A base station antenna

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides a base station antenna, which relates to the field of communication technology. The base station antenna includes a shell, a phase shifter and a combiner. The shell is provided with a combining cavity and a phase shifting cavity. The two phase shifting cavities are arranged side by side along the first direction. The combining cavity is stacked and arranged on the same side of the two phase shifting cavities along the second direction. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. The size of the combining cavity along the first direction is larger than the size of any one of the phase shifting cavities, and smaller than the sum of the sizes of the two phase shifting cavities; the phase shifter includes two phase shifting modules corresponding to the phase shifting cavity, each phase shifting module is arranged in the corresponding phase shifting cavity, and each phase shifting module has a phase shifting network; the combiner is arranged in the combining cavity, and the combiner has a combining network, which is respectively connected to the two phase shifting networks. The base station antenna provided by the embodiment of the present application realizes multi-frequency, miniaturization and integration, optimizes the gain, radiation efficiency and sidelobe performance of the base station antenna, and the feeding network is simple to avoid resonance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a base station antenna. Background Art

[0002] The base station antenna is an information energy converter between the base station equipment and the end user. It is mainly used to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves, converting the radio frequency signals transmitted online into electromagnetic waves that can propagate in space.

[0003] Traditional base station antennas include phase shifters and power dividers, and the settings of the two directly affect antenna gain, radiation efficiency, and sidelobe performance. Traditional phase shifters usually require more external feeding networks to balance phase and shaping, which will lead to complex feeding networks. In addition, the deviation between amplitude and phase should not be too large during design, which will increase the width of the phase shifter. However, an overly large cavity structure will cause resonance in the phase shifter. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiment of the present application provides a base station antenna that achieves multi-frequency, miniaturization and integration, has lower phase shifter loss, can make the gain, radiation efficiency and sidelobe performance of the base station antenna better, has a simple feeding network, and avoids resonance.

[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a base station antenna, including:

[0006] A housing, provided with a combining cavity and a phase shifting cavity, wherein the two phase shifting cavities are arranged side by side along a first direction, and the combining cavity is stacked and arranged on the same side of the two phase shifting cavities along a second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, wherein along the first direction, the size of the combining cavity is larger than the size of any one of the phase shifting cavities and smaller than the sum of the sizes of the two phase shifting cavities;

[0007] A phase shifter, comprising two phase shift modules corresponding to the phase shift cavity, each of the phase shift modules being arranged in the corresponding phase shift cavity, and each of the phase shift modules having a phase shift network;

[0008] A combiner is arranged in the combining cavity, and the combiner has a combining network, and the combining network is respectively connected to the two phase-shifting networks.

[0009] In a possible implementation, along the first direction, the first end of the combining cavity is flush with one end of one of the phase shifting cavities, and the second end of the combining cavity forms a step structure with the other end of the other phase shifting cavity.

[0010] In a possible implementation manner, the frequency bands of the two phase shift networks are different.

[0011] In a possible implementation, each of the phase shift modules includes:

[0012] A first substrate having a connecting hole extending along the second direction;

[0013] Two dielectric plates, respectively disposed on two sides of the first substrate along the second direction;

[0014] A conducting wire is passed through the through hole, and two ends of the conducting wire are respectively connected to the two dielectric plates.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the communication holes are multiple and spaced apart along the third direction.

[0016] The wires correspond to the communicating holes one by one and are passed through the corresponding communicating holes.

[0017] In a possible implementation manner, any two of the two phase-shifting cavities or the combining cavities are isolated from each other.

[0018] In a possible implementation manner, each of the phase shift modules further includes at least one of a phase compensation network and a power division network.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the combining network includes:

[0020] A first combining network is a plurality of first combining networks sequentially arranged at intervals along the third direction, each of the first combining networks comprises two first input ports and one first output port, wherein the two first input ports are respectively connected to the output ports of the two phase shifting modules, the first output port is connected to the antenna radiation unit via a first connecting line, and the length of the first connecting line is less than the working wavelength;

[0021] Two second combining networks are respectively arranged on both sides of the plurality of first combining networks along the third direction, each of the second combining networks comprises two second input ports and two second output ports, wherein the two second input ports are respectively connected to the output ports of the two phase shifting modules, the two second output ports are respectively connected to the two antenna radiation units through second connecting lines, and the length of the second connecting line is less than the working wavelength.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the first input port is connected to the output port of the phase shift module via a first pin board; and / or the second input port is connected to the output port of the phase shift module via a second pin board.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the second pin board is arranged in a stepped shape.

