Assembly for a base station antenna

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly for a base station antenna, characterized in that the assembly comprises a calibration device and at least one phase shifter mounted on the calibration device, the at least one phase shifter being electrically connected to the calibration device without the aid of a cable. Thereby, a direct cable connection between the phase shifter and the calibration device can be eliminated, so that the high integration and miniaturization requirements of the overall antenna construction are fulfilled. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a phase shifter for a base station antenna and to a base station antenna.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention generally relates to radio communications, and more specifically, to a component for a base station antenna, a phase shifter, and a base station antenna that integrates a calibration device and a phase shifter in one piece. Background Technology

[0002] With the ever-increasing demand for wireless communication, multi-band base station antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, and beamforming technology have been rapidly developed to support different services and massive data transmission. However, as more and more frequency bands and RF ports are integrated into a single base station antenna, the layout of the feeder network and cable routing become more complex. Therefore, how to achieve high integration and miniaturization of the overall antenna structure has become a technical challenge that has been urgently needed to be solved by those skilled in the art in recent years. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a component, phase shifter and related base station antenna that can overcome at least one defect in the prior art for use in base station antennas.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the invention, an assembly for a base station antenna is provided, characterized in that the assembly includes a calibration device and at least one phase shifter mounted on the calibration device, the at least one phase shifter being electrically connected to the calibration device without the aid of a cable.

[0005] In some embodiments, the phase shifter is mounted at an angle to the calibration device.

[0006] In some embodiments, the angle between the phase shifter and the calibration device is between 60 degrees and 120 degrees.

[0007] In some embodiments, the phase shifter and the calibration device are mounted perpendicular to each other.

[0008] In some embodiments, the calibration device has a first transmission segment for radio frequency signals, and the phase shifter has a second transmission segment for radio frequency signals, the second transmission segment being electrically connected to the first transmission segment.

[0009] In some embodiments, the second transmission section of the phase shifter is configured as a bent trace segment.

[0010] In some embodiments, the second transmission segment includes a first segment and a second segment that bends and extends from the first segment toward the calibration device.

[0011] In some embodiments, the second segment is welded to the first transmission segment.

[0012] In some embodiments, the phase shifter includes a second transmission segment for RF signals and a debug trace segment spaced apart from the second transmission segment.

[0013] In some embodiments, the debugging trace segment extends from the second transmission segment toward the calibration device.

[0014] In some embodiments, the calibration device has a first transmission segment for RF signals, and the debug trace segment is welded to both the first and second transmission segments.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the invention, an assembly for a base station antenna is provided, characterized in that the assembly includes a calibration device and at least one phase shifter mounted on the calibration device, the phase shifter being mounted at an angle to the calibration device.

[0016] In some embodiments, the angle between the phase shifter and the calibration device is between 60 degrees and 120 degrees.

[0017] In some embodiments, the phase shifter and the calibration device are mounted perpendicular to each other.

[0018] In some embodiments, the calibration device has a first transmission segment for RF signals, the phase shifter has a second transmission segment for RF signals, the second transmission segment is electrically connected to the first transmission segment, and there is no cable connection between the second transmission segment and the first transmission segment.

[0019] According to a third aspect of the invention, an assembly for a base station antenna is provided, characterized in that the assembly includes a calibration device and a phase shifter, the calibration device having a first transmission segment for RF signals, the phase shifter having a second transmission segment for RF signals, the second transmission segment being electrically connected to the first transmission segment, and there being no cable connection between the second transmission segment and the first transmission segment.

[0020] In some embodiments, the second transmission segment of the phase shifter is configured as a bent trace segment, the bent trace segment including a first segment and a second segment extending from the first segment toward the calibration device.

[0021] In some embodiments, the second segment is welded to the first transmission segment.

[0022] In some embodiments, the phase shifter further includes a test track segment spaced apart from the second transmission segment, the test track segment extending from the second transmission segment toward the calibration device.

[0023] In some embodiments, the debugging trace segment is welded to both the first transmission segment and the second transmission segment.

[0024] In some embodiments, the phase shifter has a first contact section, the calibration device has a second contact section, and the first contact section is welded to the second contact section.

[0025] In some embodiments, the phase shifter includes a first printed circuit board, while the calibration device includes a second printed circuit board separate from the first printed circuit board.

[0026] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a phase shifter for a base station antenna is provided, characterized in that the phase shifter includes a second transmission section, the second transmission section being configured as a bent RF signal input trace segment, the bent RF signal input trace segment including a first segment extending along a first direction and a second segment extending from the first segment along a second direction, the first direction being different from the second direction.

