Base station antenna and cellular network base station with same

Abstract

The invention provides a base station antenna and a cellular network base station with the same, and the base station antenna comprises an antenna body which comprises an antenna housing and an antenna module disposed in the antenna housing; and the NFC insert is embedded in the antenna housing, and the NFC insert is used for storing the parameter information of the antenna body. According to the technical scheme provided by the invention, the problem that information management and performance monitoring are not easy to carry out on the base station antenna in the related technology can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of radio communication technology, and in particular to a base station antenna and a cellular network base station having the same. Background Art

[0002] Cellular network base stations carry out information management and performance monitoring of base station antennas, which are important components of network operation and maintenance. Information management and performance monitoring of base station antennas are the basis for stable operation, efficient optimization and security of cellular networks. Specifically, antenna parameters (such as operating frequency, gain, downtilt angle, azimuth angle and polarization mode) need to be accurately configured and regularly verified to ensure that they meet the requirements of network planning and optimization; antenna performance is regularly monitored to timely discover and repair faults to avoid network performance degradation; antenna parameters are optimized and adjusted to improve network coverage and capacity as user needs change and network environment is dynamically adjusted; through information management, the use status, location and performance of antennas can be tracked to facilitate resource scheduling and asset management; information management and performance monitoring help ensure that the operation of antennas complies with regulations, and also help detect and prevent illegal use or tampering of antenna parameters; long-term monitoring of antenna performance can collect historical data, which is of great significance for analyzing network trends, predicting faults and optimizing network strategies; during antenna maintenance, information management can help technicians quickly understand the specifications and historical status of antennas, reduce the time of on-site investigation and fault diagnosis, and improve work efficiency.

[0003] In related technologies, parameter information of a base station antenna is usually printed on the surface of the antenna via a physical label. The parameter information includes frequency range, gain, polarization mode, and other key performance indicators.

[0004] However, this type of physical tag is prone to falling off or becoming blurred when exposed to outdoor environments for a long time, especially under extreme climatic conditions, resulting in loss of parameter information or difficulty in reading. The update and configuration adjustment of parameter information require professional equipment and a long time, making it difficult to manage information and monitor performance of base station antennas in related technologies. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a base station antenna and a cellular network base station having the same, so as to solve the problem in the related art that the base station antenna is not easy to perform information management and performance monitoring.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a base station antenna is provided, comprising: an antenna body, including an antenna cover and an antenna module arranged in the antenna cover; an NFC embed, embedded in the antenna cover, and the NFC embed is used to store parameter information of the antenna body.

[0007] Furthermore, the base station antenna also includes a shielding structure, and the shielding structure is arranged between the antenna module and the NFC inlay.

[0008] Furthermore, the shielding structure includes a shielding tape, which is arranged in the antenna cover to isolate the internal space of the antenna cover into a main radiation area and a non-critical area, the antenna module is arranged in the main radiation area, and the NFC inlay is arranged in the non-critical area.

[0009] Furthermore, the NFC inlay includes an anti-interference shell and an NFC chip, the anti-interference shell is embedded on the inner wall of the antenna cover, and the NFC chip is arranged in the anti-interference shell.

[0010] Furthermore, the NFC chip includes a storage module and a communication module, the storage module and the communication module are electrically connected, the storage module is used to store parameter information of the antenna body, and the communication module can read or modify the storage information of the storage module.

[0011] Furthermore, the NFC inlay is located on the back side of the antenna module.

[0012] Furthermore, the NFC inlay is detachably disposed on the antenna cover.

[0013] Furthermore, an NFC slot is provided on the inner wall of the antenna cover, and the NFC insert is pluggably disposed in the NFC slot.

[0014] Furthermore, the antenna body also includes a radio frequency cable connector and a mounting bracket, the radio frequency cable connector is arranged on the antenna cover and is electrically connected to the antenna module, and the mounting bracket is arranged on the antenna cover and is located on the back side of the antenna module; and / or the antenna body is a plate-like structure.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a cellular network base station is provided. The cellular network base station includes a radio frequency unit, a base station antenna and a feeder. The feeder is electrically connected to the base station antenna and the radio frequency unit respectively. The base station antenna includes the base station antenna provided above.