[0024] The base station antenna provided by the present application arranges the phase shift cavities side by side through an innovative cavity design, and arranges the combining cavity in a stacked manner on the same side of the two phase shift cavities, and designs the phase shift cavity and the combining cavity to be non-aligned, which effectively utilizes the space and avoids an overly large cavity structure. In addition, by controlling the size of the phase shift cavity and the combining cavity, it is ensured that the phase shifter and the combiner will not resonate at the operating frequency, thereby improving the stability and performance of the base station antenna.

[0025] In addition, by integrating the design of the phase shifter and the combiner, the phase shifter and the combiner are compactly arranged in the cavity of the shell, realizing the multi-frequency, miniaturization and integration of the base station antenna, reducing the volume and weight of the base station antenna, and improving the performance and reliability of the base station antenna. In addition, by designing the phase shift network and the combiner network, good impedance matching and stable port output are achieved. In addition, by optimizing the form of the pin board and the width of the metal strip line, the capacitance and inductance of the phase shift network and the combiner network are further improved, thereby achieving better impedance matching and port performance.

[0026] In this way, this base station antenna solves the problems of complicated feeding network, phase shifter width and resonance phenomenon, multi-frequency miniaturization and integration requirements, impedance matching and port output existing in traditional base station antennas by designing innovative cavity structure, integrated phase shifter and combiner, as well as precise impedance matching and port output optimization. This makes the phase shifter loss lower, and can make the gain, radiation efficiency and sidelobe performance of the multi-frequency antenna better, and the feeding network simpler and easy to mass produce. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0028] Figure 1 An exploded view of the base station antenna provided for this application;

[0029] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A side view of the middle housing;

[0030] Figure 3 A side view of a base station antenna provided for this application;

[0031] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the phase shift cavity and the phase shift module;

[0032] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Side view of the phase shift cavity and phase shift module;

[0033] Figure 6 for Figure 1Schematic diagram of the structure of the phase shifter;

[0034] Figure 7 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the middle combiner;

[0035] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first combining network;

[0036] Fig. 9 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the second combining network;

[0037] Fig.10 is a structural schematic diagram of a first pin board;

[0038] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second pin board;

[0039] Fig.12 Schematic diagram of the insertion loss simulation results of the combining network with and without resonance.

[0040] Reference numerals:

[0041] 100-housing; 110-combining cavity; 120-phase shifting cavity;

[0042] 200-phase shifter; 210-phase shift module; 210a-first phase shift module; 210b-second phase shift module; 211-first substrate; 212-dielectric plate; 213-conductor; 220-phase shift network; 221-first phase shift network; 222-second phase shift network;

[0043] 300-combiner; 300a-combining network; 310-first combining network; 311-first input port; 312-first output port; 320-second combining network; 321-second input port; 322-second output port;

[0044] 400a - second substrate; 400b - metal strip line; 410 - first pin board; 420 - second pin board.

[0045] The above drawings have shown clear embodiments of the present application, which will be described in more detail later. These drawings and text descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way, but to illustrate the concept of the present application to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0047] The base station antenna is an information energy converter between the base station equipment and the end user. It is mainly used to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves, converting the radio frequency signals transmitted online into electromagnetic waves that can propagate in space.

[0048] In mobile communication systems, base station antennas with high gain and high isolation have been widely used in broadband 5G sub-6GHz scenarios. The rapid development of mobile communications has led to increasingly dense distribution of base stations. For the above reasons, multi-band dual-polarization base station antennas have become a hot topic of research.

[0049] Traditional base station antennas include phase shifters and power dividers. The settings of the two have a significant impact on the performance of the base station antenna array, directly affecting the antenna gain, radiation efficiency, and sidelobe performance.

[0050] Due to the limitation of phase shifter width, traditional phase shifters need to use more external feeding networks to balance phase and shaping, and the feeding networks are complex. In addition, traditional phase shifters generally reduce the difficulty of development by reducing the number of output ports, but this will bring sidelobe performance problems to multi-frequency antennas.

[0051] Compared with microstrip lines, stripline antennas have better shielding effects in propagating electromagnetic waves, which can reduce the backward radiation of antenna electromagnetic waves. Therefore, base station antenna phase shifters generally adopt stripline forms. Currently, the popular green antenna has higher requirements for radiation efficiency. Therefore, base station antennas require phase shifters to reduce their own losses, and also require the external feed network of the phase shifter to have lower losses. Considering the shaping of the antenna, a phase compensation network needs to be added inside the stripline phase shifter.

[0052] In addition, it is understandable that increasing the number of ports, adding a phase compensation network, and integrating the combiner and phase shifter will make the phase shifter transmission line complex. When designing, it is considered that the deviation between the amplitude and the phase cannot be too large, which will increase the width of the phase shifter. However, an overly large cavity structure will cause resonance in the phase shifter. For example, the standing wave curve increases abnormally at certain operating frequencies and the amplitude curve mutates at the resonant frequency, causing the phase shifter to fail to work properly.