[0027] In some embodiments, the second segment is soldered to other transmission lines located outside the phase shifter.

[0028] In some embodiments, the other transmission line includes a first transmission segment of the calibration device for RF signals.

[0029] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a phase shifter for a base station antenna is provided, characterized in that the phase shifter includes a second transmission segment for RF signals extending along a first direction and a debugging trace segment extending along a second direction spaced apart from the second transmission segment, the first direction being different from the second direction, wherein the debugging trace segment is configured to maintain electrical isolation or electrical connection with the second transmission segment as needed.

[0030] In some embodiments, the debug trace segment is configured to be soldered as needed to a second transmission segment and other transmission lines outside the phase shifter.

[0031] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a base station antenna is provided, characterized in that the base station antenna includes a component as described in one embodiment of the present invention or a phase shifter as described in one embodiment of the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The schematic drawings are briefly described below:

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view of a component for a base station antenna according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the calibration device for the components in the diagram;

[0035] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The first partially enlarged schematic diagram of the components shows in detail the first electrical connection scheme between the calibration device and a phase shifter;

[0036] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The second enlarged schematic diagram of the components shows in detail the second electrical connection scheme between the calibration device and a phase shifter. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the invention. However, it should be understood that the invention 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 disclosure of the invention more complete and to fully illustrate the scope of protection of the invention to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide more additional embodiments.

[0038] In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same elements. For clarity, the dimensions of some features may be modified in the accompanying drawings.

[0039] It should be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. All terms used in this specification (including technical and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art unless otherwise defined. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be described in detail.

[0040] Unless otherwise specified, the singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this specification include the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “containing” used in this specification indicate the presence of the claimed feature but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features. The term “and / or” used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items. The terms “between X and Y” and “between approximately X and Y” used in this specification should be interpreted as including both X and Y. The term “between approximately X and Y” used in this specification means “between approximately X and approximately Y,” and the term “from approximately X to Y” used in this specification means “from approximately X to approximately Y.”

[0041] In the specification, when an element is described as being "on," "attached," "connected," "coupled," or "in contact" with another element, the element can be directly located on, attached to, connected to, coupled to, or in contact with the other element, or there may be intermediate elements present. Conversely, when an element is described as being "directly" located on, directly attached to, directly connected to, directly coupled to, or directly in contact with another element, no intermediate elements are present. In the specification, the description of a feature being arranged "adjacent" to another feature can mean that a feature has a portion overlapping with the adjacent feature or a portion located above or below the adjacent feature.

[0042] In the specification, spatial relation terms such as "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," "back," "high," and "low" describe the relationship between one feature and another in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that spatial relation terms include not only the orientation shown in the drawings but also the different orientations of the device during use or operation. For example, when the device in the drawings is inverted, a feature previously described as "below" other features can now be described as "above" other features. The device can also be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), in which case the relative spatial relationships will be explained accordingly.

[0043] Component 20 according to various embodiments of the present invention can be applied to various types of base station antennas, such as beamforming antennas. Component 20 for a base station antenna may include a calibration device 30 and a phase shifter 40. In base station antennas, due to uncontrollable errors in the design, manufacture, or use of the radio frequency control system (e.g., the remote radio unit "RRU") and / or the antenna feed network, calibration circuitry is typically required to compensate for phase and / or amplitude deviations of radio frequency signals input at different radio frequency ports. This process is commonly referred to as "calibration." The calibration device 30 is provided for performing the calibration. The phase shifter 40 is provided for adjusting the phase shift experienced by at least some sub-components of the RF signal. By applying different phase shifts to different sub-components of the RF signal, the downtilt angle of the antenna beam formed by the antenna array can be adjusted.

[0044] In traditional base station antennas, such as beamforming antennas, the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30 are typically electrically connected to each other via jumpers. However, the cable connection between the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30 can present several problems: First, the cable connection may occupy a significant amount of space within the antenna, potentially increasing the design and wiring complexity of the entire antenna system; second, installing the cable connection can be time-consuming, and the possibility of installation errors may increase; third, the cost of the cable connection and its installation can increase the overall cost of the antenna.

[0045] The components according to various embodiments of the present invention can eliminate the direct cable connection between the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30, thereby achieving the requirements of high integration and miniaturization of the overall antenna structure.

