Installation system and installation method for base station antenna

Abstract

The invention relates to a mounting system and a mounting method for a base station antenna. The base station antenna includes passive and active antenna modules, the mounting system including: an upper mounting assembly tiltably mounting a top of the passive antenna module to a mounting structure; a lower mounting assembly pivotally mounting a portion of the passive antenna module near a bottom thereof to the mounting structure; and the mounting kit comprises a first upper mounting bracket, a first lower mounting bracket and a middle mounting assembly which is pivotally connected with the first lower mounting bracket. The first upper mounting bracket enables the top of the active antenna module to incline and shift together with the top of the passive antenna module in the process of adjusting the inclination angle of the passive antenna module; the intermediate mounting assembly pivotally mounts a portion of the active antenna module near its bottom to the mounting structure and allows the bottom of the active antenna module to pivot about the intermediate mounting assembly without allowing the bottom of the active antenna module to displace during tilting of the passive antenna module.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to telecommunication equipment, and in particular, the present disclosure relates to a mounting system for a base station antenna, and a method of mounting a base station antenna and adjusting its tilt angle using the mounting system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Cellular communication systems are well known in the art. In a cellular communication system, a geographic region is divided into a series of “cells” that are served by respective base stations. A base station can include one or more antennas that are configured to provide bidirectional radio frequency (“RF”) communication with mobile users within the cell served by the base station. In many cases, each cell is divided into multiple “sectors,” each of which is served by one or more base station antennas. Typically, the base station antennas are mounted on a guyed mast, a tower, or other elevated structure, and the radiation pattern (also referred to as an “antenna beam”) produced by the base station antenna is directed outward. Base station antennas are typically implemented as linear or planar arrays of radiating elements.

[0003] To accommodate growing cellular traffic, cellular operators have added cellular service in various new frequency bands. To increase capacity without further increasing the number of base station antennas, multi-band base station antennas have been introduced that include linear arrays of multiple radiating elements. In addition, base station antennas are now being deployed that contain multiple “beamforming” arrays of radiating elements that include multiple columns of radiating elements. The radio equipment for these beamforming arrays can be integrated into the antenna, such that the antenna can perform active beamforming (i.e., the shape of the antenna beam produced by the antenna can be adaptively changed to improve the performance of the antenna). These beamforming arrays typically operate in higher frequency bands, such as portions of the 3.3-5.8 GHz band. Antennas with integrated radio equipment are referred to as “active antennas.” Active antennas can produce antenna beams of narrow beamwidth, high gain, and can direct the produced antenna beams to different directions by changing the amplitude and / or phase of sub-components of the radio frequency signals transmitted through the antenna.

[0004] An existing “active” base station antenna can include a passive antenna module (such as a 4G antenna module) and an active antenna module (such as a 5G antenna module), where the active antenna module is typically mounted on the backside (i.e.: the surface of the passive antenna module that faces the mounting structure) of the passive antenna module using a mounting mechanism.

[0005] Some existing mounting mechanisms generally include a frame structure fixed to the back of the passive antenna module for mounting the active antenna module and one or more fixing brackets for further fixing the active antenna module. Such mounting mechanisms have some disadvantages. For example, the weight of the mounting mechanism is too heavy, the total cost of the mounting mechanism is relatively expensive, it is difficult for technicians to tilt the base station antenna without performing multiple steps, and all the load weight of the active antenna module is transferred to the mounting mechanism and the passive antenna module.

[0006] Some other mounting mechanisms only pivotably connect the upper part of the active antenna module in the vertical direction to the upper part of the passive antenna module, while the lower part of the active antenna module in the vertical direction is directly fixed to the mounting structure (such as a pole, a tower or other mounting structure) by the fixing bracket. Such mounting mechanisms also have some disadvantages. For example, during the adjustment of the tilt angle of the base station antenna, the fixing bracket of the lower part of the active antenna module needs to be released so that the active antenna module can be tilted together with the passive antenna module. However, after the fixing bracket of the lower part of the active antenna module is released, the active antenna module will form a cantilever beam that can pivot around its upper part. On the one hand, such a "cantilever beam" type active antenna module is prone to swing under the action of gravity during tilting and hit or slap the passive antenna module, thereby causing damage to the passive antenna module and / or the active antenna module itself; on the other hand, such a "cantilever beam" type active antenna module is difficult to maintain precise parallelism and precise relative distance with the passive antenna module after tilting due to the action of gravity, and it is also difficult to stop at the desired tilt angle, which all affect the performance of the entire base station antenna.

