Base station antenna

Abstract

The application discloses a base station antenna, which comprises a substrate, a plurality of dipoles, a control component and a dielectric plate. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The plurality of dipoles are arranged on the first surface of the substrate. The control component is arranged on the second surface of the substrate and electrically connected with the plurality of dipoles. The dielectric plate is arranged corresponding to the first surface of the substrate and the plurality of dipoles are located between the first surface and the dielectric plate. Through the above arrangement, the base station antenna has lower construction cost and debugging labor cost, and the influence of the radome on the radiation performance of the antenna can be eliminated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more particularly to a base station antenna. Background Technology

[0002] Base station antennas are crucial connecting bridges in mobile communication equipment, and their quality directly impacts the communication quality of mobile devices. Currently, MIMO (Multi-input Multi-output) technology, which employs multiple radiating elements for signal transmission and reception, is one of the key technologies of 5G and has attracted significant industry attention. MIMO technology utilizes a large array of antennas in the base station transceiver to achieve greater wireless data throughput and connection reliability. Compared to previous single / dual-polarized antennas and 4 / 8-channel antennas, massive MIMO technology can improve spectrum and energy utilization efficiency across different dimensions (spatial, time, frequency, and polarization domains). 3D beamforming and channel prediction technologies can adaptively adjust the phase and power of each antenna element, significantly improving the beam pointing accuracy of the system and concentrating signal strength in specific pointing areas and for specific user groups. This enhances user signals while significantly reducing intra-cell self-interference and neighboring cell interference, making it an excellent technology for improving the carrier ratio of user signals.

[0003] In existing base station antennas, the most common type of vibrator is the die-cast vibrator, which couples a radiator formed by die-casting metal with a 1 / 4 wavelength metal feed plate to achieve the radiation effect. However, die-cast vibrators have disadvantages such as (1) large size, inconvenient installation, and high cost; (2) inconvenient welding, as metal vibrators need to be used with coaxial cables, feed plates, and insulating pads; and (3) insufficient convergence of the beamwidth of the array antenna and poor performance. On the other hand, existing base station antennas use cavity phase shifters to adjust the phase and change the downtilt angle to achieve an electronically tunable effect. However, the cavity phase shifter itself has a high material cost, and in addition to the difficulty of assembly, it also has the problem of difficult maintenance once a failure occurs. Furthermore, existing base station antennas optimize the overall antenna performance by adjusting the height of the array and the performance of the vibrators. However, during the adjustment period, not only is the debugging manpower wasted, but the adjustment results also have poor consistency.

[0004] In view of this, how to provide a base station antenna that has low construction and debugging costs, while eliminating the influence of the radome on the antenna radiation performance, thereby achieving excellent transmission and reception performance, is a problem that the industry urgently needs to solve. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a base station antenna that can solve the problems of excessive construction cost, difficulty in installation and maintenance, poor antenna performance, and waste of debugging manpower caused by the use of die-cast vibrators and cavity phase shifters in existing base station antennas.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:

[0007] A base station antenna is provided, comprising:

[0008] The substrate has a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to the first surface;

[0009] Multiple oscillators are disposed on the first surface of the substrate;

[0010] A control component is disposed on the second side of the substrate and electrically connected to a plurality of oscillators; and

[0011] A dielectric substrate is disposed on the first surface of a substrate, and multiple oscillators are located between the first surface and the dielectric substrate.

[0012] In the base station antenna of this application, there is a first distance between the dielectric substrate and the top surface of the plurality of vibrators away from the first surface, the first distance being 0.25 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the base station antenna.

[0013] In the base station antenna of this application, there is a first distance of 17 millimeters (mm) between the dielectric substrate and the top surface of the plurality of vibrators away from the first surface.

[0014] In the base station antenna of this application, the dielectric substrate is an FR4 dielectric substrate.

[0015] In the base station antenna of this application, multiple elements are PCB elements, and the operating frequency band of multiple elements is from 3.4 GHz to 4.2 GHz.

[0016] In the base station antenna of this application, the first surface of the substrate has a plurality of isolation pillars, and the dielectric plate is disposed on the plurality of isolation pillars to be located above the plurality of vibrators.

