A multi-layer phase shifter

Abstract

A multi-layer phase shifter includes a phase shifting device and an adjustment device. The phase shifting device comprises a first plate and a second plate, both symmetrically arranged. Both the first plate and the second plate are provided with a vibrator. The first and second plates are provided with a first interface and a second interface, respectively, which are connected to an antenna's +45° polarized signal and -45° polarized signal. The adjustment device is arranged between the first and second plates and is configured to simultaneously adjust the phases of the first and second plates. Using the same adjustment device for both plates simultaneously reduces the number of phase adjustment devices required, reduces the overall size of the antenna, and improves antenna deployment flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of mobile communications, and in particular to a phase shifter with a multi-layer structure. Background Art

[0002] In cellular communication systems, with the surge in network capacity demand, increasing complexity in coverage scenarios, and increasing space constraints on base station deployment, electrically adjustable downtilt antennas have become the mainstream choice for base station construction due to their flexible beam steering capabilities and efficient spectrum utilization. By dynamically adjusting the vertical beam tilt, these antennas can precisely match coverage requirements in different areas, optimizing network capacity and signal quality. Their core components include a main feeder, phase shifters, radiating elements, and reflectors. The phase shifter, the core module for implementing the electrical downtilt function, adjusts the phase difference by varying the electrical length of the signal transmission path, thereby controlling the beam's downtilt angle. The main feeder transmits base station signals to the phase shifter, which is then connected to the radiating element via a coaxial cable, forming a complete electrical signal transmission network. The radiating element ultimately radiates the electromagnetic waves into free space.

[0003] In base station antennas with ±45° polarization (dual-polarization antennas), traditional phase shifters independently adjust the phases of the two polarized signals to maintain spatial isolation and phase consistency between the ±45° orthogonal polarizations. However, this independent adjustment mechanism has significant technical drawbacks: 1. Traditional phase shifters can only independently adjust the phases of the two polarized signals. Because the mechanical adjustment process of the two polarized signals cannot be fully synchronized, the phase difference is prone to dynamic fluctuations. This can result in signal blind spots or weak coverage areas within the target coverage area, severely impacting user experience and network quality.

[0004] 2. Furthermore, the phase shifter requires two independent drive mechanisms, significantly increasing the internal space occupied by the antenna. This not only increases the antenna's weight and manufacturing cost, but also limits its deployment flexibility in miniaturized base stations (such as micro and pico base stations), making it difficult to meet the stringent antenna integration requirements of future communication systems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention aims to provide a multi-layer phase shifter to solve the problem that phase adjustment cannot be performed simultaneously in dual-polarized antennas, resulting in poor network quality.

[0006] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a multi-layer phase shifter, comprising: a phase shifting device and an adjusting device;

[0007] The phase shifting device includes a first plate and a second plate that are symmetrically arranged;

[0008] The first plate and the second plate are both provided with a vibrator;

[0009] The first plate body and the second plate body are respectively provided with a first interface and a second interface;

[0010] The first interface and the second interface are connected to the +45° polarized signal and -45° polarized signal of the antenna respectively;

[0011] The adjusting device is arranged between the first plate and the second plate, and is used to adjust the phases of the first plate and the second plate simultaneously.

[0012] Preferably, the adjustment device includes a driving member and a phase member, the driving member is arranged between the first plate body and the second plate body, two phase members are provided, the two phase members are respectively installed on the first plate body and the second plate body, and the two sides of the driving member are respectively connected to the two phase members.

[0013] Preferably, the driving member includes a stick body and a first rack;

[0014] The first racks are respectively provided on opposite sides of the stick body;

[0015] The phase member is a fan-shaped electric component, the center of which is hinged to the first plate or the second plate, and the fan-shaped electric component is against the vibrator;

[0016] The arc segment of the sector-shaped electrical component is provided with a second rack, and the second rack is transmission-connected to the first rack.

[0017] Preferably, a varactor diode is integrated on a side of the sector-shaped electrical component facing the first plate body or the second plate body, and the varactor diode is coupled to the oscillator.

