Radiating unit, antenna and base station

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a radiating unit, an antenna and a base station. The radiating unit comprises two pairs of radiating arms which are orthogonally arranged in a polarized manner, and a pair of baluns for respectively feeding the two pairs of radiating arms, wherein each balun comprises a dielectric plate and a balun line; the balun line comprises a balun feeder which is arranged on a front face of the dielectric plate and a balun grounding wire which is arranged on a back face of the dielectric plate; and the balun feeder and the balun grounding wire respectively feed two radiating arms of the same polarization. The radiating unit respectively feeds the two pairs of radiating arms by means of the pair of baluns, and the balun feeder and the balun grounding wire of each balun respectively feed two radiating arms of the same polarization, such that two radiating arms of the same polarization can be fed by using one balun, so that the number of baluns is reduced, thereby reducing the size of the radiating unit, reducing the mutual coupling interference between baluns of two adjacent radiating units, and thus facilitating antenna integration.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of mobile communication technologies, and in particular, to a radiation unit, an antenna with the radiation unit, and a base station with the antenna.BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of modem mobile communication technologies, the demand of users for high-capacity and low-latency communication increases day by day, and thus, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication networks emerge. In the process of constructing the 5G mobile communication network in China, various types of networks need to be collaboratively developed. For example, 5G and 4G networks work simultaneously. However, different types of networks need to adopt antennas with different frequency bands, so that the number of antennas on each base station site is increased rapidly, the construction and maintenance costs of the antenna base station site are greatly increased, the waste of antenna environment resources is caused, and excessive antennas also influence an urban appearance. Therefore, antennas of various types are integrated into a whole in the industry to form a small-size and common-caliber integrated multi-frequency antenna to meet the application requirements of mobile communication, so as to solve the current problems such as insufficient space of antenna installation platform, insufficient mounting position, insufficient coverage, and poor performance.

[0003] Under the condition of a limited size, in order to integrate more radiation units, the distance between every two adjacent radiation units has to be reduced. However, after the distance between every two adjacent radiation units is reduced, the mutual coupling interference between the two radiation units is increased sharply to affect the radiation performance of the radiation units. Baluns of the radiation units are a main factor affecting the mutual coupling of every two adjacent radiation units.

[0004] For example, a feeding balun structure of a traditional radiation unit is a dual-polarized balun which includes four grounding conductors with a height of about 1 / 4 wavelengths and two dual-polarized feed lines, so that the metal size of the balun is large, and in the environment of an array antenna with a reduced unit distance, the mutual coupling between adjacent radiation units is easily increased to affect the performance of the array antenna inevitably.SUMMARY

[0005] An objective of the present application is to solve at least one of the above problems and provide a radiation unit, an antenna, and a base station.

[0006] In order to achieve the objectives of the present application, the present application adopts the following technical solution.

[0007] In order to achieve one of the objectives of the present application, a radiation unit is provided, which includes two pairs of radiation arms arranged in orthogonal polarization and a pair of baluns for respectively feeding the two pairs of radiation arms. Each balun includes a dielectric plate and a balun line. The balun line includes a balun feed line which is arranged on a front surface of the dielectric plate and a balun ground line which is arranged on a back surface of the dielectric plate. The balun feed line and the balun ground line respectively feed two radiation arms of the same polarization.

[0008] In order to achieve one of the objectives of the present application, an antenna is provided, which includes a reflecting plate and a radiation array. The radiation array includes a low-frequency radiation column and a high-frequency radiation column. At least one low-frequency radiation column is arranged among a plurality of high-frequency radiation columns. The low-frequency radiation column is composed of a plurality of low-frequency radiation units, and the low-frequency radiation units are the radiation units according to any description of the previous objective.

[0009] In order to achieve one of the objectives of the present application, a base station is provided. The base station is equipped with the antenna according to the description of the previous objective for transmitting signals communicated by the base station.

[0010] Compared to the prior art, the present application has various advantages, including but not limited to the following.

[0011] On the one hand, in the radiation unit according to the present application, one pair of radiation arms are fed through the balun feed line and the balun ground line on the balun respectively, and the balun feed line and the balun ground line form one balun line, so that there is no need to set one dedicated balun line for each radiation arm, so as to reduce the number of the balun lines, thereby reducing the size of the balun, which in turn reduces the size of the radiation unit and facilitates the miniaturization of the antenna. In addition, the reduction of the number of the balun lines can also reduce the production cost of the balun, correspondingly reduce the production cost of the radiation unit and improve the market competitiveness of the radiation unit.

[0012] On the other hand, the reduction of the number of the balun lines can reduce the mutual coupling among the plurality of baluns of the same radiation unit, and improve the radiation performance of the radiation unit. The mutual coupling between the baluns and the baluns of an adjacent radiation unit can be reduced, so as to reduce the distance between two adjacent radiation units of the antenna, facilitate the miniaturization of the antenna, and save resources of antenna installation platform.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2a is a schematic diagram of a front surface of a balun of the radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2b is a schematic diagram of a back surface of the balun of the radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a pair of baluns of the radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a back surface of a second balun of the radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a radiation unit according to another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a pair of baluns according to another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective diagram of a balun feed line of the balun in another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the balun feed line of the balun in another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a pair of baluns and a connecting base in another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a balun ground line and the connecting base in another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, with reference to FIG. 1, a radiation unit 100 includes two pairs of radiation arms 200 and a pair of baluns 300. The two pairs of radiation arms 200 are arranged in orthogonal polarization, and the pair of baluns 300 respectively feed the two pairs of radiation arms 200. Specifically, one balun 300 feeds two radiation arms 200 of the same polarization, and the other balun 300 feeds two radiation arms 200 of the other polarization.

[0015] The balun 300 includes a dielectric plate 310 and a balun line. The balun line is arranged on the dielectric plate 310. With reference to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, FIG. 2a shows a structure of a front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300, and FIG. 2b shows a structure of a back surface 312 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300. The balun line includes a balun feed line 321 and a balun ground line 322. The balun feed line 321 is arranged on the front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310, the balun ground line 322 is arranged on the back surface 312 of the dielectric plate 310, and the balun feed line 321 is in coupling communication with the balun ground line 322. Preferably, the balun line includes, but is not limited to, a microstrip line, a coplanar line or a strip line.

[0016] For convenience of description, referring to FIG. 1, the radiation arm 200 electrically connected to the balun feed line 321 of the balun 300 is referred to as a first radiation arm 210, the radiation arm 200 electrically connected to the balun ground line 322 is referred to as a third radiation arm 230, and the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 are two radiation arms of the same polarization.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 2a, the balun feed line 321 extends from a bottom 313 of the front surface 311 to a top 314 of the front surface 311, and a feed input end 3211 and a first feed end 3212 are respectively arranged at two ends of the balun feed line 321. The feed input end 3211 of the balun feed line 321 is arranged at the bottom 313 of the front surface 311, so that the feed input end 3211 is connected to an external first feeding network (not shown) which feeds the balun feed line 321 via the feed input end 3211. The first feed end 3212 of the balun feed line 321 is arranged at the top 314 of the front surface 311, and the first feed end 3212 is electrically connected to the corresponding first radiation arm 210, so as to feed the first radiation arm 210 via the first feed end 3212.

