Small base station antenna device and its connector

Abstract

Provided are a small base station antenna device and a connector thereof that facilitate the construction of small cell base stations in public places, densely populated areas, and places such as large shopping malls and airport buildings. 【Solution means】 The small base station antenna device includes a radio unit, at least one antenna module provided so as to be tiltable and steerable with respect to the radio unit, and a multifunction link that mediates the installation of each antenna module with respect to the radio unit. The multifunction link includes a center body, a first fixing portion connected between the center body and the antenna module at both ends of the center body, and a second fixing portion connected between the center body and the radio unit at both ends of the center body. The first fixing portion and the second fixing portion are coupled via a ball joint portion so that the antenna module is provided to be tiltably rotatable and steerably rotatable with respect to the radio unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a small cell base station antenna apparatus and a connector therefor, and more particularly, to preventing the appearance of a cable from being exposed, facilitating the construction of an indoor small cell, and covering different frequency bands by dividing a part of one antenna module or covering different frequency bands with a plurality of antenna modules, respectively, so that beamforming can be performed to enable the realization of dual band. The present invention relates to a small cell base station antenna apparatus and a connector therefor.

Background Art

[0002] In order to meet the increasing demand for wireless data traffic that has been on the rise since the commercialization of 4G communication systems, efforts have been made to develop improved 5G communication systems or pre-5G communication systems. For this reason, 5G communication systems or pre-5G communication systems are called communication systems after the 4G network (Beyond 4G Network) or systems after the LTE system (Post LTE). In order to achieve a high data transmission rate, the realization of 5G communication systems in the extremely high frequency (mmWave) band (for example, such as the 60 gigahertz (60 GHz) band) is being considered. In order to mitigate the path loss of radio waves and increase the transmission distance of radio waves in the extremely high frequency band, in 5G communication systems, beamforming, massive multiple input multiple output (massive MIMO), full dimensional multiple input multiple output (Full Dimensional MIMO: FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, and large scale antenna technologies are being discussed.

[0003] In particular, in future 5G cellular networks where a much higher capacity than the current one is required, various technologies for improving frequency efficiency can be applied. One of the various technology candidates, the Small Cell Network (SCN) technology, can increase the utility of the channel by miniaturizing the cell size, increase the cell density to improve frequency efficiency, and increase the capacity.

[0004] Unlike a macro cell that has a wide coverage with existing high transmission power, a small cell is a small base station with low transmission power and a narrow coverage. The category of small cells generally refers to small output base station devices of 10W or less, pico cells, femto cells, Wi-Fi, etc. The advantages of small cells are that they have lower construction costs compared to macro cells, are smaller in size, and can improve space efficiency.

[0005] If such small cells are superimposed and configured indoors in public places, densely populated areas, and large shopping malls, airport buildings, etc., the capacity per unit area can be increased. Another advantage is that this can reduce the power consumption and installation costs of one macro cell base station. A small cell base station alone can achieve a capacity 1000 times that of the existing LTE, and small cells are expected to become the underlying technology connecting 4G and 5G.

[0006] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a base station antenna device according to a conventional embodiment.

[0007] As shown in FIG. 1, an antenna device for a base station according to a conventional embodiment is installed outdoors, and an antenna module 10 is attached to an upright support pole 11 by fixing brackets 30 and 31. A radio unit 12 is attached to the lower side of the antenna module 10 by fixing brackets 32 and 33, and a plurality of cables 14 are used to electrically connect between the antenna module 10 and the radio unit 12. The fixing brackets 30 and 31 are respectively arranged at the upper and lower ends of the antenna module 10 and fixed to the support pole 11, and are respectively arranged at the upper and lower ends of the radio unit 12 and fixed to the support pole 11. The fixing brackets 30-33 play a role of fixing using fasteners, such as screws, bolts, nuts, etc.

[0008] However, the conventional antenna device for a base station has a structure that is necessarily limited to outdoor installation via the support pole 11. While the antenna module 10 is attached to the relatively upper side of the support pole 11 and the radio unit 12, such as an RRH (Remote Radio Head), is attached to the relatively lower side, and then connected using the cable 14, there is a problem that the cable 14 is exposed to the outside and hinders the aesthetics.

[0009] In this way, when installing a small cell base station indoors, there is a problem that the appearance beauty is reduced due to the complicated cable connection between the radio unit (RRH) and the antenna module. On the other hand, only one antenna module is provided for each radio unit (RRH), and there is a problem that it is difficult to cover the dual-band frequency band realistically. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above technical problems, and an object thereof is to provide a small base station antenna device and its connector that are easy to construct a small cell base station for public places, densely populated areas, and places such as large shopping malls and airport buildings.

[0011] At the same time, another object of the present invention is to provide a small base station antenna device and its connector that are provided with adjustable directivity without exposing various cables electrically connecting between a radio unit and an antenna module to the outside, and can prevent the degradation of aesthetics (appearance beauty).

[0012] Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a small base station antenna device and its connector that can be dual-band in various places by providing a part of one antenna module to cover different frequency bands or a plurality of antenna modules to cover different frequency bands respectively.

[0013] And still another object of the present invention is to provide a small base station antenna device and its connector that can ensure a wide range of directivity adjustment angles by each multi-function link that mediates the installation of a plurality of antenna modules for a radio unit.

[0014] At the same time, another object of the present invention is to provide a small base station antenna device and its connector that are provided to facilitate the installation using the multi-function link of the small base station antenna device.

[0015] The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0016] A small base station antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a radio unit (RU), at least one antenna module provided to be tiltable and steerable with respect to the radio unit, and a multi-function link that mediates the installation of each antenna module with respect to the radio unit. The multi-function link includes a center body, a first fixing part connected between the center body and the antenna module at both ends of the center body, and a second fixing part connected between the center body and the radio unit at both ends of the center body. The first fixing part and the second fixing part are coupled via a ball joint part, and the antenna module is provided to be tiltable and steerable with respect to the radio unit.

[0017] Here, one end of either of the two ends of the ball joint part is partially accommodated and coupled in the internal space of the first fixing part, and the other end of the two ends is connected to the antenna module to adjust the direction of the antenna module by tilting or steering operation, which is a first ball joint part. One end of either of the two ends of the ball joint part is partially accommodated and coupled in the internal space of the second fixing part, and the other end of the two ends is connected to a cable accommodation pipe that mediates the connection with the radio unit, and it can include a second ball joint part that additionally enables the direction of the antenna module to be adjusted.

[0018] Also, the multi-function link can be electrically connected to the antenna module and the radio unit via a connector.

[0019] Also, the connector can include a male connector coupled to the tip of a plurality of coaxial cables accommodated so as to be hidden inside the multi-function link, and female connectors provided on the antenna module and the radio unit.

[0020] Also, when the female connector is provided in the wireless unit, it may include a coupling flange having an inner surface directly connected to an RF filter provided inside the wireless unit, and a female terminal block having an outer surface to which the male connector is connected.

[0021] Further, the female connector may be provided with through-pin terminals corresponding to the number of the coaxial cables penetrating to connect the inner surface of the coupling flange and the outer surface of the female terminal block.

[0022] Also, the plurality of coaxial cables may be provided in any one of two for constructing a 2T2R transmission line between the wireless unit and the antenna module and four for constructing a 4T4R transmission line between the wireless unit and the antenna module. Terminal pins corresponding to the number of the plurality of coaxial cables are formed on the male connector, and terminal grooves into which the terminal pins are respectively inserted and connected may be correspondingly formed on the female connector.

[0023] Also, the female connector can be directly fastened to the RF filter using a plurality of screws in a joined state with the coupling flange to the RF filter.

[0024] Also, the tip of each through-pin terminal of the female connector can be directly connected to a power supply connector provided in the RF filter.