[0007] Therefore, an alternative mounting system for a base station antenna can be needed. SUMMARY

[0008] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an installation system for a base station antenna, the base station antenna comprising a passive antenna module and an active antenna module, the installation system comprising: an upper installation assembly configured to tiltably mount a top portion of the passive antenna module to a mounting structure; a lower installation assembly configured to pivotably mount a portion of the passive antenna module proximate to a bottom portion thereof to the mounting structure; and an installation kit comprising a first upper installation bracket, a first lower installation bracket, and an intermediate installation assembly pivotably connected to the first lower installation bracket, wherein the first upper installation bracket is fixed to a back face of the active antenna module facing the mounting structure at a location proximate to a top portion of the active antenna module, and the first lower installation bracket is fixed to the back face of the active antenna module at a location proximate to a bottom portion of the active antenna module; wherein the first upper installation bracket is configured to pivotably connect the top portion of the active antenna module to the top portion of the passive antenna module or to the upper installation assembly, to enable the top portion of the active antenna module to tilt and displace together with the top portion of the passive antenna module during adjustment of a tilt angle of the passive antenna module; and wherein the intermediate installation assembly is configured to pivotably mount the portion of the active antenna module proximate to the bottom portion thereof to the mounting structure, and the intermediate installation assembly is configured to allow the bottom portion of the active antenna module to pivot about the intermediate installation assembly without allowing the bottom portion of the active antenna module to displace during tilting of the passive antenna module.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the intermediate installation assembly comprises a first intermediate installation element and a second intermediate installation element, a first end of the first intermediate installation element is pivotably connected to the first lower installation bracket, and a first end of the second intermediate installation element is pivotably connected to a clamping assembly adapted to be mounted on the mounting structure; and wherein a second end of the first intermediate installation element and a second end of the second intermediate installation element each comprises an intermediate hole and a plurality of adjustment holes distributed along a circumference around the intermediate hole, the second end of the first intermediate installation element and the second end of the second intermediate installation element are pivotably connected via a pivot extending through the intermediate hole, and each of the plurality of adjustment holes of the second end of the first intermediate installation element and the second end of the second intermediate installation element corresponds to one tilt angle of the active antenna module, when the active antenna module is at a predetermined tilt angle, one adjustment hole of the plurality of adjustment holes of the second end of the first intermediate installation element corresponding to the predetermined tilt angle is aligned with one adjustment hole of the plurality of adjustment holes of the second end of the second intermediate installation element corresponding to the predetermined tilt angle.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of adjustment holes are unevenly distributed along the circumference.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the intermediate mounting assembly is configured to allow the active antenna module to have a tilt angle between 0° and 12°.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the active antenna module is at a predetermined tilt angle, the fastening element simultaneously extends through two adjustment holes of the first intermediate mounting element and the second intermediate mounting element which are aligned with each other to fix the active antenna module at the predetermined tilt angle.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the mounting system further comprises a second upper mounting bracket and a second lower mounting bracket, the second upper mounting bracket is fixed to the back of the passive antenna module at a position close to the top of the passive antenna module and is pivotably connected with the upper mounting assembly, while the second lower mounting bracket is fixed to the back of the passive antenna module below the top of the passive antenna module and is pivotably connected with the lower mounting assembly.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first upper mounting bracket is pivotably connected with the second upper mounting bracket.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first upper mounting bracket comprises a hook portion which can be hooked on the second upper mounting bracket.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hook portion has an angle inclined with respect to the vertical direction, the angle is at least greater than the maximum tilt angle of the passive antenna module.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first upper mounting bracket and the second upper mounting bracket are both configured in the form of tabs.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the upper mounting assembly is configured as an extendable sleeve which can be tilted downward and can be unfolded in the axial direction.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the upper mounting assembly is provided with a circular-arc-shaped slot, a connecting element of the top of the passive antenna module and the upper mounting assembly is arranged in the circular-arc-shaped slot and can slide along the circular-arc-shaped slot.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the mounting system further comprises a clamping assembly, the upper mounting assembly and the lower mounting assembly install the passive antenna module to the mounting structure by means of the clamping assembly, while the intermediate mounting assembly installs the active antenna module to the mounting structure by means of the clamping assembly.

[0021] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for installing a base station antenna with a mounting system according to the present disclosure is provided, the base station antenna comprising a passive antenna module and an active antenna module, the method comprising: installing the passive antenna module to a mounting structure with an upper mounting assembly and a lower mounting assembly of the mounting system at a 0° tilt angle; installing the active antenna module to the mounting structure with a mounting kit of the mounting system at a 0° tilt angle on a back surface of the passive antenna module facing the mounting structure, wherein a top portion of the active antenna module is pivotably connected with a top portion of the passive antenna module or with the upper mounting assembly; tilting the passive antenna module around the lower mounting assembly of the mounting system to a predetermined tilt angle, during the tilting of the passive antenna module, the top portion of the active antenna module follows the displacement of the top portion of the passive antenna module and pivots relative to the top portion of the passive antenna module, while a bottom portion of the active antenna module only pivots around a middle mounting assembly of the mounting kit without displacement; after the passive antenna module is tilted to the predetermined tilt angle, releasing the middle mounting assembly of the mounting kit to allow the bottom portion of the active antenna module to displace towards the passive antenna module until the bottom portion of the active antenna module is displaced such that the active antenna module is also at the predetermined tilt angle.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the mounting system comprises a second upper mounting bracket and a second lower mounting bracket arranged on a back surface of the passive antenna module, the method further comprising connecting the second upper mounting bracket and the second lower mounting bracket with the upper mounting assembly and the lower mounting assembly respectively to install the passive antenna module to the mounting structure.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first upper mounting bracket of the mounting kit comprises a hook portion, the method further comprising, after the passive antenna module is installed to the mounting structure, hooking the active antenna module on the second upper mounting bracket of the passive antenna module with the hook portion, and then installing the bottom portion of the active antenna module to the mounting structure with the middle mounting assembly of the mounting kit and keeping the active antenna module at the 0° tilt angle.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the middle mounting assembly comprises a first middle mounting element and a second middle mounting element pivotably connected with each other, during the tilting of the passive antenna module, the first middle mounting element and the second middle mounting element are always kept at a position corresponding to the 0° tilt angle.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the disclosure, both ends of the first and second intermediate mounting elements that are connected to each other comprise an intermediate hole and a plurality of adjustment holes distributed along a circumference around the intermediate hole, each of the plurality of adjustment holes corresponding to one tilt angle of the active antenna module, the adjustment hole of the plurality of adjustment holes of the first intermediate mounting element corresponding to the 0° tilt angle being aligned with the adjustment hole of the plurality of adjustment holes of the second intermediate mounting element corresponding to the 0° tilt angle when the active antenna module is at the 0° tilt angle, the method comprising inserting a fastening element into both adjustment holes corresponding to the 0° tilt angle to keep the first and second intermediate mounting elements always at a position corresponding to the 0° tilt angle.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the method comprises removing the fastening element after tilting the passive antenna module to the predetermined tilt angle to displace the bottom of the active antenna module towards the passive antenna module.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the disclosure, after the active antenna module is also at the predetermined tilt angle, the two adjustment holes of the first and second intermediate mounting elements of the intermediate mounting assembly corresponding to the predetermined tilt angle are aligned with each other, the method further comprising inserting a fastening element into both adjustment holes of the first and second intermediate mounting elements corresponding to the predetermined tilt angle to keep the active antenna module at the predetermined tilt angle.