[0016] By applying the technical solution of the present invention, the base station antenna includes an antenna body and an NFC inlay, which is integrated into the interior of the antenna body, and the NFC inlay is used to store parameter information of the antenna body (including antenna model, frequency range, antenna gain, impedance matching data, polarization mode, manufacturing data, operating parameters, manufacturer, half-power angle, preset downtilt angle, and personalized data such as antenna factory date), thereby obtaining a convenient wireless communication method through the NFC (Near Field Communication) technology adopted by the NFC inlay, allowing terminal devices (such as mobile phones, etc.) to transmit data with the NFC inlay within a very short distance. The user only needs to touch the antenna body with a mobile phone or other device to approach the NFC inlay, so that the user can use a mobile phone or other device to quickly read or modify the data stored in the NFC inlay, thereby greatly improving the maintainability and information accessibility of the base station antenna, and optimizing the performance management of the base station antenna. Storing the parameter information of the antenna body in the NFC embed can improve the storage security and reliability of storage management of the parameter information, and reduce the complexity and time of modifying and maintaining the parameter information, compared to storing the parameter information in a physical tag in the related art. In addition, embedding the NFC embed in the antenna cover can protect the NFC embed from the influence of the external environment, and realize dynamic storage and updating of the parameter information, so as to facilitate information management and performance monitoring of the base station antenna. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The drawings constituting a part of the present application are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a base station antenna provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an NFC inlay of a base station antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a base station antenna provided according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0021] The above drawings include the following reference numerals:

[0022] 10. Antenna body; 11. Radome; 111. Main radiation area; 112. Non-critical area; 12. Antenna module;

[0023] 20. NFC inlay; 21. Anti-interference shell; 22. NFC chip;

[0024] 30. Shielding structure; 31. Shielding tape;

[0025] 40. RF cable connector; 50. Mounting bracket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is by no means intended to limit the present invention and its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a base station antenna, which includes an antenna body 10 and an NFC embed 20. The antenna body 10 includes an antenna cover 11 and an antenna module 12 arranged in the antenna cover 11. The NFC embed 20 is embedded in the antenna cover 11, and the NFC embed 20 is used to store parameter information of the antenna body 10.

[0028] The base station antenna provided in this embodiment is applied, and the base station antenna includes an antenna body 10 and an NFC inlay 20. The NFC inlay 20 is integrated into the interior of the antenna body 10, and the NFC inlay 20 is used to store parameter information of the antenna body 10 (including antenna model, frequency range, antenna gain, impedance matching data, polarization mode, manufacturing data, operating parameters, manufacturer, half-power angle, preset downtilt angle, and antenna factory date and other personalized data). Thus, a convenient wireless communication method is obtained by using the NFC (Near Field Communication) technology adopted by the NFC inlay, allowing terminal devices (such as mobile phones, etc.) to transmit data with the NFC inlay 20 within a very short distance. The user only needs to touch the antenna body 10 with a mobile phone or other device to approach the NFC inlay 20, so that the user can use a mobile phone or other device to quickly read or modify the data stored in the NFC inlay 20, allowing the use of smart devices to directly read and write parameters, thereby improving the interactivity of the base station antenna and the convenience of on-site adjustment, improving the maintainability and information accessibility of the base station antenna, and optimizing the performance management of the base station antenna. Storing the parameter information of the antenna body 10 in the NFC embed 20 realizes the internal storage of the parameter information of the antenna body 10, compared with storing the parameter information in a physical tag in the related art, protects the parameter data from external influences, and can also improve the storage security of the parameter information and the reliability of storage management, and reduce the complexity and time of modifying and maintaining the parameter information. In addition, embedding the NFC embed 20 in the antenna cover 11 can protect the NFC embed 20 from the influence of the external environment, and can also realize dynamic storage and updating of the parameter information, so as to facilitate information management and performance monitoring of the base station antenna.

