AFU Antenna Structure

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an AFU antenna structure, comprising an antenna device and a filter; the filter comprises a shell and a resonator arranged in an inner cavity of the shell; the shell is a non-metallic insulating shell, and the inner surface and the outer surface of the non-metallic insulating shell are covered with a conductive coating; the antenna device comprises an antenna element and a power divider, the power divider is electrically connected to the resonator, and the power divider is formed at the bottom of the shell by processing a part of the outer surface of the bottom plate of the shell; the antenna element is located outside the shell, the power divider has a welding position, and the antenna element is welded to the welding position, thereby greatly reducing the weight of the AFU and improving its reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to an AFU antenna structure. Background Art

[0002] AFU (Antenna Filter Units) is an antenna structure that integrates the antenna and the filter. It consists of two parts: AU (antenna) and FU (filter). It is the mainstream product in the 5G communication era.

[0003] In a traditional AFU, the filter is a metal cavity filter, and the antenna is a metal array welded on a PCB. The filter is connected to the PCB of the antenna by fastening screws, and the PCB has vias. The filter and the antenna are connected to the PCB vias through pins to form an AFU.

[0004] However, the existing AFU needs to be improved in terms of lightness and reliability. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems or at least partially solve the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides an AFU antenna structure.

[0006] The present disclosure provides an AFU antenna structure, comprising an antenna device and a filter; the filter comprises a housing and a resonator arranged in an inner cavity of the housing; the housing is a non-metallic insulating housing, and the inner surface and the outer surface of the non-metallic insulating housing are both covered with a conductive coating;

[0007] The antenna device includes an antenna array and a power divider, the power divider is electrically connected to the resonator, and the power divider is formed at the bottom of the shell by processing part of the outer surface of the bottom plate of the shell; the antenna array is located outside the shell, the power divider has a welding position, and the antenna array is welded to the welding position.

[0008] Optionally, a via hole is provided on the base plate and passes through the base plate, and the tap of the resonator can pass through the via hole, and the tap is insulated from the inner surface of the base plate, and the tap is electrically connected to the power divider through a conductive material plated in the via hole.

[0009] Optionally, a region of the inner surface of the bottom plate close to the via hole is formed as an isolation region;

[0010] The isolation area includes a first area surrounding the periphery of the via hole and a second area surrounding the periphery of the first area, the first area has the conductive plating layer, and the second area is formed as an insulating area to isolate the first area from the area surrounding the second area.

[0011] Optionally, the antenna device further includes a reflection plate, and the bottom plate is formed as the reflection plate of the antenna device.

[0012] Optionally, the power divider is formed by photolithography or laser engraving on a portion of the outer surface of the base plate.

[0013] Optionally, the non-metallic insulating shell is a plastic shell.

[0014] Optionally, the conductive coating is a metal coating.

[0015] Optionally, the conductive coating is a silver coating.

[0016] Optionally, the conductive plating layer is a copper plating layer.

[0017] Optionally, the shell comprises a hollow bottom shell with an opening at the top and a cover plate covering the opening; the hollow bottom shell and the cover plate together form an inner cavity of the shell;

[0018] The shell wall of the hollow bottom shell opposite to the cover plate is formed as the bottom plate; an adjustment screw corresponding to the resonator is arranged on the cover plate.

[0019] Optionally, an isolation structure is provided on the outer surface of the base plate, and the power divider is located in a space enclosed by the isolation structure.

[0020] Optionally, the isolation structure includes an isolation strip;

[0021] There are two isolation bars, both of which extend from one end of the bottom plate to the other end of the bottom plate, and the two isolation bars are arranged on both sides of the power divider.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure has the following advantages:

[0023] The AFU antenna structure provided by the present invention, by setting the outer shell of the filter as a non-metallic insulating shell, and covering the inner and outer surfaces of the non-metallic insulating shell with a conductive coating, while ensuring the performance of the filter, the weight of the filter is greatly reduced compared with the metal filter in the prior art, so that the lightweight of the AFU is improved; at the same time, a power divider is formed by processing part of the outer surface of the bottom plate of the shell, and a welding position for welding the antenna array is formed on the power divider, that is, the power divider is integrated at the bottom of the outer shell of the filter, so that the antenna and the filter are better combined, thereby improving the reliability of the AFU and reducing the volume of the AFU; in addition, the antenna array is directly welded to the welding position of the power divider, compared with the prior art, the antenna PCB board is omitted, the types of AFU materials are reduced, and the weight and volume of the AFU are further reduced. The traditional screw-fixed antenna is replaced by welding, which further improves the intermodulation and stability of the AFU, and reduces the assembly difficulty and assembly process of the AFU. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0026] Figure 1 It is a structural exploded schematic diagram (front view) of the AFU antenna structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of the structure at position I in the middle;

[0028] Figure 3 It is a structural exploded schematic diagram (bottom surface) of the AFU antenna structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged view of the structure at I in the middle.