[0018] With reference to FIG. 2b, the balun ground line 322 extends from a bottom 313 of the back surface 312 to a top 314 of the back surface 312, and a second feed end 3221 and a ground end 3222 are respectively arranged at two ends of the balun ground line 322. The second feed end 3221 of the balun ground line 322 is arranged at the top 314 of the back surface 312, and the second feed end 3221 is electrically connected to the corresponding third radiation arm 230, so as to facilitate the second feed end 3221 to feed the third radiation arm 230. The ground end 3222 is arranged at the bottom 313 of the back surface 312, and the ground end 3222 is electrically connected to a metal ground of the external first feeding network or an external second feeding network (not shown).

[0019] After the feed input end 3211 of the balun feed line 321 receives an external current, the external current is divided into two paths in the balun feed line 321. One path of the current is fed to the first radiation arm 210 through the first feed end 3212, and the other path of the current is coupled to the balun ground line 322. The current fed to the first radiation arm 210 is referred to as a first current, and the current coupled to the balun ground line 322 is referred to as a second current.

[0020] The first current is fed to the first radiation arm 210 through the first feed end 3212, and the first radiation arm 210 is excited by the first current to radiate a signal outwards. In this embodiment, the first current is fully consumed by the first radiation arm 210 for excitation.

[0021] The second current is coupled to the balun ground line 322, so that the second current has a phase difference of 180° from the first current. Since the second current flowing to the third radiation arm 230 is consumed by excitation, an electromotive force of the second current on the third radiation arm 230 is lower than that of the second current just coupled to the balun ground line 322, so that the second current just coupled to the balun ground line 322 tends to flow into the third radiation arm 230 through the second feed end 3221. The second current originally on the third radiation arm 230 tends to flow into the ground end 3222 of the balun ground line 322, and therefore, the second current just coupled to the balun ground line 322 is fed into the third radiation arm 230 through the second feed end 3221, and the third radiation arm 230 is excited to radiate a signal outwards. When the third radiation arm 230 is excited by the second current, the second current flows to the balun ground line 322 through the second feed end 3221 again, and flows to the metal ground of the first feeding network or the second feeding network through the ground end 3222 of the balun ground line 322.

[0022] Therefore, the first current is completely consumed by the first radiation arm 210, and the second current flows through the balun feed line 321, the balun ground line 322, the third radiation arm 230, and the metal ground and then is grounded, so that the current fed into the balun 300 forms a complete loop.

[0023] Since the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 are arranged in the same polarization, and the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 are arranged on two sides of a polarization center, in order to make the first feed end 3212 of the balun feed line 321 electrically connected to the first radiation arm 210 and make the second feed end 3221 of the balun ground line 322 electrically connected to the third radiation arm 230, the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 are arranged on two sides of the dielectric plate 310 respectively, so that the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 arranged on the same dielectric plate 310 can be electrically connected to the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 respectively.

[0024] Specifically, since the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 are arranged on the front surface and the back surface of the dielectric plate 310 respectively, in a projection direction of the front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310, a projection of the first feed end 3212 and a projection of the second feed end 3221 are arranged on two sides of the front surface 311 respectively, so that the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 are electrically connected to the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 respectively.

[0025] In an embodiment, the dielectric plate 310 includes a body 319 and an extension arm 315. The body 319 is vertically arranged and extends towards the radiation arm 200. A top of the body 319 is bent leftwards or rightwards to form the extension arm 315, so that the dielectric plate 310 forms an L-shaped structure. The length of the extension arm 315 is greater than the width of the body 319. In the projection direction of the front surface 311, the projection of the first feed end 3212 and the projection of the second feed end 3221 are respectively arranged on left and right sides of the extension arm 315, so as to enlarge the distance between the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221, so that when the distance between the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 is relatively long, the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 can still be electrically connected to the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 respectively.

[0026] The extension arm 315 includes a first end and a second end. The first end is connected to the body 319, and the second end is away from the body 319. The first feed end 3212 extends to the second end of the extension arm 315, and the second feed end 3221 extends to the first end of the extension arm 315.

[0027] In another embodiment, the first feed end 3212 extends to the first end of the extension arm 315, and the second feed end 3221 extends to the second end of the extension arm 315.

[0028] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the radiation arm 200 includes a radiation portion 250 and a coupling portion 260, and the radiation portion 250 is coupled to the coupling portion 260. The coupling portion 260 is electrically connected to the first feed end 3212 of the corresponding balun feed line 321 or the second feed end 3221 of the corresponding balun ground line 322. After the coupling portion 260 receives the current through the first feed end 3212 or the second feed end 3221, the coupling portion 260 couples the current to the radiation portion 250 to excite the radiation portion 250, so that the radiation portion 250 radiates the signal outwards. Specifically, the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 are physically connected or coupled to the coupling portion 260.

[0029] The radiation unit 100 further includes a dielectric substrate 270, and the two pairs of radiation arms 200 are arranged on the dielectric substrate 270. Specifically, the radiation portions 250 of the radiation arms 200 are arranged on the dielectric substrate 270. With reference to FIG. 2a, FIG. 2b and FIG. 4, the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300 is provided with an insertion tab 316. With reference to FIG. 3, the dielectric substrate 270 is provided with a insertion hole 271 corresponding to the insertion tab 316. The insertion tab 316 is inserted into the insertion hole 271, so that the dielectric substrate 270 is supported by the dielectric plate 310, and therefore, the radiation arm 200 is supported by the dielectric substrate 270, thereby maintaining the structural stability of the radiation unit 100. Preferably, the insertion tab 316 is arranged on the extension arm 315.

[0030] Further, the coupling portion 260 of the radiation arm 200 is arranged above the radiation portion 250. With reference to FIG. 2a, FIG. 2b and FIG. 4, the first feed end 3212 or the second feed end 3221 extends towards the coupling portion 260 along the insertion tab 316, so that the first feed end 3212 or the second feed end 3221 is electrically connected to the coupling portion 260 of the corresponding radiation arm 200. Specifically, since the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 are both arranged on the dielectric substrate 270, the dielectric plate 310 is provided with two insertion tabs 316, and the two insertion tabs 316 respectively correspond to the coupling portion 260 of the first radiation arm 210 and the coupling portion 260 of the third radiation arm 230, so as to facilitate the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 to respectively extend onto the two insertion tabs 316, so that the first feed end 3212 is electrically connected to the coupling portion 260 of the first radiation arm 210, and the second feed end 3221 is electrically connected to the coupling portion 260 of the third radiation arm 230. Preferably, the coupling portion 260 is in the shape of a sheet.

[0031] In an embodiment, an avoidance space is defined in the insertion hole 271. That is, the diameter of the insertion hole 271 is larger than the area of a cross section of the insertion tab 316, and the first feed end 3212 or the second feed end 3221 extending to the insertion tab 316 faces the avoidance space, so as to prevent the first feed end 3212 or the second feed end 3221 from being physically connected to the radiation portion 250 on the dielectric substrate 270. In another embodiment, the insertion hole 271 is an insulating hole.

[0032] In an embodiment, a first coupling branch (not shown) is arranged on the first radiation arm 210, a second coupling branch (not shown) is arranged on the second radiation arm 220, and the first coupling branch and the second coupling branch are coupled with each other, so that the first radiation arm 210 and the second radiation arm 220 are coupled with each other, improving the radiation efficiency of the first radiation arm 210 and the second radiation arm 220, thereby improving the radiation performance of the radiation unit 100. The first radiation arm 210 can also couple the excessive first current to the second radiation arm 220 to prevent the first radiation arm 210 from being damaged by the excessive first current. Preferably, the first coupling branch and the second coupling branch both extend towards the bottom 313 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300, so as to save the space of the radiation unit 100 and reduce the size of the radiation unit 100.