[0028] It is noted that aspects of the disclosure described with respect to one embodiment can be incorporated into other different embodiments, although not specifically described with respect to the other different embodiments. In other words, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in any manner and / or combination, as long as they are not mutually contradictory. Applicant(s) reserves the right to change any originally filed claim, and / or any other originally filed statement or description of the application, including the application's scope and / or the meaning thereof, as described in any subsequent amended claim and / or filed statement, including the application's scope and / or the meaning thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an installation system for a base station antenna according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0030] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a passive antenna module and its mounting bracket assembly according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0031] Figure 3 is a perspective view of an active antenna module and its mounting bracket assembly according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0032] Figure 4 is a side view of an active antenna module and its mounting bracket assembly and mounting kit in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 5 is a partial enlarged view of an upper mounting bracket of the mounting bracket assembly of the active antenna module and an upper mounting bracket of the mounting bracket assembly of the passive antenna module in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 6 is a partial enlarged view of the mounting kit of the active antenna module in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the mounting kit is in a first configuration corresponding to a 0° tilt angle.

[0035] Figure 7 is a partial enlarged view of the mounting kit of the active antenna module in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the mounting kit is in a second configuration corresponding to a 12° tilt angle.

[0036] Figure 8 is a partial enlarged view of the mounting kit of the active antenna module in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the mounting kit is in a second configuration corresponding to a 12° tilt angle.

[0037] Figures 9a to 11c shows the operational steps of installing a base station antenna and adjusting the tilt angle of the base station antenna using the mounting system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] It should be understood that like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several figures of the drawings. In the figures, the dimensions of certain features can be changed for the sake of clarity and are not drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The present disclosure will be described with respect to the drawings in which several embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. It is to be understood that the present disclosure can be embodied in many different forms and is not to be limited to the embodiments described herein; in fact, these embodiments are to be provided as a complete disclosure and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It is also to be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways, providing additional embodiments.

[0040] It is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. All technical and scientific terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning to one skilled in the art unless otherwise defined. For the sake of clarity and / or conciseness, well-known functions or constructions can not be described in detail.

[0041] As used in the specification, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The use of the term “includes” or “containing” or “comprising” in the specification means that there are no restrictions on the presence of one or more other features, unless otherwise stated. The use of the term “and / or” in the specification is to include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0042] In the specification, when it is said that an element is located “on” another element, “attached” to another element, “connected” to another element, “coupled” to another element, or “contacting” another element, etc., the element can be directly located on, attached to, connected to, coupled to, or contacting the other element, or there can be intervening elements.

[0043] In the specification, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. are used only to facilitate the description and are not intended to limit.

[0044] In the specification, spatial relationship terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” etc. can illustrate the relationship between one feature and another feature in the drawings. It should be understood that the spatial relationship terms, in addition to the orientation shown in the drawings, also include different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, when the device is inverted, a feature that was originally described as being “below” another feature can be described as being “above” the other feature. The device can also be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the relative spatial relationship will be interpreted accordingly.

[0045] The present disclosure relates to a mounting system for a base station antenna, and a method of mounting a base station antenna using the mounting system and adjusting the tilt angle thereof. In this context, the term “tilt angle” refers to a mechanical tilt angle, which is used to indicate the angle of inclination of the extension direction of the base station antenna with respect to the vertical direction.

