Radiator, radiating element and dipole arm for base station antenna

Abstract

The invention relates to a radiator for a base station antenna, comprising: a first dipole arm and a second dipole arm extending on a first plane, the first dipole arm and the second dipole arm being configured such that the radiator operates in a first frequency band; and a current suppression portion provided in at least one of the first dipole arm and the second dipole arm, the current suppression part is configured to enable the flow directions of induced currents generated by electromagnetic radiation in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band on the at least one dipole arm to be opposite on the two opposite sides of the current suppression part, and the at least one dipole arm extends in the first direction from the center of the radiator; the current suppression portion extends substantially perpendicular to the first direction on a first plane. The invention also relates to a radiating element, a dipole arm and a multiband base station antenna.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of mobile communications, and more particularly, to a radiator, a radiating element, a dipole arm and a multi-band base station antenna for a base station antenna. Background Art

[0002] In a multi-band cellular base station antenna, a radiating element with a lower operating frequency band and a radiating element with a higher operating frequency band may be close to each other. For the sake of simplicity, this document may also refer to "cellular base station antenna" as "base station antenna", "lower operating frequency band" as "low-band", "radiating element with lower operating frequency band" as "low-band radiating element", "higher operating frequency band" as "high-band", and "radiating element with higher operating frequency band" as "high-band radiating element".

[0003] As the need for compact multi-band base station antennas emerges, it may be required that radiating elements with different operating frequency bands be arranged adjacent to each other. Therefore, the electromagnetic radiation in the high frequency band emitted by the high frequency band radiating element may induce currents in the low frequency band radiating element, which may cause the low frequency band radiating element to also emit electromagnetic radiation in the high frequency band (this phenomenon is called "scattering"), which may affect the radiation pattern or "antenna beam" generated by the RF energy emitted by the high frequency band radiating element in an undesirable manner. The beam shape, beam width (e.g., beam width in the azimuth plane and elevation plane), pointing angle gain and front-to-back ratio, etc. In addition, the high frequency band radiating element may also scatter the electromagnetic radiation in the low frequency band emitted by the low frequency band radiating element. Summary of the invention

[0004] One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a radiator, a radiating element, a dipole arm and a multi-band base station antenna for a base station antenna.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first frequency band radiator for a base station antenna, comprising: a first dipole arm and a second dipole arm extending on a first plane; and a current suppression portion arranged in at least one of the first dipole arm and the second dipole arm, the current suppression portion being configured so that an induced current generated on the at least one dipole arm by electromagnetic radiation in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band flows in opposite directions on opposite sides of the current suppression portion, wherein the at least one dipole arm extends from the center of the radiator along a first direction, and the current suppression portion extends on the first plane substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

[0006] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first frequency band radiating element for a base station antenna, comprising: a dielectric substrate; a radiator formed on a first surface of the dielectric substrate, the radiator comprising: a first dipole arm and a second dipole arm extending on the first surface; and a current suppression portion arranged in the first dipole arm, the current suppression portion being configured to suppress an induced current generated on the first dipole arm by electromagnetic radiation in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, wherein the first dipole arm extends in a first direction from a center of the radiator, and the current suppression portion extends substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

[0007] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dipole arm for a base station antenna, comprising: a first conductor, the first conductor extending along a first direction on a first plane; a second conductor, the second conductor extending along the first direction on the first plane; and a third conductor located between the first conductor and the second conductor, the third conductor extending along the first direction on the first plane, wherein the first conductor is connected to the second conductor via the third conductor, the first conductor comprises a first portion extending adjacent to the second conductor and electrically insulated from the second conductor on a first side of the third conductor, the second conductor comprises a second portion extending adjacent to the first conductor and electrically insulated from the first conductor on a first side of the third conductor, and the first portion and the second portion are configured to form a gap extending along a second direction therebetween, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0008] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a multi-band base station antenna is provided, comprising: a reflector, a first radiator located in front of the reflector, the first radiator being configured to operate within a first frequency band; and a second radiator located in front of the reflector, the second radiator being configured to operate within a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, wherein the first radiator comprises: a first dipole arm and a second dipole arm extending in opposite directions from a center of the first radiator in a first plane in a first direction; and a first current suppression portion arranged in the first dipole arm, the first current suppression portion being configured to suppress an induced current generated on the first dipole arm by electromagnetic radiation within the second frequency band, the current suppression portion extending substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 1A is a schematic front view of at least a portion of a multi-band base station antenna.

[0012] Figure 1Byes Figure 1A A schematic cross-sectional view of at least a portion of a multi-band base station antenna along line AA'.

[0013] Figure 2A is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of a conventional radiation element.

[0014] Figure 2B yes Figure 2A Schematic front view of a radiating element.

[0015] Figure 2C is to show that the radiating elements with other operating bands are Figure 2A Schematic diagram of the distribution of induced current generated on the radiating element.

[0016] Figure 3A is a schematic front view of a radiating element according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 3B is to show that the radiating elements with other operating bands are Figure 3A Schematic diagram of the distribution of induced current generated on the radiating element.

[0018] Figure 4A is a schematic rear view of a radiating element according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 4B yes Figure 4A Schematic front view of a dipole arm in the radiating element of FIG. 1 , wherein components on the rear surface of the dielectric substrate are shown in dotted lines.

[0020] Figure 4C yes Figure 4B Schematic side view of at least a portion of a dipole arm along line BB'.

[0021] Figure 5A is Figure 1A A schematic diagram showing how the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a high-band radiating element varies with azimuth in a multi-band base station antenna when there is no low-band radiating element, wherein different curves correspond to different operating frequencies.

[0022] Figure 5B is Figure 1A In a multi-band base station antenna, when the low-band radiating element is implemented as Figure 2A Schematic diagram of the variation of the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a high-frequency band radiating element with the azimuth angle when the radiating element is used.

[0023] Figure 5C is Figure 1A In a multi-band base station antenna, when the low-band radiating element is implemented as Figure 3ASchematic diagram of the variation of the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a high-frequency band radiating element with the azimuth angle when the radiating element is used.

[0024] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B They are Figure 2A and Figure 3A A schematic diagram showing how the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a radiating element varies with azimuth, wherein different curves correspond to different operating frequencies.

[0025] Figure 6C and Fig.6D They are Figure 2A and Figure 3A Graphs showing return loss of a radiating element as a function of frequency, each graph showing the return loss of the radiating element in two polarization directions.

[0026] Fig. 6E and Fig. 6F They are Figure 2A and Figure 3A A graph showing the isolation between the two polarization directions of a radiating element as a function of frequency.

[0027] FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C is a schematic front view of a radiating element according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B Schematic front views of a conventional radiation element and a radiation element according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively.

[0029] Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B They are schematic stereograms of a conventional radiation element and a radiation element according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively.

[0030] FIG. 10A to FIG. 10E is a schematic front view of at least a portion of a multi-band base station antenna according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Note that in the embodiments described below, sometimes the same reference numerals are used in common between different drawings to represent the same parts or parts with the same functions, and their repeated descriptions are omitted. In some cases, similar numbers and letters are used to represent similar items, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0032] For ease of understanding, the positions, sizes, and ranges of various structures shown in the drawings and the like may not represent actual positions, sizes, and ranges, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the positions, sizes, and ranges disclosed in the drawings and the like. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present invention. However, it should be understood that the present 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 present invention more complete and fully illustrate the scope of the present 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.