[0033] In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, in the projection direction of the front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300, a projection of the balun feed line 321 arranged on the front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310 is overlapped with a projection of the balun ground line 322 arranged on the back surface 312 of the dielectric plate 310, and the projection of the balun feed line 321 is partially overlapped with the projection of the balun ground line 322 to form a projection overlapping region.

[0034] The area of the projection overlapping region is more than 30% of the area of the balun feed line 321 or 30% of the area of the balun ground line 322, so as to increase the area of a coupling region between the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322, improve the efficiency of coupling between the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322, and reduce parasitic radiation of surface waves, thereby facilitating a reduction of the metal size of the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322, reducing the mutual coupling between the balun feed line and the balun ground line of the balun corresponding to the other polarization of the same radiation unit 100, and reducing the mutual coupling between the balun and the balun of the adjacent radiation unit, so as to improve the radiation performances of the radiation unit 100 and an antenna where the radiation unit 100 is located. In addition, the metal sizes of the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322 are reduced, which facilitates miniaturization of the balun 300, so that radiation is miniaturized, the production cost of the balun 300 is reduced, and the time competitiveness of the radiation unit 100 is improved. Preferably, the area of the projection overlapping region is more than 50% of the area of the balun feed line 321 or 50% of the area of the balun ground line 322.

[0035] In further embodiments, the average line width of the balun feed line 321 differs from the average line width of the balun ground line 322 by less than 3 times, that is, the average line width of the balun feed line 321 is less than 3 times the average line width of the balun ground line 322, or the average line width of the balun ground line 322 is less than 3 times the average line width of the balun feed line 321. Therefore, in the projection direction of the front surface 311, the area of the projection overlapping region formed by overlapping of the projection of the balun ground line 322 and the projection of the balun feed line 321 is made as large as possible relative to the area of the balun feed line 321 or the area of the balun ground line 322, so as to improve the efficiency of coupling between the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322.

[0036] Further, the line width of each segment on an extension path of the balun feed line 321 and / or the line width of each segment on an extension path of the balun ground line 322 is adjusted to adjust impedance matching of the radiation unit 100, so as to improve the radiation performance of the radiation unit 100. Those skilled in the art can flexibly adjust the line widths of each segment on the extension path of the balun feed line 321 and each segment on the extension path of the balun ground line 322 according to requirements of the radiation unit 100, which is not limited herein, so as to improve the radiation performance of the radiation unit 100.

[0037] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, with reference to FIG. 1, the radiation unit 100 includes two pairs of radiation arms 200 and a pair of baluns 300, and the pair of baluns 300 feed the two pairs of radiation arms 200. The structure of each balun 300 is the same as that of the balun 300 described above, and the connection relationship between the balun 300 and one pair of radiation arms 200 is also the same as that between the balun 300 and one pair of radiation arms 200 described above.

[0038] The pair of radiation arms 200 of first polarization of the two pairs of radiation arms 200 are referred to as a first radiation arm 210 and a third radiation arm 230, and the pair of radiation arms 200 of second polarization are referred to as a second radiation arm 220 and a fourth radiation arm 240. The balun 300 connected to the pair of radiation arms 200 of the first polarization is referred to as a first balun 340, and the balun 300 connected to the pair of radiation arms 200 of the second polarization is referred to as a second balun 350.

[0039] The first balun 340 and the second balun 350 are inserted into each other. Specifically, with reference to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, a first insertion groove 343 is defined on the extension arm 342 of the dielectric plate 341 of the first balun 340, and with reference to FIG. 5, a second insertion groove 353 is defined on the extension arm 352 of the dielectric plate 351 of the second balun 350. An opening of the first insertion groove 343 faces away from the dielectric substrate 270, and an opening of the second insertion groove 353 faces the dielectric substrate 270, so that the first insertion groove 343 and the second insertion groove 353 can be inserted into each other, so that the first balun 340 and the second balun 350 are inserted into each other and fixed. Moreover, the insertion grooves of the two baluns are respectively arranged on the extension arms thereof, so that the distance between the bodies of the dielectric plates of the first balun 340 and the second balun 350 can be increased, so as to reduce the mutual coupling between the balun line of the first balun 340 and the balun line of the second balun 350, and improve the radiation performance of the radiation unit 100.

[0040] The dielectric plate 341 of the first balun 340 and the dielectric plate 351 of the second balun 350 intersect and are inserted into each other, and an included angle between the dielectric plate 341 of the first balun 340 and the dielectric plate 351 of the second balun 350 is greater than or equal to 90°, as specifically shown by angle A in FIG. 4, so as to increase the distance between the balun line of the first balun 340 and the balun line of the second balun 350, thereby reducing the mutual coupling between the first balun 340 and the second balun 350, and improving the radiation performance of the radiation unit 100.

[0041] With reference to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, the feed input end 3451 of the balun feed line 345 of the first balun 340 is electrically connected to the first feeding network, and the ground end 3461 of the balun ground line 346 of the first balun 340 is electrically connected to the metal ground of the first feeding network or the metal ground of the second feeding network. Referring to FIG. 5, the feed input end of the balun feed line (not shown) of the second balun 350 is electrically connected to a third feeding network (not shown), and the ground end 3561 of the balun ground line 356 of the second balun 350 is electrically connected to a metal ground of the third feeding network or the metal ground of the second feeding network. In an embodiment, the ground end 3461 of the first balun 340 and the ground end 3561 of the second balun 350 are both connected to the metal ground of the second feeding network.

[0042] In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 1, the radiation unit 100 is arranged on an external mounting plate 410. Referring to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, the bottom 313 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300 of the radiation unit 100 is provided with a mounting tab 317, the mounting plate 410 is provided with a fixing hole (not shown) corresponding to the mounting tab 317, and the mounting tab 317 is inserted into the fixing hole. Referring to FIG. 2a, the mounting tab 347 of the first balun 340 of the radiation unit 100 is inserted into the corresponding fixing hole, and referring to FIG. 5, the mounting tab 357 of the second balun 350 is also inserted into the corresponding fixing hole, so that the radiation unit 100 can be stably arranged on a reflecting plate 510. Preferably, the first feeding network, the second feeding network and the third feeding network are all arranged on the mounting plate 410.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322 are printed on the dielectric plate 310.

[0044] In another embodiment, with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, the balun feed line 321 is a metal conductive sheet. With reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the balun ground line 322 is also a metal conductive sheet. The balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322 are arranged on the dielectric plate 310. The balun feed line 321 is integrally formed from sheet metal, and the balun ground line 322 is also integrally formed from sheet metal.

[0045] With reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the first feed end 3212 of the balun feed line 321 is sheet-shaped, so that the first feed end 3212 is coupled in parallel with the coupling portion 260 of the corresponding radiation arm 200, thereby improving the coupling efficiency. With reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the second feed end 3221 of the balun ground line 322 is also sheet-shaped, so that the second feed end 3221 is also coupled in parallel with the coupling portion 260 of the corresponding radiation arm 200, thereby improving the coupling efficiency.