[0025] Also, when four coaxial cables are provided, the male connector may further include a ground washer provided singly at the center of the terminal pins corresponding to the coaxial cables.

[0026] Also, the cable accommodation pipe accommodates a plurality of coaxial cables and conceals them from the outside. One end is connected to the wireless unit, and the other end is connected to the fixing portion. The male connector may be connected to one end and the other end of the coaxial cable.

[0027] Further, the male connector may include a mail terminal block connected to one end and the other end of the coaxial cable, a plurality of guide pins protruding from the mail terminal block toward the female connector side, a plurality of terminal pins extending from the coaxial cable and protruding and extending from the mail terminal block toward the female connector side, and a retainer nut for maintaining the electrical connection force of the plurality of terminal pins with respect to the female connector.

[0028] Further, the retainer nut can maintain the connection force by operating to be fastened to a nut fastening end provided on the female connector.

[0029] Further, in the antenna module, a plurality of antenna sub-arrays covering a dual frequency band are arranged on one antenna board, and antenna beamforming can be realized in different frequency bands within the same direction of the antenna module set by the multi-function link.

[0030] Further, in the antenna module, a plurality of antenna sub-arrays are arranged to cover different frequency bands respectively, and the directivity can be set in different directions by the multi-function link.

[0031] Further, the antenna module may be provided for a small cell base station.

[0032] Further, the radio unit may be provided on any one of a support pole, a wall surface, and a ceiling provided indoors.

[0033] Further, the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion may be connected to the center body orthogonally to each other.

[0034] Further, the multi-function link may further include an over-rotation prevention locking portion that limits the angle of rotation in the rotational direction of the first ball joint portion or the second ball joint portion with respect to the first fixing portion or the second fixing portion.

[0035] Further, the over-rotation prevention locking portion may be fixed in an internal space corresponding to a space between the first fixing portion and the first ball joint portion or between the second fixing portion and the second ball joint portion, and a pair of locking protrusions protruding in a direction facing each other in the internal space may be provided so as to be lockable to a pair of locking plates extending toward the center body side inside the first ball joint portion or the second ball joint portion.

[0036] Further, when the tilting rotation or steering rotation operation of the antenna module is not performed, the pair of locking plates can be positioned such that the separation angles in the rotational direction from the pair of locking protrusions are each 90 degrees.

[0037] A connector of a small base station antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a radio unit (RU; Radio Unit), at least one antenna module provided to be tiltable and steerable with respect to the radio unit, and a multi-function link (Multi Function Link) that mediates the installation of each antenna module with respect to the radio unit. In the small base station antenna device, a male connector coupled to the tips of a plurality of coaxial cables housed so as to be concealed inside the multi-function link, a coupling flange having an inner surface directly connected to an RF filter provided inside the radio unit, and a female connector including a Fermel terminal block having an outer surface to which the male connector is connected.

[0038] Here, the female connector may be provided with through-pin terminals corresponding to the number of the coaxial cables penetrating so as to connect the inner surface and the outer surface.

[0039] Further, the plurality of coaxial cables are provided in any one of two for constructing a 2T2R transmission line between the radio unit and the antenna module and four for constructing a 4T4R transmission line between the radio unit and the antenna module. Terminal pins corresponding to the number of the plurality of coaxial cables are formed on the male connector, and terminal grooves into which the terminal pins are respectively inserted and connected may be correspondingly formed on the female connector.

[0040] Further, the female connector can be directly fastened to the RF filter using a plurality of screws with the coupling flange in contact with the RF filter.

[0041] Further, the tip of each through-pin terminal of the female connector can be directly connected to a power supply connector provided on the RF filter.

[0042] Further, when four coaxial cables are provided, the male connector can further include a single ground washer provided at the center of the terminal pins corresponding to the coaxial cables.

[0043] In addition, the multi-function link includes a center body, a first fixing part connected between the center body and the antenna module at both ends of the center body, a second fixing part connected between the center body and the wireless unit at both ends of the center body, a part of one end of both ends is accommodated and coupled in the internal space of the first fixing part, the other end of both ends is connected to the antenna module, and the first ball joint part for adjusting the direction of the antenna module by tilting or steering operation, a part of one end of both ends is accommodated and coupled in the internal space of the second fixing part, the other end of both ends is connected to a cable accommodation pipe that mediates the connection with the wireless unit, and the second ball joint part for additionally adjusting the direction of the antenna module. When including, the female connector may be provided with a plurality of through-pin terminals corresponding to the coaxial cables accommodated in the cable accommodation pipe penetrating to connect the inner surface and the outer surface.

Advantages of the Invention

[0044] According to the small base station antenna device and its connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, the following various effects can be derived.

[0045] First, by using the multi-function link (Multi Function Link), it is easy to adjust the direction of the antenna module even in a narrow space, so that it has the effect of facilitating the construction of a small cell base station.

[0046] Second, it is provided so that the direction can be adjusted without exposing various cables for electrically connecting between the wireless unit and the antenna module to the outside, and it has the effect of preventing the aesthetic appearance (appearance beauty) from deteriorating.

[0047] Third, by making the multi-function link adjustable in angle by the ball joint parts at two locations at both ends around the center body, it has the effect of ensuring a wide range of direction adjustment angles of a plurality of antenna modules with respect to the wireless unit.

[0048] Fourth, a female connector provided in the wireless unit is directly in contact with the power supply connector of the RF filter so as to connect to the male connector of the multi-function link, and is provided such that an electrical connection is made with through pins corresponding to the number of coaxial cables, thereby reducing the size of the product, expanding the space utilization, reducing the insertion loss, and having the effect of cost reduction.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0050] Hereinafter, a small base station antenna device and its connector according to various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When attaching reference numerals to the components in each drawing, it should be noted that for the same components, as much as possible, the same reference numerals are used even if they are shown on other drawings. Also, when explaining the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a specific explanation of such a known configuration or function hinders the understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

[0051] In describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. can be used. Such terms are merely for distinguishing the components from other components, and do not limit the essence, order, or procedure of the components. Also, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless clearly defined in the present application.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a small base station antenna device according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a front view of FIG. 2 and a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A, FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the tilting state of the antenna module in the configuration of FIG. 2.

[0053] A small base station antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a radio unit 120 and an antenna module 110 installed at a predetermined location, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. Here, the predetermined location where the small base station antenna device 100 according to the present invention is installed means a public place, a densely populated area, and a place such as a large shopping mall or an airport building so as to perform the function as a small cell base station. As will be described later, it may be a structure suitable for in-building (indoor) installation, such as a pole-coupled type (see FIG. 11 described later), a wall-coupled type (see FIG. 12 described later), and a ceiling-coupled type (see FIG. 13 described later).

[0054] The antenna module 110 can refer to an antenna device having at least one frequency band. Also, the radio unit 120 (RU; Radio Unit) is connected to each antenna for each frequency band provided to the antenna module 110, and means a device for transmitting and receiving between the antenna and the base station. As an example of the radio unit 120, there is a Remote Radio Head (RRH) in which a part of the radio unit is remotely separated from the base station equipment. The radio unit 120 is a relay device that performs functions such as receiving a weakened signal between the base station of the mobile communication system and the mobile communication terminal, amplifying or retransmitting it, shaping a distorted waveform, and readjusting timing.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 3, in the small base station antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, first, the radio unit 120 is mounted on structures such as indoor (house) support poles, walls, and ceilings, and the antenna module 110 can be tiltably and steerably mounted via an antenna clamping unit 200 described later on the front surface of the radio unit 120.