[0053] In view of this, the present application provides a base station antenna, which arranges phase shift cavities side by side through an innovative cavity design, and stacks the combining cavity on the same side of the two phase shift cavities, and designs the phase shift cavity and the combining cavity to be non-aligned, which effectively utilizes the space and avoids an overly large cavity structure. In addition, by controlling the size of the phase shift cavity and the combining cavity, it is ensured that the phase shifter and the combiner will not resonate at the operating frequency, thereby improving the stability and performance of the base station antenna.

[0054] In addition, by integrating the design of the phase shifter and the combiner, the phase shifter and the combiner are compactly arranged in the cavity of the shell, realizing the multi-frequency, miniaturization and integration of the base station antenna, reducing the volume and weight of the base station antenna, and improving the performance and reliability of the base station antenna. In addition, by designing the phase shift network and the combiner network, good impedance matching and stable port output are achieved. In addition, by optimizing the form of the pin board and the width of the metal strip line, the capacitance and inductance of the phase shift network and the combiner network are further improved, thereby achieving better impedance matching and port performance.

[0055] In this way, this base station antenna solves the problems of complicated feeding network, phase shifter width and resonance phenomenon, multi-frequency miniaturization and integration requirements, impedance matching and port output existing in traditional base station antennas by designing innovative cavity structure, integrated phase shifter and combiner, as well as precise impedance matching and port output optimization. This makes the phase shifter loss lower, and can make the gain, radiation efficiency and sidelobe performance of the multi-frequency antenna better, and the feeding network simpler and easy to mass produce.

[0056] Combine the following Figures 1 to 12 The base station antenna of the embodiment of the present application is described, wherein x may be a first direction, y may be a second direction, and z may be a third direction.

[0057] The base station antenna of this embodiment is combined with Figures 1 to 6 , may include a housing 100 , a phase shifter 200 and a combiner 300 .

[0058] The housing 100 is provided with a combining cavity 110 and a phase shifting cavity 120. Two phase shifting cavities 120 are arranged side by side along a first direction. The combining cavity 110 is stacked and arranged on the same side of the two phase shifting cavities 120 along a second direction. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0059] It can be understood that by arranging two phase-shifting cavities 120 side by side along the first direction and stacking the combining cavity 110 on the same side of the two phase-shifting cavities 120 along the second direction, efficient use of the internal space of the antenna is achieved. This layout reduces the overall size of the antenna and improves the compactness of the structure.

[0060] Among them, along the first direction, the size of the combining cavity 110 is larger than the size of any one of the phase-shifting cavities 120, and smaller than the sum of the sizes of the two phase-shifting cavities 120. It can be understood that this design makes the two phase-shifting cavities 120 and the combining cavity 110 designed to be non-aligned. While ensuring that the width of the two lower cavities is sufficient, the size of the phase-shifting cavity 120 is designed to be smaller than that of the combining cavity 110, thereby increasing the resonant frequency of the entire cavity to a level far away from the operating frequency of the phase shifter 200.

[0061] It can be seen that this design can ensure that the phase shifter 200 has enough space to realize multiple port outputs, and avoid the resonance problem caused by the cavity being too large.

[0062] The phase shifter 200 includes two phase shift modules 210 corresponding to the phase shift cavity 120, each phase shift module 210 is arranged in the corresponding phase shift cavity 120, wherein the phase shift module 210 may include a first phase shift module 210a and a second phase shift module 210b, and the first phase shift module 210a and the second phase shift module 210b are respectively arranged in the corresponding phase shift cavity 120.

[0063] In this way, each phase shift module 210 can independently control the phase of its own frequency band, thereby supporting multi-band communications. This design enables the base station antenna to meet the needs of multiple communication systems at the same time, thereby improving the flexibility and reliability of communications.

[0064] In addition, each phase shift module 210 has a phase shift network 220, that is, the first phase shift module 210a can have a first phase shift network 221, and the second phase shift module 210b can have a second phase shift network 222. In this way, the phase shift network 220 inside each phase shift module 210 can accurately adjust the phase to ensure the phase consistency of the signal during the transmission process, thereby improving the gain and radiation efficiency of the base station antenna.

[0065] The combiner 300 is disposed in the combining cavity 110 and has a combining network 300a, which is respectively connected to two phase shifting networks 220. It can be seen that the phase shifting cavity 120 and the combining cavity 110 are not connected, so that the electromagnetic waves of the respective frequency bands in the two cavities are not interfered.