[0046] Specifically, referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the dielectric plate 310 is provided with a through mounting hole (not shown) along a longitudinal direction thereof, and the balun feed line 321 is arranged in the mounting hole. The first feed end 3212 and the feed input end 3211 of the balun feed line 321 extend from two ends of the mounting hole respectively, so as to facilitate the first feed end 3212 to be electrically connected to the corresponding radiation arm 200, and facilitate the feed input end 3211 to be electrically connected to the first feeding network. In this embodiment, the balun feed line 321 and the dielectric plate 310 are integrally molded by injection molding, so as to facilitate production and processing and reduce the cost. In another embodiment, the balun ground line 322 is also arranged within the mounting hole. Alternatively, one of the balun ground line 321 and the balun feed line 322 is arranged in the mounting hole.

[0047] In this embodiment, a fixing structure is arranged on the back surface of the dielectric plate 310, a fitting structure is arranged on the balun ground line 322, and the fixing structure is connected to the fitting structure, so that the balun ground line 322 is fixedly arranged on the back surface of the dielectric plate 310.

[0048] Specifically, referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the fixing structure includes a plurality of fixing posts 319 protruding from the back surface, a plurality of fixing holes 3223 or fixing grooves are defined on the balun ground line 322, and the plurality of fixing posts 319 are correspondingly inserted into the plurality of fixing holes 3223 or fixing grooves, so that the balun ground line 322 is fixedly arranged on the dielectric plate 310. Alternatively, the fixing structure is arranged on the balun ground line 322, and the fitting structure is arranged on the dielectric plate 310, so that the balun ground line 322 is fixedly connected to the dielectric plate 310. In another embodiment, a fixing structure is also arranged on the front surface of the dielectric plate 310, and a fitting structure is also arranged on the balun feed line 321, so that the balun feed line 321 is arranged on the front surface of the dielectric plate 310.

[0049] In a further embodiment, referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the radiation unit 100 further includes a connecting base 360, and the connecting base 360 is grounded. The ground end 3461 of the balun ground line 346 of the first balun 340 (referred to as a first ground end 3461) and the ground end 3561 of the balun ground line 356 of the second balun 350 (referred to as a second ground end 3561) are both connected to the connecting base 360. In this embodiment, the first ground end 3461, the second ground end 3561 and the connecting base 360 are integrally formed.

[0050] In an embodiment, a coaxial cable 420 is arranged on the first feeding network and / or the second feeding network, and the balun feed line 321 is fed by the coaxial cable 420. An outer conductor of the coaxial cable 420 is welded to the connecting base 360, and an inner conductor of the coaxial cable 420 is welded to the feed input end 3211 of the balun feed line 321, so that the balun feed line 321 is fed through the coaxial cable 420.

[0051] Specifically, the connecting base 360 is provided with a conductor groove 361 corresponding to the outer conductor of the coaxial cable 420, and the outer conductor of the coaxial cable 420 is welded on the conductor groove 361. A via hole (not shown) is defined at the feed input end 3211 of the balun feed line 321, and the inner conductor of the coaxial cable 420 passes through the via hole and is welded to the feed input end 3211.

[0052] In an embodiment, the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 form a first dipole, and the second radiation arm 220 and the fourth radiation arm 240 form a second dipole, so that the radiation unit 100 is a dipole radiation unit 100.

[0053] The present application further provides an antenna. Referring to FIG. 12, the antenna includes a reflecting plate 510 and a radiation array arranged on the reflecting plate 510. The radiation array includes a low-frequency radiation column 520 and a high-frequency radiation column 530. The low-frequency radiation column 520 includes a plurality of low-frequency radiation units which are fed in parallel with each other, and the low-frequency radiation units are the radiation units 100 described above. The high-frequency radiation column 530 includes a plurality of high-frequency radiation units 100 which are fed in parallel with each other. The low-frequency radiation column 520 is arranged adjacent to the high-frequency radiation column 530.

[0054] The low-frequency radiation column 520 and the high-frequency radiation column 530 are collinearly arranged along the same axis. Since the low-frequency radiation units of the low-frequency radiation column 520 are the radiation units 100 described above, the low-frequency radiation units 100 can reduce the mutual coupling with baluns of the adjacent high-frequency radiation units or the baluns of the adjacent low-frequency radiation units by using the baluns 300 without affecting the radiation performance of the adjacent low-frequency radiation units or high-frequency radiation units.

[0055] The present application further provides a base station with the above antenna, and the base station receives or transmits an antenna signal of a corresponding frequency band through the antenna.

[0056] In summary, in the radiation unit according to the present application, one pair of radiation arms are fed through the balun feed line and the balun ground line on the balun respectively, and the balun feed line and the balun ground line form one balun line, so that there is no need to set one dedicated balun line for each radiation arm, so as to reduce the number of the balun lines, thereby reducing the size of the balun, which in turn reduces the size of the radiation unit. Moreover, the reduction of the number of the balun lines can reduce the mutual coupling among the plurality of baluns of the same radiation unit, thereby improving the radiation performance of the radiation unit.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0014]In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, with reference to FIG. 1, a radiation unit 100 includes two pairs of radiation arms 200 and a pair of baluns 300. The two pairs of radiation arms 200 are arranged in orthogonal polarization, and the pair of baluns 300 respectively feed the two pairs of radiation arms 200. Specifically, one balun 300 feeds two radiation arms 200 of the same polarization, and the other balun 300 feeds two radiation arms 200 of the other polarization.

[0015]The balun 300 includes a dielectric plate 310 and a balun line. The balun line is arranged on the dielectric plate 310. With reference to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, FIG. 2a shows a structure of a front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300, and FIG. 2b shows a structure of a back surface 312 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300. The balun line includes a balun feed line 321 and a balun ground line 322. The balun feed line 321 is arranged on the front surface 311 of the ...

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of mobile communication technologies, and in particular, to a radiation unit, an antenna with the radiation unit, and a base station with the antenna.BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of modem mobile communication technologies, the demand of users for high-capacity and low-latency communication increases day by day, and thus, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication networks emerge. In the process of constructing the 5G mobile communication network in China, various types of networks need to be collaboratively developed. For example, 5G and 4G networks work simultaneously. However, different types of networks need to adopt antennas with different frequency bands, so that the number of antennas on each base station site is increased rapidly, the construction and maintenance costs of the antenna base station site are greatly increased, the waste of antenna environment resources is caused, and excessive antennas also influence an urban appearance. Therefore, antennas of various types are integrated into a whole in the industry to form a small-size and common-caliber integrated multi-frequency antenna to meet the application requirements of mobile communication, so as to solve the current problems such as insufficient space of antenna installation platform, insufficient mounting position, insufficient coverage, and poor performance.

[0003] Under the condition of a limited size, in order to integrate more radiation units, the distance between every two adjacent radiation units has to be reduced. However, after the distance between every two adjacent radiation units is reduced, the mutual coupling interference between the two radiation units is increased sharply to affect the radiation performance of the radiation units. Baluns of the radiation units are a main factor affecting the mutual coupling of every two adjacent radiation units.

[0004] For example, a feeding balun structure of a traditional radiation unit is a dual-polarized balun which includes four grounding conductors with a height of about 1 / 4 wavelengths and two dual-polarized feed lines, so that the metal size of the balun is large, and in the environment of an array antenna with a reduced unit distance, the mutual coupling between adjacent radiation units is easily increased to affect the performance of the array antenna inevitably.SUMMARY

[0005] An objective of the present application is to solve at least one of the above problems and provide a radiation unit, an antenna, and a base station.

[0006] In order to achieve the objectives of the present application, the present application adopts the following technical solution.