[0029] The antenna module 12 includes a reflector, a vibrator and a feeding network.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the base station antenna further includes a shielding structure 30, which is disposed between the antenna module 12 and the NFC inlay 20. By disposing the shielding structure 30 between the antenna module 12 and the NFC inlay, mutual interference between the signal of the antenna module 12 and the signal of the NFC inlay 20 can be avoided.

[0031] like Figure 1As shown, the shielding structure 30 includes a shielding tape 31, which is arranged in the radome 11 to separate the internal space of the radome 11 into a main radiation area 111 and a non-critical area 112, the antenna module 12 is arranged in the main radiation area 111, and the NFC inlay 20 is arranged in the non-critical area 112. The shielding tape 31 is used to separate the internal space of the radome 11 from the main radiation area 111 and the non-critical area 112, and the antenna module 12 and the NFC inlay 20 are arranged in the main radiation area 111 and the non-critical area 112, respectively, so as to place the antenna module 12 and the NFC inlay 20 as far as possible apart in physical position, thereby simply, directly and effectively reducing the mutual interference between the antenna module 12 and the NFC inlay 20.

[0032] The shielding tape 31 is made of a magnetic material with high relative magnetic permeability such as ferrite and silicon steel sheet to prevent magnetic flux saturation and improve induction efficiency, so as to reduce the impact of the external magnetic field on the performance of the NFC inlay 20 .

[0033] Specifically, a snap-in groove is provided on the inner wall of the antenna cover 11 , and the snap-in groove and the shielding belt 31 extend in the same direction. The shielding belt 31 is embedded in the snap-in groove to fix the shielding belt 31 in the antenna cover 11 .

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the NFC inlay 20 includes an anti-interference shell 21 and an NFC chip 22. The anti-interference shell 21 is embedded on the inner wall of the antenna cover 11, and the NFC chip 22 is arranged in the anti-interference shell 21. By arranging the NFC chip 22 in the anti-interference shell 21, the NFC inlay 20 can be prevented from being electromagnetically interfered by the external environment, and the NFC chip 22 can be physically shielded to prevent the NFC inlay 20 from being affected by the harsh external environment.

[0035] Specifically, the anti-interference shell 21 is made of a magnetic material with high relative magnetic permeability such as ferrite and silicon steel sheet to prevent magnetic flux saturation and improve induction efficiency, so as to reduce the impact of the external magnetic field on the performance of the NFC inlay 20.

[0036] In this embodiment, the NFC chip 22 includes a storage module and a communication module, the storage module and the communication module are electrically connected, the storage module is used to store the parameter information of the antenna body 10, and the communication module can read or modify the storage information of the storage module. The storage module is used to store the parameter information of the antenna body 10, and a mobile phone application that interacts with the communication module is developed to read and update the parameter information stored in the storage module. The storage module can also record the number of interactions of the communication module to record whether the inspection personnel have arrived at the inspection site and the location of the base station antenna, and the user is associated with the external system through the mobile phone application to realize the binding relationship between the base station antenna and active devices such as RRU.

[0037] In this embodiment, the NFC chip 22 further includes an LC filter (composed of an antenna matching circuit, an inductor, and a capacitor) disposed between the storage module and the communication module to reduce electromagnetic interference.

[0038] In this embodiment, the electrical connection of the NFC chip 22 is achieved through an interface with protective measures. Specifically, TVS / ESD diodes are used at the interface for electrostatic discharge surge protection, such as DWC1825NS and DWC2425NS. They have low junction capacitance and low retrace voltage and are suitable for signal transmission of high-frequency band antennas, ensuring that the NFC chip 22 will not have a direct electrical connection with the main electrical path of the antenna module 12 at any time, ensuring that the NFC chip 22 will not affect the performance of the antenna module 12 during the operation of the antenna module 12.

[0039] In this embodiment, the NFC inlay 20 is located on the back side of the antenna module 12 .

[0040] It should be noted that the back side of the antenna module 12 refers to the side of the antenna module 12 that is arranged opposite to the signal emitting side of the antenna module 12 .

[0041] In this embodiment, the NFC inlay 20 is detachably disposed on the radome 11. The NFC inlay 20 is detachably disposed on the radome 11, so that the NFC inlay 20 can be easily replaced by disassembling and assembling the NFC inlay 20.