[0056] However, it is not necessarily the case that the radio unit 120 should be mounted on indoor structures (support poles, walls, and ceilings) first, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. Instead, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 described later, it is also possible to mount the radio unit 120 on each indoor structure after the antenna module 110 is provided on the radio unit 120 first.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 4, the antenna module 110 can include an antenna housing 111 and a radome 113 provided to cover the front surface of the antenna housing 111 and forming a predetermined space between the antenna housing 111.

[0058] In a predetermined space of the antenna housing 111, an antenna board 115 in the form of a printed circuit board is provided, and a plurality of radiating elements can be mounted and arranged on the front surface of the antenna board 115. The radiating elements mounted and arranged on the antenna board 115 may be different for each type of antenna. However, in one embodiment of the present invention, it will be described that a patch type element (patch element, 117) is adopted.

[0059] On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the base station antenna device 100 according to the present invention can further include a multi-function link 200 that mediates the coupling to the front surface of the radio unit 120.

[0060] More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the radio unit 120 includes a rear housing 122 provided via an installation panel portion (refer to the drawing number "121" in FIGS. 11 and below) on any one of the indoor provided support poles P, wall surfaces W, and ceilings C, and a front housing 123 that forms a predetermined space between the rear housing 122. A variety of internal components may be provided in the predetermined space.

[0061] The internal components provided inside the radio unit 120, although not shown, can include a board (main board, refer to the front board 126A in FIGS. 18A and 18B described later), an RF filter (refer to the drawing number "130" in FIGS. 18A and 18B described later), two power amplification units (PAU: Power Amplifying Unit), and a power supply unit (PSU: Power Supplying Unit).

[0062] On the front surface of the front housing 123 of the wireless unit 120, a plurality of heat sink fins 125 are integrally formed, and heat generated in a predetermined space can be radiated to the outside through the plurality of heat sink fins 125. In the small base station antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, although the description is limited to the case where a plurality of heat sink fins 125 are formed only on the front housing 123 of the wireless unit 120, it is not necessarily limited thereto. As in other embodiments of the present invention described later, it is clarified in advance that a plurality of heat sink fins 125 can also be formed on the rear housing 122.

[0063] On the other hand, on the front surface of the front housing 123, an installation groove portion 127 is provided in which a part of the plurality of heat sink fins 125 is deleted on a square-shaped surface, and the multi-function link 200 can be coupled to the installation groove portion 127 by a plurality of assembly screws 217. However, it is not necessarily required to be provided in the form of the installation groove portion 127 in which the square-shaped surface is deleted on the front surface of the front housing 123 for the installation of the multi-function link 200. As in the embodiments (100A, 100B, 100C) shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 described later, the multi-function link 200 may be connected to a side surface portion (a concept including the upper side portion, the lower side portion, the left side portion, and the right side portion) of the wireless unit 120. When the installation position of the multi-function link 200 with respect to the wireless unit 120 is changed, it may be inevitable to redesign the shape of the RF filter provided inside the wireless unit 120. This will be described in more detail later.

[0064] Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the multi-function link 200 is provided in a cylindrical shape with a part opened on one side, and on the other side, it is either mediated by a cable accommodation pipe 230 described later or directly connected to the wireless unit 120 without the cable accommodation pipe 230, including a fixing portion 210 and a ball joint portion 220. One end portion of the fixing portion 210 is inserted into the opened side of the fixing portion 210, and the antenna module 110 is coupled to the other end portion.

[0065] An example in which the fixing part 210 is connected to the wireless unit 120 via the cable accommodation pipe 230 will be described in more detail later after the first to third embodiments shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 are explained. In particular, the multifunction link 200 including the cable accommodation pipe 230 basically functions to mediate the connection of the antenna module 110 to the wireless unit 120. In this regard, the cable accommodation pipe 230 is preferably made of a rigid material that can partially function as a support pole.

[0066] The ball joint part 220 accommodated and installed inside the fixing part 210 is formed in a ball shape with a part of substantially one end being open, and may be provided so as to be locked by the open end on one side of the fixing part 210 and not to be detached to the outside (particularly, forward). Here, a part of one end of the ball joint part 220 is formed to be open for the penetration of a plurality of coaxial cables 240, which will be described later.

[0067] Also, the ball joint part 220 has an empty interior from the part provided in the fixing part 210 to the part provided in the antenna module 110 and communicates with the interior space of the fixing part 210. A coaxial cable 240 for electrically connecting the wireless unit 120 and the antenna module 110 may be provided in the internal space where the fixing part 210 and the ball joint part 220 communicate.

[0068] Here, the coaxial cable 240 is preferably made of a flexible material such that the antenna module 110 can perform tilting and steering operations, which will be described later, and does not interfere with the movement of the ball joint part 220 with respect to at least the fixing part 210.

[0069] At one end and the other end of the coaxial cable 240, a male connector on the antenna side and a male connector on the radio unit side are respectively provided, and on the back surface of the antenna module and the outer surface of the radio unit, female connectors on the antenna side and female connectors on the radio unit side for connecting to the female connectors on the antenna side or the radio unit side may be respectively provided. Specific explanations regarding this will be described in more detail later.

[0070] In this way, in the small base station antenna device 100 according to the present invention, a plurality of coaxial cables 240 that electrically connect the radio unit 120 and the antenna module 110 are concealed from the outside without being twisted, thereby preventing the aesthetic appearance from deteriorating.

[0071] The ball joint portion 220 is capable of tilting rotation and steering rotation operations so as to maintain a predetermined angle in four directions including the up and down or left and right directions with respect to the fixed portion 210. Here, the term "tilting rotation operation" is a concept including all operations in which the upper and lower ends of the antenna module 110 swing in the front-rear direction, and the term "steering rotation operation" is a concept including all operations in which the left and right ends of the antenna module 110 swing in the left-right direction. In the small base station antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the ball joint portion 220 may be provided such that not only any one of the tilting rotation operation and the steering rotation operation of the antenna module 110 is performed, but also the tilting rotation operation and the steering rotation operation are all performed simultaneously or sequentially.

[0072] More specifically, the ball joint portion 220 is capable of performing predetermined angle tilting and steering operations in four directions including the up and down or left and right directions around an arbitrary reference point at one end accommodated inside the fixed portion 210. When the ball joint portion 220 performs tilting and steering operations, the antenna module 110 coupled thereto can also perform tilting and steering operations, enabling the designer to adjust the directivity of the antenna module 110 in a desired direction.

[0073] Here, the ball joint portion 220 performs tilting rotation and steering rotation operations while forming a certain amount of frictional force with the inner surface of the fixed portion 210. For this purpose, a friction pad (or friction member, not shown) that forms a mutual predetermined frictional force may be further provided on a part of the inner surface of the fixed portion 210 or the outer surface into which the ball joint portion 220 is inserted.

[0074] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the antenna clamping unit 200 may further include a moving lock portion 225 that fixes the ball joint portion 220 to the fixed portion 210 at a moving fixed point after the ball joint portion 220 tilts and steers at a predetermined angle with respect to the fixed portion 210.

[0075] The moving lock portion 225 can adopt any means as long as it is configured to fix the ball joint portion 220 with respect to the fixed portion 210. As an example, locking can be realized by a fixing bolt (not shown) that penetrates the outside of the fixed portion 210 in which the ball joint portion 220 is accommodated and interferes with a part of the outer peripheral surface of the ball joint portion 220.

[0076] Thus, according to the small base station antenna device 100 of the present invention, the multi-function link 200 can prevent the external exposure of the plurality of coaxial cables 240 connecting the radio unit 120 and the antenna module 110 from reducing the aesthetics, and of course, only the relatively small-sized antenna module 110 is tilted and steered, and the tilting and steering operations of the relatively large-sized radio unit 120 are not performed, thereby maximizing the space utilization.