[0034] 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 invention. All terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used herein have meanings generally understood by those skilled in the art unless otherwise defined. For the sake of simplicity and / or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be described in detail.

[0035] In this article, when an element is said to be "on", "attached" to, "connected" to, "coupled" to, or "contacting" another element, the element may be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled to, or contacting another element, or there may be an intermediate element. In contrast, when an element is said to be "directly" "on", "directly attached" to, "directly connected" to, "directly coupled" to, or "directly contacting" another element, there may be no intermediate element. In this article, a feature is arranged to be "adjacent" to another feature, and may refer to a feature having a portion overlapping an adjacent feature or a portion located above or below an adjacent feature.

[0036] In this document, reference may be made to elements or nodes or features being "coupled" together. Unless expressly stated otherwise, "coupled" means that one element / node / feature can be mechanically, electrically, logically or otherwise connected to 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 include direct and indirect connections of elements or other features, including connections using one or more intermediate elements.

[0037] As used herein, spatial relational terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "higher," "lower," etc. may describe the relationship of one feature to another feature in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the spatial relational terms encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation shown in the accompanying drawings. For example, features previously described as being "below" other features may now be described as being "above" the other features when the device in the accompanying drawings is turned over. The device may also be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the relative spatial relationships will be interpreted accordingly.

[0038] Herein, the term "A or B" includes "A and B" and "A or B" rather than exclusively including only "A" or only "B", unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0039] In this document, the word "exemplary" means "used as an example, instance or illustration" rather than as a "model" to be exactly copied. Any implementation described as an example herein is not necessarily to be interpreted as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Moreover, the present invention is not limited by any expressed or implied theory given in the above technical field, background technology, summary of the invention or detailed description.

[0040] As used herein, the term "substantially" is intended to include any minor variations due to design or manufacturing imperfections, device or component tolerances, environmental influences, and / or other factors. The term "substantially" also allows for deviations from a perfect or ideal situation due to parasitic effects, noise, and other practical considerations that may exist in actual implementations.

[0041] In addition, the terms "first", "second" and the like may also be used herein for reference purposes only, and thus are not intended to be limiting. For example, the terms "first", "second" and other such numerical terms referring to structures or elements do not imply a sequence or order unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0042] It should also be understood that when the term “include / comprises” is used in this document, it indicates the existence of the specified features, steps, operations, units and / or components, but does not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, units and / or components and / or their combinations.

[0043] According to the radiator, radiating element, dipole arm and multi-band base station antenna for a base station antenna according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the scattering effect of a radiating element with a first operating frequency band on electromagnetic radiation emitted by a radiating element with a second operating frequency band can be reduced or minimized in the multi-band base station antenna. For example, the embodiments of the present disclosure can reduce or minimize the effect of a low-frequency band radiating element on the electromagnetic radiation of a high-frequency band radiating element, and vice versa.

[0044] Figure 1A and Figure 1B At least part of a multi-band base station antenna is shown in schematic front view and schematic side view, respectively, wherein Figure 1B yes Figure 1A A cross-sectional view of at least a portion of a multi-band base station antenna along line AA′. The multi-band base station antenna includes a reflector 10 (e.g., a ground plane), and an array 210 consisting of low-band radiating elements 21 extending forward from the reflector 10, and an array 220 (including arrays 220-1 and 220-2) consisting of high-band radiating elements 22 extending forward from the reflector 10. It should be noted that the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings use reference numerals with a hyphen ("-"), which divide the reference numerals into two parts, such as 220-1, 220-2. When it is necessary to distinguish an individual, the full reference numeral is used to refer to it, for example, array 220-1 refers to . Figure 1A The leftmost column of vertically extending radiating elements 22 in the array 220-2 is referred to as Figure 1AThe rightmost vertically extending column of radiating elements 22. When it is not necessary to distinguish individuals, the part in front of the symbol "-" is used to refer to the whole, for example, array 220 can refer to the combination of array 220-1 and array 220-2, or can refer to either array 220-1 or array 220-2. Low frequency band radiating element 21 can be configured to work in the frequency range (such as these frequency ranges or the sub-interval in any frequency range can be referred to as low frequency band) of for example about 694MHz to 960MHz, 1.427GHz to 1.511GHz, 1.695GHz to 2.690GHz or 1.6GHz to 2.8GHz etc., and high frequency band radiating element 22 can be configured to work in the frequency range (such as these frequency ranges or the sub-interval in any frequency range can be referred to as high frequency band) of for example about 1.427GHz to 1.511GHz, 1.695GHz to 2.690GHz, 1.6GHz to 2.8GHz or 3.4GHz to 3.8GHz.Wherein, high frequency band comprises the frequency higher than low frequency band.In the illustrated embodiment, the array 210 of low frequency band radiating element 21 is between two arrays 220-1 and 220-2 of high frequency band radiating element 22. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the array of low-band radiation elements 21 and the array of high-band radiation elements 22 may have other numbers and arrangements.

[0045] In the illustrated embodiment, the low-band radiating element 21 and the high-band radiating element 22 are both implemented as cross-dipole radiating elements. Each cross-dipole radiating element may include a first radiator that transmits and receives radio frequency RF signals (may be referred to as "operating") in a polarization direction tilted by +45° relative to the longitudinal axis of the base station antenna and a second radiator that transmits and receives RF signals in a polarization direction tilted by -45°. Figure 2A and Figure 2B A conventional radiation element 20 is shown in a schematic perspective view and a schematic front view, respectively. Figure 1A and Figure 1B Any of the low-band radiating element 21 and the high-band radiating element 22 in the multi-band base station antenna shown may be implemented as Figure 2A and Figure 2B The radiating element 20 is shown.

[0046] The radiating element 20 includes dipole arms 202, 203, 209 and 210 extending in a first plane (e.g., a plane parallel to the surface of the reflector 10). Each dipole arm 202, 203, 209 and 210 can be formed as a conductive area printed on the dielectric substrate 201. For a half-wave radiating element, the electrical length of each dipole arm 202, 203, 209 and 210 corresponds to one-quarter of the center wavelength, where the center wavelength refers to the wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the operating frequency band of the radiating element. The physical length L of each dipole arm 202, 203, 209 and 210 (the distance between the end of the dipole arm close to the center of the radiating element 20 and the end far from the center of the radiating element 20) can be less than one-quarter of the center wavelength, because the dipole arms are often "fattened" so that their electrical length will exceed their physical length. For a full-wave radiating element, the electrical length of each dipole arm 202, 203, 209 and 210 corresponds to one-half of the center wavelength. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in other embodiments, the length L of each dipole arm 202 , 203 , 209 , and 210 may deviate from the aforementioned theoretical length.