[0046] Some embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view of a component 20 for a base station antenna according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, component 20 includes a calibration device 30 and a plurality of phase shifters 40 mounted on the calibration device 30. The phase shifters 40 according to various embodiments of the present invention can be configured as various types of phase shifters, such as sliding phase shifters, trombone phase shifters, or sliding medium phase shifters. Each phase shifter can be configured as or may include a first printed circuit board, while the calibration device 30 can be configured as or may include a second printed circuit board separate from the first printed circuit board.

[0049] exist Figure 1 The image illustrates a widely used electromechanical "slider" type phase shifter 40, which includes a first printed circuit board 41 and a movable component 42. The first printed circuit board 41 includes a dielectric layer, a metal pattern layer on a first main surface of the dielectric layer, and a ground layer on a second main surface of the dielectric layer. The metal pattern layer includes an RF signal input section connected to an input terminal and multiple RF signal output sections respectively connected to one or more output terminals. The movable component 42 is configured as a PCB slider that can rotate above the metal pattern layer. The phase shifter 40 can divide an input RF signal into multiple RF signal sub-components and can adjust the phase shift of at least some of the RF signal sub-components to adjust the antenna beam pattern.

[0050] The phase shifter 40 can be mounted onto the calibration device 30 using various suitable fixing methods. For example, the phase shifter 40 can be mounted onto the calibration device 30 by form-fitting, friction-fitting, or material bonding. Specifically, fixing methods such as bayonet connection, threaded connection, riveting connection, welding, and / or bonding can be used. Thus, the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30 can form a highly integrated component. The phase shifter 40 can be mounted at an angle to the calibration device 30. Figure 1 In one embodiment, the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30 are mounted substantially perpendicular to each other. In other embodiments, the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30 may also be mounted at an angle to each other, for example, forming an angle between 30 and 150 degrees, between 45 and 135 degrees, or between 60 and 120 degrees.

[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, the calibration device 30 can be configured as a second printed circuit board, which may include, for example, a dielectric substrate 32, a microstrip calibration circuit 33 disposed on the upper main surface of the dielectric substrate 32, and a ground metal layer (not shown) disposed on the lower main surface of the dielectric substrate. In some embodiments, the microstrip calibration circuit 33 can be implemented in a second printed circuit board comprising two dielectric substrates, wherein a first ground metal layer can be disposed on the upper surface of the upper dielectric substrate, and a second ground metal layer can be disposed on the lower surface of the lower dielectric substrate, and the calibration circuit 33 is disposed in a metal layer between the two dielectric substrates, thereby the calibration circuit 33 is surrounded by the first and second ground metal layers, and thus the calibration circuit 33 can be configured as a stripline network. Stripline networks can be advantageous because they can have reduced radiated signal loss and can shield radio frequency transmission lines from external radiation. In some embodiments, the calibration device 30 may, for example, include two or more second printed circuit boards, which can be electrically connected to each other via cables.

[0052] The calibration circuit 33 may include a calibration port 34, a transmission line 35, a power divider / combiner 36, and a coupler 37. The power divider / combiner 36 may be configured as a Wilkinson power divider / combiner, and the coupler 37 may be configured as a directional coupler. The calibration circuit 33 can be used to identify any undesired changes in the amplitude and / or phase of the RF signals input to different RF ports of the antenna.

[0053] In some embodiments, a remote RF unit (not shown) may input a calibration signal to a calibration port 34 via a cable. The calibration signal is then transmitted from the calibration port 34 to a power divider 36 via a corresponding transmission line 35, which divides the calibration signal into multiple sub-components. The sub-components of the calibration signal are transmitted to corresponding feed branches (hereinafter referred to as first transmission segments 38) via corresponding couplers 37. Each first transmission segment 38 may include an RF port 381 and a transmission trace segment 382, ​​which may be electrically connected, for example, via conductive connections to a feed network, such as a phase-shifting network, to further feed the RF signal from the RF port 381 to downstream radiating elements. The remote RF unit may read the amplitude and / or phase of the RF signal electrically coupled from the calibration circuit 33 to the RF port 381 via the coupler 37. Therefore, the radio frequency control system can be calibrated through the S-parameters of the radio frequency port 381 and the calibration port 34. In other words, calibration can be achieved by adjusting the amplitude and / or phase of the RF signal coupled to the radio frequency port 381 and the amplitude and / or phase of the calibration signal on the calibration port 34. The RRU can accordingly adjust the amplitude and / or phase of the RF signal to be input to the radio frequency port to provide an optimized antenna beam.