[0042] In this embodiment, an NFC slot is provided on the inner wall of the antenna cover 11, and the NFC inlay 20 is pluggably disposed in the NFC slot. By pluggably disposing the NFC inlay 20 in the NFC slot, the NFC inlay 20 can be quickly disassembled and assembled.

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, the antenna body 10 further includes a radio frequency cable connector 40 and a mounting bracket 50. The radio frequency cable connector 40 is disposed on the antenna cover 11 and is electrically connected to the antenna module 12. The mounting bracket 50 is disposed on the antenna cover 11 and is located on the back side of the antenna module 12. The radio frequency cable connector 40 is connected to the radio frequency processing unit (RRU) of the cellular network base station through a radio frequency cable, so that the radio frequency signal can be transmitted from the radio frequency processing unit (RRU) to the antenna body 10, and the signal received by the antenna body 10 can be transmitted back to the radio frequency processing unit (RRU). In the above process, the radio frequency cable serves as a medium for signal transmission, ensuring that the signal can be effectively transmitted between the radio frequency processing unit of the cellular network base station and the base station antenna.

[0044] Specifically, the projection of the NFC inlay 20 on the antenna body 10 is located on one side of the projection of the mounting bracket 50 on the antenna body 10, the antenna body 10 is connected to the mounting bracket 50 at one end in the height direction, and the antenna body 10 is hingedly connected to the pole at the other end in the height direction, and the end of the mounting bracket 50 facing away from the antenna cover 11 can be installed on the pole, and the mounting bracket 50 can be extended and retracted to adjust the angle between the antenna body 10 and the pole.

[0045] Specifically, the dynamic parameter management of base station antennas includes the following aspects:

[0046] (1) In areas with high user density or where there are tall buildings blocking the area, the coverage effect of the base station antenna signal can be enhanced and multipath interference can be reduced by dynamically adjusting the downtilt angle of the antenna body 10;

[0047] (2) Based on the user distribution or network demand changes in different time periods, the azimuth antenna direction of the base station antenna is dynamically adjusted to optimize the signal coverage in the horizontal direction and provide more accurate coverage;

[0048] (3) Dynamically adjust the transmit power of the base station antenna to adapt to the network load and user needs. Specifically, reduce the transmit power when the load is low to save energy and reduce interference, and increase the transmit power when the load is high to ensure service quality;

[0049] (4) Dynamically adjust the operating frequency and bandwidth of the base station antenna according to the network's frequency planning and user needs to avoid frequency overlap and signal interference and improve spectrum utilization;

[0050] (5) Dynamically adjust the polarization mode of the base station antenna (such as vertical polarization, horizontal polarization or circular polarization) to optimize signal transmission and reception efficiency, reduce multipath effects, and improve signal quality;

[0051] (6) The base station antenna has a built-in fault detection mechanism that monitors the status of the base station antenna in real time. Once a fault is detected, it can automatically adjust parameters for initial self-healing and report it to maintenance personnel in a timely manner, reducing network interruption time;

[0052] (7) Remotely configure and upgrade base station antenna parameters through the network without the need for on-site operation, saving time and cost and improving maintenance efficiency (using the communication module of the NFC embed 20 to remotely read and modify parameters).

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the antenna body 10 is a plate-shaped structure, that is, the antenna body 10 adopts a plate-shaped antenna, so that the antenna body 10 has specific directivity and frequency response, and is suitable for use in a cellular network base station.