[0047] The radiating element 20 further includes a feeding handle 204 and a feeding board 208. The feeding board 208 may be implemented by, for example, a printed circuit board and is disposed on the front surface of the reflector 10. The feeding handle 204 may also be implemented using one or more printed circuit boards and may extend forward from the feeding board 208 to support the dielectric substrate 201 at a specific position in front of the reflector 10. A feeding circuit 205 is disposed on the printed circuit board of each feeding handle 204, and the feeding circuit 205 is electrically connected to a feeding circuit (not shown) on the feeding board 208 so as to transmit RF signals between the feeding handle 204 and the feeding board 208. The dipole arms 202, 203, 209 and 210 may be mounted on the feeding end 206 of the feeding handle 204. A tab is disposed on the front end of the printed circuit board of each feeding handle 204, and the tab is embedded in the opening 207 of the dielectric substrate 201, so as to mount the dielectric substrate 201 on the feeding handle 204. In the illustrated embodiment, a avoidance region 211 may also be provided on each dipole arm 202, 203, 209, and 210, and no conductive material used to form the dipole arms 202, 203, 209, and 210 exists in the avoidance region 211, so as to expose a portion of the dielectric substrate 201 below the avoidance region 211. In this way, an additional structure (not shown) may be installed in front of the radiation element 20 by utilizing the avoidance region 211, such as a director for guiding the direction of electromagnetic radiation, and the additional structure may be supported in front of the radiation element 20 by a support member (not shown) formed of a dielectric material, and the support member may be installed at the avoidance region 211.

[0048] The radiating element 20 can generate electromagnetic radiation in two polarization directions, so the radiating element 20 can be a dual-polarization radiating element. In an example, the radiating element 20 may include a first radiator arranged at an angle of +45° relative to the longitudinal axis of the base station antenna and a second radiator arranged at an angle of -45° relative to the longitudinal axis of the base station antenna. The first radiator includes a dipole arm 203 and a dipole arm 202 extending from the center of the first radiator along direction D1 to opposite directions (positive direction of D1 and negative direction of D1), respectively, so that the first radiator can emit electromagnetic radiation in a first polarization direction (direction D1). The second radiator includes a dipole arm 209 and a dipole arm 210 extending from the center of the second radiator along direction D2 to opposite directions (positive direction of D2 and negative direction of D2), respectively, so that the second radiator can emit electromagnetic radiation in a second polarization direction (direction D2). In this example, the first feeding handle 204 of the two feeding handles 204 feeds the RF signal for the first polarization direction from the base station antenna port to the first radiator through the feeding circuit 205 thereon, and the second feeding handle 204 of the two feeding handles 204 feeds the RF signal for the second polarization direction to the second radiator through the feeding circuit 205 thereon. The directions of the induced currents shown in the drawings referenced below are all based on the radiating elements operated in the feeding mode in this example.

[0049] Although Figure 2A and 2B The radiating element 20 is shown as having a cross-polarized radiating element configured to transmit and receive + / -45° polarized RF signals, it is understood that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments, each radiating element 20 can be rotated 45° so that each radiating element 20 has a horizontally polarized dipole radiator and a vertically polarized dipole radiator.

[0050] When the radiation element 20 is used in a multi-band base station antenna, electromagnetic radiation emitted by nearby radiation elements having different operating bands from the radiation element 20 will generate an induced current on the dipole arm of the radiation element 20. The inventors of the present application proposed a radiator, radiation element, dipole arm and multi-band base station antenna for a base station antenna according to various embodiments of the present disclosure by observing the distribution of the induced current on the radiation element, so as to reduce or minimize the scattering effect of the radiation element having a first operating band on the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the radiation element having a second operating band in the multi-band base station antenna. Figure 2C It is shown that when the radiating element 20 is used Figure 1A When the low-band radiating element 21 (whose operating frequency band may be, for example, 1.427 GHz to 1.511 GHz or a sub-interval thereof) in the multi-band base station antenna shown in the figure is in operation, the high-band radiating element 22 (whose operating frequency band may be, for example, 3.4 GHz to 3.8 GHz or a sub-interval thereof) generates an induced current thereon. Figure 2C In the figure, the direction of the arrow indicates the direction of the induced current, and the darker the color of the arrow, the greater the intensity of the induced current at the external location. It can be seen that the induced current is not evenly distributed on the dipole arm. For example, the current intensity on the current path at the edge of the dipole arm is generally larger. According to the radiator, radiating element, and dipole arm for a base station antenna in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, a current suppression portion that can suppress the induced current is provided thereon. The current suppression portion can change the distribution of the induced current on the dipole arm, so that the induced current is distributed with greater intensity near the current suppression portion, and the induced current flows in opposite directions on both sides of the current suppression portion, and is thereby eliminated.

[0051] Figure 3A is a schematic front view of a radiating element 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Components such as a feeding handle and a feeding circuit of the radiating element 30 may be the same as or similar to those of the radiating element 20, and therefore, in order not to obscure the main purpose of the present disclosure, a description thereof is omitted herein. The radiating element 30 includes a dielectric substrate 301 and a radiator formed on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301. In the illustrated embodiment, the radiating element 30 is a dual-polarization radiating element, and the radiating element 30 includes two radiators (a first radiator and a second radiator). The first radiator includes a dipole arm 302 and a dipole arm 303 extending on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301, and the second radiator includes a dipole arm 309 and a dipole arm 310 extending on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the radiating element 30 may operate in only one polarization direction, and therefore the radiating element 30 may include only one radiator. Each dipole arm 302, 303, 309 and 310 is configured so that the corresponding radiator operates within a first frequency band, for example, by configuring the electrical length of the dipole arms 302, 303, 309 and 310 to be substantially equal to one-quarter of the central wavelength of the first frequency band. The radiation element 30 further includes a current suppression portion disposed in each dipole arm 302, 303, 309 and 310. The current suppression portion is configured so that the induced current generated on the corresponding dipole arms 302, 303, 309 and 310 by electromagnetic radiation in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band flows in opposite directions on opposite sides of the current suppression portion, thereby suppressing the induced current generated on the corresponding dipole arms 302, 303, 309 and 310 by the electromagnetic radiation in the second frequency band. When the radiation element 30 is used Figure 1AIn the case of the low-band radiating element 21 in the multi-band base station antenna shown, the first frequency band may be, for example, 1.427 GHz to 1.511 GHz or a sub-interval thereof, and the second frequency band may be, for example, 3.4 GHz to 3.8 GHz or a sub-interval thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, a current suppression unit is provided in each of the dipole arms 302, 303, 309 and 310. In other embodiments, a current suppression unit may be provided in one or more of the plurality of dipole arms 302, 303, 309 and 310. It should be understood that as long as at least one current suppression unit is provided in at least one dipole arm, the technical effect of suppressing the induced current excited in the radiating element by the electromagnetic radiation in the second frequency band can be achieved.

[0052] In the illustrated embodiment, the current suppressing portion includes a slot 41 extending from the side edge of the corresponding dipole arm to the middle of the dipole arm along the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301. Taking the dipole arm 303 as an example, the dipole arm 303 extends a length L from the center of the radiator along the direction D5. The slot 41 in the dipole arm 303 includes a pair of slots extending from the two opposite side edges of the dipole arm 303 to the middle of the dipole arm 303, namely, a first slot 41-1 and a second slot 41-2. The first slot 41-1 extends a first length l1 substantially perpendicular to the direction D5 on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301, and the second slot 41-2 extends a second length l2 substantially perpendicular to the direction D5 on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301. The first length l1 is substantially equal to the second length l2, and the sum of the first length l1 and the second length l2 is less than the width W of the dipole arm 303 extending substantially perpendicular to the direction D5 on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301. A first distance e1 from the first slot 41-1 to the center of the radiator along the direction D5 is substantially equal to a second distance e2 from the second slot 41-2 to the center of the radiator along the direction D5. The first distance e1 and the second distance e2 from the first slot 41-1 and the second slot 41-2 to the center of the radiator along the direction D5 are between 1 / 3 and 2 / 3 of the length L of the dipole arm 303, for example, the first slot 41-1 and the second slot 41-2 are substantially disposed in the middle of the dipole arm 303 along the direction D5.