[0018] Preferably, the first plate includes a first frequency plane, an intermediate plane and a second frequency plane, the intermediate plane is arranged between the first frequency plane and the second frequency plane, the vibrator is arranged on a side opposite to each other from the first frequency plane and the second frequency plane, and the vibrator on the first frequency plane and the vibrator on the second frequency plane emit different frequencies.

[0019] Preferably, both the first frequency plane and the second frequency plane are provided with the adjustment device.

[0020] Preferably, the intermediate surface is an electromagnetic shielding layer made of metallized ceramic or ferrite composite material, and is used to isolate the electromagnetic coupling between the first frequency plane and the second frequency plane.

[0021] Preferably, an adjustment unit is provided on each of the surfaces of the first frequency plane and the second frequency plane that are opposite to each other; the adjustment unit is located at the midpoint of a vertical line connecting adjacent vibrators;

[0022] The regulating unit is composed of metal patch units arranged at equal distances, and the regulating unit is connected to the oscillator through a switching diode.

[0023] Preferably, the metal patch unit is rectangular, a cross slot is provided at the center of the metal patch unit, and the width of the cross slot is proportional to the spacing between the vibrators.

[0024] One of the above-mentioned technical solutions has the following advantages or beneficial effects: the first plate and the second plate for phase adjustment are integrated within the housing, and the first plate and the second plate are symmetrically arranged. A common adjustment device is provided between the first plate and the second plate. The adjustment device can be used to simultaneously adjust the phases of the first plate and the second plate. In this case, the two polarization phases can be adjusted synchronously, thereby reducing the phase error of the two polarizations of the antenna. This ensures stable communication. At the same time, because the same adjustment device is used for adjustment between the two plates, the number of phase adjustment devices installed is reduced, the overall size of the antenna is reduced, and the flexibility of antenna deployment is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0027] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the layered structure of the first plate in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Wherein: phase shifting device 1, first plate 11, first frequency plane 111, middle plane 112, second frequency plane 113,

[0029] The second plate 12,

[0030] Adjustment device 2, driving member 21, stick body 211, first rack 212, phase member 22, sector-shaped electrical component 221, second rack 222,

[0031] Vibrator 3 , first interface 4 , second interface 5 , adjustment unit 6 , cross slot 61 , switching diode 7 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following describes embodiments of the present invention in detail. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended only to explain the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like to indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0034] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0035] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they may refer to direct connections, indirect connections through an intermediary, or internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0036] like Figures 1-3 As shown, a multi-layer phase shifter includes: a phase shifting device 1 and an adjusting device 2;

[0037] The phase shifting device 1 includes a first plate 11 and a second plate 12 that are symmetrically arranged;

[0038] The first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are both provided with a vibrator 3;

[0039] The first plate body 11 and the second plate body 12 are respectively provided with a first interface 4 and a second interface 5;

[0040] The first interface 4 and the second interface 5 are connected to the +45° polarized signal and -45° polarized signal of the antenna respectively;

[0041] The adjusting device 2 is disposed between the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 , and is used to simultaneously adjust the phases of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 .

[0042] In the present invention, a first plate 11 and a second plate 12 for phase adjustment are integrated within a housing, and the first and second plates 11, 12 are symmetrically arranged. A shared adjustment device 2 is provided between the first and second plates 11, 12. The adjustment device 2 can simultaneously adjust the phases of the first and second plates 11, 12. This allows for synchronous adjustment of the polarization phases, reducing the phase error between the two polarizations of the antenna. This ensures stable communication. Furthermore, because the same adjustment device 2 is used for adjustment between the two plates, the number of phase adjustment devices 2 required is reduced, reducing the overall size of the antenna and improving antenna deployment flexibility.

[0043] Preferably, the adjusting device 2 includes a driving member 21 and a phase member 22, the driving member 21 is arranged between the first plate body 11 and the second plate body 12, and two phase members 22 are provided. The two phase members 22 are respectively installed on the first plate body 11 and the second plate body 12, and the two sides of the driving member 21 are respectively connected to the two phase members 22.

[0044] In the present invention, phase pieces 22 are provided on the first plate 11 and the second plate 12. The phase pieces 22 are connected to the vibrator 3 on the plate, and the two phase pieces 22 are simultaneously connected to the same driving piece 21. When the driving piece 21 is telescopically displaced, the two phase pieces 22 can be driven to move simultaneously. During the movement of the phase pieces 22, the contact area between the phase piece 22 and the vibrator 3 or the vibrator 3 in contact changes, thereby effectively changing the phase on the vibrator 3.

