Low-loss metal plate phase shifter

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of base station antenna technology and provides a low-loss sheet metal phase shifter, comprising a cavity shell, a sheet metal network, a phase-shifting medium, a supporting medium, and an RF connector. The cavity shell has through-holes on both sides. Inside the cavity shell are two isolated inner cavities, each with a set of sheet metal networks. The phase-shifting medium and the supporting medium are respectively located on both sides of the sheet metal networks. The phase-shifting medium can slide back and forth along the length of the sheet metal network. The supporting medium has at least one hollow unit, which is uniformly distributed along the thickness direction of the supporting medium. The supporting medium is made of a low-dielectric-constant, low-loss insulating material. The RF connector passes through the side wall of the cavity shell and is electrically connected to the sheet metal network. Therefore, the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter of this invention reduces signal transmission loss, is energy-efficient, and has a stable and reliable structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of base station antenna technology, and in particular to a low-loss sheet metal phase shifter. Background Technology

[0002] In mobile communication base station antenna systems, electrically tunable phase shifters are core passive microwave devices used to achieve beam downtilt, beam pointing optimization, and precise network coverage control. With the large-scale deployment of 5G technology and the advancement of 6G technology research, base station antennas are continuously evolving towards wider bandwidth, multi-array design, higher integration, lower loss, and higher intermodulation stability. This places higher demands on the insertion loss, phase linearity, third-order intermodulation (IM3) performance, structural reliability, environmental adaptability, and manufacturing cost of phase shifters.

[0003] Currently, traditional cavity phase shifters mostly adopt an integral electroplating process, which not only increases the consumption of electroplating materials and raises production costs, but also causes environmental pollution due to the discharge of electroplating waste liquid, which is not in line with the development trend of green and energy-saving industries.

[0004] Meanwhile, traditional phase shifters often use solid structures for their supporting media, which have high dielectric constants. This can easily lead to problems such as excessive dielectric loss and unstable phase shift during signal transmission, thereby increasing signal attenuation and energy consumption in the system. In addition, network designs often use PCB microstrip lines, striplines, and other structural forms, which use PCB boards with etched copper foil as the transmission carrier. These have drawbacks such as high dielectric loss and high cost, making it difficult to meet the multiple requirements of low loss, lightweight design, and environmental friendliness.

[0005] In conclusion, the existing technology obviously has inconveniences and defects in practical use, so it is necessary to improve it. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned defects, the purpose of this invention is to provide a low-loss sheet metal phase shifter that reduces signal transmission loss, is energy-efficient, and has a stable and reliable structure.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a low-loss sheet metal phase shifter, comprising a cavity shell, a sheet metal network, a phase shifting medium, a supporting medium, and an RF connector. The cavity shell has through-holes on both sides, and two isolated inner cavities are located inside the cavity shell. Each of the two inner cavities has a set of the sheet metal network. The phase shifting medium and the supporting medium are respectively located on both sides of the sheet metal network. The phase shifting medium can slide back and forth along the length of the sheet metal network. The supporting medium has at least one hollow unit, which is uniformly distributed along the thickness direction of the supporting medium. The supporting medium is made of a low dielectric constant, low-loss insulating material. The RF connector passes through the side wall of the cavity shell and is electrically connected to the sheet metal network.

[0008] According to the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter of the present invention, the sheet metal network is provided with a phase adjustment unit and a matching unit, the phase shifting medium includes a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer, the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer are centrally symmetrical and jointly clamp the phase adjustment unit, the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer slide synchronously back and forth along the length direction of the phase adjustment unit, and the support medium is provided on the matching unit.

[0009] According to the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter of the present invention, both the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer include a phase shifting medium one and a phase shifting medium two, both the phase shifting medium one and the phase shifting medium two are provided with limiting portions, and both the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer are provided with matching windows and protrusions.

[0010] According to the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter of the present invention, the support medium includes a first support medium, a second support medium and a third support medium, wherein the first support medium, the second support medium and the third support medium are spliced ​​together by a connector.