[0053] The dipole arm in which the gap 41 is provided includes three conductive parts, which will be referred to as the first conductor P1 to the third conductor P3 herein. Taking the dipole arm 309 as an example, the dipole arm 309 includes a first conductor P1, a second conductor P2 and a third conductor P3 extending along the length direction of the dipole arm 309 on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301, wherein the third conductor P3 is located between the first conductor P1 and the second conductor P2, and the first conductor P1 is electrically connected to the second conductor P2 via the third conductor P3. Compared with the first conductor P1 and the second conductor P2, the third conductor P3 has a smaller width and is a narrowed portion. In some embodiments, the dimension of the third conductor P3 in the width direction of the dipole arm 309 is less than 1 / 2 of the maximum dimension of the first conductor P1 in the width direction and less than 1 / 2 of the maximum dimension of the second conductor P2 in the width direction. The first conductor P1 includes a first portion P11 extending adjacent to and electrically insulated from the second conductor P2 on a first side of the third conductor P3, and the second conductor P2 includes a second portion P21 extending adjacent to and electrically insulated from the first conductor P1 on a first side of the third conductor P3. The first portion P11 and the second portion P21 are separated by a gap 41 extending in the width direction of the dipole arm.

[0054] The slot 41 is configured so that the path length of the induced current excited by the electromagnetic radiation in the second frequency band flowing around the slot 41 is an integer multiple of half the center wavelength of the second frequency band. Therefore, in one embodiment, the size of the slot 41 extension (also referred to as the length of the slot 41 extension), such as the first length l1 or the second length l2, can be set to 1 / 4 of the center wavelength of the second frequency band. In the illustrated embodiment, the slot 41 includes a slot branch 42 at its end. The slot branch 42 is an extension of the slot 41 in a direction different from the extension direction of the slot 41 itself. The slot branch 42-1 extends outward from the first side 411 of the slot 41 (e.g., the side of the slot 41 close to the center of the radiation element 30) on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the slot 41 (extending in a direction away from the slot 41), and the slot branch 42-2 extends outward from the second side 412 of the slot 41 (e.g., the side of the slot 41 away from the center of the radiation element 30) on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the slot 41. In this way, the length of the path through which the induced current flows around the slot 41 includes not only the extension dimension of the slot 41 (e.g., the dimension along the width direction of the dipole arm), but also the extension dimension of the slot branch 42 (e.g., the dimension along the length direction of the dipole arm). Figure 3AThe dotted line with an arrow schematically shows the path of the induced current flowing around the slot 41 at one slot 41. It can be seen that the length of the path through which the induced current flows around the slot 41 is approximately equal to the sum of twice the size of the slot 41 extension and twice the size of the slot branch 42 extension. Therefore, in one embodiment, the sum of the size of the slot 41 extension and the size of the slot branch 42 extension can be set to 1 / 4 of the center wavelength of the second frequency band. It can be seen from this that the setting of the slot branch 42 allows the size of the slot 41 extending along the width direction of the dipole arm to be shortened, so that the width of the third conductor P3 does not need to be too small to affect the performance of the radiation element 30 in its own operating frequency band. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the gap 41 may include a gap branch 42 extending outward from any one of the first side 411 or the second side 412 of the gap 41 along the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301, and the gap branch 42 may extend outward from any position of any one of the sides of the gap 41 (for example, from the middle of the gap 41 rather than the end), and the positions of two gap branches 42 extending outward from two opposite sides of the gap 41 may not be directly opposite.

[0055] Figure 3B It is shown that when the radiating element 30 is used Figure 1A The distribution of the induced current generated by the high-band radiating element 22 on the radiating element 30 when the low-band radiating element 21 in the multi-band base station antenna is shown. In this figure, the direction of the arrow indicates the direction of the induced current, and the darker the color of the arrow, the greater the intensity of the induced current at the external location. Figure 2C By comparison, it can be seen that the inclusion of the slot 41 changes the distribution of the induced current on the dipole arm. For example, in the radiation element 20, the current intensity on the current path at the edge of the dipole arm is generally large. In the radiation element 30, the induced current is distributed with greater intensity near the slot 41 (for example, the conductor area between a pair of slots, both sides of each slot, etc.). In addition, the slot 41 is configured so that the flow direction of the induced current at the first side of the slot 41 is opposite to the flow direction at the opposite second side of the slot. For example, the induced current includes a first current component flowing through the first part P11 in a first flow direction D6 and a second current component flowing through the second part P21 in a second flow direction D7 opposite to the first flow direction D6. In this way, the first electromagnetic radiation generated by the first current component and the second electromagnetic radiation generated by the second current component can be largely offset, so that the electromagnetic radiation generated by the induced current excited in the radiation element 30 in the second frequency band is suppressed. Therefore, using the radiating element 30 in a multi-band base station antenna can reduce or minimize the scattering effect of the radiating element 30 having a first operating frequency band on the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the radiating element having a second operating frequency band.

[0056] Figure 5Ais Figure 1A In a multi-band base station antenna, when there is no low-band radiating element 21, a schematic diagram showing how the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a high-band radiating element 22 with an operating frequency band of 3.4 GHz to 3.8 GHz varies with the azimuth angle, wherein different curves correspond to different operating frequencies. Figure 5B and Figure 5C is Figure 1A In the multi-band base station antenna, when the low-band radiation elements 21 are respectively implemented as Figure 2A The radiation element 20 and Figure 3A Schematic diagram of the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the high-band radiation element 22 varying with azimuth angle when the radiation element 30 is implemented as the low-band radiation element 21 (each figure includes an intensity curve in the main polarization direction and an intensity curve in the cross-polarization direction). It can be seen that when the low-band radiation element 21 is implemented as the radiation element 20, the curve of the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the high-band radiation element 22 varying with azimuth angle has obvious ripples at the dotted circle. However, when the low-band radiation element 21 is implemented as the radiation element 30, the curve of the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the high-band radiation element 22 varying with azimuth angle is smooth and close to Figure 5A It can be seen that the radiation element 30 provided with the slot 41 can effectively reduce the influence on the radiation pattern of the radiation elements of other frequency bands in the multi-band base station antenna.

[0057] Providing the slot 41 in the dipole arm may affect the impedance of the dipole arm and thus affect the performance of the dipole arm in its own operating frequency band. Fig. 6A , Figure 6C and Fig. 6E They are Figure 2A A schematic diagram of how the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the radiating element 20 varies with the azimuth angle (different curves correspond to different operating frequencies), a graph of how the return loss varies with frequency, and a graph of how the isolation between the two polarization directions varies with frequency. Figure 6B , Fig.6D and Fig. 6F They are Figure 3A A schematic diagram of how the intensity of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the radiating element 30 varies with the azimuth angle (different curves correspond to different operating frequencies), a graph of how the return loss varies with frequency, and a graph of how the isolation between the two polarization directions varies with frequency. 6A to 6F Taking the operation of the radiation elements 20 and 30 in the frequency band of 1.6 GHz to 2.8 GHz as an example, it can be seen that the distribution and isolation of the electromagnetic radiation intensity in the azimuth plane of the radiation element 30 provided with the slot 41 are almost unchanged compared with the radiation element 20 without the slot 41, but the return loss performance is reduced by about 2 dB.