[0066] It can be understood that the combiner 300 combines the output signals of the two phase shift modules 210 through the combining network 300a. This design reduces the loss of the signal during transmission and improves the transmission efficiency of the signal. In addition, the combining network 300a can accurately control the signal merging process to ensure that the quality of the combined signal is stable and reliable, which helps to reduce interference and errors in the communication process and improve the communication quality.

[0067] It can be seen that the base station antenna provided by the present application arranges the phase shifting cavities 120 side by side through an innovative cavity design, and arranges the combining cavity 110 in a stacked manner on the same side of the two phase shifting cavities 120, and designs the phase shifting cavity 120 and the combining cavity 110 to be non-aligned, which effectively utilizes the space and avoids an overly large cavity structure. In addition, by controlling the size of the phase shifting cavity 120 and the combining cavity 110, it is ensured that the phase shifter 200 and the combiner 300 will not resonate at the operating frequency, thereby improving the stability and performance of the base station antenna.

[0068] In addition, by integrating the design of the phase shifter 200 and the combiner 300, the phase shifter 200 and the combiner 300 are compactly arranged in the chamber of the housing 100, thereby realizing the multi-frequency, miniaturization and integration of the base station antenna, reducing the volume and weight of the base station antenna, and improving the performance and reliability of the base station antenna. In addition, by designing the phase shift network 220 and the combiner network 300a, good impedance matching and stable port output are achieved. In addition, by optimizing the form of the pin board and the width of the metal strip line 400b, the capacitance and inductance of the phase shift network 220 and the combiner network 300a are further improved, thereby achieving better impedance matching and port performance.

[0069] In this way, the base station antenna solves the problems of complicated feeding network, width and resonance of phase shifter 200, requirements of multi-frequency miniaturization and integration, impedance matching and port output existing in traditional base station antennas by designing innovative cavity structure, integrated phase shifter 200 and combiner 300, precise impedance matching and port output optimization, so that the loss of phase shifter 200 is lower, the gain, radiation efficiency and sidelobe performance of multi-frequency antenna are better, the feeding network is simpler and easy to mass produce.

[0070] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 , along the first direction (ie, the x direction), the first end of the combining cavity 110 is flush with one end of one of the phase shifting cavities 120 , and the second end of the combining cavity 110 forms a step structure with the other end of the other phase shifting cavity 120 .

[0071] A step structure is formed by the combining cavity 110 and the phase shifting cavity 120, that is, it is designed to be non-aligned. Under the condition that the widths of the two phase shifting cavities 120 are sufficient, the width of the combining cavity 110 is designed to be a preset width, so that the resonant frequency of the entire cavity inside the housing 100 is increased to a level far away from the operating frequency of the phase shifter 200. Such a design can ensure that the phase shifter 200 has enough space to realize multiple port outputs, and effectively avoid the resonance phenomenon.

[0072] In addition, this design also makes more reasonable use of the space between the combining cavity 110 and the phase shifting cavity 120, avoids waste of space, and makes the overall structure of the base station antenna more compact. The step structure also provides a more convenient positioning point for the installation of the phase shifter 200 and the combiner 300, which helps to reduce errors during the installation process and improve assembly efficiency.

[0073] In addition, the design of the step structure is also helpful to reduce the electromagnetic interference between the combining cavity 110 and the phase shifting cavity 120. By properly setting the height and shape of the step, the transmission path of the electromagnetic wave can be optimized, thereby reducing signal loss.

[0074] In some embodiments, the frequency bands of the two phase shift networks 220 may be different. It is understandable that the two phase shift networks 220 may be responsible for signal processing of different frequency bands respectively, so that the base station antenna can support multiple communication frequency bands at the same time.

[0075] In this way, by optimizing the performance of each phase shift network 220 for its specific frequency band, the signal loss during transmission can be reduced, thereby improving communication efficiency, helping to increase data transmission rate, reduce bit error rate, and extend battery life.

[0076] In addition, multi-band support allows base station antennas to more easily adapt to different communication environments and application scenarios. For example, in a dense urban environment, it may be necessary to support both low-band and high-band communications to cover different areas and provide different service qualities.

[0077] It can be seen that the two phase shift networks 220 have different frequency bands, which can make the design of the base station antenna more flexible and adaptable, thereby meeting the demand for multi-band and multi-mode support in the communication system.

[0078] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 4 and Figure 5 Each phase shift module 210 includes a first substrate 211 , two dielectric plates 212 and a wire 213 .

[0079] The first substrate 211 is the basic structure of the phase shift module 210 and provides stable support and electrical connection. Optionally, the material of the first substrate 211 may include ceramic, plastic or composite material, so that it has good electrical performance and mechanical strength.

[0080] The first substrate 211 is provided with a communication hole penetrating along the second direction, which provides a channel for the wire 213 so that the wire 213 can connect the two dielectric plates 212 to ensure the positioning and stable connection of the wire 213 in the phase shift module 210 .