[0007] In order to achieve one of the objectives of the present application, a radiation unit is provided, which includes two pairs of radiation arms arranged in orthogonal polarization and a pair of baluns for respectively feeding the two pairs of radiation arms. Each balun includes a dielectric plate and a balun line. The balun line includes a balun feed line which is arranged on a front surface of the dielectric plate and a balun ground line which is arranged on a back surface of the dielectric plate. The balun feed line and the balun ground line respectively feed two radiation arms of the same polarization.

[0008] In order to achieve one of the objectives of the present application, an antenna is provided, which includes a reflecting plate and a radiation array. The radiation array includes a low-frequency radiation column and a high-frequency radiation column. At least one low-frequency radiation column is arranged among a plurality of high-frequency radiation columns. The low-frequency radiation column is composed of a plurality of low-frequency radiation units, and the low-frequency radiation units are the radiation units according to any description of the previous objective.

[0009] In order to achieve one of the objectives of the present application, a base station is provided. The base station is equipped with the antenna according to the description of the previous objective for transmitting signals communicated by the base station.

[0010] Compared to the prior art, the present application has various advantages, including but not limited to the following.

[0011] On the one hand, in the radiation unit according to the present application, one pair of radiation arms are fed through the balun feed line and the balun ground line on the balun respectively, and the balun feed line and the balun ground line form one balun line, so that there is no need to set one dedicated balun line for each radiation arm, so as to reduce the number of the balun lines, thereby reducing the size of the balun, which in turn reduces the size of the radiation unit and facilitates the miniaturization of the antenna. In addition, the reduction of the number of the balun lines can also reduce the production cost of the balun, correspondingly reduce the production cost of the radiation unit and improve the market competitiveness of the radiation unit.

[0012] On the other hand, the reduction of the number of the balun lines can reduce the mutual coupling among the plurality of baluns of the same radiation unit, and improve the radiation performance of the radiation unit. The mutual coupling between the baluns and the baluns of an adjacent radiation unit can be reduced, so as to reduce the distance between two adjacent radiation units of the antenna, facilitate the miniaturization of the antenna, and save resources of antenna installation platform.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2a is a schematic diagram of a front surface of a balun of the radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2b is a schematic diagram of a back surface of the balun of the radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a pair of baluns of the radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a back surface of a second balun of the radiation unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a radiation unit according to another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a pair of baluns according to another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective diagram of a balun feed line of the balun in another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the balun feed line of the balun in another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a pair of baluns and a connecting base in another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a balun ground line and the connecting base in another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, with reference to FIG. 1, a radiation unit 100 includes two pairs of radiation arms 200 and a pair of baluns 300. The two pairs of radiation arms 200 are arranged in orthogonal polarization, and the pair of baluns 300 respectively feed the two pairs of radiation arms 200. Specifically, one balun 300 feeds two radiation arms 200 of the same polarization, and the other balun 300 feeds two radiation arms 200 of the other polarization.

[0015] The balun 300 includes a dielectric plate 310 and a balun line. The balun line is arranged on the dielectric plate 310. With reference to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, FIG. 2a shows a structure of a front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300, and FIG. 2b shows a structure of a back surface 312 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300. The balun line includes a balun feed line 321 and a balun ground line 322. The balun feed line 321 is arranged on the front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310, the balun ground line 322 is arranged on the back surface 312 of the dielectric plate 310, and the balun feed line 321 is in coupling communication with the balun ground line 322. Preferably, the balun line includes, but is not limited to, a microstrip line, a coplanar line or a strip line.

[0016] For convenience of description, referring to FIG. 1, the radiation arm 200 electrically connected to the balun feed line 321 of the balun 300 is referred to as a first radiation arm 210, the radiation arm 200 electrically connected to the balun ground line 322 is referred to as a third radiation arm 230, and the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 are two radiation arms of the same polarization.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 2a, the balun feed line 321 extends from a bottom 313 of the front surface 311 to a top 314 of the front surface 311, and a feed input end 3211 and a first feed end 3212 are respectively arranged at two ends of the balun feed line 321. The feed input end 3211 of the balun feed line 321 is arranged at the bottom 313 of the front surface 311, so that the feed input end 3211 is connected to an external first feeding network (not shown) which feeds the balun feed line 321 via the feed input end 3211. The first feed end 3212 of the balun feed line 321 is arranged at the top 314 of the front surface 311, and the first feed end 3212 is electrically connected to the corresponding first radiation arm 210, so as to feed the first radiation arm 210 via the first feed end 3212.

[0018] With reference to FIG. 2b, the balun ground line 322 extends from a bottom 313 of the back surface 312 to a top 314 of the back surface 312, and a second feed end 3221 and a ground end 3222 are respectively arranged at two ends of the balun ground line 322. The second feed end 3221 of the balun ground line 322 is arranged at the top 314 of the back surface 312, and the second feed end 3221 is electrically connected to the corresponding third radiation arm 230, so as to facilitate the second feed end 3221 to feed the third radiation arm 230. The ground end 3222 is arranged at the bottom 313 of the back surface 312, and the ground end 3222 is electrically connected to a metal ground of the external first feeding network or an external second feeding network (not shown).

[0019] After the feed input end 3211 of the balun feed line 321 receives an external current, the external current is divided into two paths in the balun feed line 321. One path of the current is fed to the first radiation arm 210 through the first feed end 3212, and the other path of the current is coupled to the balun ground line 322. The current fed to the first radiation arm 210 is referred to as a first current, and the current coupled to the balun ground line 322 is referred to as a second current.

[0020] The first current is fed to the first radiation arm 210 through the first feed end 3212, and the first radiation arm 210 is excited by the first current to radiate a signal outwards. In this embodiment, the first current is fully consumed by the first radiation arm 210 for excitation.

[0021] The second current is coupled to the balun ground line 322, so that the second current has a phase difference of 180° from the first current. Since the second current flowing to the third radiation arm 230 is consumed by excitation, an electromotive force of the second current on the third radiation arm 230 is lower than that of the second current just coupled to the balun ground line 322, so that the second current just coupled to the balun ground line 322 tends to flow into the third radiation arm 230 through the second feed end 3221. The second current originally on the third radiation arm 230 tends to flow into the ground end 3222 of the balun ground line 322, and therefore, the second current just coupled to the balun ground line 322 is fed into the third radiation arm 230 through the second feed end 3221, and the third radiation arm 230 is excited to radiate a signal outwards. When the third radiation arm 230 is excited by the second current, the second current flows to the balun ground line 322 through the second feed end 3221 again, and flows to the metal ground of the first feeding network or the second feeding network through the ground end 3222 of the balun ground line 322.

[0022] Therefore, the first current is completely consumed by the first radiation arm 210, and the second current flows through the balun feed line 321, the balun ground line 322, the third radiation arm 230, and the metal ground and then is grounded, so that the current fed into the balun 300 forms a complete loop.

[0023] Since the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 are arranged in the same polarization, and the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 are arranged on two sides of a polarization center, in order to make the first feed end 3212 of the balun feed line 321 electrically connected to the first radiation arm 210 and make the second feed end 3221 of the balun ground line 322 electrically connected to the third radiation arm 230, the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 are arranged on two sides of the dielectric plate 310 respectively, so that the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 arranged on the same dielectric plate 310 can be electrically connected to the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 respectively.

