Switchable sector antenna of communication base station and application method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a switchable sector antenna of a communication base station. The antenna comprises an antenna array and a switch switching device connected with the antenna array, the antenna array is formed by annularly arranging a plurality of independent antenna radiation units; the switch switching device comprises a power division network upper layer, a power division network lower layer and a mobile pull rod; the upper layer of the power division network is provided with at least two power division structures; the lower layer of the power division network is provided with a plurality of coupling lines which are respectively connected with the radiation units, and an independent feed input end. The upper layer of the power division network is pushed to move to different preset positions relative to the lower layer by moving the pull rod, and the connection relation between the feed input end and the coupling line through different power division structures can be changed. The invention further provides an application method of the switchable sector antenna of the communication base station. Therefore, the antenna can be switched between an omnidirectional radiation mode and a directional radiation mode; flexible switching of the antenna in a high-load period and a low-load period is realized, and signal coverage efficiency and energy consumption optimization are both considered.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a switchable sector antenna for a communication base station and its application method. Background Technology

[0002] In current cellular communication networks, most base stations adopt a three-sector directional coverage scheme to meet the need for uninterrupted communication around the clock. However, this scheme has revealed the following limitations in practical applications:

[0003] 1. High energy consumption problem: The three-sector antenna system needs to keep all RRU equipment running for a long time. Even during periods of low user demand, it is still difficult to reduce power consumption, resulting in energy waste.

[0004] 2. Severe impact of the fault: When a device in a sector fails, the area will face insufficient communication coverage or even network outages during the repair period, making it impossible to meet the basic communication needs of users.

[0005] 3. Lack of flexibility: Traditional antenna coverage patterns cannot dynamically adjust the coverage area according to changes in traffic volume, making it difficult to meet the needs of both high-load and low-load scenarios.

[0006] In response to the problems of the existing technologies, the industry urgently needs a new type of antenna system that can significantly reduce energy consumption while maintaining the quality of communication services and providing rapid emergency communication support. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a switchable sector antenna for a communication base station and its application method, so as to solve the problems of high energy consumption, serious failure impact and lack of flexibility in the prior art.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, on the one hand, the present invention provides a switchable sector antenna for a communication base station, including an antenna array and a switching device connected to the antenna array. The antenna array includes multiple independent antenna radiating elements arranged in a ring, and the switching device is connected to the antenna array for controllably switching the operation of the corresponding antenna radiating elements.

[0009] The switch switching device includes:

[0010] The upper layer of the power distribution network has at least two power distribution structures.

[0011] The lower layer of the power divider network is provided with multiple coupling lines that are independently connected to each of the antenna radiating elements, and a feed input terminal spaced apart from the coupling lines;

[0012] A movable lever, connected to the upper layer of the power divider network, is used to move the upper layer of the power divider network relative to the lower layer of the power divider network to different preset positions, so that the power input terminal is coupled to all or one of the coupling lines via the corresponding power divider structure, thereby switching the operating mode of the antenna array.

[0013] Furthermore, the upper layer of the power splitter network is provided with a one-to-many power splitter and a one-to-one power splitter; the movable lever is connected to the upper layer of the power splitter network to push the upper layer of the power splitter network relative to the lower layer of the power splitter network to a first preset position or a second preset position.

[0014] Specifically, when in the first preset position, the multi-split end of the one-to-many power divider is connected to all the coupling lines and the other end is coupled to the power input terminal; when in the second preset position, one end of the one-to-one power divider is connected to one of the coupling lines and the other end is coupled to the power input terminal.

[0015] Furthermore, the antenna array includes a first antenna radiating element, a second antenna radiating element, and a third antenna radiating element. The lower layer of the power divider network is provided with a first coupling line, a second coupling line, and a third coupling line that are connected one-to-one with the first antenna radiating element, the second antenna radiating element, and the third antenna radiating element.