[0081] Optionally, the material of the dielectric plate 212 may include materials with a high dielectric constant, such as ceramics or special polymers. The setting of the material can affect the electrical properties of the wire 213, thereby achieving phase adjustment.

[0082] The two dielectric plates 212 are respectively arranged on both sides of the first substrate 211 along the second direction, and form a capacitive effect with the wire 213. By designing parameters such as material, thickness and shape of the dielectric plate 212, the size of the capacitance and the range of phase adjustment can be controlled accordingly.

[0083] The wire 213 is passed through the through hole, and the two ends of the wire 213 are respectively connected to the two dielectric plates 212, ensuring the electrical connection of the wire 213 in the phase shift module 210 and the realization of the phase adjustment function. In this way, when the signal passes through the wire 213, the phase of the signal will change due to the capacitance effect formed between the dielectric plate 212 and the wire 213. By designing the length and diameter of the wire 213 and the parameters of the dielectric plate 212, the phase adjustment amount can be controlled.

[0084] It can be seen that by controlling the parameters of the dielectric plate 212 and the size of the wire 213, relatively accurate phase adjustment can be achieved, so that the phase shift module 210 can be applied to a communication system with high-precision phase control. In addition, this design allows the phase shift module 210 to adapt to different frequency bands and phase adjustment requirements. By adjusting the parameters of the dielectric plate 212 and the wire 213, multi-band support or a wider phase adjustment range can be achieved, providing the base station antenna with accurate and stable phase adjustment capabilities.

[0085] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the connecting holes are arranged in a plurality along the third direction at intervals. Thus, by providing a plurality of connecting holes arranged in an interval on the first substrate 211, the capacitance effect between the wire 213 and the dielectric plate 212 can be effectively controlled, which helps to achieve more accurate phase adjustment and reduce signal distortion caused by uneven capacitance effect. In addition, the design of the plurality of connecting holes also has the characteristics of enhancing the mechanical strength of the first substrate 211 and reducing performance degradation or damage caused by vibration or impact.

[0086] Optionally, the connecting hole can also serve as a heat dissipation channel to help dissipate the heat generated by the phase shift module 210 during operation, improve the heat dissipation efficiency, and ensure the stability of the phase shift module 210 during long-term operation. Optionally, the connecting hole can also provide an additional electrical path to disperse the current and reduce the heat and loss generated by current concentration.

[0087] The wires 213 correspond to the communication holes one by one and are passed through the corresponding communication holes. This design enables each wire 213 to adjust its phase independently, which helps to achieve more precise phase control to meet the high-precision requirements in complex communication systems.

[0088] In addition, by arranging the wires 213 to correspond to the communication holes one by one, the assembly process of the phase shift module 210 can be simplified, the production cost can be reduced, the production efficiency can be improved, and it helps to ensure the consistency and reliability of each phase shift module 210. In addition, when the wires 213 need to be repaired or replaced, the one-to-one correspondence between the wires 213 and the communication holes also makes the operation easier, reduces the maintenance cost, and improves the usability and reliability.

[0089] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 Any two of the two phase-shifting cavities 120 and the combining cavity 110 are isolated from each other.

[0090] It can be understood that the phase shift cavity 120 and the combining cavity 110 are responsible for signal phase adjustment and signal merging in the base station antenna, respectively. By implementing mutual isolation between any two of the two phase shift cavities 120 and the combining cavity 110, the defect that the signal may leak or interfere between different cavities is avoided, thereby improving the signal quality, helping to reduce the bit error rate, and improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0091] In addition, by isolating the direct connection between the cavities, it can ensure that each cavity can work independently and stably within its designed working range, which helps to improve the overall performance stability of the base station antenna and reduce the performance fluctuations that may be caused by the mutual influence between the cavities. In addition, this design can also optimize the heat dissipation performance of the base station antenna. By reducing the heat exchange between the cavities, the temperature stability of each cavity is further guaranteed, which helps to extend the service life of the base station antenna.

[0092] Optionally, a metal partition or insulating material may be provided between each cavity to block direct transmission of signals and heat.

[0093] In some embodiments, in combination Figures 4 to 6 Each phase shift module 210 also includes at least one of a phase compensation network and a power division network.

[0094] It can be understood that the phase compensation network is a circuit network used to adjust the signal phase, which may include components such as inductors and capacitors. By adjusting the parameters of these components, the signal phase can be controlled.

[0095] During signal transmission, the phase of the signal may deviate due to various factors, such as transmission line loss, component characteristic changes, etc. The phase compensation network can detect and correct these phase errors and ensure the phase accuracy of the signal. In addition, by adjusting the parameters of the phase compensation network, the waveform and spectrum characteristics of the signal can be optimized, signal distortion and noise interference can be reduced, and thus the signal quality can be improved.