[0058] Although the slot 41 provided on the dipole arm will affect the impedance of the dipole arm, it is desirable that the influence on the impedance of the dipole arm can be reduced if the width of the slot 41 (the dimension along the length direction of the dipole arm) is small enough. For example, the slot 41 is configured such that its width is less than at least 1 / 5 or 1 / 10 of its length. In some embodiments, a capacitive coupling portion may be provided to reduce the influence of the slot 41 on the impedance of the dipole arm. On the dipole arm provided with the slot 41, the radiating element may include a capacitive coupling portion extending on a second plane (e.g., a plane where the front surface of the dielectric substrate on which the dipole arm extends is located) parallel to the first plane (e.g., a plane where the rear surface of the dielectric substrate is located) and opposite to the slot 41 used as the current suppression portion, and the capacitive coupling portion is configured to capacitively couple with the dipole arm at both the first side 411 of the slot 41 and the second side 412 of the slot 41. Figure 4A FIG. 3 is a schematic rear view of a radiation element 60 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The structure of the radiation element 60 on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301 is similar to that of FIG. Figure 3A The structure of the radiation element 30 shown on the front surface of the dielectric substrate 301 is the same, so repeated description thereof is omitted. In addition, the components such as the feeding handle and the feeding circuit of the radiation element 60 can be the same or similar to those of the radiation element 30, so description thereof is omitted here.

[0059] exist Figure 3A In the illustrated embodiment, the rear surface of the dielectric substrate 301 of the radiating element 30 does not include any conductor components. Figure 4A In the illustrated embodiment, a planar conductor component 43 serving as a capacitive coupling portion is provided on the rear surface of the dielectric substrate 301 of the radiating element 40 . Figure 4B yes Figure 4A Schematic front view of a dipole arm 309 in the radiating element 60 of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the conductor component 43 located on the rear surface of the dielectric substrate 301 is shown in a dotted frame. It can be seen that the conductor component 43 opposite to the slot 41 completely covers the slot 41 in a plan view parallel to the first plane, and the occupied area of ​​the conductor component 43 in the plan view is larger than the occupied area of ​​the slot 41 in the plan view, so that the conductor component 43 is capacitively coupled with the dipole arm 309 at both the first side 411 of the slot 41 and the second side 412 of the slot 41. In addition, in order to prevent the conductor component 43 from affecting the radiation of the dipole arm too much, the width (dimension along the length direction of the dipole arm) of the conductor component 43 should not be too large. In some embodiments, the dimension of the conductor component 43 used as the capacitive coupling portion along the length direction of the dipole arm is less than 1 / 5 of the length L of the dipole arm.

[0060] Figure 4C yes Figure 4BSchematic side view of at least part of the dipole arm 309 along line BB' of the radiating element 60. It can be seen that the conductor component 43 forms a first coupling capacitor C1 with the dipole arm 309 at the first side 411 of the slot 41, and forms a second coupling capacitor C2 with the dipole arm 309 at the second side 412 of the slot 41. For the current excited in each of the dipole arms 302, 303, 309 and 310 by the RF signal in the first frequency band (the operating frequency band of the radiating element 60) fed to the radiating element 60 via the feeding circuit, a part of the current will be transmitted between the first conductor P1 and the second conductor P2 via the third conductor P3 on the corresponding dipole arm, and the other part will be transmitted between the first conductor P1 and the second conductor P2 via the first coupling capacitor C1, the conductor component 43 and the second coupling capacitor C2. Therefore, compared with the radiation element 30 without the capacitive coupling part (such as the conductor part 43), the radiation element 60 provided with the capacitive coupling part weakens the influence of the slot 41 on the current caused by the RF signal within its operating frequency band, which can improve the return loss performance of the radiation element 60 within its operating frequency band. At the same time, the capacitive coupling part can also weaken the suppression effect of the current suppression part on the induced current caused by the signal within other operating frequency bands.

[0061] In the radiation elements 30 and 60 in the above-described embodiments, the current suppression portion provided in each dipole arm includes a pair of slots 41 extending oppositely, and each slot 41 includes a pair of slot branches 42 extending outward in opposite directions at its end. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that as long as a current suppression portion is provided on any one of the multiple dipole arms of the radiation element, the effect of reducing the scattering effect on electromagnetic radiation of other operating frequency bands can be achieved. Therefore, in other embodiments, the current suppression portion may not be provided on each dipole arm, and only the current suppression portion needs to be provided on at least one dipole arm. Secondly, the number of current suppression portions provided on a dipole arm may be one or more. It should be understood that the more the number of current suppression portions provided, the smaller the scattering effect on electromagnetic radiation of other operating frequency bands may be, but the greater the effect on the performance of the radiation element within its own operating frequency band may be. In addition, the current suppression portion may include a pair of slots as described above, or may include only one slot. In the case of a pair of slots, the positions of the slots along the length direction of the dipole arm may be different, the extension lengths along the width direction of the dipole arm may be different, and the positions and extension lengths of the included slot branches may be different.

[0062] FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C: is a schematic front view of radiation elements 71, 72, 73 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Components such as the feeding handle and the feeding circuit of the radiation elements 71, 72, 73 may be the same or similar to those of the radiation element 30, so the description thereof is omitted here. In the radiation element 71, the current suppression portion includes a slot 41 extending from the side edges of the dipole arms 302, 303, 309 and 310 along the first plane to the middle of the corresponding dipole arms 302, 303, 309 and 310, and the slot 41 is configured so that the flow direction of the induced current at the first side of the slot 41 is opposite to the flow direction at the second side of the slot 41. In the radiation element 72, the current suppression portion includes a pair of slots extending oppositely from the opposite side edges of the dipole arms 302, 303, 309 and 310 to the middle of the corresponding dipole arms 302, 303, 309 and 310, namely, a first slot 41-1 and a second slot 41-1. A first distance from the first slot 41-1 to the center of the radiation element along the length direction of the dipole arm is not equal to a second distance from the second slot 41-2 to the center of the radiation element along the length direction of the dipole arm. In the radiation element 73, two current suppression parts are provided in each dipole arm 302, 303, 309 and 310, and the positions of the two current suppression parts along the length direction of the dipole arm are different. Each current suppression part includes a pair of slots extending relatively from the opposite side edges of the corresponding dipole arm to the middle of the dipole arm, so that each dipole arm 302, 303, 309 and 310 includes a slot pair 41-1 and 41-2, and a slot pair 41-3 and 41-4. The slot pairs 41-1 and 41-2 include slot branches 42, but the slot pairs 41-3 and 41-4 do not include slot branches. In the above embodiments, the number of current suppression parts provided in each dipole arm of the radiation element is the same. It should be understood that in other embodiments, a first number of current suppression parts are provided in the first dipole arm of the radiating element, and a second number of current suppression parts are provided in the second dipole arm, wherein the first number may not be equal to the second number. These embodiments will be referred to below. FIG. 10A to FIG. 10D Give a description.