[0016] Furthermore, the upper layer of the power splitter network is provided with a 1-to-3 power splitter and a 1-to-1 power splitter arranged along the moving direction; when the upper layer of the power splitter network moves to the first preset position, the input terminal of the 1-to-3 power splitter is coupled to the power supply input terminal, and the output terminal is coupled to the first coupling line, the second coupling line, and the third coupling line; when the upper layer of the power splitter network moves to the second preset position, the input terminal of the 1-to-1 power splitter is coupled to the power supply input terminal, and the output terminal is coupled to the first coupling line, the second coupling line, or the third coupling line.

[0017] Furthermore, the antenna array has two operating modes: a directional mode and an omnidirectional mode. In the omnidirectional mode, all the antenna radiating elements are turned on simultaneously. In the directional mode, only one of the antenna radiating elements is turned on.

[0018] Furthermore, the power splitting structure at the upper layer of the power splitting network and the coupling line at the lower layer of the power splitting network are connected by contact coupling.

[0019] On the other hand, the present invention also provides an application method for a switchable sector antenna for a communication base station, applied to the switchable sector antenna for a communication base station as described above, the method comprising the following steps:

[0020] Receive a working mode switching instruction, the switching instruction being used to instruct the working mode of the antenna array to be switched from the current mode to a target mode, the target mode being either an omnidirectional mode or a directional mode;

[0021] In response to the switching command, the movable lever is driven to move, thereby moving the upper layer of the power splitter network relative to the lower layer of the power splitter network;

[0022] Move the upper layer of the power divider network to a preset position corresponding to the target mode, so that the power input terminal is selectively coupled to all or one of the coupling lines via the power divider structure corresponding to the target mode.

[0023] Based on the coupling connection between the power input terminal and the coupling line, the corresponding antenna radiating element is controlled to operate, so that the antenna array operates in the target mode.

[0024] The switchable sector antenna for communication base stations provided by this invention uses a movable lever to drive the feeder network for physical switching. This allows the antenna to switch from an omnidirectional mode with multiple units working collaboratively to a directional mode with only a single unit operating during off-peak hours, significantly reducing the number of RRU units required for startup and their power consumption, thus effectively reducing the overall energy consumption of the base station. When a radiating element or its corresponding RF channel in a ring-shaped antenna array fails, the antenna can be quickly switched to omnidirectional coverage mode, with the remaining normal radiating elements sharing the coverage task. This ensures that even in the event of a localized hardware failure, the cell can still maintain basic communication services, avoiding overall service interruption due to a single point of failure and significantly improving network reliability and robustness. This invention can flexibly and quickly adapt between directional coverage modes for high-capacity requirements and omnidirectional modes for wide-area coverage requirements. This satisfies the requirements for signal depth coverage and capacity in complex environments while achieving energy savings in simple scenarios, greatly enhancing the flexibility and adaptability of base station deployment. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the directional mode of the switchable sector antenna of the communication base station provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the omnidirectional mode of the switchable sector antenna of the communication base station provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the switching device for a switchable sector antenna of a communication base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4A flowchart illustrating the steps of an application method for a switchable sector antenna in a communication base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is the directional pattern of the switchable sector antenna of the communication base station described in this invention in directional mode;

[0030] Figure 6 This is the omnidirectional radiation pattern of the switchable sector antenna of the communication base station described in this invention in omnidirectional mode. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0032] It should be noted that references to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., in this specification refer to the described embodiment including specific features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment must include these specific features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such expressions do not refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when describing specific features, structures, or characteristics in conjunction with embodiments, whether or not explicitly described, it is indicated that incorporating such features, structures, or characteristics into other embodiments is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0033] Figures 1-3 This invention illustrates a switchable sector antenna for a communication base station according to an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna array includes an antenna array and a switching device connected to the antenna array. The antenna array includes multiple independent antenna radiating elements arranged in a ring. Specifically, the antenna array includes a first antenna radiating element 11, a second antenna radiating element 12, and a third antenna radiating element 13. The switching device is connected to the antenna array to controllably switch the operation of the corresponding antenna radiating elements, thereby realizing the switching of the antenna array between directional and omnidirectional modes. In this embodiment, the directional mode refers to reconstructing the signal path through the built-in feed network and switch, requiring only one antenna radiating element to be activated. Figure 5 As shown; while the omnidirectional mode reconstructs the signal path through a built-in feed network and switches, achieving 360° signal coverage by activating three antenna radiating elements, and its signal radiation is as follows. Figure 6 As shown.