[0096] In addition, a power division network is a circuit network used to distribute the input signal power to multiple output ports. It may contain components such as resistors, inductors, and capacitors. By adjusting the parameters of these components, signal power distribution and phase control can be achieved.

[0097] The power division network can evenly distribute the input signal power to multiple output ports, or perform unequal power distribution as needed, which helps to achieve signal coverage and capacity improvement of multi-antenna systems. In addition, the power division network can also control the phase of the output signal. By adjusting the parameters of the power division network, it can ensure that the signals of different output ports have the same phase or a specific phase difference, thereby meeting the system's requirements for phase consistency.

[0098] In some embodiments, the phase compensation network and the power division network can also be used in combination to achieve more complex signal processing and performance optimization. For example, in a radar system, the phase compensation network can be used to correct the phase error of the transmitted and received signals, and the power division network can be used to distribute the signals to multiple antenna units to achieve precise control and scanning of the radar beam; in a communication system, the phase compensation network and the power division network can be used in combination to achieve the synthesis and phase alignment of multipath signals, improve the capacity and reliability of the communication system, etc.

[0099] It can be seen that the design of the phase shift module 210 includes at least one of a phase compensation network and a power division network, which can significantly improve the performance and flexibility of the antenna. By designing the parameters and structures of these networks, precise control and optimization of the signal can be achieved, meeting the needs of multiple fields for high-performance base station antennas.

[0100] In some examples, both phase shift modules 210 may include a phase compensation network and multiple power division networks, which can achieve output of 12 ports in each of the two frequency bands. The 12-port phase shift modules 210 of the two frequency bands are respectively arranged in the two phase shift cavities 120.

[0101] In some embodiments, in combination Figures 7 to 9 The combining network 300a includes a first combining network 310 and two second combining networks 320. The first combining network 310 and the second combining network 320 are arranged according to a preset layout to realize signal merging and output.

[0102] The first combining networks 310 are arranged in sequence along the third direction. For example, there are 10 first combining networks 310. Each first combining network 310 includes two first input ports 311 and a first output port 312, wherein the two first input ports 311 are respectively connected to the output ports of the two phase shifting modules 210, and the second output port 322 is used to receive the output signals from the two phase shifting modules 210. Optionally, the two phase shifting modules 210 may correspond to different frequency bands.

[0103] The first output port 312 is connected to the antenna radiation unit through a first connecting line. To ensure the quality of signal transmission, the length of the first connecting line can be less than the working wavelength. Optionally, the length of the first connecting line can be less than or equal to 1 / 4 of the working wavelength to reduce signal loss and phase distortion.

[0104] The two second combining networks 320 are respectively arranged on both sides of the plurality of first combining networks 310 along the third direction, and each second combining network 320 includes two second input ports 321 and two second output ports 322, wherein the two second input ports 321 are respectively connected to the output ports of the two phase shifting modules 210, and the second output ports 322 are used to receive output signals from the two phase shifting modules 210. Optionally, the two phase shifting modules 210 may correspond to different frequency bands respectively.

[0105] Different from the first combining network 310, the second combining network 320 has two output ports, so that the second combining network 320 can distribute the combined signal to two different antenna radiation units.

[0106] The two second output ports 322 are respectively connected to the two antenna radiation units through second connecting lines, and the length of the second connecting lines is less than the working wavelength. Optionally, the length of the second connecting lines can be less than or equal to 1 / 4 of the working wavelength to reduce signal loss and phase distortion.

[0107] In this way, when 10 first combining networks 310 and two second combining networks 320 are designed, after the phase shifting modules 210 of the two frequency bands are connected to the first combining network 310 and the second combining network 320, a dual-frequency combining phase shifter 200 with 14 output ports can be realized. The more output ports the phase shifter 200 has, the easier it is for the antenna to achieve better sidelobe performance.

[0108] In addition, the design of the first combining network 310 and the second combining network 320 realizes the merging and distribution of signals, and also ensures the quality and stability of signal transmission through the reasonable design of the length of the connecting line.

[0109] In some embodiments, in combination Figures 8 to 11, the first input port 311 is connected to the output port of the phase shift module 210 via a first pin board 410 ; in some embodiments, the second input port 321 is connected to the output port of the phase shift module 210 via a second pin board 420 .

[0110] The pin board may include a second substrate 400a and a metal strip line 400b, wherein the metal strip line 400b is disposed on the second substrate 400a. Optionally, the second substrate 400a may be made of insulating materials such as glass fiber reinforced plastics and plastic, and the metal strip line 400b may be made of conductive materials such as copper, copper alloy, nickel-plated material, stainless steel, etc., which may be selected according to actual needs and are not limited here.