[0054] In this embodiment, the calibration process may include the following steps:

[0055] First, the remote radio frequency unit electrically couples the calibration signal to each radio frequency port 381 via the calibration circuit 33 (calibration port 34, power divider 36 and coupler 37);

[0056] Then, the remote radio frequency unit reads the corresponding amplitude and / or phase of the radio frequency signal on each radio frequency port 381;

[0057] Finally, the remote RF unit performs calibration based on the amplitude and / or phase of the RF signal on RF port 381, that is, assigns different amplitude and / or phase weight values ​​to the RF signals to be input on each RF port.

[0058] In some implementations, the remote RF unit may first input the RF signal to the corresponding RF port via a cable. Then, the calibration circuit 33 may extract a small portion of each RF signal input to the respective RF port using a coupler 37, and then combine the extracted signals into a calibration signal via a power combiner and transmit it back to the remote RF unit that generated the RF signal. The remote RF unit can adjust the amplitude and / or phase of the RF signal to be input to the RF port accordingly based on the calibration signal to provide optimized antenna beaming.

[0059] Next, with the help of the attached Figure 3 and 4 This paper details some electrical connection schemes between the calibration device 30 and the phase shifter 40 in component 20 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0060] Unlike traditional electrical connections that rely on cables, in component 20 according to some embodiments of the present invention, the phase shifter 40 can be electrically connected to the calibration device 30 without the aid of a cable. In other words, there is no direct cable connection between the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30.

[0061] See Figure 3 This diagram illustrates a first partially enlarged schematic of component 20 according to some embodiments of the present invention, showing in detail a first electrical connection scheme between a calibration device 30 and a phase shifter 40. The phase shifter 40 may include an RF signal input section (hereinafter referred to as a second transmission section 43), which may be electrically connected to a corresponding first transmission section 38 on the calibration device 30 via conductive elements. Figure 3 In one embodiment, the second transmission segment 43 may be configured as a bent trace segment, comprising a first segment 431 extending along a first direction and a second segment 432 extending from the end of the first segment 431 along a second direction, the first direction being different from the second direction. Figure 3 In one embodiment, the second segment 432 bends substantially perpendicular to the first segment 431 and extends toward the calibration device 30 until it reaches the edge of the phase shifter 40 that abuts against the calibration device 30. A first welding area 383 may be provided on the first transmission segment 38 of the calibration device 30, and correspondingly, a second welding area 433 may be provided on the second segment 432 of the phase shifter 40. These two welding areas 383 and 433 are adjacent to each other, thereby facilitating electrical connection by welding. In other embodiments, the second transmission segment 43 may also be electrically connected to a corresponding first transmission segment 38 on the calibration device 30 via other conductive elements, such as probes. Furthermore, to achieve good RF signal transmission between the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30, the phase shifter 40 may have one or more first grounding segments 44, and the calibration device 30 may have one or more second grounding segments 39, with the first grounding segments 44 welded to corresponding second grounding segments 39. This achieves a common ground connection between the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30.

[0062] Figure 4 A second partially enlarged schematic diagram of component 20 according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown, illustrating in detail a second electrical connection scheme between calibration device 30 and a phase shifter 40. Phase shifter 40 may include an RF signal input section (hereinafter referred to as a second transmission section 43), which may be electrically connected to a corresponding first transmission section 38 on calibration device 30 via conductive elements. Figure 4 In some embodiments, the phase shifter 40 may include a second transmission segment 43 extending along a first direction and a debugging trace segment 45 extending along a second direction at a distance spaced from the second transmission segment 43, wherein the first direction is different from the second direction. Figure 4In this embodiment, the test trace segment 45 bends substantially perpendicular to the second transmission section 43 and extends toward the calibration device 30 until it reaches the edge of the phase shifter 40 that abuts against the calibration device 30. A third welding area 384 can be provided on the first transmission section 38 of the calibration device 30, and correspondingly, a fourth welding area 451 is provided on the test trace segment 45 of the phase shifter 40. These two welding areas 384 and 451 are adjacent to each other, thereby facilitating electrical connection by welding. Simultaneously, a fifth welding area 434 can be provided on the second transmission section 43 of the phase shifter 40, and correspondingly, a sixth welding area 452 is provided on the test trace segment 45 of the phase shifter 40. These two welding areas 434 and 452 are also adjacent to each other. To achieve a cable-free direct electrical connection between the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30, the test trace segment 45 can be welded to the first transmission section 38 and the second transmission section 43, respectively. Furthermore, to achieve good RF signal transmission between the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30, the phase shifter 40 may have one or more third grounding segments 441, and the calibration device 30 may have one or more fourth grounding segments 391. The third grounding segments 441 may be soldered to the corresponding fourth grounding segments 391. This achieves a common ground connection between the phase shifter 40 and the calibration device 30.