[0063] In the embodiments described above, the dipole arms of each radiating element have Figure 2A and Figure 2B It should be understood that in other embodiments, the dipole arms of the radiating element may have other forms. Fig. 8A and Figure 8BSchematic front views of an existing radiating element 40' and a radiating element 40 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively. Components such as the feeding handle and the feeding circuit of the radiating elements 40' and 40 may be the same as or similar to those of the radiating element 30, so the description thereof is omitted here. The radiating element 40' includes dipole arms 402, 403, 409 and 410 extending on a first plane (e.g., a plane parallel to the front surface of the dielectric substrate 401). Each dipole arm 402, 403, 409 and 410 may be formed as a specific conductive area printed on the dielectric substrate 401. The electrical length of each dipole arm 402, 403, 409 and 410 (the distance along the direction D5 from the end of the dipole arm close to the center of the radiating element 40' to the end away from the center of the radiating element 40') may be one-fourth of the center wavelength of the first frequency band. Each dipole arm 402, 403, 409 and 410 is constructed in a ring shape. For example, the dipole arm 403 includes a first arm segment 4031 bent toward a first side edge of the dipole arm 403 and a second arm segment 4032 bent toward a second side edge of the dipole arm 403. Two ends of the first arm segment 4031 are respectively connected to two ends of the second arm segment 4032, so that the dipole arm 403 forms a ring shape.

[0064] In the radiation element 40, a current suppressing portion is provided in each dipole arm 402, 403, 409 and 410. Each current suppressing portion includes a pair of slots 41-1 and 41-2 extending from the side edge of the corresponding dipole arm 402, 403, 409 and 410 to the middle of the dipole arm along the front surface of the dielectric substrate 401. For example, in the dipole arm 403, a slot 41-1 extending from the side edge of the first arm segment 4031 to the middle of the dipole arm 403 is configured in the first arm segment 4031, and a slot 41-2 extending from the side edge of the second arm segment 4032 to the middle of the dipole arm 403 is configured in the second arm segment 4032. In the illustrated embodiment, each slot 41 also includes a slot branch 42. It should be understood that the size of the slot 41 with the slot branch 42 is configured so that the path length of the induced current excited by the electromagnetic radiation in the second frequency band flowing around the slot 41 with the slot branch 42 is an integer multiple of half the central wavelength of the second frequency band.

[0065] In the embodiments described above, the plane in which the dipole arms of each radiating element extend is parallel to the surface of the reflector or feed board associated with the radiating element (see Figure 2A ). It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the plane in which the dipole arms of a radiating element extend may be angled with respect to the surface of a reflector associated with the radiating element. Fig. 9A and Fig. 9BSchematic perspective views of an existing radiation element 50' and a radiation element 50 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively. The radiation element 50' includes dipole arms 502, 503, 509 and 510 extending on a plane (e.g., a plane perpendicular to the surface of the reflector). The dipole arms 502 and 503 are formed as specific conductive areas printed on a dielectric substrate 501-1 and extending from the center of the dielectric substrate 501-1 to both ends, respectively, and the dipole arms 509 and 510 are formed as specific conductive areas printed on a dielectric substrate 501-2 and extending from the center of the dielectric substrate 501-2 to both ends, respectively. The dielectric substrates 501-1 and 501-2 are both oriented substantially perpendicular to the surface of the reflector, so that each of the dipole arms 502, 503, 509 and 510 extends on a plane perpendicular to the surface of the reflector. The electrical length of each dipole arm 502, 503, 509 and 510 (the distance from the end of the dipole arm close to the center of the radiation element 50' to the end away from the center of the radiation element 50' along the direction D5) can be one quarter of the center wavelength of the first frequency band. The radiation element 50' also includes a feeding handle 504, and the feeding handles 504-1 and 504-2 are connected from a reflector (e.g. Figure 1A and Figure 1B The reflector 10 in the embodiment of the present invention extends forward to support the dielectric substrates 501-1 and 501-2 at specific positions in front of the reflector, respectively.

[0066] In the radiation element 50, a current suppressing portion is provided in each of the dipole arms 502, 503, 509 and 510. Each current suppressing portion includes a pair of slots 41-1 and 41-2 extending from the side edges (e.g., the upper edge and the lower edge of the dipole arm) of the corresponding dipole arm 502, 503, 509 and 510 on the surface of the dielectric substrate 501 to the middle of the dipole arm. For example, in the dipole arm 503, a slot 41-1 extending from the upper edge of the dipole arm 503 to the middle of the dipole arm 403 is configured in the upper portion of the dipole arm 503, and a slot 41-2 extending from the lower edge of the dipole arm 503 to the middle of the dipole arm 403 is configured in the lower portion of the dipole arm 503. In the illustrated embodiment, each slot 41 further includes a slot branch 42. It should be understood that the size of the slot 41 with the slot branch 42 is configured so that the path length of the induced current excited by the electromagnetic radiation in the second frequency band flowing around the slot 41 with the slot branch 42 is an integer multiple of half the center wavelength of the second frequency band. The radiation element 50 shows the case where the plane in which the dipole arm extends is perpendicular to the reflector surface. It should be understood that the current suppression portion in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to the dipole arm extending at other angles to the reflector surface.

[0067] In the radiation elements 40 and 50 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of current suppression portions provided in each dipole arm and the form of the provided current suppression portions are respectively the same as the number and form of the current suppression portions in the radiation element 30 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the number and form of the current suppression portions provided in the radiation elements having different forms may be different from those in the radiation element 30.

[0068] According to the multi-band base station antenna of the embodiment of the present disclosure, Fig.10E As shown, it includes a reflector 10, and a first radiating element and a second radiating element located in front of the reflector 10. The first radiator is configured to operate in a first frequency band, and the second radiator is configured to operate in a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band. In this way, the first radiating element can be, for example, a low-frequency band radiating element 21, and the second radiating element can be, for example, a high-frequency band radiating element 22. In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of low-frequency band radiating elements 21 form arrays 210-1 and 210-2, and a plurality of high-frequency band radiating elements 22 form arrays 220-1 and 220-2. Arrays 220-1 and 220-2 are located between arrays 210-1 and 210-2. Fig.10E In the multi-band base station antenna shown, the low-band radiating element 21 may be implemented as the radiating element 30. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the low-band radiating element 21 may be implemented as a radiating element including a current suppression portion in any of the above embodiments, such as radiating elements 30, 40, 50, 60, 71, 72, 73, etc.

[0069] In addition, FIG. 10A to FIG. 10D Also shown are multi-band base station antennas according to other embodiments of the present disclosure. In these embodiments, the current suppression parts provided on the low-band radiating element 21 are not evenly distributed on each dipole arm. For example, more current suppression parts may be provided in the dipole arms of the low-band radiating element 21 that are closer to the high-band radiating element 22, and fewer current suppression parts or no current suppression parts may be provided in the dipole arms that are farther away from the high-band radiating element 22. This can ensure the effect of reducing the scattering influence on the high-band radiating element 22 and less affect the performance of the low-band radiating element 21 itself.