[0111] It is understandable that the main function of the pin board is to provide physical and electrical connections between circuit modules. The first pin board 410 and the second pin board 420 provided in the base station antenna of the present application can be used to connect the first input port 311 with the output port of the phase shift module 210, and the second input port 321 with the output port of the phase shift module 210, respectively.

[0112] In addition, the design of the metal strip line 400b on the pin board can ensure stable transmission of the signal, wherein the metal strip line 400b can have good electrical conductivity and can carry high-frequency signals without excessive attenuation or distortion.

[0113] Optionally, the pin board can reasonably arrange the laying form of the metal strip line 400b according to the signal transmission path and impedance matching to reduce signal reflection and standing waves and improve signal transmission efficiency.

[0114] Optionally, a protective layer or a sealing design may be provided on the surface of the pin board to prevent dust, moisture and other factors from affecting the pin board.

[0115] It can be seen that the connection process between the phase shift module 210 and the combining network 300a can be simplified through the pin board connection, reducing the connection difficulty and cost. In addition, by optimizing the form of the pin board and the width of the metal strip line 400b, the capacitance and inductance of the phase shift network 220 and the combining network 300a can be improved, thereby achieving better impedance matching and port performance. In addition, the pin board connection has reliable electrical and mechanical properties, which can ensure the stability and consistency of the signal during transmission.

[0116] In this way, through the application of the first pin board 410 and the second pin board 420, the base station antenna can achieve a reliable connection between the phase shift module 210 and the combining network 300a, and also ensure the transmission quality and stability of the signal. This design improves the flexibility of the connection and reduces the difficulty and cost of the connection.

[0117] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 3and Fig.12 , the second pin board 420 is arranged in a stepped shape. It can be understood that, since there is a step structure between the combining cavity 110 and the phase shifting cavity 120, by designing the second pin board 420 in a stepped shape, it can be ensured that the signal can be transmitted stably and reliably.

[0118] In this way, the stepped second pin plate 420 can be adapted to the step structure between the combining cavity 110 and the phase shifting cavity 120, ensuring the connection and conduction of the metal strip line 400b inside the combining cavity 110 and the phase shifting cavity 120. In addition, the stepped design of the second pin plate 420 improves the reliability of the connection, ensures the tight connection between the pins and the sockets, reduces signal leakage and attenuation, and ensures the stability and consistency of the signal during transmission. The design also ensures the correct alignment between the pins and the sockets, optimizes the transmission path of the signal, and reduces reflections and standing waves.

[0119] In practical applications, in a wireless communication system with a complex layout, the stepped second pin board 420 can adapt to different components and connection requirements, thereby improving the flexibility and scalability of the wireless communication system.

[0120] Optionally, the capacitance and inductance of the phase shift network 220 and the combining network 300a may be improved by changing the width of the metal strip line 400b to achieve good impedance matching.

[0121] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 8 and Fig. 9 At least one of the first connecting line and the second connecting line is a coaxial line, and is further connected to the antenna radiation unit.

[0122] It is understandable that the coaxial line has good electromagnetic shielding performance, which can effectively reduce the loss of signals during transmission and ensure the stable transmission of high-frequency and high-speed signals. In addition, the coaxial line has a stable structure and is not easily disturbed by the external environment. It can maintain the consistency of the phase and amplitude of the signal and ensure the stability of the signal during transmission.

[0123] By designing at least one of the first connecting line and the second connecting line as a coaxial line, the first connecting line and / or the second connecting line can transmit the signal output by the combining network 300a to the antenna radiation unit in a low-loss and high-stability manner, which helps to ensure the signal quality received by the base station antenna, thereby improving the transmission or reception performance of the base station antenna.

[0124] In an example of a traditional base station antenna, the number of output ports of the base station antenna is 12, which makes the internal layout of the base station antenna compact. The width of the phase shift cavity 120 (i.e., the width of a single phase shift module 210) can be 25.5 mm, and the width of the combining cavity 110 and the total width of the multiple phase shift cavities 120 can be 53.7 mm. The cavity form generally used in traditional base station antennas is that the total width of the stacked chamber cross-section is the same (i.e., the width of the combining cavity 110 and the total width of the multiple phase shift cavities 120 are the same).

[0125] However, if the width of the combining cavity 110 is 53.7 mm, the base station antenna will resonate after the cavity mode calculation. The main electromagnetic wave mode supported by the stripline is the TEM mode, but there are also high-order TE modes and high-order TM modes. In order to avoid the TE mode and TM mode, the base station antenna needs to limit the total width of the cavity cross section.