[0063] The test trace segment 45 is advantageous because it is configured to maintain electrical isolation or connection with the second transmission segment 43 as needed. When the test trace segment 45 is electrically isolated from the second transmission segment 43, the phase shifter 40 can still be electrically connected to other transmission lines outside the phase shifter 40 via cable connections. When the test trace segment 45 is electrically connected to the second transmission segment 43, for example, by soldering them together, the phase shifter 40 can be electrically connected to other transmission lines outside the phase shifter 40 without the aid of cables. Thus, the arrangement of the test trace segment 45 improves the application flexibility of the phase shifter 40.

[0064] While exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such changes and modifications are included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A component for a base station antenna, comprising: A calibration apparatus comprising: a plurality of transmission line segments on a printed circuit board; a plurality of directional couplers on the printed circuit board and coupled to the respective transmission line segments; a power divider network on the printed circuit board and coupled to the directional couplers; and a calibration port on the printed circuit board and coupled to the output of the power divider network; and Multiple phase shifters, each having one input and multiple outputs, are mounted on the calibration device. The input of each phase shifter is electrically connected to the calibration device via a cableless connection through soldering. The plurality of phase shifters are mounted at an angle to the calibration device, and the angle is in the range of 60 degrees to 120 degrees.

2. The component according to claim 1, wherein, The calibration device has a first transmission line section for radio frequency signals, and the phase shifter has a second transmission line section for radio frequency signals, the second transmission line section being electrically connected to the first transmission line section.

3. The component according to claim 2, wherein, The second transmission line section of the phase shifter is configured as a bent trace segment.

4. The component according to claim 3, wherein, The second transmission line segment includes a first segment and a second segment that bends and extends from the first segment toward the calibration device.

5. The component according to claim 4, wherein, The second section is welded to the first transmission line section.

6. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The phase shifter includes a second transmission line segment for radio frequency signals and a test trace segment spaced apart from the second transmission line segment.

7. The component according to claim 6, wherein, The debugging trace segment extends from the second transmission line section toward the calibration device.

8. The component according to claim 7, wherein, The calibration device has a first transmission line section for radio frequency signals, and the debugging trace section is welded to both the first and second transmission line sections.

9. A component for a base station antenna, comprising: A calibration device for beamforming antennas; and Multiple phase shifters are mounted on the calibration device, each phase shifter having one input and multiple outputs, and The first transmission line section of the calibration device is directly connected to the second transmission line section, which serves as the input to the phase shifter, via welding. The plurality of phase shifters are mounted at an angle to the calibration device, and the angle is in the range of 60 degrees to 120 degrees.

10. A component for a base station antenna, the component comprising: A calibration device, the calibration device including a calibration printed circuit board; and A plurality of phase shifters are mounted on the calibration device, each phase shifter having one input and multiple outputs, wherein the plurality of phase shifters are mounted at an angle to the calibration device, and the angle is in the range of 60 degrees to 120 degrees. The calibration device has a first transmission line section for radio frequency (RF) signals, and the phase shifter has a second transmission line section for RF signals, serving as the input to the phase shifter. The second transmission line section is electrically connected to the first transmission line section via soldering, and there is no cable connection between the second transmission line section and the first transmission line section. The phase shifter has a first contact area and the calibration device has a second contact area, wherein the first contact area and the second contact area are welded together.

11. The component of claim 10, wherein, The second transmission line section of the phase shifter is configured as a bent trace segment, the bent trace segment including a first section and a second section extending from the first section toward the calibration device.

12. The component of claim 11, wherein, The second section is welded to the first transmission line section.

13. The component of claim 10, wherein, The phase shifter also includes a test track segment spaced apart from the second transmission line segment, the test track segment extending from the second transmission line segment toward the calibration device.

14. The component of claim 13, wherein, The debugging trace segment is welded to both the first transmission line segment and the second transmission line segment.

15. The component of claim 13, wherein, The phase shifter includes a first printed circuit board, while the calibration device includes a second printed circuit board separate from the first printed circuit board.

Images