[0011] According to the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter of the present invention, the supporting medium is provided with at least two hollow units, and a reinforcing rib is provided between two adjacent hollow units.

[0012] According to the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter of the present invention, the hollow unit is circular, square or regular hexagonal.

[0013] In the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter of the present invention, the material of the supporting medium is polytetrafluoroethylene, polystyrene or polyimide.

[0014] According to the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter of the present invention, a conductive layer is electroplated at the connection between the sheet metal network and the radio frequency connector.

[0015] According to the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter of the present invention, the sheet metal network is further provided with a power dividing unit.

[0016] According to the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter of the present invention, the sheet metal network is integrally formed.

[0017] This invention provides a low-loss sheet metal phase shifter, comprising a housing with two isolated inner cavities, each containing a sheet metal network. Through-holes are located on both sides of the housing, and phase-shifting media are positioned on both sides of the sheet metal network, sliding back and forth within the inner cavities through these through-holes. Supporting media, made of a low-dielectric-constant, low-loss insulating material, are also located on both sides of the sheet metal network. These supporting media have at least one perforated unit, evenly distributed along the thickness direction of the supporting media. The perforated units reduce the amount of insulating material used in the supporting media by 30%-60%, further lowering the effective dielectric constant, reducing dielectric loss during signal transmission, reducing product weight, and lowering material consumption. RF connectors pass through the sidewalls of the housing and are electrically connected to the sheet metal network. Therefore, this low-loss sheet metal phase shifter reduces signal transmission loss, is energy-efficient, and has a stable and reliable structure. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter provided by the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the phase-shifting medium of the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter provided by the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the supporting medium of the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter provided by the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a partial structural diagram of the sheet metal network of the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] 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.

[0023] like Figures 1-4As shown, the present invention provides a low-loss sheet metal phase shifter 100, including a cavity shell 1, a sheet metal network 2, a phase shifting medium 3, a supporting medium 4, and an RF connector 5. The cavity shell 1 has through-holes 11 on both sides. The cavity shell 1 has two mutually isolated inner cavities, each with a set of sheet metal networks 2. The phase shifting medium 3 and the supporting medium 4 are respectively located on both sides of the sheet metal networks 2. Specifically, the supporting medium 4 is fixed between the cavity shell 1 and the sheet metal networks 2, supporting and insulating the sheet metal networks 2. The phase shifting medium 3 is fixed between the sheet metal networks 2. Specifically, the sheet metal networks 2 and the phase shifting medium 3... The supporting medium 4 is assembled into a single unit by snap-fit ​​and disposed within an inner cavity of the outer shell 1. The phase-shifting medium can slide back and forth along the length of the sheet metal network 2 through the through-hole 11 to achieve the phase-shifting function. The supporting medium 4 is provided with at least one hollow unit 45, which is uniformly distributed along the thickness direction of the supporting medium 4, reducing the amount of insulating material used in the supporting medium 4 by 30%-60% and reducing weight. The hollow unit 45 is one or more combinations of circles, squares, or regular hexagons, which reduces the effective dielectric constant of the supporting medium 4 and reduces the dielectric loss during signal transmission. At the same time, a space is provided between two adjacent hollow units 45. Reinforcing ribs are added to ensure the stability of the sheet metal network 2. The supporting medium 4 is made of an insulating material with low dielectric constant and low loss. In this invention, "low dielectric constant and low loss" refers to an insulating material with a dielectric constant (εᵣ) of no more than 3.5 and a dielectric loss tangent (tanδ) of no more than 0.005 at a frequency of 10 GHz. Any polymer material that meets the above dielectric parameters is suitable for this invention. In a specific embodiment of this invention, one of polytetrafluoroethylene, polystyrene, or polyimide can be selected. These materials have excellent low dielectric and low loss characteristics, and are resistant to high temperature and corrosion, making them suitable for the working environment of the phase shifter 100. The material itself is environmentally friendly and non-toxic, and can be recycled, further improving the green and environmentally friendly performance of the product. The radio frequency connector 5 passes through the side wall of the cavity shell 1 and is electrically connected to the sheet metal network 2. The side wall of the cavity shell 1 is provided with a socket. The radio frequency connector 5 passes through the socket and is electrically connected to the sheet metal network 2. In this embodiment, the radio frequency connector 5 is a radio frequency connector 5. The radio frequency connector 5 is electrically connected to the sheet metal network 2 by laser welding and is used to input and output radio frequency signals. Specifically, there are 12 radio frequency connectors 5, of which 1 is a main feed port for inputting radio frequency signals and 11 are sub-feed ports for outputting radio frequency signals, forming an eleven-port phase shifter 100.