[0046] Reference Figures 1 to 3The base station antenna 10 of the present disclosure can comprise a passive antenna module (e.g. a 4G antenna module) 11 and an active antenna module (e.g. a 5G antenna module) 12 separable from each other. Both the passive antenna module 11 and the active antenna module 12 can extend along a longitudinal direction L of the base station antenna 10, and the longitudinal length of the active antenna module 12 can be less than the longitudinal length of the passive antenna module 11. The base station antenna 10 can be mounted on a mounting structure 20 such as a tower, a guyed mast, etc. in a way that the longitudinal direction L is substantially parallel to a vertical direction or inclined at an acute angle with respect to the vertical direction, so that the base station antenna 10 can be parallel to or slightly inclined with respect to the extension direction of the mounting structure 20, for example, at an inclination angle between 0° and 12°. When mounted on the mounting structure 20, the front face 111 of the passive antenna module 11 of the base station antenna 10 can be distanced from the mounting structure 20 while its back face 112 can face the mounting structure 20; the active antenna module 12 can be releasably mounted on the back face 112 of the passive antenna module 11 at a position close to the top 113 of the passive antenna module 11, and the front face 121 of the active antenna module 12 is distanced from the mounting structure 20 while the back face 122 faces the mounting structure 20.

[0047] As used herein, the term “passive antenna module” refers to a passive antenna assembly having an array of radiating elements coupled to a radio external to the base station antenna, typically a remote radio head mounted close to the passive antenna module 11 (or its housing). The array of radiating elements comprised in the passive antenna assembly is configured to form static antenna beams. The passive antenna assembly can comprise radiating elements, for example one or two low-band radiating elements and / or mid-band or high-band radiating elements. The array of radiating elements comprised in the passive antenna assembly is configured to form static antenna beams (e.g. each antenna beam is configured to cover one sector of the base station). The passive antenna assembly can comprise a backplane provided by a reflector, wherein the radiating elements protrude in front of the reflector, and the radiating elements can comprise a linear array of one or more low-band radiating elements operating in all or part of the 617-960 MHz frequency band and / or a linear array of one or more mid-band radiating elements operating in all or part of the 1427-2690 MHz frequency band.

[0048] As used herein, the term "active antenna module" can be used interchangeably with "active antenna unit," "AAU," and "radio," and refers to a cellular communication unit that includes radio circuitry and associated antenna elements that are capable of electronically adjusting the amplitude and / or phase of sub-components of RF signals output to different radiating elements in a radiating element array or group. The active antenna module 12 can include radio circuitry and radiating elements (e.g., a multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) beamforming antenna array), and can include other components such as filters, calibration networks, Antenna Interface Signal Group (AISG) controllers, etc. The active antenna module 12 can be provided as a single integrated unit or as a plurality of stackable units, including, for example, a first subunit and a second subunit, such as a radio subunit having radio circuitry and an antenna subunit having a multi-column radiating element array. The first subunit and the second subunit can be stackably attached together in a fore-aft direction of the base station antenna 10, with the antenna subunit closer to the front (outer radome) of the base station antenna 10 than the radio subunit.

[0049] In embodiments according to the present disclosure, the base station antenna 10 is mounted on the mounting structure 20 in an inclination-adjustable manner with a mounting system 100. The mounting system 100 can be configured to first mount the base station antenna 10 on the mounting structure 20 in a manner with the longitudinal axis L substantially parallel to the vertical direction (i.e., 0° inclination), and then tilt the base station antenna 10 relative to the vertical direction to a desired inclination. In some embodiments, the mounting system can be configured to tilt the base station antenna 10 at an inclination between about 0° and about 12°.

[0050] Referring to Figures 1 to 4 In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the mounting system 100 can include an upper mounting assembly 110 and a lower mounting assembly 120. The upper mounting assembly 110 is configured to tiltably mount the top portion 113 of the passive antenna module 11 to the mounting structure 20, while the lower mounting assembly 120 is configured to pivotably mount a portion of the passive antenna module 11 proximate the bottom portion 114 to the mounting structure 20 at a suitable location below the top portion 113 of the passive antenna module 11, such as a location proximate the bottom portion 114 of the passive antenna module 11. The upper mounting assembly 110 and the lower mounting assembly 120 can be any suitable mounting assembly. For example, in some embodiments, the upper mounting assembly 110 can be configured as an extendable sleeve that can be tilted downward and can be axially deployed (e.g., as shown in FIG. 2) to tilt the top portion 113 of the passive antenna module 11 to a desired inclination. The lower mounting assembly 120 can be configured as a pivotable bracket that can be tilted to a desired inclination. Figure 10a and Figure 11aIn some embodiments, the upper mounting assembly 110 can be provided with a circular-arc shaped slot for connecting the top 113 of the passive antenna module 11 and a connecting element of the upper mounting assembly 110 can be disposed in the circular-arc shaped slot and be slidable along the circular-arc shaped slot to facilitate tilting of the passive antenna module 11 to a desired tilt angle. The upper mounting assembly 110 and the lower mounting assembly 120 can secure the passive antenna module 11 at a desired height of the mounting structure 20 by means of a clamping assembly 30. The clamping assembly 30 can be a standard clamping assembly commonly used in the art or other suitable clamping assembly, which will not be described here in detail.