[0030] Among them, 1. outer shell; 11. hollow bottom shell; 111. bottom plate; 112. via; 113. first area; 114. second area; 12. cover plate; 121. adjustment screw; 13. resonator; 131. tap; 14. isolation strip; 2. antenna device; 21. antenna array; 22. power divider; 221. welding position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to more clearly understand the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of the present disclosure, the scheme of the present disclosure will be further described below. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0032] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein; it is obvious that the embodiments in the specification are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0033] AFU (Antenna Filter Units) is an antenna structure that integrates an antenna and a filter. It consists of two parts: AU (antenna) and FU (filter). It is the mainstream product in the 5G communication era.

[0034] Among them, the filter can allow useful signals to pass through the signal link to the maximum extent and suppress useless signals to the maximum extent; the antenna is responsible for radiating the radio frequency signal to a specific direction in space and receiving electromagnetic waves from a specific direction in space.

[0035] In order to improve the lightness and reliability of the AFU, the present disclosure provides an AFU antenna structure, which is described in detail below through specific embodiments:

[0036] Reference Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this embodiment provides an AFU antenna structure, including an antenna device 2 and a filter.

[0037] The filter specifically includes: a housing 1 and a resonator 13 disposed in the inner cavity of the housing 1. Specifically, there may be multiple resonators 13, and the housing 1 is provided with an adjustment screw 121 corresponding to the resonator 13, and the adjustment screw 121 is passed through the shell wall of the housing 1, and the resonant frequency of the AFU filter is adjusted by adjusting the adjustment screw 121 on the housing 1.

[0038] The housing 1 is a non-metallic insulating housing, and the inner and outer surfaces of the non-metallic insulating housing are both covered with a conductive coating. By configuring the housing 1 in this way, not only the performance of the filter is guaranteed, but also the weight of the filter is greatly reduced compared with the metal filter in the prior art.

[0039] In a specific implementation, the housing 1 can be made of plastic, for example, the housing 1 is formed by plastic injection molding, and the inner and outer surfaces of the plastic housing 1 are covered with a conductive coating. Of course, the housing 1 can also be made of other non-metallic materials, as long as it is an insulating material that is lighter than metal, and this embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0040] The conductive coating may be a metal coating, preferably a silver coating, or, in some embodiments, a copper coating or other metal coating.

[0041] The antenna device 2 includes an antenna element 21 and a power divider 22. The power divider 22 is electrically connected to the resonator 13. The power divider 22 is formed at the bottom of the housing 1 by processing a portion of the outer surface of the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1. The antenna element 21 is located outside the housing 1, and the power divider 22 has a welding position 221, and the antenna element 21 is welded to the welding position 221.

[0042] In this embodiment, the welding position 221 on the power divider 22 is specifically an antenna element welding pad. Of course, in other implementations, the welding position 221 can also be a welding point, as long as the antenna element 21 can be effectively welded to the power divider 22.

[0043] The power divider 22 may be a microstrip line power divider. Of course, the power divider 22 may also be other types of power dividers, and the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0044] Reference Figure 3 As shown, the antenna device 2 may specifically include three antenna arrays 21. Accordingly, the power divider 22 has three welding positions 221, and one antenna array 21 corresponds to one welding position 221. Of course, for an AFU antenna structure, the number of antenna arrays 21 thereon may also be less than three, or greater than three, that is, the number of antenna arrays is not limited, and may be set according to actual needs.

[0045] by Figure 1 For example, the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1 is a plate located at the bottom of the housing 1. When the AFU antenna structure is used, its specific assembly angle is not limited to Figures 1 to 4 Therefore, it can be understood that the board where the power divider 22 is located is the bottom board 111 of the housing 1.

[0046] In a specific implementation, a portion of the outer surface of the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1 may be photoetched to form the power divider 22. Specifically, the conductive coating in a portion of the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1 is etched away, and a portion of the unetched region is formed as the power divider 22. In other implementations, the power divider 22 may also be formed on the outer bottom surface of the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1 by laser engraving.