[0024] Preferably, the sheet metal network 2 is provided with a phase adjustment unit 21 and a matching unit 22. The sheet metal network 2 also includes a power divider unit 23. The phase adjustment unit 21 is used to adjust the phase, and the power divider unit 23 provides a suitable power ratio for the phase shifter 100. The matching unit 22 provides impedance matching for the connection of the feed ports of the phase shifter 100 to the power divider unit 23 and the phase adjustment unit 21, respectively. The phase adjustment unit 21, the matching unit 22, and the power divider unit 23 are integrally formed, reducing connection nodes and avoiding signal loss caused by poor node contact. The local dimensions of the phase adjustment unit 21, the matching unit 22, and the power divider unit 23 are designed according to the operating frequency and characteristic impedance to ensure impedance matching during signal transmission, reduce reflection loss, further reduce the overall loss of the phase shifter 100, and improve signal transmission efficiency. The phase shifting medium 3 includes a first dielectric layer 31 and a second dielectric layer 32. The first dielectric layer 31 and the second dielectric layer 32 are centrally symmetrical and jointly hold the phase adjustment unit 21. The dielectric layer 31 and the second dielectric layer 32 are spliced ​​together as a whole. The first dielectric layer 31 and the second dielectric layer 32 slide synchronously back and forth along the length direction of the phase adjustment unit 21. The first dielectric layer 31 and the second dielectric layer 32 are made of insulating materials with low dielectric constant and low loss. In this invention, "low dielectric constant and low loss" means that at a frequency of 10 GHz, the dielectric constant (εᵣ) is not greater than 3.5 and the dielectric loss tangent (tanδ) is not greater than 0.005. All polymer materials that meet the above dielectric parameters are applicable to this invention. In a specific embodiment of this invention, one of polytetrafluoroethylene, polystyrene or polyimide can be selected. Such materials have excellent low dielectric and low loss characteristics, and are resistant to high temperature and corrosion, which are suitable for the working environment of the phase shifter 100. At the same time, the materials themselves are environmentally friendly and non-toxic, and can be recycled, further improving the green and environmentally friendly performance of the phase shifter 100. The supporting medium 4 is provided on the matching unit 22 to support the sheet metal network 2 without deformation.

[0025] Preferably, both the first dielectric layer 31 and the second dielectric layer 32 include a first phase-shifting medium 33 and a second phase-shifting medium 34. Both the first phase-shifting medium 33 and the second phase-shifting medium 34 are provided with limiting portions 35, which are used to clamp the phase adjustment unit 21, facilitating the sliding of the phase-shifting medium 3 on the surface of the sheet metal network 2 to change the phase shift amount and achieve phase shifting. Both the first dielectric layer 31 and the second dielectric layer 32 are provided with matching windows 311 and protrusions 321. The matching window 311 of the first dielectric layer 31 and the matching point 321 of the second dielectric layer 32... Matching windows 311 are located in the same position. The number and size of matching windows 311 match the phase adjustment unit 21, ensuring continuous and linear phase adjustment during the sliding of the phase shifting medium 3, reducing the insertion loss and return loss of the phase shifter 100. The protrusions 321 in the first dielectric layer 31 and the protrusions 321 in the second dielectric layer 32 can be located in the same position or in different positions. The protrusions 321 ensure that the gap between the phase shifting medium 3 and the inner wall of the cavity shell 1 remains consistent, protecting the phase shifting medium 3 from deformation and bending.