[0024] Specifically, since the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 are arranged on the front surface and the back surface of the dielectric plate 310 respectively, in a projection direction of the front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310, a projection of the first feed end 3212 and a projection of the second feed end 3221 are arranged on two sides of the front surface 311 respectively, so that the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 are electrically connected to the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 respectively.

[0025] In an embodiment, the dielectric plate 310 includes a body 319 and an extension arm 315. The body 319 is vertically arranged and extends towards the radiation arm 200. A top of the body 319 is bent leftwards or rightwards to form the extension arm 315, so that the dielectric plate 310 forms an L-shaped structure. The length of the extension arm 315 is greater than the width of the body 319. In the projection direction of the front surface 311, the projection of the first feed end 3212 and the projection of the second feed end 3221 are respectively arranged on left and right sides of the extension arm 315, so as to enlarge the distance between the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221, so that when the distance between the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 is relatively long, the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 can still be electrically connected to the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 respectively.

[0026] The extension arm 315 includes a first end and a second end. The first end is connected to the body 319, and the second end is away from the body 319. The first feed end 3212 extends to the second end of the extension arm 315, and the second feed end 3221 extends to the first end of the extension arm 315.

[0027] In another embodiment, the first feed end 3212 extends to the first end of the extension arm 315, and the second feed end 3221 extends to the second end of the extension arm 315.

[0028] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the radiation arm 200 includes a radiation portion 250 and a coupling portion 260, and the radiation portion 250 is coupled to the coupling portion 260. The coupling portion 260 is electrically connected to the first feed end 3212 of the corresponding balun feed line 321 or the second feed end 3221 of the corresponding balun ground line 322. After the coupling portion 260 receives the current through the first feed end 3212 or the second feed end 3221, the coupling portion 260 couples the current to the radiation portion 250 to excite the radiation portion 250, so that the radiation portion 250 radiates the signal outwards. Specifically, the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 are physically connected or coupled to the coupling portion 260.

[0029] The radiation unit 100 further includes a dielectric substrate 270, and the two pairs of radiation arms 200 are arranged on the dielectric substrate 270. Specifically, the radiation portions 250 of the radiation arms 200 are arranged on the dielectric substrate 270. With reference to FIG. 2a, FIG. 2b and FIG. 4, the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300 is provided with an insertion tab 316. With reference to FIG. 3, the dielectric substrate 270 is provided with a insertion hole 271 corresponding to the insertion tab 316. The insertion tab 316 is inserted into the insertion hole 271, so that the dielectric substrate 270 is supported by the dielectric plate 310, and therefore, the radiation arm 200 is supported by the dielectric substrate 270, thereby maintaining the structural stability of the radiation unit 100. Preferably, the insertion tab 316 is arranged on the extension arm 315.

[0030] Further, the coupling portion 260 of the radiation arm 200 is arranged above the radiation portion 250. With reference to FIG. 2a, FIG. 2b and FIG. 4, the first feed end 3212 or the second feed end 3221 extends towards the coupling portion 260 along the insertion tab 316, so that the first feed end 3212 or the second feed end 3221 is electrically connected to the coupling portion 260 of the corresponding radiation arm 200. Specifically, since the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 are both arranged on the dielectric substrate 270, the dielectric plate 310 is provided with two insertion tabs 316, and the two insertion tabs 316 respectively correspond to the coupling portion 260 of the first radiation arm 210 and the coupling portion 260 of the third radiation arm 230, so as to facilitate the first feed end 3212 and the second feed end 3221 to respectively extend onto the two insertion tabs 316, so that the first feed end 3212 is electrically connected to the coupling portion 260 of the first radiation arm 210, and the second feed end 3221 is electrically connected to the coupling portion 260 of the third radiation arm 230. Preferably, the coupling portion 260 is in the shape of a sheet.

[0031] In an embodiment, an avoidance space is defined in the insertion hole 271. That is, the diameter of the insertion hole 271 is larger than the area of a cross section of the insertion tab 316, and the first feed end 3212 or the second feed end 3221 extending to the insertion tab 316 faces the avoidance space, so as to prevent the first feed end 3212 or the second feed end 3221 from being physically connected to the radiation portion 250 on the dielectric substrate 270. In another embodiment, the insertion hole 271 is an insulating hole.

[0032] In an embodiment, a first coupling branch (not shown) is arranged on the first radiation arm 210, a second coupling branch (not shown) is arranged on the second radiation arm 220, and the first coupling branch and the second coupling branch are coupled with each other, so that the first radiation arm 210 and the second radiation arm 220 are coupled with each other, improving the radiation efficiency of the first radiation arm 210 and the second radiation arm 220, thereby improving the radiation performance of the radiation unit 100. The first radiation arm 210 can also couple the excessive first current to the second radiation arm 220 to prevent the first radiation arm 210 from being damaged by the excessive first current. Preferably, the first coupling branch and the second coupling branch both extend towards the bottom 313 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300, so as to save the space of the radiation unit 100 and reduce the size of the radiation unit 100.

[0033] In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, in the projection direction of the front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300, a projection of the balun feed line 321 arranged on the front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310 is overlapped with a projection of the balun ground line 322 arranged on the back surface 312 of the dielectric plate 310, and the projection of the balun feed line 321 is partially overlapped with the projection of the balun ground line 322 to form a projection overlapping region.

[0034] The area of the projection overlapping region is more than 30% of the area of the balun feed line 321 or 30% of the area of the balun ground line 322, so as to increase the area of a coupling region between the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322, improve the efficiency of coupling between the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322, and reduce parasitic radiation of surface waves, thereby facilitating a reduction of the metal size of the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322, reducing the mutual coupling between the balun feed line and the balun ground line of the balun corresponding to the other polarization of the same radiation unit 100, and reducing the mutual coupling between the balun and the balun of the adjacent radiation unit, so as to improve the radiation performances of the radiation unit 100 and an antenna where the radiation unit 100 is located. In addition, the metal sizes of the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322 are reduced, which facilitates miniaturization of the balun 300, so that radiation is miniaturized, the production cost of the balun 300 is reduced, and the time competitiveness of the radiation unit 100 is improved. Preferably, the area of the projection overlapping region is more than 50% of the area of the balun feed line 321 or 50% of the area of the balun ground line 322.

[0035] In further embodiments, the average line width of the balun feed line 321 differs from the average line width of the balun ground line 322 by less than 3 times, that is, the average line width of the balun feed line 321 is less than 3 times the average line width of the balun ground line 322, or the average line width of the balun ground line 322 is less than 3 times the average line width of the balun feed line 321. Therefore, in the projection direction of the front surface 311, the area of the projection overlapping region formed by overlapping of the projection of the balun ground line 322 and the projection of the balun feed line 321 is made as large as possible relative to the area of the balun feed line 321 or the area of the balun ground line 322, so as to improve the efficiency of coupling between the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322.

[0036] Further, the line width of each segment on an extension path of the balun feed line 321 and / or the line width of each segment on an extension path of the balun ground line 322 is adjusted to adjust impedance matching of the radiation unit 100, so as to improve the radiation performance of the radiation unit 100. Those skilled in the art can flexibly adjust the line widths of each segment on the extension path of the balun feed line 321 and each segment on the extension path of the balun ground line 322 according to requirements of the radiation unit 100, which is not limited herein, so as to improve the radiation performance of the radiation unit 100.