[0017] In the base station antenna of this application, a plurality of vibrators are spaced apart on the first surface of the substrate, and two adjacent vibrators among the plurality of vibrators have a first spacing in a first direction, the first spacing being 0.7 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the base station antenna.

[0018] In the base station antenna of this application, two adjacent elements among a plurality of elements have a second spacing in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second spacing being 0.6 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the base station antenna.

[0019] In the base station antenna of this application, a plurality of vibrators are spaced apart on the first surface of the substrate, and two adjacent vibrators among the plurality of vibrators have a first spacing in a first direction, the first spacing being 55 mm.

[0020] In the base station antenna of this application, two adjacent elements among a plurality of elements have a second spacing in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second spacing being 48 mm.

[0021] In the base station antenna of this application, the control component includes multiple phase shifters and multiple power dividers. The multiple phase shifters and multiple power dividers are disposed on the second side of the substrate. The multiple power dividers are disposed between multiple vibrators and multiple phase shifters. One end of the multiple power dividers is electrically connected to the multiple vibrators, and the other end of the multiple power dividers is electrically connected to the multiple phase shifters.

[0022] In the base station antenna of this application, the power divider and the phase shifter are electrically connected by a coaxial cable.

[0023] In the base station antenna of this application, the control component further includes a motor drive system disposed on the second side of the substrate, the motor drive system pulling a slider to adjust the downtilt angle of multiple phase shifters.

[0024] In the base station antenna of this application, the base station antenna further includes an antenna radome, which covers a substrate, multiple vibrators, a control component, and a dielectric substrate, with the dielectric substrate located between the antenna radome and the vibrators.

[0025] In this embodiment, by establishing a first distance between the dielectric substrate and the top surfaces of the multiple oscillators, and by using an FR4 dielectric substrate, the wavelength of electromagnetic waves on the antenna surface changes after entering the FR4 dielectric substrate, thereby eliminating the influence of the antenna cover on the wavelength of electromagnetic waves, thus enabling the base station antenna to have excellent transmission and reception performance. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of this application and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0027] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional view of the base station antenna of this application.

[0028] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the base station antenna in this application.

[0029] Figure 3 This is another exploded view of the base station antenna in this application.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the base station antenna after the antenna cover has been removed.

[0031] Figure 5 This is a front view of the base station antenna of this application.

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the vibrator of the base station antenna of this application disposed on the first side of the substrate.

[0033] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram showing the phase shifter, power divider, and motor drive system of the base station antenna of this application disposed on the second side of the substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0035] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a base station antenna 100 according to this application includes a substrate 110, a plurality of vibrators 120, a control component 130, and a dielectric substrate 140. The substrate 110 has a first surface 112 and a second surface 114 disposed opposite the first surface 112. The plurality of vibrators 120 are disposed on the first surface 112 of the substrate 110 and are used to guide and amplify the electromagnetic wave radiation emitted by the base station antenna 100. The control component 130 is disposed on the second surface 114 of the substrate 110 and is electrically connected to the plurality of vibrators 120. Figure 4 As shown, the dielectric plate 140 is disposed on the first surface 112 of the substrate 110, and a plurality of oscillators 120 are located between the first surface 112 and the dielectric plate 140.

[0036] Please continue reading Figure 5 In the base station antenna 100 of this application, a first distance D1 is maintained between the dielectric substrate 140 and the top surface of the plurality of vibrators 120 away from the first surface 112. The first distance D1 is 0.25 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the base station antenna 100. That is, when the center frequency of the base station antenna 100 is 3.8 GHz, the value of the first distance D1 will be 17 millimeters (mm), but this is not a limitation. In other words, when the center frequency of the base station antenna 100 is changed to other values ​​due to different requirements, the value of the first distance D1 can also be adjusted accordingly.