[0047] The AFU antenna structure provided in this embodiment, by setting the housing 1 of the filter as a non-metallic insulating housing 1, and covering the inner and outer surfaces of the non-metallic insulating housing 1 with a conductive coating, greatly reduces the weight of the filter while ensuring the performance of the filter, thereby improving the lightweight of the AFU; at the same time, a power divider 22 is formed by processing part of the outer surface of the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1, and a welding position 221 for welding the antenna element 21 is formed on the power divider 22, that is, the power divider 22 is integrated at the bottom of the housing 1 of the filter, so that the antenna and the filter are better combined, thereby improving the reliability of the AFU and reducing the volume of the AFU; in addition, the antenna element 21 is directly welded to the welding position 221 of the power divider 22, compared with the prior art, the antenna PCB board is omitted, the types of AFU materials and assembly processes are reduced, the weight and volume of the AFU are further reduced, and the cost is saved; welding is used to replace the traditional screw fixing antenna, so that the intermodulation and stability of the AFU are further improved, and the assembly difficulty and assembly process of the AFU are reduced.

[0048] In a specific implementation, the housing 1 may specifically include: a hollow bottom shell 11 and a cover plate 12. The top of the hollow bottom shell 11 has an opening, and the cover plate 12 is covered on the opening. The hollow bottom shell 11 and the cover plate 12 together enclose the inner cavity of the housing 1. In a specific implementation, the cover plate 12 is sealed and covered on the opening of the hollow bottom shell 11 to improve the shielding ability of the housing 1. Among them, the shell wall of the hollow bottom shell 11 opposite to the cover plate 12 is formed as a bottom plate 111. The cover plate 12 is provided with an adjustment screw 121 corresponding to the resonator 13.

[0049] It can be understood that the hollow bottom shell 11 is made of non-metallic insulating material, and the inner and outer surfaces of the hollow bottom shell 11 are covered with conductive coatings; the cover plate 12 is also made of non-metallic insulating material, and the inner and outer surfaces of the cover plate 12 are covered with conductive coatings. The hollow bottom shell 11 and the cover plate 12 can be connected by fastening screws or the like, and the specific connection method of the hollow bottom shell 11 and the cover plate 12 is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0050] Continue to refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4 In some embodiments, a via hole 112 is opened on the bottom plate 111 and passes through the bottom plate 111. The tap 131 of the resonator 13 can pass through the via hole 112, and the tap 131 is insulated from the inner surface of the bottom plate 111. The tap 131 is electrically connected to the power divider 22 through the conductive material plated in the via hole 112.

[0051] In a specific implementation, the tap 131 can be, for example, a conductive silver wire, and the conductive material can be, for example, a conductive silver paste, or other conductive materials. During assembly, one end of the tap 131 is passed through the via hole 112, and then a conductive silver paste is plated in the via hole 112, and the tap 131 is connected to the power divider 22 through the conductive silver paste, that is, the resonator 13 is connected to the power divider 22.

[0052] Specifically, refer to Figure 2 As shown, the area near the via hole 112 on the inner surface of the bottom plate 111 is formed as an isolation area. The isolation area includes a first area 113 arranged on the periphery of the via hole 112 and a second area 114 arranged on the periphery of the first area 113. The first area 113 has a conductive plating layer, and the second area 114 is formed as an insulating area to isolate the first area 113 from the area around the second area 114.

[0053] It can be understood that there is a conductive coating on the first area 113 and the outer area of ​​the second area 114 (that is, the outer part of the second area 114 away from the first area 113), and the conductive coating on the second area 114 is removed, that is, there is no conductive coating on the second area 114, such as a plastic layer directly. Such a setting can effectively avoid the tap 131 from being connected to the conductive coating on the inner surface of the bottom plate 111 and causing a short circuit.

[0054] In other implementations, the tap 131 may not be provided, but a conductive material may be directly plated in the via 112 , and the power divider 22 and the resonator 13 disposed on both sides of the base plate 111 are in contact with the conductive material respectively, thereby achieving electrical connection between the resonator 13 and the power divider 22 .

[0055] The antenna device 2 further includes a reflector, and in this embodiment, the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1 is directly formed as the reflector of the antenna device 2. In other words, there is no need to set up an additional reflector, which not only improves the integration of the AFU, reduces the types of materials of the AFU, reduces the assembly process, and saves costs.

