edge part of the forward surface of the third reflector may overlap back and forth to form a capacitive coupling connection, so that the metal element and the third reflector may be commonly grounded, and the second part may be configured to adjust a radiation pattern of the base station antenna.
The base station antenna may include a plurality of cavities extending in the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna. Each of the cavities may extend basically perpendicularly from a corresponding reflector to the rear of the base station antenna, and the cavity may be configured to form a stripline transmission line with at least part of a circuit for feeding a corresponding linear array accommodated in the cavity. Each of the cavities and the corresponding reflector may be constructed as one piece. The radiating element may be a dual-polarized radiating element, each cavity may include a first chamber and a second chamber, configured to respectively accommodate at least part of a circuit for feeding a corresponding polarization of the radiating element, the first chamber and the second chamber may be laterally spaced apart by a predetermined distance to facilitate the mounting of the radiating element to the corresponding reflector.
The base station antenna may include a first bracket formed of a dielectric material. Each of the plurality of cavities has a first groove extending in a front-to-rear direction, the first bracket has a plurality of second grooves respectively matched with the first grooves, and the first bracket may be configured to fixedly position the plurality of cavities through the matching of the first groove and the corresponding second groove. The first bracket may be fixed at an end of the base station antenna in the longitudinal direction. The rear surface of each of the plurality of cavities has a hole, the second bracket has a plurality of protrusions respectively matched with the positions of the holes, and the second bracket may be configured to fixedly position the plurality of cavities by inserting the protrusions into the corresponding holes in the longitudinal direction. The second bracket may be fixed in the middle of the base station antenna in the longitudinal direction. The second bracket may be configured to be connected with a mounting bracket for mounting the base station antenna.
Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are only for illustration, not for limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein can be combined arbitrarily without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should also understand that various modifications can be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202010917815.1 | Sep 2020 | CN | national |
| 202110472134.3 | Apr 2021 | CN | national |
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| Number | Date | Country |
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| 2020135533 | Jul 2020 | WO |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220069452 A1 | Mar 2022 | US |