[0045] Preferably, the driving member 21 includes a stick body 211 and a first rack 212;

[0046] The first racks 212 are respectively provided on opposite sides of the stick body 211;

[0047] The phase member 22 is a fan-shaped electrical component 221 , the center of which is hinged to the first plate 11 or the second plate 12 , and the fan-shaped electrical component 221 is against the vibrator 3 ;

[0048] The arc segment of the sector-shaped electrical component 221 is provided with a second rack 222 , and the second rack 222 is transmission-connected to the first rack 212 .

[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, the stick body 211 is connected to a motor controlled by an external digital signal. The output of the motor can be adjusted by adjusting the digital signal, thereby adjusting the subsequent movement distance of the stick body 211. When the stick body 211 moves back and forth, the fan-shaped electric device 221 will be driven to rotate through the first rack 212. When the fan-shaped electric device 221 rotates, the contact between the fan-shaped electric device 221 and the vibrator will change, thereby changing the phase.

[0050] Preferably, a varactor diode (not shown in the figure) is integrated on a side of the sector-shaped electrical component 221 facing the first plate 11 or the second plate 12 , and the varactor diode is coupled to the vibrator 3 .

[0051] The capacitance value of the varactor diode is controlled by an external bias voltage and is used to fine-tune the phase shift of the vibrator 3 , thereby achieving dual-mode adjustment of mechanical coarse adjustment and electrical fine adjustment, thereby improving the phase adjustment accuracy of the vibrator 3 .

[0052] Preferably, the first plate 11 includes a first frequency plane 111, an intermediate plane 112 and a second frequency plane 113, the intermediate plane 112 is arranged between the first frequency plane 111 and the second frequency plane 113, the vibrator 3 is arranged on a side opposite to each other of the first frequency plane 111 and the second frequency plane 113, and the vibrator 3 on the first frequency plane 111 and the vibrator 3 on the second frequency plane 113 emit different frequencies.

[0053] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the first plate 11 has a three-layer structure, with a middle plane 112 separating the first frequency plane 111 and the second frequency plane 113. The middle plane 112 serves as an isolation layer or support structure to reduce electromagnetic coupling interference between the dual-frequency oscillators 3. Different oscillators 3 are respectively provided on the first frequency plane 111 and the second frequency plane 113. In this case, the first frequency plane 111 can be provided with high-frequency signals, while the second frequency plane 113 can be provided with low-frequency signals. In this case, a single first plate 11 can cover two different frequency bands, avoiding the need to design separate antennas for different frequency bands and reducing hardware redundancy.

[0054] It is worth noting that when the second plate 12 is symmetrically arranged with the first plate 11, the second plate 12 also corresponds to a three-layer plate structure. The first frequency plane 111 of the second plate 12 and the first frequency plane 111 of the first plate 11 are located on the same side and are adjusted by the same adjustment device 2. The frequency of the first frequency plane 111 of the second plate 12 and the first frequency plane 111 of the first plate 11 are the same.

[0055] Preferably, both the first frequency plane 111 and the second frequency plane 113 are provided with the adjustment device 2 .

[0056] Two adjustment devices 2 are provided to adjust the phase of the two frequency oscillators 3. The parallel arrangement of the drivers 21 of the two adjustment devices 2 saves a certain amount of horizontal space, reduces the overall antenna size, and improves antenna deployment flexibility. Furthermore, the dual-frequency oscillators 3 can adjust their phases independently or jointly, supporting dynamic beamforming (such as vertical beamforming and horizontal beam scanning) and adapting to complex scenarios (such as high-rise building coverage and gain compensation in hotspots). For example, in dense urban areas, high capacity can be provided by the high frequency band, while wide coverage can be provided by the low frequency band. The phase shifter can simultaneously optimize the beam pointing of the two frequency bands.

[0057] Preferably, the intermediate surface 112 is an electromagnetic shielding layer made of metallized ceramic or ferrite composite material, and is used to isolate the electromagnetic coupling between the first frequency plane 111 and the second frequency plane 113 .