[0026] Preferably, the support medium 4 includes a first support medium 41, a second support medium 42, and a third support medium 43. The first support medium 41, the second support medium 42, and the third support medium 43 are spliced ​​together by a connector 44. Specifically, one end of the second support medium 42 is connected to one end of the first support medium 41 by a connector 44, and the other end of the second support medium 42 is connected to one end of the third support medium 43 by a connector 44. The first support medium 41, the second support medium 42, and the third support medium 43 are spliced ​​together to form the support medium 4. The support medium 4 is disposed between the sheet metal network 2 and the cavity shell 1, supporting the sheet metal network 2 to prevent deformation.

[0027] Preferably, the support medium 4 is provided with at least two hollow units 45. In this embodiment, several independent hollow units 45 are provided. The hollow units 45 are evenly distributed along the thickness direction of the support medium 4. A reinforcing rib is provided between two adjacent hollow units 45. The reinforcing rib is integrally formed with the support medium 4 to improve the structural strength of the support medium 4, avoid the decrease in the load-bearing capacity of the support medium 4 due to the design of the hollow units 45, ensure that the support medium 4 can stably support the sheet metal network 2, and extend the service life of the phase shifter 100.

[0028] Preferably, the hollow unit 45 is circular, square, or regular hexagonal, and the hollow unit 45 can be one or more combinations of circular, square, or regular hexagonal shapes.

[0029] Preferably, the material of the supporting medium 4 is polytetrafluoroethylene, polystyrene or polyimide. Such materials have excellent low dielectric and low loss characteristics, and are resistant to high temperature and corrosion, which are suitable for the working environment of the phase shifter 100. At the same time, the materials themselves are environmentally friendly and non-toxic, and can be recycled, further improving the green and environmentally friendly performance of the phase shifter 100.

[0030] Preferably, a conductive layer is electroplated at the connection between the sheet metal network 2 and the radio frequency connector 5. The conductive layer is a silver plating layer or a gold plating layer. The conductive layer is electroplated only at the connection between the sheet metal network 2 and the radio frequency connector 5, and no electroplating is performed on other parts. Local electroplating reduces the consumption of electroplating materials by more than 80% and reduces energy consumption by 12%-15%. The electroplating process adopts a masking electroplating method, which masks the parts of the sheet metal network 2 that do not need to be electroplated and exposes only the parts that need to be electroplated. This ensures the electroplating accuracy, improves the uniformity of the electroplated layer, ensures the conductivity and stability of signal transmission, reduces contact loss, and significantly reduces the consumption of electroplating materials, reduces the generation of electroplating waste liquid, reduces environmental pollution, and reduces production costs, making it green and energy-saving.

[0031] Preferably, the sheet metal network 2 further includes a power divider unit 23. Specifically, the sheet metal network 2 includes a phase adjustment unit 21, a matching unit 22, and a power divider unit 23. The phase adjustment unit 21 is used to adjust the phase, the power divider unit 23 provides a suitable power ratio for the phase shifter 100, and the matching unit 22 provides impedance matching for the feed ports of the phase shifter 100 to be connected to the power divider unit 23 and the phase adjustment unit 21, respectively. The phase adjustment unit 21, the matching unit 22, and the power divider unit 23 are integrally formed to reduce connection nodes and avoid signal loss caused by poor node contact. The local dimensions of the phase adjustment unit 21, the matching unit 22, and the power divider unit 23 are designed according to the operating frequency and characteristic impedance to ensure impedance matching during signal transmission, reduce reflection loss, further reduce the overall loss of the phase shifter 100, and improve signal transmission efficiency.