[0070] exist Fig. 10AIn the base station antenna shown, the base station antenna includes arrays 220-1 and 220-2 of high-band radiating elements 22, and arrays 210-1 and 210-2 of low-band radiating elements 21. Arrays 220-1 and 220-2 are located between array 210-1 and arrays 210-1 210-2. A current suppression portion is provided in each of the two dipole arms on the right side of the low-band radiating element 21-1 and the two dipole arms on the left side of the low-band radiating element 21-2 (i.e., the dipole arms closer to the high-band radiating element 22), while no current suppression portion is provided in the two dipole arms on the left side of the low-band radiating element 21-1 and the two dipole arms on the right side of the low-band radiating element 21-2. Similarly, in Fig. 10B In the base station antenna shown, two current suppression portions are provided in each of the two dipole arms on the right side of the low-band radiation element 21-1 and the two dipole arms on the left side of the low-band radiation element 21-2, and one current suppression portion is provided in each of the two dipole arms on the left side of the low-band radiation element 21-1 and the two dipole arms on the right side of the low-band radiation element 21-2.

[0071] exist Fig. 10C and Fig. 10D In the base station antenna shown, the dipole arms of the low-band radiating elements 21 are oriented perpendicularly or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the base station antenna. The base station antenna includes arrays 220-1 and 220-2 of high-band radiating elements 22, and an array 210 of low-band radiating elements 21. Array 210 is located between arrays 220-1 and 220-2. Fig. 10C In the base station antenna shown, a current suppressing portion is provided in each of the two dipole arms of the low-band radiating element 21 that are horizontally oriented (i.e., located at the left and right parts thereof) (i.e., the dipole arms closer to the high-band radiating element 22), while no current suppressing portion is provided in the two dipole arms of the low-band radiating element 21 that are vertically oriented (i.e., located at the upper and lower parts thereof). Similarly, Fig. 10D In the base station antenna shown, two current suppression portions are provided in each of the two horizontally oriented dipole arms of the low-band radiating element 21 , and one current suppression portion is provided in each of the two vertically oriented dipole arms of the low-band radiating element 21 .

[0072] In the above embodiment, the current suppression part provided in each dipole arm has the same form as the current suppression part in the radiation element 30 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be understood that in other embodiments, a current suppression part having a different form may be provided.

[0073] In addition, the embodiments of the present disclosure may also include the following examples:

[0074] 1. A first frequency band radiator for a base station antenna, comprising:

[0075] A first dipole arm and a second dipole arm extending in a first plane; and

[0076] a current suppressing section provided in at least one of the first dipole arm and the second dipole arm, the current suppressing section being configured so that an induced current generated on the at least one dipole arm by electromagnetic radiation in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band flows in opposite directions on opposite sides of the current suppressing section,

[0077] The at least one dipole arm extends from the center of the radiator along a first direction, and the current suppressing portion extends substantially perpendicular to the first direction on a first plane.

[0078] 2. A radiator according to 1, wherein the current suppression portion includes a slot extending from a side edge of the at least one dipole arm along a first plane toward a middle portion of the at least one dipole arm, the slot being configured so that a flow direction of the induced current at a first side edge of the slot is opposite to a flow direction at a second side edge of the slot.

[0079] 3. The radiator according to 2, wherein the slot is configured so that a path length along which the induced current flows around the slot is an integer multiple of half a wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of the second frequency band.

[0080] 4. The radiator according to 2, wherein the slot comprises slot branches extending outward from a first side edge and / or a second side edge of the slot along a first plane.

[0081] 5. The radiator according to 4, wherein the slot branch is located at an end of the slot.

[0082] 6. The radiator according to 2, wherein a distance from the slot to the center of the radiator along the first direction is between 1 / 3 and 2 / 3 of a length of the at least one dipole arm along the first direction.

[0083] 7. The radiator according to 2, wherein the slot comprises a pair of slots extending oppositely from respective opposite side edges of the at least one dipole arm toward a middle portion of the at least one dipole arm.

[0084] 8. The radiator according to 7, wherein a first distance from a first slot in the pair of slots to the center of the radiator along a first direction is substantially equal to a second distance from a second slot in the pair of slots to the center of the radiator along the first direction.

[0085] 9. A radiator according to 8, wherein a first length of the first slot extending on the first plane substantially perpendicular to the first direction is substantially equal to a second length of the second slot extending on the first plane substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and the sum of the first length and the second length is less than a width of the at least one dipole arm extending on the first plane substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

[0086] 10. The radiator according to 7, wherein a first distance from a first slot in the pair of slots to the center of the radiator along a first direction is not equal to a second distance from a second slot in the pair of slots to the center of the radiator along the first direction.

[0087] 11. A radiator according to 10, wherein a first length of the first slot extending on the first plane substantially perpendicular to the first direction is substantially equal to a second length of the second slot extending on the first plane substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and the sum of the first length and the second length is greater than a width of the at least one dipole arm extending on the first plane substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

[0088] 12. The radiator according to item 2, further comprising:

[0089] A capacitive coupling portion extending on a second plane parallel to the first plane and opposite to the current suppressing portion, the capacitive coupling portion being configured to capacitively couple with the at least one dipole arm at both a first side edge of the slot and a second side edge of the slot.

[0090] 13. The radiator according to 12, wherein the capacitive coupling portion completely covers the gap in a plan view parallel to the first plane.

[0091] 14. The radiator according to 12, wherein an occupied area of ​​the capacitive coupling portion in a plan view parallel to the first plane is larger than an occupied area of ​​the slot in a plan view parallel to the first plane.

[0092] 15. The radiator according to 12, wherein a dimension of the capacitive coupling portion along the first direction is smaller than 1 / 5 of a dimension of the at least one dipole arm along the first direction.

[0093] 16. The radiator according to 1, wherein the current suppressing section includes one or more current suppressing sections.

[0094] 17. The radiator according to 1, wherein a first number of the current suppressing portions are provided in the first dipole arm, and a second number of the current suppressing portions are provided in the second dipole arm, wherein the first number is equal to the second number.

[0095] 18. The radiator according to 1, wherein a first number of the current suppressing portions are provided in the first dipole arm, and a second number of the current suppressing portions are provided in the second dipole arm, wherein the first number is not equal to the second number.

[0096] 19. The radiator of claim 1, wherein the first plane is parallel to a surface of a reflector associated with the radiator.

[0097] 20. The radiator of claim 1, wherein the first plane is angled with respect to a surface of a reflector associated with the radiator.

[0098] 21. A first frequency band radiating element for a base station antenna, comprising:

[0099] dielectric substrate;

[0100] A radiator formed on the first surface of the dielectric substrate, the radiator comprising:

[0101] A first dipole arm and a second dipole arm extending on the first surface; and

[0102] a current suppressing section provided in the first dipole arm, the current suppressing section being configured to suppress an induced current in the first dipole arm caused by electromagnetic radiation in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band,

[0103] The first dipole arm extends from the center of the radiator in a first direction, and the current suppressing portion extends substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

[0104] 22. The radiation element according to 21, wherein the current suppression portion comprises a slot extending from a side edge of the first dipole arm along the first surface to a middle portion of the first dipole arm, the slot being configured such that a flow direction of the induced current at a first side edge of the slot is opposite to a flow direction at a second side edge of the slot.