[0037] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, with reference to FIG. 1, the radiation unit 100 includes two pairs of radiation arms 200 and a pair of baluns 300, and the pair of baluns 300 feed the two pairs of radiation arms 200. The structure of each balun 300 is the same as that of the balun 300 described above, and the connection relationship between the balun 300 and one pair of radiation arms 200 is also the same as that between the balun 300 and one pair of radiation arms 200 described above.

[0038] The pair of radiation arms 200 of first polarization of the two pairs of radiation arms 200 are referred to as a first radiation arm 210 and a third radiation arm 230, and the pair of radiation arms 200 of second polarization are referred to as a second radiation arm 220 and a fourth radiation arm 240. The balun 300 connected to the pair of radiation arms 200 of the first polarization is referred to as a first balun 340, and the balun 300 connected to the pair of radiation arms 200 of the second polarization is referred to as a second balun 350.

[0039] The first balun 340 and the second balun 350 are inserted into each other. Specifically, with reference to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, a first insertion groove 343 is defined on the extension arm 342 of the dielectric plate 341 of the first balun 340, and with reference to FIG. 5, a second insertion groove 353 is defined on the extension arm 352 of the dielectric plate 351 of the second balun 350. An opening of the first insertion groove 343 faces away from the dielectric substrate 270, and an opening of the second insertion groove 353 faces the dielectric substrate 270, so that the first insertion groove 343 and the second insertion groove 353 can be inserted into each other, so that the first balun 340 and the second balun 350 are inserted into each other and fixed. Moreover, the insertion grooves of the two baluns are respectively arranged on the extension arms thereof, so that the distance between the bodies of the dielectric plates of the first balun 340 and the second balun 350 can be increased, so as to reduce the mutual coupling between the balun line of the first balun 340 and the balun line of the second balun 350, and improve the radiation performance of the radiation unit 100.

[0040] The dielectric plate 341 of the first balun 340 and the dielectric plate 351 of the second balun 350 intersect and are inserted into each other, and an included angle between the dielectric plate 341 of the first balun 340 and the dielectric plate 351 of the second balun 350 is greater than or equal to 90°, as specifically shown by angle A in FIG. 4, so as to increase the distance between the balun line of the first balun 340 and the balun line of the second balun 350, thereby reducing the mutual coupling between the first balun 340 and the second balun 350, and improving the radiation performance of the radiation unit 100.

[0041] With reference to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, the feed input end 3451 of the balun feed line 345 of the first balun 340 is electrically connected to the first feeding network, and the ground end 3461 of the balun ground line 346 of the first balun 340 is electrically connected to the metal ground of the first feeding network or the metal ground of the second feeding network. Referring to FIG. 5, the feed input end of the balun feed line (not shown) of the second balun 350 is electrically connected to a third feeding network (not shown), and the ground end 3561 of the balun ground line 356 of the second balun 350 is electrically connected to a metal ground of the third feeding network or the metal ground of the second feeding network. In an embodiment, the ground end 3461 of the first balun 340 and the ground end 3561 of the second balun 350 are both connected to the metal ground of the second feeding network.

[0042] In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 1, the radiation unit 100 is arranged on an external mounting plate 410. Referring to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, the bottom 313 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300 of the radiation unit 100 is provided with a mounting tab 317, the mounting plate 410 is provided with a fixing hole (not shown) corresponding to the mounting tab 317, and the mounting tab 317 is inserted into the fixing hole. Referring to FIG. 2a, the mounting tab 347 of the first balun 340 of the radiation unit 100 is inserted into the corresponding fixing hole, and referring to FIG. 5, the mounting tab 357 of the second balun 350 is also inserted into the corresponding fixing hole, so that the radiation unit 100 can be stably arranged on a reflecting plate 510. Preferably, the first feeding network, the second feeding network and the third feeding network are all arranged on the mounting plate 410.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322 are printed on the dielectric plate 310.

[0044] In another embodiment, with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, the balun feed line 321 is a metal conductive sheet. With reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the balun ground line 322 is also a metal conductive sheet. The balun feed line 321 and the balun ground line 322 are arranged on the dielectric plate 310. The balun feed line 321 is integrally formed from sheet metal, and the balun ground line 322 is also integrally formed from sheet metal.

[0045] With reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the first feed end 3212 of the balun feed line 321 is sheet-shaped, so that the first feed end 3212 is coupled in parallel with the coupling portion 260 of the corresponding radiation arm 200, thereby improving the coupling efficiency. With reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the second feed end 3221 of the balun ground line 322 is also sheet-shaped, so that the second feed end 3221 is also coupled in parallel with the coupling portion 260 of the corresponding radiation arm 200, thereby improving the coupling efficiency.

[0046] Specifically, referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the dielectric plate 310 is provided with a through mounting hole (not shown) along a longitudinal direction thereof, and the balun feed line 321 is arranged in the mounting hole. The first feed end 3212 and the feed input end 3211 of the balun feed line 321 extend from two ends of the mounting hole respectively, so as to facilitate the first feed end 3212 to be electrically connected to the corresponding radiation arm 200, and facilitate the feed input end 3211 to be electrically connected to the first feeding network. In this embodiment, the balun feed line 321 and the dielectric plate 310 are integrally molded by injection molding, so as to facilitate production and processing and reduce the cost. In another embodiment, the balun ground line 322 is also arranged within the mounting hole. Alternatively, one of the balun ground line 321 and the balun feed line 322 is arranged in the mounting hole.

[0047] In this embodiment, a fixing structure is arranged on the back surface of the dielectric plate 310, a fitting structure is arranged on the balun ground line 322, and the fixing structure is connected to the fitting structure, so that the balun ground line 322 is fixedly arranged on the back surface of the dielectric plate 310.

[0048] Specifically, referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the fixing structure includes a plurality of fixing posts 319 protruding from the back surface, a plurality of fixing holes 3223 or fixing grooves are defined on the balun ground line 322, and the plurality of fixing posts 319 are correspondingly inserted into the plurality of fixing holes 3223 or fixing grooves, so that the balun ground line 322 is fixedly arranged on the dielectric plate 310. Alternatively, the fixing structure is arranged on the balun ground line 322, and the fitting structure is arranged on the dielectric plate 310, so that the balun ground line 322 is fixedly connected to the dielectric plate 310. In another embodiment, a fixing structure is also arranged on the front surface of the dielectric plate 310, and a fitting structure is also arranged on the balun feed line 321, so that the balun feed line 321 is arranged on the front surface of the dielectric plate 310.

[0049] In a further embodiment, referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the radiation unit 100 further includes a connecting base 360, and the connecting base 360 is grounded. The ground end 3461 of the balun ground line 346 of the first balun 340 (referred to as a first ground end 3461) and the ground end 3561 of the balun ground line 356 of the second balun 350 (referred to as a second ground end 3561) are both connected to the connecting base 360. In this embodiment, the first ground end 3461, the second ground end 3561 and the connecting base 360 are integrally formed.

[0050] In an embodiment, a coaxial cable 420 is arranged on the first feeding network and / or the second feeding network, and the balun feed line 321 is fed by the coaxial cable 420. An outer conductor of the coaxial cable 420 is welded to the connecting base 360, and an inner conductor of the coaxial cable 420 is welded to the feed input end 3211 of the balun feed line 321, so that the balun feed line 321 is fed through the coaxial cable 420.

[0051] Specifically, the connecting base 360 is provided with a conductor groove 361 corresponding to the outer conductor of the coaxial cable 420, and the outer conductor of the coaxial cable 420 is welded on the conductor groove 361. A via hole (not shown) is defined at the feed input end 3211 of the balun feed line 321, and the inner conductor of the coaxial cable 420 passes through the via hole and is welded to the feed input end 3211.