[0077] In addition, according to the small base station antenna device 100 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, by being provided on the front surface of the radio unit 120 via the multifunction link 200 so as to be tilt-rotatable and steerable (only the tilting operation is shown in FIG. 6), it is possible to provide the advantage of customizable directivity adjustment for densely populated areas or multiple demand spaces regardless of whether it is installed in an indoor space or an outdoor space.

[0078] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which the specifications of the radio unit are different among the configurations of FIG. 2, FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing the state of beamforming using two frequency bands of CBRS and DoD in one antenna module, FIG. 9 is a plan view of the actual antenna device of FIG. 8, and FIGS. 10A and 10B are front views showing implementation examples of dual frequency bands for each antenna module, showing various implementation examples of a support pole coupling type and a wall surface coupling type.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 7, the antenna module 110 may have the same specifications to which patch antenna elements are applied, but only the specifications of the radio unit 120 may be different. More specifically, compared with the radio unit 120 shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the radio unit 120 shown in FIG. 7 may be provided with a specification in which the width in the left-right direction is relatively short, but the length in the up-down direction is relatively larger. At this time, the installation position of the antenna module 110 is preferably set at an appropriate position in consideration of the weight of the antenna module 110 and the tilting rotation and steering rotation operations.

[0080] However, it is not necessarily possible to apply the small base station antenna device 100 of the present invention only with different specifications of the radio unit 120.

[0081] That is, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, on the front surface of the antenna module 110, a radiation element module 119 may be provided in which a plurality of patch elements 117 for forming beamforming in a specific frequency band are arranged to constitute a plurality of antenna sub-arrays 118.

[0082] The plurality of radiation element modules 119 are in a format for constructing a frequency band corresponding to a small cell base station, and can be realized on the antenna board 115 within one antenna module 110. However, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, it can also be realized in a dual-band form for covering the frequency bands corresponding to DoD (Depart of Defense) and CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Services) on one antenna board 115 for macro use.

[0083] More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the plurality of radiation element modules 119 are arranged on the upper front surface of the antenna board 115 for macro use so as to realize a DoD channel in the frequency band of 3450 - 3550 MHz among the dual frequency bands and achieve a gain of 17.5 dBi. A plurality of antenna sub-arrays 118 formed by a plurality of patch elements 117 are arranged. On the lower front surface of the antenna board 115 for macro use, a plurality of antenna sub-arrays 118 formed by a plurality of patch elements 117 may be arranged so as to realize a CBRS channel in the frequency band of 3550 - 3700 MHz among the dual frequency bands and achieve a gain of 15.5 dBi.

[0084] In this way, the plurality of radiation element modules 119 configured to enable coverage of the dual frequency band can form antenna beamforming so that both the DoD and CBRS channels have an H-Beam width value of 55° - 90°, as shown in FIG. 8, and different antenna beamforming can be formed so that the V-Beam width has a value of 7.5° for the DoD channel and 14.6° for the CBRS channel.

[0085] That is, the antenna module 110 can be realized to form antenna beamforming that covers the frequency band for macro and the frequency band for small cells within one antenna board 115 as described above. Further, even when the directivity of the antenna module 110 is adjusted to be the same, it is possible to provide an advantage of maximizing UL (Up Link) Coverage by separating the band-specific TRx and the antenna sub-array 118.

[0086] However, it is not necessarily the case that the antenna sub-array 118 should be arranged on one antenna board 115 so as to enable dual frequency band coverage. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B described later, two or more antenna modules 110A and 110B that can cover respective unique frequency bands are provided via the multi-function link 200 for each radio unit 120, and it goes without saying that this can be realized by adjusting the directivity of each antenna module 110A and 110B in the direction with a strong coverage requirement value using the multi-function link 200.

[0087] For example, as in FIG. 10A(a) provided in a pole-coupled type and FIG. 10B(a) provided in a wall-coupled type, the directivities of the antenna modules 110A and 110B each provided in two dual frequency band forms can be adjusted in the same direction (front), and as in FIG. 10A(b) provided in a pole-coupled type and FIG. 10B(b) provided in a wall-coupled type, the directivities of all the antenna modules 110A and 110B can be adjusted in mutually opposite directions, and as in FIG. 10A(c) provided in a pole-coupled type and FIG. 10B(c) provided in a wall-coupled type, one of the antenna modules 110A and 110B (110A) can be adjusted in the front direction and the other one (110B) can be adjusted in the side direction.

[0088] At this time, each radiation element module 119 of the antenna modules 110A and 110B is provided with specifications suitable for a small cell base station rather than a macro cell, and each is provided with specifications that can achieve any one of maximum gain rates of 15 dBi, 13 dBi, and 11 dBi. Needless to say, by adjusting the directivity in a desired direction, the effect of the small cell base station can be maximized.

[0089] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a small base station antenna device (pole connection type) according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a small base station antenna device (wall connection type) according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a small base station antenna device (ceiling connection type) according to the third embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 14 and 15 are perspective views and cutaway perspective views (a, b) of a short type (a) and a long type (b) of a multifunction link for connecting a radio unit and an antenna module, FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 10, and FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view showing the long type (b) multifunction link among the multifunction links of FIGS. 14 and 15.

[0090] As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the small base station antenna device 100 according to the present invention is provided such that the rear housing 122 of the radio unit 120 is fixed or concealed to any one of a pillar pole P, a wall surface W, and a ceiling C indoors via an installation panel portion 121. At least one (two in this embodiment) or more antenna modules 110A and 110B can be coupled to the radio unit 120 via a multifunction link 200 so as to be tilt-rotatable or steerable.

[0091] Referring to FIG. 11, a support pole P for installing the base station antenna device 100 according to this embodiment is provided indoors in a large building or the like, and the small base station antenna device 100A according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be fixed so that the direction of the rear housing 122 corresponding to the back surface of the radio unit 120 is preset with respect to the support pole (P, Pole), and may be installed and equipped in a support pole coupling type.

[0092] Also, referring to FIG. 12, the small base station antenna device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present invention may be installed and equipped in a wall surface coupling type that can be fixed so that the rear housing 122 corresponding to the back surface of the radio unit 120 is in close contact with the wall surface (W, Wall) corresponding to the inside of a large building or the like.

[0093] At the same time, referring to FIG. 13, the small base station antenna device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present invention may be installed and equipped in a ceiling coupling type that can be fixed so that the rear housing 122 corresponding to the back surface of the radio unit 120 is in close contact with the ceiling (C, Ceiling) inside a large building or the like, or the radio unit 120 can be fixed so as to be concealed inside the ceiling C.

[0094] Here, the radio unit 120 and each antenna module 110A, 110B can be electrically signal-connected via a multi-function link 200 appropriately adopted by either a short-type multi-function link (hereinafter abbreviated as "short-type link 200S") or a long-type multi-function link (hereinafter abbreviated as "long-type link 200L") shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 according to different surrounding environments such as the installation location and the presence or absence of interference with the surrounding configuration for adjusting the direction of the antenna modules 110A, 110B.

[0095] As shown in FIGS. 14(a), 14(b), 15(a), and 15(b), the short type link 200S and the long type link 200L can be classified according to whether their configurations and functions are provided with exactly the same specifications and whether the length of the cable accommodation pipe 230 in which a plurality of coaxial cables 240 are accommodated is relatively short or long. Generally, since the length of the cable accommodation pipe 230 means the isolation distance between the connection part with the wireless unit 120 and the fixing part 210 of the multi-function link 200, when the isolation distance is long, it is preferable to provide the long type link 200L, and when the isolation distance is short, it is preferable to provide the short type link 200S.

[0096] Referring to FIGS. 14 to 17, in the small base station antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the multi-function link 200 may include the above-described fixing part 210, a ball joint part 220, a cable accommodation pipe 230, and a plurality of coaxial cables 240.