[0058] Preferably, an adjustment unit 6 is provided on each side of the first frequency plane 111 and the second frequency plane 113 which are opposite to each other; the adjustment unit 6 is adjacent to the midpoint of the vertical connection line of the vibrator 3;

[0059] The adjustment unit 6 is composed of metal patch units arranged at equal distances. The adjustment unit 6 is connected to the vibrator 3 via a switching diode 7 .

[0060] In one embodiment of the present invention, multiple adjustment units 6 are provided. These adjustment units 6 are arranged equidistantly to form a periodic structure. This arrangement helps reduce scattering and reflection losses during signal transmission, while the low on-resistance of the switching diode 7 further reduces power consumption. This allows the phase shifter to maintain high phase adjustment accuracy while still maintaining low insertion loss and high radiation efficiency.

[0061] Preferably, the metal patch unit is rectangular, and a cross slot 61 is provided at the center of the metal patch unit. The width of the cross slot 61 is proportional to the spacing between the vibrators 3 .

[0062] For example, in the low-frequency band, where strong local electromagnetic resonance is induced, the width of the cross-slot 61 is in a 1:10 ratio with the spacing between the transducers 3. When the external bias voltage controls the switching diode 7 to conduct, the distributed capacitive loading effect between the metal patch and the transducers 3 is significantly enhanced, increasing the sensitivity of the phase offset to slot width variations and achieving more precise phase compensation. This also effectively suppresses high-harmonic coupling between adjacent transducers 3, reducing parasitic capacitance to less than 0.1 pF, thereby reducing low-frequency phase noise while maintaining control efficiency in the main frequency band.

[0063] Throughout this specification, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in conjunction with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, illustrative uses of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0064] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A multi-layer phase shifter, characterized in that: include: Phase shifting device and regulating device; The phase shifting device includes a first plate and a second plate that are symmetrically arranged; The first plate and the second plate are both provided with a vibrator; The first plate body and the second plate body are respectively provided with a first interface and a second interface; The first interface and the second interface are connected to the +45° polarized signal and -45° polarized signal of the antenna respectively; The adjusting device is provided between the first plate and the second plate, and is used to adjust the phases of the first plate and the second plate simultaneously; The first plate includes a first frequency plane, an intermediate plane, and a second frequency plane, wherein the intermediate plane is provided between the first frequency plane and the second frequency plane, and the vibrator is provided on a side of the first frequency plane and the second frequency plane that are opposite to each other, and the vibrator on the first frequency plane and the vibrator on the second frequency plane emit different frequencies; An adjustment unit is provided on each side of the first frequency plane and the second frequency plane which are opposite to each other; the adjustment unit is located at the midpoint of a vertical line connecting adjacent vibrators; The regulating unit is composed of metal patch units arranged at equal distances, and the regulating unit is connected to the oscillator via a switching diode; The metal patch unit is rectangular, a cross slot is provided at the center of the metal patch unit, and the slot width of the cross slot is proportional to the spacing between the vibrators.

2. The multi-layer phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment device includes a driving member and a phase member. The driving member is arranged between the first plate and the second plate. Two phase members are provided, and the two phase members are respectively installed on the first plate and the second plate, and the two sides of the driving member are respectively connected to the two phase members.

3. The multi-layer phase shifter according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving member includes a stick body and a first rack; The first racks are respectively provided on opposite sides of the stick body; The phase member is a fan-shaped electric component, the center of which is hinged to the first plate or the second plate, and the fan-shaped electric component is against the vibrator; The arc segment of the sector-shaped electrical component is provided with a second rack, and the second rack is transmission-connected to the first rack.

4. The multi-layer phase shifter according to claim 3, characterized in that: A variable capacitance diode is integrated on a side of the sector-shaped electrical component facing the first plate or the second plate, and the variable capacitance diode is coupled to the vibrator.

5. The multi-layer phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment device is provided on both the first frequency plane and the second frequency plane.

6. The multi-layer phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intermediate surface is an electromagnetic shielding layer, made of metallized ceramic or ferrite composite material, and is used to isolate the electromagnetic coupling between the first frequency plane and the second frequency plane.

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