[0052] In an embodiment, the first radiation arm 210 and the third radiation arm 230 form a first dipole, and the second radiation arm 220 and the fourth radiation arm 240 form a second dipole, so that the radiation unit 100 is a dipole radiation unit 100.

[0053] The present application further provides an antenna. Referring to FIG. 12, the antenna includes a reflecting plate 510 and a radiation array arranged on the reflecting plate 510. The radiation array includes a low-frequency radiation column 520 and a high-frequency radiation column 530. The low-frequency radiation column 520 includes a plurality of low-frequency radiation units which are fed in parallel with each other, and the low-frequency radiation units are the radiation units 100 described above. The high-frequency radiation column 530 includes a plurality of high-frequency radiation units 100 which are fed in parallel with each other. The low-frequency radiation column 520 is arranged adjacent to the high-frequency radiation column 530.

[0054] The low-frequency radiation column 520 and the high-frequency radiation column 530 are collinearly arranged along the same axis. Since the low-frequency radiation units of the low-frequency radiation column 520 are the radiation units 100 described above, the low-frequency radiation units 100 can reduce the mutual coupling with baluns of the adjacent high-frequency radiation units or the baluns of the adjacent low-frequency radiation units by using the baluns 300 without affecting the radiation performance of the adjacent low-frequency radiation units or high-frequency radiation units.

[0055] The present application further provides a base station with the above antenna, and the base station receives or transmits an antenna signal of a corresponding frequency band through the antenna.

[0056] In summary, in the radiation unit according to the present application, one pair of radiation arms are fed through the balun feed line and the balun ground line on the balun respectively, and the balun feed line and the balun ground line form one balun line, so that there is no need to set one dedicated balun line for each radiation arm, so as to reduce the number of the balun lines, thereby reducing the size of the balun, which in turn reduces the size of the radiation unit. Moreover, the reduction of the number of the balun lines can reduce the mutual coupling among the plurality of baluns of the same radiation unit, thereby improving the radiation performance of the radiation unit.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0014]In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, with reference to FIG. 1, a radiation unit 100 includes two pairs of radiation arms 200 and a pair of baluns 300. The two pairs of radiation arms 200 are arranged in orthogonal polarization, and the pair of baluns 300 respectively feed the two pairs of radiation arms 200. Specifically, one balun 300 feeds two radiation arms 200 of the same polarization, and the other balun 300 feeds two radiation arms 200 of the other polarization.

[0015]The balun 300 includes a dielectric plate 310 and a balun line. The balun line is arranged on the dielectric plate 310. With reference to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, FIG. 2a shows a structure of a front surface 311 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300, and FIG. 2b shows a structure of a back surface 312 of the dielectric plate 310 of the balun 300. The balun line includes a balun feed line 321 and a balun ground line 322. The balun feed line 321 is arranged on the front surface 311 of the ...

Claims

1. A radiation unit, characterized in that the radiation unit comprises two pairs of radiation arms arranged in orthogonal polarization and a pair of baluns for respectively feeding the two pairs of radiation arms, wherein each balun comprises a dielectric plate and a balun line, the balun line comprises a balun feed line which is arranged on a front surface of the dielectric plate and a balun ground line which is arranged on a back surface of the dielectric plate, and the balun feed line and the balun ground line respectively feed two radiation arms of the same polarization.

2. The radiation unit according to claim 1, wherein a current fed into the balun feed line has a 180° phase difference from a current coupled to the balun ground line via the balun feed line.

3. The radiation unit according to claim 1, wherein the balun feed line comprises a first feed end arranged at a top of the front surface, the first feed end is electrically connected to one of the radiation arms of the same polarization, the balun ground line comprises a second feed end arranged at a top of the back surface, and the second feed end is electrically connected to the other radiation arm of the same polarization.

4. The radiation unit according to claim 3, wherein the dielectric plate is L-shaped, and comprises a body and an extension arm connected to a top of the body, the body is correspondingly arranged below one of the radiation arms of the same polarization, the extension arm extends along the top of the body towards the other radiation arm of the same polarization, and the first feed end and the second feed end are respectively located at two ends of the extension arm to be correspondingly connected to the radiation arms above the two ends of the extension arm respectively.

5. The radiation unit according to claim 4, wherein the balun feed line is arranged on the front surface of the dielectric plate and extends to the extension arm, and the first feed end is arranged at an end of the extension arm close to the body and connected to one of the radiation arms of the same polarization; the balun ground line is arranged on the back surface of the dielectric plate, and the second feed end is arranged at an end of the extension arm away from the body and connected to the other radiation arm of the same polarization for feeding.

6. The radiation unit according to claim 3, wherein the balun feed line further comprises a feed input end arranged at a bottom of the front surface, the feed input end is electrically connected to a first feeding network, the balun ground line further comprises a ground end arranged at a bottom of the back surface, and the ground end is electrically connected to a metal ground of a second feeding network.

7. The radiation unit according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric plates of the pair of baluns are inserted into each other, and the two dielectric plates intersect at an included angle, the included angle being greater than or equal to 90°.

8. The radiation unit according to claim 1, wherein projection areas of the balun feed line and the balun ground line overlap by more than 30% in a projection direction of the front surface of the dielectric plate.

9. The radiation unit according to claim 8, wherein an overlapping area is more than 50% of an area of the balun feed line or the balun ground line.

10. The radiation unit according to claim 1, wherein an average line width of the balun feed line is less than 3 times an average line width of the balun ground line, or an average line width of the balun ground line is less than 3 times an average line width of the balun feed line.

11. The radiation unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the balun feed line is a metal conductive sheet, the balun ground line is also a metal conductive sheet, and the balun feed line and the balun ground line are fixedly arranged on the dielectric plate.

12. The radiation unit according to claim 11, wherein the balun feed line is integrally formed from sheet metal, and the balun ground line is also integrally formed from sheet metal.

13. The radiation unit according to claim 11, wherein the dielectric plate is provided with a through mounting hole along a longitudinal direction thereof, and the balun feed line and / or the balun ground line is arranged in the mounting hole.

14. The radiation unit according to claim 11, wherein the balun feed line and / or the balun ground line is molded integrally with the dielectric plate by injection molding.

15. The radiation unit according to claim 11, wherein the dielectric plate is provided with a fixing structure, the balun feed line and / or the balun ground line is provided with a fitting structure corresponding to the fixing structure, and the fixing structure is fixed to the fitting structure, so that the balun feed line and / or the balun ground line fixedly fits the dielectric plate.

16. The radiation unit according to claim 11, wherein the radiation unit further comprises a connecting base, the ground ends of the balun ground lines of the pair of baluns extending onto the connecting base, and the two ground ends being integrally formed with the connecting base.

17. The radiation unit according to claim 16, wherein an outer conductor of an external coaxial cable is welded to the connecting base and an inner conductor of the external coaxial cable is welded to the balun feed line.

18. An antenna, comprising a reflecting plate and a radiation array, wherein the radiation array comprises a low-frequency radiation column and a high-frequency radiation column, characterized in that at least one low-frequency radiation column is arranged among a plurality of high-frequency radiation columns, the low-frequency radiation column is composed of a plurality of low-frequency radiation units, and the low-frequency radiation units are the radiation units according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

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