[0105] 23. The radiation element of claim 22, wherein the slot comprises a pair of slots extending oppositely from opposite side edges of the first dipole arm toward a middle portion of the first dipole arm.

[0106] 24. The radiation element according to 21, further comprising:

[0107] A capacitive coupling portion is formed on the second surface of the dielectric substrate and is opposite to the current suppressing portion. The capacitive coupling portion is configured to capacitively couple with the first dipole arm at both the first side of the slot and the second side of the slot.

[0108] 25. A dipole arm for a base station antenna, comprising:

[0109] A first conductor, the first conductor extending along a first direction on a first plane;

[0110] a second conductor extending along a first direction on the first plane; and

[0111] a third conductor located between the first conductor and the second conductor, the third conductor extending along a first direction on a first plane, wherein:

[0112] The first conductor is connected to the second conductor via a third conductor,

[0113] The first conductor includes a first portion extending adjacent to and electrically insulated from the second conductor on a first side of the third conductor, and the second conductor includes a second portion extending adjacent to and electrically insulated from the first conductor on a first side of the third conductor, and

[0114] The first portion and the second portion are configured to form a gap therebetween extending in a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0115] 26. The dipole arm according to 25, wherein a size of the gap in the first direction is smaller than at least 1 / 5 or 1 / 10 of a size of the gap in the second direction.

[0116] 27. The dipole arm of 25, wherein the dipole arm is configured to operate within a first frequency band, wherein:

[0117] The first part and the second part are configured so that the induced current generated on the dipole arm by electromagnetic radiation in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band includes a first current component flowing through the first part in a first direction and a second current component flowing through the second part in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the first electromagnetic radiation generated by the first current component and the second electromagnetic radiation generated by the second current component largely cancel each other out.

[0118] 28. The dipole arm according to 25, wherein a dimension of the third conductor in the second direction is smaller than 1 / 2 of a maximum dimension of the first conductor in the second direction and smaller than 1 / 2 of a maximum dimension of the second conductor in the second direction.

[0119] 29. The dipole arm according to 25, further comprising:

[0120] A fourth conductor extends along a second direction on a second plane parallel to the first plane, the fourth conductor completely covers the gap in a plan view parallel to the first plane, and the fourth conductor is configured to capacitively couple with both the first portion and the second portion.

[0121] 30. A multi-band base station antenna, comprising:

[0122] Reflector,

[0123] a first radiator located in front of the reflector, the first radiator being configured to operate within a first frequency band; and

[0124] a second radiator located in front of the reflector, the second radiator being configured to operate in a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, wherein

[0125] The first radiator comprises:

[0126] a first dipole arm and a second dipole arm extending in opposite directions in a first direction from a center of the first radiator on a first plane; and

[0127] A first current suppressing portion is provided in the first dipole arm, the first current suppressing portion is configured to suppress an induced current generated on the first dipole arm by electromagnetic radiation within a second frequency band, and the current suppressing portion extends substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

[0128] 31. The multi-band base station antenna of claim 30, wherein the first dipole arm is closer to the second radiator than the second dipole arm.

[0129] 32. The multi-band base station antenna according to 30, wherein:

[0130] The first radiator also includes:

[0131] A second current suppressing unit is provided in the second dipole arm, and the second current suppressing unit is configured to suppress an induced current generated on the second dipole arm by electromagnetic radiation in a second frequency band, wherein:

[0132] A first number of first current suppressing parts are provided in the first dipole arm, and a second number of second current suppressing parts are provided in the second dipole arm.

[0133] The first dipole arm is closer to the second radiator than the second dipole arm, and the first number is greater than the second number.

[0134] 33. The multi-band base station antenna according to 30, wherein the first plane is parallel to the surface of the reflector.

[0135] 34. The multi-band base station antenna of claim 30, wherein the first plane is angled with a surface of the reflector.

[0136] 35. The multi-band base station antenna according to 30, wherein the first dipole arm and the second dipole arm extend from the center of the first radiator in mutually perpendicular directions, respectively.

[0137] Although some specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail by way of example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above examples are intended to be illustrative only and not to limit the scope of the present invention. The various embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A first frequency band radiator for a base station antenna, comprising: a first dipole arm and a second dipole arm extending in a first plane; as well as a current suppressing section provided in at least one of the first dipole arm and the second dipole arm, the current suppressing section being configured so that an induced current generated on the at least one dipole arm by electromagnetic radiation in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band flows in opposite directions on opposite sides of the current suppressing section, The at least one dipole arm extends from the center of the radiator along a first direction, and the current suppressing portion extends substantially perpendicular to the first direction on a first plane.

2. The radiator according to claim 1, wherein: The current suppressing portion includes a slot extending from a side edge of the at least one dipole arm along a first plane toward a middle portion of the at least one dipole arm, and the slot is configured such that a flow direction of the induced current at a first side of the slot is opposite to a flow direction at a second side of the slot.

3. The radiator according to claim 2, wherein: The slot is configured such that a path length along which the induced current flows around the slot is an integer multiple of half a wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of the second frequency band.

4. The radiator according to claim 2, wherein: The slit includes slit branches extending outwardly from a first side edge and / or a second side edge of the slit along a first plane.

5. The radiator according to claim 4, wherein: The slot branches are located at the ends of the slots.

6. The radiator according to claim 2, wherein: A distance from the slot to the center of the radiator along the first direction is between 1 / 3 and 2 / 3 of a length of the at least one dipole arm along the first direction.

7. The radiator according to claim 2, wherein: The slots include a pair of slots oppositely extending from respective opposite side edges of the at least one dipole arm toward a middle portion of the at least one dipole arm.

8. A first frequency band radiating element for a base station antenna, comprising: dielectric substrate; A radiator formed on the first surface of the dielectric substrate, the radiator comprising: A first dipole arm and a second dipole arm extending on the first surface; and a current suppressing section provided in the first dipole arm, the current suppressing section being configured to suppress an induced current in the first dipole arm caused by electromagnetic radiation in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, The first dipole arm extends from the center of the radiator in a first direction, and the current suppressing portion extends substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

9. A dipole arm for a base station antenna, comprising: A first conductor, the first conductor extending along a first direction on a first plane; a second conductor extending along a first direction on the first plane; as well as a third conductor located between the first conductor and the second conductor, the third conductor extending along a first direction on a first plane, wherein: The first conductor is connected to the second conductor via a third conductor, The first conductor includes a first portion extending adjacent to and electrically insulated from the second conductor on a first side of the third conductor, and the second conductor includes a second portion extending adjacent to and electrically insulated from the first conductor on a first side of the third conductor, and The first portion and the second portion are configured to form a gap therebetween extending in a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

10. A multi-band base station antenna, comprising: Reflector, a first radiator located in front of the reflector, the first radiator being configured to operate within a first frequency band; as well as a second radiator located in front of the reflector, the second radiator being configured to operate in a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, wherein The first radiator comprises: a first dipole arm and a second dipole arm extending in opposite directions in a first direction from a center of the first radiator on a first plane; and A first current suppressing portion is provided in the first dipole arm, the first current suppressing portion is configured to suppress an induced current generated on the first dipole arm by electromagnetic radiation within a second frequency band, and the current suppressing portion extends substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

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