[0034] See Figure 3 The switch switching device includes:

[0035] The upper layer 10 of the power distribution network has at least two power distribution structures;

[0036] The lower layer 20 of the power divider network is provided with multiple coupling lines that are independently connected to each antenna radiating element, and a feed input terminal 204 spaced apart from the coupling lines; specifically, the lower layer 20 of the power divider network is provided with a first coupling line 201, a second coupling line 202 and a third coupling line 203 that are connected one-to-one with the first antenna radiating element 11, the second antenna radiating element 12 and the third antenna radiating element 13.

[0037] The movable lever 30 is connected to the upper layer 10 of the power divider network and is used to push the upper layer 10 of the power divider network relative to the lower layer 20 of the power divider network to different preset positions, so that the feed input terminal 204 is coupled to all or one of the coupling lines via the corresponding power divider structure, thereby switching the working mode of the antenna array.

[0038] In this embodiment, the upper layer 10 of the power divider network is provided with a multi-split power divider 101 and a single-split power divider 102; the movable lever 30 is connected to the upper layer 10 of the power divider network to push the upper layer 10 of the power divider network relative to the lower layer 20 of the power divider network to a first preset position or a second preset position; when in the first preset position, the multi-split end of the multi-split power divider 101 is connected to all the coupled lines and the other end is coupled to the power input terminal 204; when in the second preset position, one end of the single-split power divider 102 is connected to one of the coupled lines and the other end is coupled to the power input terminal 204.

[0039] Specifically, the one-to-many power divider 101 in this embodiment is a one-to-three power divider; the upper layer 10 of the power divider network is provided with a one-to-three power divider 101 and a one-to-one power divider 102 arranged along the movement direction.

[0040] The movable lever 30 can move the upper layer 10 of the power divider network under the drive of a motor. See also Figure 3 For example, when the upper layer 10 of the power divider network is moved 20mm to the left or right by the movable lever 30, the 1-to-3 power divider 101 of the upper layer 10 is coupled to all three coupling lines, and the antenna is in omnidirectional mode. When the upper layer 10 of the power divider network is moved 30mm to the left by the movable lever 30, the 1-to-1 power divider 102 of the upper layer 10 is coupled to one of the coupling lines, while the other two coupling lines are disconnected, and the antenna is in directional mode. In omnidirectional mode, all antenna radiating elements are turned on simultaneously; in directional mode, only one antenna radiating element is turned on. Furthermore, the power divider structure of the upper layer 10 and the coupling lines of the lower layer 20 of the power divider network are connected by contact coupling.

[0041] See Figure 2When the upper layer 10 of the power divider network moves to the first preset position, the input terminal of the 1-to-3 power divider 101 is coupled to the feed input terminal 204, and the output terminal is coupled to the first coupling line 201, the second coupling line 202 and the third coupling line 203. At this time, the first antenna radiating element 11, the second antenna radiating element 12 and the third antenna radiating element 13 are all coupled to the feed input terminal, and all three antenna radiating elements start working, so that the antenna matrix is ​​in omnidirectional mode.

[0042] See Figure 1 When the upper layer 10 of the power divider network moves to the second preset position, the input terminal of the power divider 102 is coupled to the feed input terminal 204. Specifically, in this embodiment, one end of the power divider 102 is coupled to the feed input terminal 204, while the other end is coupled to the second coupling line 202. At this time, only the second antenna radiating unit 12 is connected to the feed input terminal 204, that is, the second antenna radiating unit 12 is activated, while the first antenna radiating unit 11 and the third antenna radiating unit 13 are turned off, thereby making the antenna matrix in directional mode.