[0097] At the same time, the multi-function link 200 is provided at each end of the plurality of coaxial cables 240. At one end of the plurality of coaxial cables 240, antenna-side male connectors 250 and 250A for electrical connection to the antenna module 110 are further provided, and at the other end of the plurality of coaxial cables 240, wireless unit-side male connectors 250 and 250B for electrical connection to the wireless unit 120 may be further provided.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 15, the antenna-side male connector 250A is provided such that a guide pin 252 and a terminal pin 253, which will be described later in male form, are exposed at the antenna-side end of the ball joint part 220. The wireless unit-side male connector 250B may also be provided such that a guide pin 252 and a terminal pin 253, which will be described later in male form, are exposed at the end of the cable accommodation pipe 230.

[0099] Hereinafter, since the male connector 250A on the antenna side and the male connector 250B on the wireless unit side are identical in basic configuration except for the positions where they are provided, they will be described by the abbreviation "male connector 250".

[0100] At the same time, the antenna module 110 and the wireless unit 120 may further be provided with female connectors 150, 150A on the antenna side and female connectors 150, 150B on the wireless unit side for each connection with the male connector 250.

[0101] As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 and FIG. 15, the female connector 150A on the antenna side is provided such that a guide groove 152 and a terminal groove 153, which will be described later in female form, are exposed on the back surface of the antenna module 110. The female connector 150B on the wireless unit side may also be provided such that a guide groove 152 and a terminal groove 153, which will be described later in female form, are exposed on the side surface of the wireless unit 120.

[0102] Hereinafter, since the female connector 150A on the antenna side and the female connector 150B on the wireless unit side are identical in basic configuration except for the positions where they are provided, they will be described by the abbreviation "female connector 150".

[0103] A plurality of coaxial cables 240 are provided such that two or four of them transmit electrical signals and are accommodated inside the cable accommodation pipe 230. One end and the other end can be connected to the male connector 250 respectively. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the description will be made on the premise that four (4) coaxial cables 240 are provided.

[0104] The male connector 250 further includes a male terminal block 251 that mediates such that one end of four coaxial cables 240 is coupled and connected to a plurality of terminal pins 253 respectively. The female connector 150 can further include a female terminal block 151 in which the above-described guide groove 152 and terminal groove 153 are formed.

[0105] In the male terminal block 251, four guide pins 252 may be protruding and arranged at intervals of 90 degrees, and four terminal pins 253 may be protruding and arranged at intervals of 90 degrees within a range that does not overlap with the four guide pins 252 described above.

[0106] Further, in the female terminal block 151, four guide grooves 152 into which the four guide pins 252 of the male terminal block 251 can be inserted and accommodated, and four terminal grooves 153 into which the four terminal pins 253 of the male terminal block 251 can be inserted and connected may be arranged at mutually corresponding positions.

[0107] At the same time, the male terminal block 251 may further be provided with a guide ring 254 that protrudes in a ring type toward the female connector 150 side while surrounding the four guide pins 252 and the four terminal pins 253. Further, the female terminal block 151 may further be provided with a ring accommodation groove 154 into which the guide ring 254 of the male terminal block 251 is inserted. Here, an inflow prevention ring 155 for preventing the inflow of external foreign matter may further be provided inside the ring accommodation groove 154.

[0108] The four guide pins 252, the guide ring 254, and the four terminal pins 253 provided on the male connector 250 are inserted into the four guide grooves 152, the ring accommodation groove 154, and the four terminal grooves 153 provided on the female connector 150, respectively, while electrical connection to the antenna module 110 and the wireless unit 120 of the multifunction link 200 is performed.

[0109] On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the multifunction link 200 may further include a retainer nut 256 that provides a predetermined holding force so that the electrical connection of the male connector 250 to the female connector 150 is maintained.

[0110] On the inner peripheral surface of the retainer nut 256, a female thread 256a is formed, and the female thread 256a of the retainer nut 256 is fastened to the male thread 156a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the nut fastening end 156 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the female connector 150's female connector terminal block 151, thereby forming the above-described predetermined holding force.

[0111] Here, a C-ring 257 can be interposed at the end of the male terminal block 251 to limit the fastening force of the retainer nut 256. The C-ring 257 can be fitted in one direction into a C-ring installation groove 257h formed at the end of the cable accommodation pipe 230.

[0112] Thus, the small base station antenna device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention provides the advantage that the electrical connection between the radio unit 120 and the plurality of antenna modules 110 is performed via the multifunction link 200, and the tilting or steering operation of each antenna module 110 is enabled, making the installation work easier and more convenient on site.

[0113] Furthermore, since the male connector 250 and the female connector 150 are formed symmetrically with each other, it is only necessary to connect the four terminal pins 253 and the four terminal grooves 153 in any direction, thus providing the advantage of further enhancing the diversity of the directional design of the antenna module 110.

[0114] FIGS. 18A and 18B are exploded perspective views showing an example of a radio unit to which a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached, FIG. 19 is a bottom and top exploded perspective view showing a modification of a radio unit side female connector provided in a radio unit which is one of the connector configurations of the small base station antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 20 is a partial cutaway perspective view showing the state of connection of the male connector of the multifunction link to the radio unit side female connector of FIGS. 18A and 18B.

[0115] As shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B and FIG. 19, the connectors 150' and 250 of the small base station antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention include a male connector 250 coupled to the tip of a plurality of coaxial cables 240 housed so as to be concealed inside the multifunction link 200, and a modified female connector 150' provided to be directly connected to an RF filter 130 provided inside the radio unit 120.

[0116] Here, the modified female connector 150' includes a coupling flange 157 formed on one side so as to be coupled to an RF filter 130 provided inside the installation space of the radio unit 120, and a female terminal block 151 formed to protrude from the coupling flange 157 toward the male connector 250 on the other side.

[0117] A nut fastening end 156 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the female terminal block 151, and a male thread 156a for fastening to the female thread 256a of the retainer nut 256 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the nut fastening end 156.

[0118] A ring accommodation groove 154 into which a guide ring 254 formed on the male connector 250 is inserted may be provided in a groove form between the nut fastening end 156 and the central portion of the female terminal block 151.

[0119] Here, four terminal grooves 153 into which four terminal pins 253 of the male connector 250 connected to be energized with the four terminals of the coaxial cable 240 are inserted may be formed in the central portion of the female terminal block 151 physically separated from the nut fastening end 156 by the ring accommodation groove 154.

[0120] In addition, the male connector 250 is provided with two guide pins 252 protruding toward the modified female connector 150', and the modified female connector 150' may be formed with guide grooves 152 into which the guide pins 252 of the male connector 250 are inserted and guided.

[0121] The guide grooves 152 are preferably arranged such that two of them are spaced 180 degrees apart with respect to the center of the outer surface of the female terminal block 151 and are formed at positions that do not overlap with the four terminal grooves 153, and may be formed in a form that partially overlaps with the above-described ring accommodation groove 154.

[0122] As described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 17, when four guide pins 252 and four guide grooves 152 are formed such that the male connector 250 and the female connector 150 respectively correspond to the four terminal pins 253 and the four terminal grooves 153, there is an advantage that connection can be made as long as they are mutually matched at an interval of 90 degrees. However, when using the same male connector 250 and female connector 150, if they are replaced with two coaxial cables 240 instead of four, there is a disadvantage in that it is difficult to guide the two terminal pins 253 and the two terminal grooves 153 to be mutually matched at an accurate position, and thus there is also a limitation in versatility. Therefore, in the connectors 150' and 250 of the small base station antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention, even when four coaxial cables 240 can be applied, they are designed to be provided with two guide pins 252 and guide grooves 152 spaced 180 degrees apart from each other.