[0037] Furthermore, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the first surface 112 of the substrate 110 has a plurality of isolation pillars 116, and the dielectric plate 140 is disposed on the plurality of isolation pillars 116 above the plurality of vibrators 120, thereby creating a first distance D1 between the dielectric plate 140 and the top surfaces of the plurality of vibrators 120. The isolation pillars 116 extend from the first surface 112 of the substrate 110 toward the radome 150 and pass through the dielectric plate 140.

[0038] In the base station antenna 100 of this application, the dielectric substrate is preferably an FR4 dielectric substrate to enhance the performance of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the base station antenna 100. The multiple vibrators 120 are PCB vibrators, which have advantages over traditional die-cast vibrators such as small size, light weight, easy and flexible installation and lower cost, and the multiple vibrators 120 operate in the frequency band of 3.4GHz to 4.2GHz.

[0039] like Figure 6 As shown, in the base station antenna 100 of this application, a plurality of vibrators 120 are arranged in an array on the first surface 112 of the substrate 110 at intervals. Adjacent vibrators 120 have a first spacing S1 in a first direction Y (i.e., the vertical direction), and the first spacing S1 is 0.7 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the base station antenna 100. Adjacent vibrators 120 have a second spacing S2 in a second direction X (i.e., the horizontal direction) perpendicular to the first direction Y, and the second spacing S2 is 0.6 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the base station antenna 100. Since all vibrators 120 are constructed from printed circuit boards, when used in the MIMO antenna of this application, the cost and product weight can be greatly reduced, while effectively improving intermodulation performance.

[0040] For example, as described above, when the center frequency of the base station antenna 100 is 3.8 GHz, the first spacing S1 between two adjacent elements 120 in the first direction Y can be calculated to be 55 mm, and the second spacing S2 between two adjacent elements 120 in the second direction X is 48 mm, but this is not a limitation. In other words, when the center frequency of the base station antenna 100 is changed to other values ​​due to different requirements, the values ​​of the first spacing S1 and the second spacing S2 will also be adjusted accordingly.

[0041] like Figure 7 As shown, the control assembly 130 includes multiple phase shifters 131, multiple power dividers 132, and a motor drive system 133. The multiple phase shifters 131, multiple power dividers 132, and the motor drive system 133 are disposed on the second surface 114 of the substrate 110. The multiple power dividers 132 are disposed between multiple oscillators 120 and multiple phase shifters 131, with one end of each power divider 132 electrically connected to the multiple oscillators 120 and the other end of each power divider 132 electrically connected to the multiple phase shifters 131. The motor drive system 133 is used to pull the slider 131a on the phase shifter 131 to slide up and down along the drive shaft 133a, thereby adjusting the downward tilt angle of the multiple phase shifters 131.

[0042] In detail, in this application, the power divider 132 can be a 1-to-4 power divider 132, and the phase shifter 131 can be a 1-to-7 pointer arc phase shifter 131. When every four of the multiple oscillators 120 are connected to the 1-to-4 power divider 132 as a sub-unit, and the seven sub-units correspond to the 1-to-7 pointer arc phase shifter 131, the slider 131a on the 1-to-7 pointer arc phase shifter 131 can be pulled up and down along the drive shaft 133a by the motor transmission system 133 to achieve the effect of electrically adjusting the downtilt angle.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, the power divider 132 and the phase shifter 131 are electrically connected via a coaxial cable (not shown), but this is not a limitation.