[0043] In directional mode, the antenna gain is significantly improved to meet the needs of high-density communication; in omnidirectional mode, wide-area coverage is achieved with lower power, balancing energy saving and coverage effect. This embodiment uses a switching device to control the mode switching time to the millisecond level, ensuring minimal impact on communication services.

[0044] The communication base station provided in this embodiment has a switchable sector antenna, and its working mode can be dynamically adjusted according to the actual network status. The specific application scenarios and operation methods are as follows:

[0045] High load period ("busy period"): The antenna operates in directional mode, and the antenna radiating units (RRUs) of the three sectors are turned on simultaneously to meet the communication needs under high traffic volume.

[0046] During low-load periods ("idle periods"): The antenna switches to omnidirectional mode, keeping only one RRU operational while shutting down the other two sector RRUs to achieve energy savings. By switching to omnidirectional coverage mode during low-load periods, two sector RRU devices can be shut down, saving up to 22.2% of energy (based on an 8-hour idle period).

[0047] Emergency Scenario: When a device in a sector fails, the antenna switches to omnidirectional mode and uses unaffected RRUs to provide coverage, effectively reducing the duration and scope of communication interruption and ensuring basic communication services for the cell.

[0048] This embodiment can dynamically adjust the coverage mode according to traffic volume, balancing the needs of efficient communication and low power consumption, thereby improving the operating efficiency and resource utilization of the base station. Furthermore, by replacing the existing base station antennas with the switchable sector antennas of the communication base station, energy-saving and fault-response functionality can be expanded without large-scale changes to the existing network architecture.

[0049] Figure 4 This invention illustrates an application method for a switchable sector antenna in a communication base station according to another embodiment of the present invention. Applied to the switchable sector antenna in the above embodiment, the method includes the following steps:

[0050] S101: Receive a working mode switching instruction, the switching instruction being used to instruct the working mode of the antenna array to be switched from the current mode to the target mode, the target mode being either omnidirectional mode or directional mode;

[0051] S102: In response to the switching command, drive the moving lever to move the upper layer of the power splitter network relative to the lower layer of the power splitter network;

[0052] S103: Move the upper layer of the power divider network to a preset position corresponding to the target mode, so that the power input terminal is selectively coupled to all or one of the coupling lines via the power divider structure corresponding to the target mode.

[0053] S104: Based on the coupling connection between the power input terminal and the coupling line, control the operation of the corresponding antenna radiating element so that the antenna array operates in the target mode.

[0054] The receiving of working mode switching instructions includes: receiving remote control instructions or timed automatic switching instructions from the network management system.

[0055] Furthermore, the method also includes: monitoring changes in network performance indicators or coverage requirements after the antenna array is operating in the target mode; and automatically generating a new operating mode switching instruction when the network performance indicators do not meet the threshold or the coverage requirements change.

[0056] In summary, the switchable sector antenna for communication base stations provided by this invention physically switches the feeder network via a movable lever. This allows the antenna to switch from an omnidirectional mode with multiple units working collaboratively to a directional mode with only a single unit working during off-peak hours, significantly reducing the number of RRU units required for startup and their power consumption, thus effectively reducing the overall energy consumption of the base station. When a radiating element of a ring-shaped antenna array or its corresponding radio frequency channel fails, the antenna can be quickly switched to omnidirectional coverage mode, with the remaining normal radiating elements sharing the coverage task. This ensures that even in the event of a localized hardware failure, the cell can still maintain basic communication services, avoiding overall service interruption due to a single point of failure and significantly improving network reliability and robustness.