[0051] In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the mounting system 100 can include an upper mounting bracket 115 and a lower mounting bracket 116 disposed on the back 112 of the passive antenna module 11. The upper mounting bracket 115 can be secured to the back 112 of the passive antenna module 11 at a position close to the top 113 of the passive antenna module 11, while the lower mounting bracket 116 can be secured to the back 112 of the passive antenna module 11 at a suitable position below the top 113 of the passive antenna module 11, such as a position close to the bottom 114 of the passive antenna module 11. The upper mounting bracket 115 can be pivotably connected with the upper mounting assembly 110 and the lower mounting bracket 116 can be pivotably connected with the lower mounting assembly 120, which facilitates easy adjustment of the tilt angle of the passive antenna module 11. After the tilt angle of the passive antenna module 11 is adjusted to a desired tilt angle, the connection between the upper mounting bracket 115 and the upper mounting assembly 110 and the connection between the lower mounting bracket 116 and the lower mounting assembly 120 can be fastened with fastening elements, such as fastening bolt-nut assemblies, to securely hold the passive antenna module 11 at the adjusted tilt angle.

[0052] Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4The mounting system 100 can further include a mounting kit 150. The mounting kit 150 can include an upper mounting bracket 125 and a lower mounting bracket 126 disposed on the back surface 122 of the active antenna module 12, and an intermediate mounting assembly 127 pivotably connected with the lower mounting bracket 126. The upper mounting bracket 125 can be fixed to the back surface 122 of the active antenna module 12 at a location proximate to the top 123 of the active antenna module 12, while the lower mounting bracket 126 can be fixed to the back surface 122 of the active antenna module 12 at a location proximate to the bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12. The upper mounting bracket 125 is configured to pivotably connect the top 123 of the active antenna module 12 with the top 113 of the passive antenna module 11 or with the upper mounting assembly 110, to enable the top of the active antenna module 12 to tilt and displace together with the top of the passive antenna module 11 during adjustment of the tilt angle of the passive antenna module 11. The intermediate mounting assembly 127 is configured to pivotably mount the portion of the active antenna module 12 proximate to the bottom 124 to the mounting structure 20. The intermediate mounting assembly 127 can also be configured to allow the bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12 to pivot about the intermediate mounting assembly 127 without allowing the bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12 to displace during tilting of the passive antenna module 11, which can avoid hitting or slapping the passive antenna module 11 due to displacement or swinging of the bottom of the active antenna module 12, thereby avoiding damaging the passive antenna module 11 and / or the active antenna module 12 itself during tilting, as will be described in more detail below.

[0053] Referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5 In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the upper mounting bracket 125 and the lower mounting bracket 126 can be configured in the form of tabs, thereby avoiding the use of existing frame structures, both reducing the weight of the base station antenna and saving material costs. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the upper mounting bracket 125 can be configured to be pivotably connected with the upper mounting bracket 115, thereby enabling the top 123 of the active antenna module 12 to be pivotably connected with the top 113 of the passive antenna module 11. A pivot 130 can be utilized to pivotably connect the upper mounting bracket 125 and the upper mounting bracket 115. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the pivot 130 can be formed by a bolt-nut assembly, wherein the upper mounting bracket 115 and the upper mounting bracket 125 can be pivoted relative to each other about the bolt when the nut of the bolt-nut assembly is loosened, while the upper mounting bracket 115 and the upper mounting bracket 125 are fastened to each other and cannot be pivoted relative to each other when the nut of the bolt-nut assembly is fastened.

[0054] In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, the upper mounting bracket 125 can include a hook portion 128. The hook portion 128 can be hooked on the upper mounting bracket 115, which facilitates the installation of the active antenna module 12. For example, during the installation process, the passive antenna module 11 can be first installed to the mounting structure 20, and then the active antenna module 12 can be hung on the passive antenna module 11 by hooking the hook portion 128 on the upper mounting bracket 115 of the passive antenna module 11, which not only simplifies the operation steps and saves the labor of the installation workers, but also releases the hands of the installation workers for completing other operations. In some embodiments, the hook portion 128 can have an angle tilted with respect to the vertical direction, which is at least greater than the maximum tilt angle of the passive antenna module 11, so as to avoid interference with the upper mounting bracket 115 during the tilting process and prevent the tilting of the passive antenna module 11. For example, the angle of the hook portion 128 can be greater than 12°, 15°, 20°, or even 30°, etc. The angle of the hook portion 128 can be less than 45°.

[0055] In other embodiments according to the present disclosure, the upper mounting bracket 125 can also be configured to be pivotably connected with the upper mounting assembly 110. In this embodiment, the active antenna module 12 can be displaced and tilted along with or following the upper mounting assembly 110 after the upper mounting assembly 110 is released.

[0056] Referring to Figures 6 to 8In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the intermediate mounting assembly 127 can secure the active antenna module 12 at a desired height of the mounting structure 20, typically between the upper mounting assembly 110 and the lower mounting assembly 120, by means of the clamping assembly 30. The intermediate mounting assembly 127 can include a first intermediate mounting element 271 and a second intermediate mounting element 272. The first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 can be configured in the form of a link. A first end 2711 of the first intermediate mounting element 271 can be pivotably connected with the lower mounting bracket 126 by means of a pivot 131, while a first end 2721 of the second intermediate mounting element 272 can be pivotably connected with the clamping assembly 30 by means of a pivot 132. A second end 2712 of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and a second end 2722 of the second intermediate mounting element 272 can each include an intermediate hole 280 and a plurality of adjustment holes 281 distributed along a circumference around the intermediate hole 280. The second end 2712 of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second end 2722 of the second intermediate mounting element 272 can be pivotably connected via a pivot 133 extending through the intermediate hole 280. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, similar to the pivot 130, the pivots 131, 132 and 133 can each be formed by a bolt-nut assembly, wherein when the nut of the bolt-nut assembly is loosened, the corresponding components can be pivoted relative to each other about the bolt, while when the nut of the bolt-nut assembly is tightened, the corresponding components are fastened together and cannot be pivoted relative to each other.