[0123] At the same time, as shown in FIGS. 18A, 18B, and 20, the female connector 150' of the modified example may have four through-pin terminals 165 for connecting independent electrical signals to the RF filter 130 via the four terminal pins 253, respectively, disposed at positions corresponding to the four terminal grooves 153 so as to penetrate from the outer surface of the female terminal block 151 to the outer surface of the coupling flange 157.

[0124] A plurality of one-side through holes 156h through which the four through-pin terminals 165 penetrate are formed on the outer surface of the female terminal block 151, and a plurality of other-side through holes 157h through which the four through-pin terminals 165 penetrate are formed on the outer surface of the coupling flange 157, and the one-side through holes 156h and the other-side through holes 157h may be formed to communicate with each other.

[0125] Here, on the outer peripheral surface of each of the four through-pin terminals 165, as shown in FIG. 19, a pin insulator 166 is provided so as to surround it, and an electrical short-circuit phenomenon can be prevented.

[0126] On the other hand, the female connector 150' of the modified example further includes a filter-side gasket 159 inserted into and interposed in a gasket groove 159h formed between the boundary of the coupling flange 157 and the Fermel terminal block 151, and a first external washer 161 and a second external washer 162 that are interposed on the outer peripheral surface of the Fermel terminal block 151, supported by the outer surface of the wireless unit 120, and arranged so as to be interlocked when the external fastening nut 160 is tightened.

[0127] In the case of the wireless unit-side female connector 150 already described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 17, it is limited to fulfilling only the physical connecting role of being mounted outside the wireless unit 120 so that the male connector 250 of the multifunction link 200 can be connected. Substantially, in order to complete the electrical connection between the RF filter 130 and the antenna module 110 of the wireless unit 120, an internal connector (not shown) for electrically connecting the wireless unit-side female connector 150 and the RF filter 130 inside the wireless unit 120 is further required.

[0128] On the contrary, in the female connector 150' of the modified example, the coupling flange 157 side is stably fixed to a connection part (power supply connector) 131 provided in the RF filter 130 using a plurality of screws 158, and through-pin terminals 165 corresponding to the number of the coaxial cables 140 described above are arranged so as to penetrate the inner surface of the coupling flange 157 and the outer surface of the Fermel terminal block 151. At the moment when the male connector 250 of the multifunction link 200 is connected, the electrical connection between the RF filter 130 and the antenna module 110 can be completed directly.

[0129] For example, as shown in FIG. 20, in the female connector 150' of the modified example, after being stably connected by a plurality of screws 158 so that the outer surface (one side surface) of the coupling flange 157 directly abuts against the connection part (power supply connector) 131 provided on the RF filter 130 side, with the Fermel terminal block 151 exposed to the outside through the installation hole 128 formed in the wireless unit 120, after interposing the first external washer 161 and the second external washer 162, it is fixed to the wireless unit 120 using the external fastening nut 160, and each terminal pin 253 of the male connector 250 of the multifunction link 200 is electrically connected to the through-pin terminal 165 exposed through the terminal groove 153 on the Fermel terminal block 151 exposed to the outside, enabling direct power supply feed to the RF filter 130.

[0130] At this time, the through-pin terminals 165 are connected to the male connector 250 of the multifunction link 200 in a state of being pre-inserted and fastened through the through-pin terminal connection holes 131h formed so as to be energized to the power supply connector 131 provided on the RF filter 130 side respectively.

[0131] According to such a female connector 150' of the modified example, by changing the design so that an electrical connection is directly made with the RF filter 130 inside the wireless unit 120, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to additionally design a structure such as another air line that was essential when constructing the power supply connector of the RF filter 130 for additional installation of another cable structure for its connection and prevention of impedance mismatch in the conventional case.

[0132] However, in the case of the female connector 150' of the modified example, in terms of the fact that a direct electrical connection must be made with the RF filter 130 inside the wireless unit 120 and a stable connection must be achieved, the shape design of the connection part (power supply connector) 131 of the existing RF filter 130 can also be modified accordingly.

[0133] More specifically, with reference to FIGS. 11 to 17, the RF filter 130 inside the wireless unit 120 to which the female connector 150 on the wireless unit side is applied has the same structure as that of a conventional MMR (Massive MIMO Radio) in which components are stacked in the order of "main board - RF filter - antenna radiating element". Even when directly applied to a structure in which power supply connectors are respectively provided at the rear part and the front part of a filter body (not shown), without changing the shape of another RF filter 130, it has the advantage that electrical connection can be easily achieved using the above-described cable structure (internal connector, not shown).

[0134] However, in the female connector 150' of the modification example, since the through-pin terminal 165 must be directly connected to the RF filter 130 as described above, the position of the power supply connector 131 at the front part of the existing RF filter 130 must be redesigned. However, in one embodiment of the present invention, as will be described later, due to the change in the position design of the internal components of the wireless unit 120, not only the position of the power supply connector 131 at the front part of the RF filter 130 but also the position change of the power supply connector at the rear part (refer to the drawing number "132" in FIG. 19A) is included.

[0135] Explaining this in more detail with reference to FIGS. 18A and 18B, the wireless unit 120 forms a predetermined space between the rear housing 122 and the front housing 123 where various internal components described later are provided, and a plurality of heat sink fins 125 may be integrally formed on the front surface of the front housing 123.

[0136] Since a plurality of heat sink fins 125 for smoothly dissipating heat are formed on the front surface of the front housing 123 in the installation space of the wireless unit 120, the front board 126A may be arranged in close contact with the rear surface of the front housing 123 so that a plurality of heat generating elements (for example, FPGA elements or PA elements) mounted on the front surface of the front board 126A are in direct surface thermal contact.

[0137] Here, the front board 126A may be provided with an integrated one-board formed by integrating an original digital board having a conventional digital board function and an AMP board or the like.

[0138] On the other hand, a shielding board 127 is provided between the front board 126A and the RF filter 130, and the heat flow or electromagnetic wave flow between the two can be blocked.

[0139] A rear board 126B on which electrical components with little heat dissipation are mounted may be arranged below the RF filter 130. Here, the rear board 126B may be a surge board portion.

[0140] In the case of the antenna device provided in the conventional MMR, due to the antenna module (radiating element module) arranged at the forefront, it was impossible to closely install the main board designed with heat dissipation as the top priority on the front housing 123 side. However, by separating the antenna module 110 via the multi-function link 200 and enabling the internal components to be arranged in the above-described configuration, in the case of the wireless unit 120 in the present embodiment, the electrical connection structure between the RF filter 130 and the antenna module 110 mediated by the multi-function link 200 is also redesigned.

[0141] When the female connector 150' of the above-described modification is adopted for the wireless unit 120, since there is no need to provide another internal connector, it is of course possible to relatively reduce the size and installation space of the wireless unit 120, and the advantage of cost reduction can also be achieved together. In addition, since the electrical connection to the RF filter 130 is directly made via the through-pin terminal 165, the magnitude of the insertion loss generated by the addition of the existing cable-type internal connector or air line structure can be significantly reduced, and it is natural that the performance of the antenna device can be improved.

[0142] FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a small base station antenna device to which a modified example of a multi-function link is applied, FIGS. 22A and 22B are front and rear exploded perspective views of FIG. 21, and FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of the multi-function link according to the modified example of FIG. 21 disassembled.

[0143] Hereinafter, in the multi-function link 200' according to the modified example shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, although it is described by showing that there are two (two) coaxial cables 240-1, it should not necessarily be limited to this, and it should be noted that it does not exclude the case where there are four (four) coaxial cables 240-1.

[0144] The small base station antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can include a multi-function link 200' according to a modified example as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23.