[0044] The base station antenna 100 of this application further includes an radome 150. The radome 150 is disposed around the periphery of the substrate 110 to cover the substrate 110, multiple vibrators 120, control components 130, and dielectric substrate 140, with the dielectric substrate 140 located between the radome 150 and the vibrators 120. The radome 150 is used to protect the substrate 110, multiple vibrators 120, multiple phase shifters 131, multiple power dividers 132, motor drive system 133, and dielectric substrate 140. The material of the radome 150 may include, but is not limited to, polycarbonate and polyacrylonitrile (ABS). In one example, the radome 150 and the substrate 110 can be assembled by snap-fitting to facilitate subsequent maintenance of the base station antenna 100; in another example, the radome 150 and the substrate 110 can be assembled by adhesive to prevent moisture from entering the internal space of the base station antenna 100; the actual assembly method of the radome 150 and the substrate 110 can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0045] In summary, in the prior art, when an antenna radome surrounds multiple vibrators on a substrate, the performance of the emitted electromagnetic radiation is reduced due to the shielding effect of the radome when guiding and amplifying the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the base station antenna. However, in this embodiment, by establishing a first distance D1 (preferably 17 mm) between the dielectric substrate 140 and the top surfaces of the multiple vibrators 120, and by using an FR4 dielectric substrate for the dielectric substrate 140, the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the multiple vibrators 120 changes after entering the FR4 dielectric substrate, thereby eliminating the influence of the radome 150 on the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation. This results in the base station antenna 100 of this application having excellent transmission and reception performance and avoiding the waste of debugging manpower. In other words, the dielectric substrate 140 of this application is not a reflector and does not reflect the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the base station antenna 100. Conversely, the dielectric substrate 140 of this application can be used to compensate for the wavelength affected by the radome 150, so that the electromagnetic wave radiation emitted by the multiple oscillators after passing through the dielectric substrate 140 can have the same antenna performance as the simulation test.

[0046] Furthermore, the multiple oscillators 120 of this application are PCB oscillators, which have advantages over traditional die-cast oscillators, such as smaller size, lighter weight, easier and more flexible installation, and lower cost, making them particularly suitable for MIMO technology. Moreover, the phase shifter 131 of this application is an arc-shaped phase shifter, which, compared to the cavity phase shifters used in the prior art, not only has lower material costs but is also easier to assemble and maintain.

[0047] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0048] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms fall within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A base station antenna, characterized in that, Include: A substrate has a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to the first surface, wherein the first surface of the substrate has a plurality of isolation pillars; Multiple oscillators are disposed on the first surface of the substrate; A control component is disposed on the second surface of the substrate and electrically connected to the plurality of oscillators; A dielectric plate is disposed corresponding to the first surface of the substrate, and the plurality of oscillators are located between the first surface and the dielectric plate. The dielectric plate is disposed on the plurality of isolation pillars so as to be located above the plurality of oscillators. The dielectric substrate and the top surface of the plurality of vibrators away from the first surface have a first distance, which is 0.25 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the base station antenna; the dielectric substrate is an FR4 dielectric substrate, so as to change the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the base station antenna after entering the FR4 dielectric substrate.

2. The base station antenna as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The dielectric plate and the top surface of the plurality of oscillators away from the first surface have a first distance of 17 mm.

3. The base station antenna as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of oscillators are PCB oscillators, and the operating frequency band of the plurality of oscillators is from 3.4 GHz to 4.2 GHz.

4. The base station antenna as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of oscillators are spaced apart on the first surface of the substrate, and two adjacent oscillators have a first spacing in a first direction, the first spacing being 0.7 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the base station antenna.

5. The base station antenna as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Two adjacent vibrators in the plurality of vibrators have a second spacing in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second spacing being 0.6 times the wavelength of the center frequency of the base station antenna.

6. The base station antenna as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of oscillators are spaced apart on the first surface of the substrate, and two adjacent oscillators have a first spacing in a first direction, the first spacing being 55 mm.

7. The base station antenna as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The two adjacent oscillators in the plurality of oscillators have a second spacing in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second spacing being 48 mm.

8. The base station antenna as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control component includes multiple phase shifters and multiple power dividers, which are disposed on the second side of the substrate. The multiple power dividers are disposed between the multiple oscillators and the multiple phase shifters. One end of the multiple power dividers is electrically connected to the multiple oscillators, and the other end of the multiple power dividers is electrically connected to the multiple phase shifters.

9. The base station antenna as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The power divider and the phase shifter are electrically connected by a coaxial cable.

10. The base station antenna as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The control assembly further includes a motor drive system disposed on the second side of the substrate, the motor drive system pulling a slider to adjust the downtilt angle of the plurality of phase shifters.

11. The base station antenna as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes an antenna radome that covers the substrate, the plurality of vibrators, the control assembly, and the dielectric plate, the dielectric plate being located between the antenna radome and the vibrators.

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