[0032] Preferably, the sheet metal network 2 is integrally formed to reduce node loss. The sheet metal network 2 is integrally formed using sheet metal technology. The sheet metal network 2 is made of thin metal sheets through stamping, bending, cutting and other processes, without the need for complex machining, resulting in high processing efficiency, high material utilization, high structural strength and good stability. The cavity shell 1 is also made using sheet metal technology, which increases material utilization by more than 30%. Both the sheet metal network 2 and the cavity shell 1 are made of brass, aluminum alloy or stainless steel, ensuring that the cavity shell 1 has good electromagnetic shielding performance and reducing the impact of external electromagnetic interference on the internal signal of the phase shifter 100. At the same time, the sheet metal cavity shell 1 is easy to process, lightweight and recyclable, and green and energy-saving.

[0033] It should be noted that the low-loss sheet metal phase shifter 100 in the above embodiment is a phase shifter 100 with eleven output ports. Of course, it can also be a phase shifter 100 with a multi-port structure such as one output port with four, five, six, or seven output ports.

[0034] In summary, this invention provides a low-loss sheet metal phase shifter, comprising a housing with two isolated inner cavities, each containing a sheet metal network. Through-holes are located on both sides of the housing, and phase-shifting media are positioned on both sides of the sheet metal network. These media can slide back and forth within the inner cavities through the through-holes. Supporting media, made of a low-dielectric-constant, low-loss insulating material, are also located on both sides of the sheet metal network. These supporting media have at least one perforated unit, evenly distributed along the thickness direction of the supporting media. The perforated units reduce the amount of insulating material used in the supporting media by 30%-60%, further reducing the effective dielectric constant, decreasing dielectric loss during signal transmission, reducing product weight, and lowering material consumption. RF connectors pass through the sidewalls of the housing and are electrically connected to the sheet metal network. Therefore, this low-loss sheet metal phase shifter reduces signal transmission loss, is energy-efficient, and has a stable and reliable structure.

[0035] 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 low-loss sheet metal phase shifter, characterized in that, The device includes a cavity shell, a sheet metal network, a phase-shifting medium, a supporting medium, and an RF connector. The cavity shell has through-holes on both sides. Inside the cavity shell are two isolated inner cavities, each with a set of sheet metal networks. The phase-shifting medium and the supporting medium are located on opposite sides of the sheet metal networks. The phase-shifting medium can slide back and forth along the length of the sheet metal network. The supporting medium has at least one perforated unit, evenly distributed along its thickness. The supporting medium is made of a low-dielectric-constant, low-loss insulating material. The RF connector passes through the sidewall of the cavity shell and is electrically connected to the sheet metal network.

2. The low-loss sheet metal phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sheet metal network is provided with a phase adjustment unit and a matching unit. The phase shifting medium includes a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer. The first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer are centrally symmetrical and jointly clamp the phase adjustment unit. The first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer slide synchronously back and forth along the length direction of the phase adjustment unit. The support medium is provided on the matching unit.

3. The low-loss sheet metal phase shifter according to claim 2, characterized in that, Both the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer include a phase-shifting medium one and a phase-shifting medium two. Both the phase-shifting medium one and the phase-shifting medium two are provided with limiting portions. Both the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer are provided with matching windows and protrusions.

4. The low-loss sheet metal phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support medium includes a first support medium, a second support medium, and a third support medium, which are spliced ​​together by connectors.

5. The low-loss sheet metal phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The supporting medium has at least two hollow units, and a reinforcing rib is provided between two adjacent hollow units.

6. The low-loss sheet metal phase shifter according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that, The hollowed-out unit is circular, square, or regular hexagonal.

7. The low-loss sheet metal phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The supporting medium is made of polytetrafluoroethylene, polystyrene, or polyimide.

8. The low-loss sheet metal phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, A conductive layer is electroplated at the connection between the sheet metal network and the radio frequency connector.

9. The low-loss sheet metal phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sheet metal network also includes a power distribution unit.

10. The low-loss sheet metal phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sheet metal network is integrally formed.

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