[0145] The multi-function link 200' according to the modified example is different from the multi-function link 200 (hereinafter referred to as the "general multi-function link") already described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7 and FIGS. 11 to 17 in that the fixing part 210 is separated into two (210A, 210B), a center body 205 is disposed between the two fixing parts 210A, 210B, and the two fixing parts 210A, 210B may be orthogonally coupled to the center body 205.

[0146] Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, the fixing part connected to the antenna module 110 side among the two fixing parts 210A, 210B is referred to as the first fixing part 210A, and the fixing part connected to the cable accommodation pipe 230 side among the two fixing parts 210A, 210B is referred to as the second fixing part 210B.

[0147] That is, the multi-function link 200’ according to the modification example includes not only the fixing part 210 and the ball joint part 220 to which the general multi-function link 200 described above is connected to the antenna module 110 side, and is different from the case where the tilting rotation and the steering rotation direction of the antenna module 110 can be adjusted only at one position. There is a difference in that it includes not only the first fixing part 210A and the ball joint part 220A that connect the antenna module 110 side, but also the second fixing part 210B and the ball joint part 220B that mediate additional connection to the cable accommodation pipe 230 side.

[0148] More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, the multi-function link 200’ according to the modification example includes a center body 205, a first fixing part 210A connected between the antenna module 110 among both ends of the center body 205, a second fixing part 210B connected between the cable accommodation pipe 230 among both ends of the center body 205, one end of either of both ends is partially accommodated and coupled to the internal space of the first fixing part 210A, and the other end of either of both ends is connected to the antenna module 110, and the first ball joint part 220A that adjusts the direction of the antenna module 110 by tilting or steering operation, and one end of either of both ends is partially accommodated and coupled to the internal space of the second fixing part 210B, and the other end of either of both ends is connected to the cable accommodation pipe 230 that mediates the connection with the wireless unit 120, and can include the second ball joint part 220B that additionally enables the adjustment of the direction of the antenna module 110.

[0149] FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view showing the male and female coupling portions of the multi-function link according to the modification of FIG. 21, FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the multi-function link according to the modification of FIG. 21, FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing the male connector of the multi-function link according to the modification of FIG. 21, FIG. 27 is an exploded perspective view of the multi-function link according to the modification of FIG. 21, FIG. 28 is a cutaway perspective view of FIG. 27, FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 27, FIG. 30 is a cutaway perspective view showing the over-rotation prevention locking portion shown in FIGS. 25 to 29, FIG. 31 is an internal front view showing the operation of the over-rotation prevention locking portion of FIG. 30, and FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view, a cutaway perspective view, and a partial enlarged view showing the cable accommodation pipe in the configuration of the multi-function link according to the modification of FIG. 21.

[0150] In the multi-function link 200' according to the modification, the male connector 250 provided at the end of the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B can be coupled by being male-female coupled to the female connector 150 provided in the antenna module 110 or the wireless unit 120, as shown in FIG. 24.

[0151] More specifically, while the guide ring 254 of the male connector 250 is accommodated inside the ring accommodation groove 154 formed in the female terminal block 151 of the female connector 150, waterproofing is performed by contacting the foreign matter inflow prevention ring 155 interposed inside the ring accommodation groove 154. At the same time, the guide pin 252 and the terminal pin 253 of the male connector 250 can be electrically connected while being inserted into the guide groove 152 and the terminal groove 153 of the female connector 150.

[0152] Here, a ground washer 258 may be further provided between the female connector 150 and the male connector 250, as shown in FIG. 24.

[0153] The ground washer 258 is fixed to a washer installation groove (refer to the drawing number "258h" in FIG. 28) provided on the front end surface of the male terminal block 251 of the male connector 250, and when the male connector 250 is mated with the female connector 150, it can induce contact between the male terminal block 251 of the male connector 250 and the female terminal block 151 of the female connector 150 to perform a grounding (GND) function.

[0154] At the same time, the ground washer 258 is a component that performs the above-described grounding (GND) function and also performs an EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) shielding function. Generally, in the case of the coaxial cable 240, it may be provided in the form of a washer surrounding the periphery of the corresponding terminal pin 253. However, in the case of the male connector 250 in the multifunction link 200 according to the present invention, it may be provided in the form of a single metal washer between each terminal pin 253, preferably at the center. Such a ground washer 258 can prevent signal interference between the terminal pins 253 of the connector according to the present invention.

[0155] A part of the male terminal block 251 can be inserted and fixed to the tip end side of the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B of such a male connector 250.

[0156] Here, the male connector 250 can be fixed via at least one socket head bolt 259 so as not to rotate with respect to the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B.

[0157] More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 25 to 27, bolt through holes 259h-1 are formed at two locations spaced apart at 180-degree intervals at the tip end of the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B, and bolt fastening holes 259h-2 to which the socket head bolt 259 is fastened may be correspondingly formed on the outer peripheral surface of the male terminal block 251 of the male connector 250.

[0158] On the outer surface of the blind bolt 259, a tool groove 259T is formed for inserting the tip of a fastening tool (not shown) having a square cross section. Using the fastening tool through the tool groove 259T, the male connector 250 can be easily fixed without the blind bolt 259 being exposed to the outside.

[0159] In this way, when the male connector 250 is inserted and fixed to the tip of the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B by the blind bolt 259 and locked in the rotational direction, any rotation of the male connector 250 with respect to the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B can be prevented, and the coupling direction of the terminal pin 253 or the guide pin 252 with respect to the terminal groove 153 or the guide groove 152 of the female connector 150 can be prevented from being changed.

[0160] On the other hand, on the outer peripheral surface of the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B, a retainer nut 256 is pre-assembled and temporarily assembled. As described above, when the electrical connection and coupling of the male connector 250 to the female connector 150 are completed, the retainer nut 256 can be fastened to a male thread (not shown in the drawing number) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the female connector 150's female terminal block 151 and firmly fixed.

[0161] At this time, a C-ring fastening groove 257h is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B. When the C-ring 257 is fastened to the C-ring fastening groove 257h, the rotational force is limited during the fastening of the retainer nut 256, and damage to the parts due to over-assembly of the retainer nut 256 can be prevented.

[0162] On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 28 to 31, the multi-function link 200' according to the modification example may further include an over-rotation prevention locking portion 226A that prevents over-rotation of the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B with respect to the first fixing portion 210A or the second fixing portion 210B.

[0163] The over-rotation prevention locking portion 226A is fixed in an internal space corresponding to the space between the first fixing portion 210A and the first ball joint portion 220A or between the second fixing portion 210B and the second ball joint portion 220B, and includes locking protrusions 226A-1 that protrude in a direction facing each other within the internal space. That is, the over-rotation prevention locking portion 226A is provided with a pair of locking protrusions 226A-1 spaced apart in a direction of approximately 180 degrees and can extend a predetermined length toward the internal space.

[0164] On the other hand, inside the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B, a pair of locking plates 228 extending toward the center body 205 side may be formed so as to be locked to the pair of locking protrusions 226A-1 at least within the rotation radius.

[0165] As shown in FIG. 31, when the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B does not perform a tilting or steering rotation operation, the separation angles in the rotation direction from the pair of locking protrusions 226A-1 of the pair of locking plates 228 of the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B are each 90 degrees (see (a) of FIG. 31). Therefore, when the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B rotates for a tilting or steering rotation operation in one direction or the other direction, the rotation angle in each direction can be limited to a maximum of 90 degrees.

[0166] This is to prevent the twisting phenomenon of the plurality of coaxial cables 240 in the internal space due to excessive rotation of the first ball joint portion 220A or the second ball joint portion 220B.

[0167] The first ball joint portion 220A is coupled to the female connector 150 of the antenna module 110 via the male connector 250, and the second ball joint portion 220B is coupled to the upper end portion of the cable accommodation pipe 230 arranged vertically up and down via the male connector 250. Therefore, theoretically, when the over-rotation prevention locking portion 260A is not provided, the left and right steering rotation angles of the antenna module 110 are 360 degrees and there is no limit.