[0126] Because the structure of the cavity is similar to that of a rectangular waveguide, the main mode of the rectangular waveguide is the TE10 mode. According to the cutoff frequencies of the TEmn and TMmn modes of the rectangular waveguide, the mode analytical formula is used:

[0127]

[0128] Where m and n represent the number of half-waves of TE and TM waves distributed along the x and y directions, respectively, and a and b are the length and width of the rectangular waveguide cross section, respectively. and represent the dielectric constant and magnetic permeability respectively.

[0129] The S parameters of the base station antenna will be abnormal near the resonant frequency of its metal shell. In order to avoid the resonance point, the length a and width b of the metal shell cross section need to be reasonably designed. Generally, the resonant frequency is required to be much higher than the highest frequency of the phase shifter. According to the above formula, if the equivalent dielectric constant of the base station antenna can be estimated, , we can deduce whether the resonant frequency falls within the operating frequency band of the base station antenna.

[0130] In order to prevent the base station antenna from being affected by the cavity's own resonance, f=fc10 needs to be satisfied. After calculation and miniaturization design of the combining network 300a, the width of the combining cavity 110 is selected to be 45 mm.

[0131] Fig.12 The insertion loss simulation results of the combining network 300a with and without resonance are shown in FIG. 1 , where the solid line represents the insertion loss of the combining network with resonance, and the dotted line represents the insertion loss of the combining network of the novel phase shifter.

[0132] The simulation results are as follows Fig.12 As shown, it is verified that the base station antenna solution provided by this application is feasible.

[0133] Finally, it should be noted that those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other embodiments of the present invention after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present invention is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present invention, which follow the general principles of the present invention and include common knowledge or customary technical means in the art not disclosed by the present invention, are not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the drawings, and may be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A base station antenna, characterized in that: include: A housing (100) is provided with a combining cavity (110) and a phase shifting cavity (120), wherein the two phase shifting cavities (120) are arranged side by side along a first direction, the combining cavity (110) is stacked and arranged on the same side of the two phase shifting cavities (120) along a second direction, and the number of the combining cavity (110) is one, the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, wherein along the first direction, the size of the combining cavity (110) is greater than the size of any one of the phase shifting cavities (120) and less than the sum of the sizes of the two phase shifting cavities (120); A phase shifter (200), comprising two phase shift modules (210) corresponding to the phase shift cavity (120), each phase shift module (210) being arranged in the corresponding phase shift cavity (120), and each phase shift module (210) having a phase shift network (220); A combiner (300) is arranged in the combining cavity (110), the combiner (300) having a combining network (300a), the combining network (300a) being respectively connected to the two phase shifting networks (220); Along the first direction, the first end of the combining cavity (110) is flush with one end of one of the phase shift cavities (120), and the second end of the combining cavity (110) forms a step structure with the other end of the other phase shift cavity (120).

2. The base station antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two phase shift networks (220) have different frequency bands.

3. The base station antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the phase shift modules (210) comprises: A first substrate (211) is provided with a communication hole penetrating along the second direction; Two dielectric plates (212) are respectively arranged on two sides of the first substrate (211) along the second direction; A conductive wire (213) is passed through the through hole, and two ends of the conductive wire (213) are respectively connected to the two dielectric plates (212).

4. The base station antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that: The communicating holes are multiple and spaced apart along the third direction. The wires (213) correspond to the communication holes one by one, and are passed through the corresponding communication holes.

5. The base station antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Any two of the two phase-shifting cavities (120) and the combining cavities (110) are isolated from each other.

6. The base station antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Each of the phase shift modules (210) further comprises at least one of a phase compensation network and a power division network.

7. The base station antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The combining network (300a) comprises: The first combining network (310) is a plurality of first combining networks (310) sequentially arranged at intervals along the third direction, each of the first combining networks (310) comprising two first input ports (311) and a first output port (312), wherein the two first input ports (311) are respectively connected to the output ports of the two phase shifting modules (210), and the first output port (312) is connected to the antenna radiation unit via a first connecting line, and the length of the first connecting line is less than the working wavelength; Two second combining networks (320) are respectively arranged on both sides of the plurality of first combining networks (310) along the third direction, each of the second combining networks (320) comprising two second input ports (321) and two second output ports (322), wherein the two second input ports (321) are respectively connected to the output ports of the two phase shifting modules (210), and the two second output ports (322) are respectively connected to the two antenna radiation units via second connecting lines, and the length of the second connecting lines is less than the working wavelength.

8. The base station antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first input port (311) is connected to the output port of the phase shift module (210) via a first pin board (410); and / or the second input port (321) is connected to the output port of the phase shift module (210) via a second pin board (420).

9. The base station antenna according to claim 8, characterized in that: The second pin plate (420) is arranged in a stepped shape.

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