[0056] Furthermore, an isolation structure is provided on the outer surface of the bottom plate 111 , and the power divider 22 is located in a space surrounded by the isolation structure.

[0057] By providing an isolation structure, not only can the power divider 22 be effectively protected, but also the anti-interference capability of the entire AFU can be improved.

[0058] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the isolation structure may specifically include an isolation bar 14. Exemplarily, there are two isolation bars 14, both of which extend from one end of the bottom plate 111 to the other end of the bottom plate 111, and the two isolation bars 14 are disposed on both sides of the power divider 22. For example, the two isolation bars 14 are disposed in parallel, and the power divider 22 is located in a space defined between the two isolation bars 14.

[0059] In specific implementation, the isolation strip 14 can be formed integrally with the housing 1 , or can be made separately and then assembled on the bottom of the housing 1 .

[0060] In other implementations, the isolation structure may also be in other shapes such as an isolation ring disposed on the outer bottom surface of the bottom plate 111 .

[0061] In addition, the specific height of the isolation strip 14 can be set according to actual needs, and this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0062] Compared with the prior art, the AFU antenna structure provided in this embodiment has the following advantages:

[0063] 1. The combination of non-metallic insulating materials and conductive coatings is used to replace traditional metals, which greatly reduces the weight of the filter, that is, the weight of the AFU is reduced;

[0064] 2. The power divider is integrated at the bottom of the filter cavity by photolithography or laser engraving, further improving the consistency and reliability of AFU;

[0065] 3. The antenna vibrator is directly soldered to the soldering position at the bottom of the filter, eliminating the antenna PCB board and reducing the types of AFU materials;

[0066] 4. The bottom plate of the filter is used as the reflector of the antenna, and the antenna isolation strip is integrated at the bottom of the filter, further improving the integration of the AFU;

[0067] 5. Compared with the traditional AFU, this embodiment omits the antenna PCB board and uses welding instead of screws to fix the antenna, further improving the intermodulation and stability of the AFU;

[0068] 6. Electroplating the vias can save the pins and directly connect the antenna and the filter tap through the vias, which reduces the types of AFU materials and reduces the assembly difficulty and assembly process of the AFU.

[0069] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0070] The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, so that those skilled in the art can understand or implement the present disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure will not be limited to the embodiments described herein, but will conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An AFU antenna structure, characterized in that: It comprises an antenna device and a filter; the filter comprises a housing and a resonator arranged in the inner cavity of the housing; the housing is a non-metallic insulating housing, and the inner surface and the outer surface of the non-metallic insulating housing are both covered with a conductive coating; The antenna device includes an antenna array and a power divider, the power divider is electrically connected to the resonator, and the power divider is formed at the bottom of the shell by photolithography or laser engraving a portion of the outer surface of the bottom plate of the shell; the antenna array is located outside the shell, the power divider has a welding position, and the antenna array is welded to the welding position.

2. The AFU antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom plate is provided with a via hole penetrating the bottom plate, the tap of the resonator can pass through the via hole, and the tap is insulated from the inner surface of the bottom plate, and the tap is electrically connected to the power divider through a conductive material plated in the via hole.

3. The AFU antenna structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The area of ​​the inner surface of the bottom plate close to the via hole is formed as an isolation area; The isolation area includes a first area surrounding the periphery of the via hole and a second area surrounding the periphery of the first area, the first area has the conductive plating layer, and the second area is formed as an insulating area to isolate the first area from the area surrounding the second area.

4. The AFU antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The antenna device further includes a reflection plate, and the bottom plate is formed as the reflection plate of the antenna device.

5. The AFU antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The non-metallic insulating shell is a plastic shell.

6. The AFU antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive plating layer is a silver plating layer.

7. The AFU antenna structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The shell comprises a hollow bottom shell with an opening at the top and a cover plate covering the opening, wherein the hollow bottom shell and the cover plate together enclose an inner cavity of the shell; The shell wall of the hollow bottom shell opposite to the cover plate is formed as the bottom plate; an adjustment screw corresponding to the resonator is arranged on the cover plate.

8. The AFU antenna structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: An isolation structure is disposed on the outer surface of the bottom plate, and the power divider is located in a space surrounded by the isolation structure.

9. The AFU antenna structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The isolation structure includes isolation strips; There are two isolation bars, both of which extend from one end of the bottom plate to the other end of the bottom plate, and the two isolation bars are arranged on both sides of the power divider.

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