[0057] Each of the plurality of adjustment holes 281 of the second end 2712 of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second end 2722 of the second intermediate mounting element 272 corresponds to one tilt angle of the active antenna module 12. For example, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the base station antenna 10 (including its passive antenna module 11 and active antenna module 12) can have a tilt angle between 0° and 12°; correspondingly, the second end 2712 of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second end 2722 of the second intermediate mounting element 272 can each include, for example, 13 adjustment holes, each of which can correspond to 1°. It is noted here that although each adjustment hole corresponds to 1°, respectively, the plurality of adjustment holes (e.g. the 13 adjustment holes) are not evenly distributed along the circumference. The center position of each adjustment hole needs to be calculated according to the distance that the active antenna module 12 moves for each 1° of tilt, so that it can accurately correspond to the tilt angle of the active antenna module 12.

[0058] When the active antenna module 12 is at a predetermined tilt angle, a corresponding one of the plurality of adjustment holes of the second end 2712 of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and a corresponding one of the plurality of adjustment holes of the second end 2722 of the second intermediate mounting element 272 that correspond to the predetermined tilt angle are aligned, so that a fastening element can simultaneously extend through the two adjustment holes of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 that are aligned with each other, thereby fixing the active antenna module 12 at the predetermined tilt angle, which can ensure accurate positioning of the active antenna module 12. For example, Figure 7 A position relationship of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 when the active antenna module 12 is at a 0° tilt angle (i.e., positioned along a vertical direction) is shown, at which time a corresponding one of the adjustment holes of the second end 2712 of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and a corresponding one of the adjustment holes of the second end 2722 of the second intermediate mounting element 272 that correspond to 0° are aligned; Figure 8 A position relationship of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 when the active antenna module 12 is at a 10° tilt angle is shown, at which time a corresponding one of the adjustment holes of the second end 2712 of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and a corresponding one of the adjustment holes of the second end 2722 of the second intermediate mounting element 272 that correspond to 12° are aligned.

[0059] With the intermediate mounting assembly 127 according to the present disclosure, independent adjustment of the tilt angles of the active antenna module 12 and the passive antenna module 11 can be achieved. For example, during tilting of the passive antenna module 11, the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 of the intermediate mounting assembly 127 can be kept at positions corresponding to a 0° tilt angle, at which time, although the top of the active antenna module 12 can follow the tilting of the top of the passive antenna module 11, the bottom of the active antenna module 12 can only pivot around the pivot axis 131 of the first end 2711 of the first intermediate mounting element 271 without displacement, which can avoid hitting or slapping the passive antenna module 11 due to displacement or swinging of the bottom of the active antenna module 12, thereby avoiding damage to the passive antenna module 11 and / or the active antenna module 12 itself during tilting. After the passive antenna module 11 is tilted to a predetermined tilt angle, the fastening element extending through the adjustment holes of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 corresponding to the 0° tilt angle is removed, so that the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 can pivot around the pivot axis 133 extending through the center hole 280 to displace the bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12 towards the passive antenna module 11. When the bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12 is displaced towards the passive antenna module 11 to make the active antenna module 12 at the predetermined tilt angle, the two adjustment holes of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 corresponding to the predetermined tilt angle are aligned with each other. At this time, the fastening element is inserted into the two adjustment holes of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 aligned with each other, thereby keeping the active antenna module 12 at the predetermined tilt angle. In addition, in some cases, when the two adjustment holes are not aligned with each other due to displacement error of the active antenna module 12, the active antenna module 12 can be moved to the predetermined tilt angle by manually aligning the two adjustment holes with each other, which ensures accurate positioning of the active antenna module 12. In some embodiments, angle markings can also be provided near each adjustment hole to clearly indicate to the installer the tilt angle corresponding to each adjustment hole, thereby facilitating the operation of the installer.

[0060] Next, referring to Figures 9a to 11c A method of installing the base station antenna 10 and adjusting the tilt angle thereof using the mounting system 100 according to the present disclosure will be described.

[0061] In Figure 9aThe passive antenna module 11 can be mounted to the mounting structure 20 at a 0° tilt angle using the upper mounting assembly 110 and the lower mounting assembly 120 of the mounting system 100. The active antenna module 12 can be mounted to the back 112 of the passive antenna module 11 at a 0° tilt angle using the mounting kit 150 of the mounting system. The top 123 of the active antenna module 12 is pivotally connected to the top 113 of the passive antenna module 11 or to the upper mounting assembly 110.

[0062] In some embodiments, the upper mounting bracket 115 and lower mounting bracket 116 disposed on the back side 112 of the passive antenna module 11 can be connected to the upper mounting assembly 110 and the lower mounting assembly 120 respectively to mount the passive antenna module 11 to the mounting structure.

[0063] In some embodiments, after the passive antenna module 11 is installed onto the mounting structure 20, the active antenna module 12 can first be hooked onto the upper mounting bracket 115 of the passive antenna module 11 using the hook 128 of the upper mounting bracket 125 of the mounting kit 150 (e.g., Figure 9b (As shown), then the bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12 is mounted to the mounting structure 20 using the intermediate mounting component 127 of the mounting kit 150 and the active antenna module 12 is held at a 0° tilt angle.