[0057] The method provided by this invention can flexibly and quickly adapt between directional coverage mode with high capacity requirements and omnidirectional mode with wide area coverage requirements. This not only meets the requirements for signal depth coverage and capacity in complex environments, but also achieves energy saving in simple scenarios, greatly enhancing the flexibility and adaptability of base station deployment.

[0058] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of the present invention is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0059] Of course, the present invention may have other various embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various corresponding changes and modifications according to the present invention, but these corresponding changes and modifications should all fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A switchable sector antenna for a communication base station, characterized in that, It includes an antenna array and a switching device connected to the antenna array. The antenna array includes multiple independent antenna radiating elements arranged in a ring. The switching device is connected to the antenna array for controllably switching the operation of the corresponding antenna radiating elements. The switch switching device includes: The upper layer of the power distribution network has at least two power distribution structures. The lower layer of the power divider network is provided with multiple coupling lines that are independently connected to each of the antenna radiating elements, and a feed input terminal spaced apart from the coupling lines; A movable lever, connected to the upper layer of the power divider network, is used to move the upper layer of the power divider network relative to the lower layer of the power divider network to different preset positions, so that the power input terminal is coupled to all or one of the coupling lines via the corresponding power divider structure, thereby switching the operating mode of the antenna array.

2. The switchable sector antenna for a communication base station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper layer of the power splitter network is provided with a one-to-many power splitter and a one-to-one power splitter; the movable lever is connected to the upper layer of the power splitter network to push the upper layer of the power splitter network relative to the lower layer of the power splitter network to a first preset position or a second preset position. Specifically, when in the first preset position, the multi-split end of the one-to-many power divider is connected to all the coupling lines and the other end is coupled to the power input terminal; when in the second preset position, one end of the one-to-one power divider is connected to one of the coupling lines and the other end is coupled to the power input terminal.

3. The switchable sector antenna for a communication base station according to claim 2, characterized in that, The antenna array includes a first antenna radiating element, a second antenna radiating element, and a third antenna radiating element. The lower layer of the power divider network is provided with a first coupling line, a second coupling line, and a third coupling line that are connected one-to-one with the first antenna radiating element, the second antenna radiating element, and the third antenna radiating element.

4. The switchable sector antenna for a communication base station according to claim 3, characterized in that, The upper layer of the power divider network is provided with a 1-to-3 power divider and a 1-to-1 power divider arranged along the moving direction; when the upper layer of the power divider network moves to the first preset position, the input terminal of the 1-to-3 power divider is coupled to the power supply input terminal, and the output terminal is coupled to the first coupling line, the second coupling line, and the third coupling line; when the upper layer of the power divider network moves to the second preset position, the input terminal of the 1-to-1 power divider is coupled to the power supply input terminal, and the output terminal is coupled to the first coupling line, the second coupling line, or the third coupling line.

5. The switchable sector antenna for a communication base station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The antenna array has two operating modes: directional mode and omnidirectional mode. In the omnidirectional mode, all the antenna radiating elements are activated simultaneously. In the directional mode, only one of the antenna radiating elements is kept active.

6. The switchable sector antenna for a communication base station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power distribution structure at the upper layer of the power distribution network and the coupling line at the lower layer of the power distribution network are connected by contact coupling.

7. A method for applying a switchable sector antenna to a communication base station, applicable to the switchable sector antenna to a communication base station as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: Receive a working mode switching instruction, the switching instruction being used to instruct the working mode of the antenna array to be switched from the current mode to a target mode, the target mode being either an omnidirectional mode or a directional mode; In response to the switching command, the movable lever is driven to move, thereby moving the upper layer of the power splitter network relative to the lower layer of the power splitter network; Move the upper layer of the power divider network to a preset position corresponding to the target mode, so that the power input terminal is selectively coupled to all or one of the coupling lines via the power divider structure corresponding to the target mode. Based on the coupling connection between the power input terminal and the coupling line, the corresponding antenna radiating element is controlled to operate, so that the antenna array operates in the target mode.

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