[0054] The embodiment of the present invention provides a cellular network base station, the cellular network base station includes a radio frequency unit, a base station antenna and a feeder, the feeder is electrically connected to the base station antenna and the radio frequency unit respectively, and the base station antenna includes the base station antenna provided above. The cellular network base station provided by this embodiment can also integrate the NFC inlay 20 into the antenna body 10, and use the NFC inlay 20 to store the parameter information of the antenna body 10 (including antenna model, frequency range, antenna gain, impedance matching data, polarization mode, manufacturing data, operation parameters, manufacturer, half-power angle, preset downtilt angle and antenna factory date and other personalized data), so as to obtain a convenient wireless communication method by using the NFC (Near Field Communication) technology adopted by the NFC inlay, allowing the terminal device (such as a mobile phone) to transmit data with the NFC inlay 20 within a very short distance. The user only needs to touch the antenna body 10 with a mobile phone or other device to approach the NFC inlay 20, so that the user can use the mobile phone or other device to quickly read or modify the data stored in the NFC inlay 20, which greatly improves the maintainability and information accessibility of the base station antenna and optimizes the performance management of the base station antenna. Storing the parameter information of the antenna body 10 in the NFC embed 20 can improve the storage security and reliability of storage management of the parameter information, and reduce the complexity and time of modifying and maintaining the parameter information, compared to storing the parameter information in a physical tag in the related art. In addition, embedding the NFC embed 20 in the antenna cover 11 can protect the NFC embed 20 from the influence of the external environment, and can also realize dynamic storage and updating of the parameter information, so as to facilitate information management and performance monitoring of the base station antenna.

[0055] Dynamic parameter management of base station antennas refers to the ability to adjust and optimize antenna parameters in real time or on demand during the operation of the antenna to adapt to changes in the network environment and meet quality of service (QoS) requirements. By dynamically managing base station antennas, base station antennas can more flexibly adapt to the ever-changing network environment and user needs, thereby improving the overall performance of the network and user experience. This has become particularly important in modern mobile communication systems, especially in 5G networks, because the high bandwidth, low latency and high connection density characteristics of 5G networks require base station antennas to have a higher level of dynamic adjustment capabilities.

[0056] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0057] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​of the parts and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. Meanwhile, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. The technology, method and equipment known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the technology, method and equipment should be considered as a part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as being merely exemplary, rather than as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once a certain item is defined in an accompanying drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0058] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "lateral, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. The directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contours of each component itself.

[0059] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0060] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. If not otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0061] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A base station antenna, characterized in that: The base station antenna comprises: An antenna body (10) comprises a radome (11) and an antenna module (12) arranged in the radome (11); An NFC inlay (20) is embedded in the antenna cover (11), and the NFC inlay (20) is used to store parameter information of the antenna body (10).

2. The base station antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base station antenna also includes a shielding structure (30), wherein the shielding structure (30) is arranged between the antenna module (12) and the NFC inlay (20).

3. The base station antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The shielding structure (30) comprises a shielding tape (31), wherein the shielding tape (31) is arranged in the radome (11) to isolate the internal space of the radome (11) into a main radiation area (111) and a non-critical area (112), the antenna module (12) is arranged in the main radiation area (111), and the NFC inlay (20) is arranged in the non-critical area (112).

4. The base station antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The NFC inlay (20) comprises an anti-tampering shell (21) and an NFC chip (22); the anti-tampering shell (21) is embedded on the inner wall of the antenna cover (11); and the NFC chip (22) is arranged in the anti-tampering shell (21).

5. The base station antenna according to claim 4, characterized in that: The NFC chip (22) comprises a storage module and a communication module, the storage module and the communication module are electrically connected, the storage module is used to store parameter information of the antenna body (10), and the communication module can read or modify the storage information of the storage module.

6. The base station antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The NFC inlay (20) is located on the back side of the antenna module (12).

7. The base station antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The NFC inlay (20) is detachably arranged on the antenna cover (11).

8. The base station antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that: An NFC slot is provided on the inner wall of the antenna cover (11), and the NFC insert (20) is pluggably arranged in the NFC slot.

9. The base station antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The antenna body (10) further comprises a radio frequency cable connector (40) and a mounting bracket (50), wherein the radio frequency cable connector (40) is arranged on the antenna cover (11) and is electrically connected to the antenna module (12), and the mounting bracket (50) is arranged on the antenna cover (11) and is located on the back side of the antenna module (12); and / or, The antenna body (10) is a plate-shaped structure.

10. A cellular network base station, characterized in that: The cellular network base station includes a radio frequency unit, a base station antenna and a feeder, wherein the feeder is electrically connected to the base station antenna and the radio frequency unit, respectively, and the base station antenna includes the base station antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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