[0064] In order to adjust the tilt angle of the base station antenna 10, Figure 10a In this process, the passive antenna module 11 can first be tilted around the lower mounting assembly 120 of the mounting system 100 to a predetermined tilt angle (e.g., tilted to 12°). During the tilting of the passive antenna module 11, the top 123 of the active antenna module 12 can move along with the top 113 of the passive antenna module 11 (see...). Figure 10a And pivots relative to the top 113 of the passive antenna module 11 (see...) Figure 10b The bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12 can only pivot around the intermediate mounting component 127 of the mounting kit 150 without shifting (see...). Figure 10c In this process, such as Figure 10a As shown, the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 of the intermediate mounting assembly 127 are always held in a position corresponding to a 0° tilt angle (for example, fastening elements can be inserted into the two aligned adjustment holes of the first intermediate mounting element 271 and the second intermediate mounting element 272 corresponding to a 0° tilt angle to hold them in place) to prevent the bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12 from shifting, thereby avoiding the bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12 from hitting or slapping the passive antenna module 11 due to displacement or swing.

[0065] After the passive antenna module 11 is tilted to a predetermined tilt angle, as Figure 11aAs shown, the intermediate mounting assembly 127 of the mounting kit 150 can be released (e.g., the fastening elements in the first and second intermediate mounting elements 271 and 272 are removed) to displace the bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12 towards the passive antenna module 11 until the bottom 124 of the active antenna module 12 is displaced such that the active antenna module 12 is also at the predetermined tilt angle (see Figure 11a ). In this process, the top 123 of the active antenna module 12 can be counter- pivoted relative to the top 113 of the passive antenna module 11 (e.g., the upper mounting bracket 115 of the passive antenna module 11) (see Figure 11b ), and the first and second intermediate mounting elements 271 and 272 of the intermediate mounting assembly 127 are pivoted relative to the pivot 133 (see Figure 11c ). After the active antenna module 12 is also displaced to the predetermined tilt angle, the two adjustment holes of the first and second intermediate mounting elements 271 and 272 of the intermediate mounting assembly 127 corresponding to the predetermined tilt angle are aligned with each other, at which point the fastening elements can be inserted into the two adjustment holes of the first and second intermediate mounting elements 271 and 272 that are aligned with each other, thereby retaining the active antenna module 12 at the predetermined tilt angle.

[0066] In some embodiments, after either the passive antenna module 11 or the active antenna module 12 is adjusted to the predetermined tilt angle, the corresponding pivotable site is fastened to prevent further unwanted pivoting of the passive antenna module 11 and / or the active antenna module 12. This helps to accurately position the passive antenna module 11 and the active antenna module 12 at the tuned tilt angle.

[0067] The exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. All changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An installation system for a base station antenna, the base station antenna comprising a passive antenna module and an active antenna module, the installation system comprising: The upper mounting assembly is configured to tiltably mount the top of the passive antenna module to the mounting structure; Lower mounting assembly, configured to pivotally mount the portion of the passive antenna module near its bottom to the mounting structure; and The mounting kit includes a first upper mounting bracket, a first lower mounting bracket, and an intermediate mounting assembly pivotally connected to the first lower mounting bracket, wherein the first upper mounting bracket is fixed to the back of the active antenna module facing the mounting structure near the top of the active antenna module, and the first lower mounting bracket is fixed to the back of the active antenna module near the bottom of the active antenna module. The first upper mounting bracket is configured to pivotally connect the top of the active antenna module to the top of the passive antenna module or to the upper mounting assembly, so that the top of the active antenna module can tilt and shift together with the top of the passive antenna module during the adjustment of the tilt angle of the passive antenna module; and The intermediate mounting assembly is configured to pivotally mount a portion of the active antenna module near its bottom to the mounting structure, and the intermediate mounting assembly is configured to allow the bottom of the active antenna module to pivot around the intermediate mounting assembly during the tilting of the passive antenna module without displacing the bottom of the active antenna module.

2. The installation system according to claim 1, wherein, The intermediate mounting assembly includes a first intermediate mounting element and a second intermediate mounting element. A first end of the first intermediate mounting element is pivotally connected to the first lower mounting bracket, and a first end of the second intermediate mounting element is pivotally connected to a clamping assembly adapted for mounting on the mounting structure. The second ends of the first intermediate mounting element and the second intermediate mounting element each include a central hole and a plurality of adjustment holes distributed circumferentially around the central hole. The second ends of the first intermediate mounting element and the second intermediate mounting element are pivotally connected via a pivot extending through the central hole. Each of the plurality of adjustment holes at the second ends of the first intermediate mounting element and the second intermediate mounting element corresponds to a tilt angle of the active antenna module. When the active antenna module is at a predetermined tilt angle, one of the plurality of adjustment holes at the second end of the first intermediate mounting element corresponding to the predetermined tilt angle is aligned with one of the plurality of adjustment holes at the second end of the second intermediate mounting element corresponding to the predetermined tilt angle.

3. The installation system according to claim 2, wherein, The plurality of adjustment holes are unevenly distributed along the circumference.

4. The installation system according to claim 2, wherein, The intermediate mounting assembly is configured to allow the active antenna module to have a tilt angle between 0° and 12°.

5. The installation system according to claim 2, wherein, When the active antenna module is at a predetermined tilt angle, the fastening element extends through two mutually aligned adjustment holes of the first intermediate mounting element and the second intermediate mounting element to fix the active antenna module at the predetermined tilt angle.

6. The installation system according to claim 1, wherein, The mounting system further includes a second upper mounting bracket and a second lower mounting bracket. The second upper mounting bracket is fixed to the back of the passive antenna module near the top of the passive antenna module and is pivotally connected to the upper mounting assembly. The second lower mounting bracket is fixed to the back of the passive antenna module below the top of the passive antenna module and is pivotally connected to the lower mounting assembly.

7. The installation system according to claim 6, wherein, The first upper mounting bracket and the second upper mounting bracket are pivotally connected.

8. The installation system according to claim 7, wherein, The first upper mounting bracket includes a hook portion that can be hooked onto the second upper mounting bracket.

9. The installation system according to claim 8, wherein, The hook has an angle of inclination relative to the vertical direction, and the angle is at least greater than the maximum tilt angle of the passive antenna module.

10. The installation system according to claim 1, wherein, Both the first upper mounting bracket and the second upper mounting bracket are constructed in the form of tabs.

11. The installation system according to claim 1, wherein, The upper mounting assembly is configured as an extendable sleeve that can tilt downwards and extend axially.

12. The installation system according to claim 1, wherein, The upper mounting assembly is provided with an arc-shaped groove, and the connecting element of the upper mounting assembly for connecting the top of the passive antenna module is disposed in the arc-shaped groove and can slide along the arc-shaped groove.

13. The installation system according to claim 1, wherein, The mounting system further includes a clamping assembly, by means of which the upper mounting assembly and the lower mounting assembly mount the passive antenna module to the mounting structure, while the intermediate mounting assembly mounts the active antenna module to the mounting structure by means of the clamping assembly.

14. A method for installing a base station antenna using the installation system according to claim 1, wherein the base station antenna comprises a passive antenna module and an active antenna module, the method comprising: The passive antenna module is installed onto the mounting structure at a 0° tilt angle using the upper and lower mounting components of the mounting system. The active antenna module is mounted to the mounting structure at a 0° tilt angle on the back of the passive antenna module facing the mounting structure using the mounting kit of the mounting system, wherein the top of the active antenna module is pivotally connected to the top of the passive antenna module or to the upper mounting assembly; The passive antenna module is tilted to a predetermined angle around the lower mounting assembly of the mounting system. During the tilting of the passive antenna module, the top of the active antenna module moves with the top of the passive antenna module and pivots relative to the top of the passive antenna module, while the bottom of the active antenna module pivots only around the middle mounting assembly of the mounting kit without moving. After the passive antenna module is tilted to the predetermined tilt angle, the intermediate mounting component of the mounting kit is released, causing the bottom of the active antenna module to shift toward the passive antenna module until the bottom of the active antenna module is shifted so that the active antenna module is also at the predetermined tilt angle.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, The mounting system includes a second upper mounting bracket and a second lower mounting bracket disposed on the back of the passive antenna module. The method further includes connecting the second upper mounting bracket and the second lower mounting bracket to the upper mounting assembly and the lower mounting assembly, respectively, to mount the passive antenna module to the mounting structure.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The first upper mounting bracket of the mounting kit includes a hook. The method further includes, after installing the passive antenna module to the mounting structure, using the hook to hook the active antenna module onto the second upper mounting bracket of the passive antenna module, and then using the intermediate mounting component of the mounting kit to install the bottom of the active antenna module to the mounting structure and hold the active antenna module at the 0° tilt angle.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein, The intermediate mounting assembly includes a first intermediate mounting element and a second intermediate mounting element that are pivotally connected to each other, and the first intermediate mounting element and the second intermediate mounting element remain at a position corresponding to the 0° tilt angle during the tilting of the passive antenna module.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, Both ends of the first intermediate mounting element and the second intermediate mounting element connected to each other include a central hole and a plurality of adjustment holes distributed circumferentially around the central hole. Each of the plurality of adjustment holes corresponds to a tilt angle of the active antenna module. When the active antenna module is at the 0° tilt angle, the adjustment hole of the first intermediate mounting element corresponding to the 0° tilt angle is aligned with the adjustment hole of the second intermediate mounting element corresponding to the 0° tilt angle. The method includes inserting fastening elements into the two adjustment holes corresponding to the 0° tilt angle to keep the first intermediate mounting element and the second intermediate mounting element always in the position corresponding to the 0° tilt angle.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The method includes removing the fastening element after the passive antenna module is tilted to the predetermined tilt angle, thereby shifting the bottom of the active antenna module toward the passive antenna module.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, After the active antenna module is also at the predetermined tilt angle, the two adjustment holes of the first intermediate mounting element and the second intermediate mounting element of the intermediate mounting assembly corresponding to the predetermined tilt angle are aligned with each other. The method further includes inserting fastening elements into the two adjustment holes of the first intermediate mounting element and the second intermediate mounting element corresponding to the predetermined tilt angle to hold the active antenna module at the predetermined tilt angle.

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