[0168] However, since the rotation angle of the upper end of the cable accommodation pipe 230 of the second ball joint portion 220B is limited to 90 degrees by the over-rotation prevention locking portion 260A, it can be limited to rotate only up to 90 degrees in addition to the maximum rotation limit angles a in the physical one-side and the other-side directions of the second ball joint portion 220B described later. For example, when the maximum rotation limit angle a described later is 40 degrees, the maximum steering rotation angle of the antenna module 110 is limited to 130 degrees in each of the one-side and the other-side directions.

[0169] On the other hand, among the configurations of the multi-function link 200' according to the modification example, the cable accommodation pipe 230 is provided with the male connector 250 and the female connector (designated by the drawing number "250C" in FIG. 32) described above at both ends, respectively, and can be defined in the concept including a plurality of coaxial cables 240 connecting between the male connector 250 and the female connector 250C.

[0170] Here, the plurality of coaxial cables 240 are different from the coaxial cables 240 provided inside the center body 205, the first fixing portion 210A, the second fixing portion 210B, the first ball joint portion 220A, and the second ball joint portion 220B, which are provided with a flexible material so as to move in conjunction with the tilting or steering rotation operation of the antenna module 110. Since there is no need to move inside the cable accommodation pipe 230, it may be provided with a strong material or may be firmly fixed so as not to move inside the cable accommodation pipe 230.

[0171] At the same time, at both ends of the cable accommodation pipe 230, for the purpose of distinguishing the installation direction, the portion coupled to the male connector 250 of the second ball joint portion 220B may be provided in the form of the female connector 250C, and the portion coupled to the female connector 150 of the wireless unit 120 may be provided in the form of the male connector 250.

[0172] FIG. 33 is a projection plan view for explaining the operation and effect of the multi-function link according to the modification example of FIG. 21.

[0173] The multifunction link 200' according to the modified example configured as such can, as shown in FIG. 33, increase the tilting or steering operation amount of the antenna module 110 compared to a general multifunction link 200, and additionally enable the directivity adjustment of the antenna module 110.

[0174] More specifically, the coaxial cables 240 generally accommodated in the cable accommodation pipe 230 may be provided in two when the antenna module 110 constructs a 2T2R transmission channel, and may be provided in four when the antenna module 110 constructs a 4T4R transmission channel.

[0175] Here, according to a general multifunction link 200, after fixing one end of the cable accommodation pipe 230 to the female connector 150 of the antenna module 110 using the male connector 250, when steering the antenna module 110 in the arrow direction (including both one direction and the other direction), there is a limitation that the steering operation rotation is possible only within the range of the maximum rotation angle a in the horizontal direction to the left and right of the ball joint portion 220.

[0176] In particular, when two coaxial cables 240 are accommodated in the cable accommodation pipe 230, although not shown, since the terminal grooves 153 and the terminal pins 253 in the female connector 150 and the male connector 250 for the electrical connection of the two coaxial cables 240 to the radio unit 120 are formed in the 3 o'clock direction and the 9 o'clock direction with respect to the ground respectively, it is impossible to adjust the directivity of the antenna module 110 by a steering operation of 90 degrees or more in either one direction or the other direction. This is because the connection directions of the two coaxial cables 240 to the female connector 150 of the radio unit 120 are preset in the 3 o'clock direction and the 9 o'clock direction.

[0177] For these reasons, when two coaxial cables 240 are provided, it is impossible to set the directionality of the antenna module 110 exactly 90 degrees in the left-right direction with respect to the front surface of the wireless unit 120, within the limit that the maximum rotation angle a in the left-right horizontal direction described above does not reach 90 degrees in the left or right direction (this is also impossible when the connection position of the terminal pin 253 to the terminal groove 153 is changed and reassembled after separating the female connector 150 and the male connector 250). To enable this, it is necessary to reassemble the wireless unit 120 so that the installation position of the terminal groove 153 of the female connector 150 connected to the wireless unit 120 is changed. In this case as well, setting the directionality at 90 degrees in either direction still has the limitation of being impossible.

[0178] However, such a limitation decreases when four coaxial cables 240 are accommodated in the cable accommodation pipe 230. This is because, as shown in FIG. 33, the terminal grooves 153 and terminal pins 253 in the female connectors 150 and male connectors 250 for the electrical connection of each of the four coaxial cables 240 to the wireless unit 120 are formed at four locations spaced apart by 90 degrees in the circumferential direction. In this case, without the process of separating and reassembling the female connector 150 from the wireless unit 120, after simply releasing the connection between the female connector 150 and the male connector 250, the designer can adjust the directionality in the left-right 90-degree direction with respect to the front surface of the wireless unit 120 during the process of reconnecting according to the terminal pins 253 and terminal grooves 153 that enable the desired directional design.

[0179] On the other hand, the multi-function link 200' according to the modified example includes a first fixing portion 210A and a first ball joint portion 220A, and a second fixing portion 210B and a second ball joint portion 220B so as to be orthogonal to both ends with respect to the center body 205. Thus, even in the embodiment where two coaxial cables 240 are accommodated in the cable accommodation pipe 230, when the antenna module 110 is rotated in one side or the other side direction by a steering operation to adjust the directivity, among the two fixing portions 210A, 210B and the two ball joint portions 220A, 220B, the second fixing portion 210B and the second ball joint portion 220B provided to be steerable 360 degrees with respect to the vertical axis eliminate the limitation of the maximum steering angle a. Therefore, the directivity can be adjusted in all 360-degree directions without the separation and recombination process of the female connector 150 from the radio unit 120. Of course, as described above, even when the rotation of the second ball joint portion 220B with respect to the second fixing portion 210B is limited to 90 degrees by the over-rotation prevention locking portion 260A, the rotation limitation of the antenna module 110 in one side or the other side direction can lead to the same result in that it is expanded by 90 degrees each in addition to the maximum steering angle a described above.

[0180] That is, the multi-function link 200' according to the modified example eliminates the limitation range of the steering operation of the antenna module 110 with respect to the radio unit 120 by adding the second fixing portion 210B and the second ball joint portion 220B. Therefore, even when newly setting the directivity adjustment, it is not necessary to separate and recombine the female connector 150 from the radio unit 120, and the directivity of the antenna module 110 can be easily adjusted on site.

[0181] As a reference, even during the tilting operation of the antenna module 110, since it can also have a maximum tilting limit angle in the vertical direction as shown by the drawing number "a" in FIG. 24, the maximum tilting limit angle a of the antenna module 110 coupled via the multifunction link 200' according to the modified example has the advantage that it can be increased by 2a, which is twice that, because two fixing portions 210A, 210B and two ball joint portions 220A, 220B are provided at both ends with respect to the center body 205.

[0182] As described above, the small base station antenna device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention and its connector 150' have been described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, it goes without saying that the embodiments of the present invention are not necessarily limited to the above-described one embodiment, and various modifications and implementations within an equivalent range by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains are possible. Therefore, the true scope of the rights of the present invention is defined by the scope of the claims described later.

Industrial Applicability

[0183] The present invention provides a small base station antenna device and its connector that can easily construct small cell base stations for public places, densely populated areas, and places such as large shopping malls and airport buildings, are provided with adjustable directivity without exposing various cables that are electrically connected between the radio unit and the antenna module to the outside, prevent the degradation of aesthetics (appearance beauty), and cover different frequency bands by partitioning a part of one antenna module, or cover different frequency bands with a plurality of antenna modules respectively, thereby enabling dual banding in various places.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0184] 100: Base station antenna device, 110: Antenna module 111: Antenna housing, 113: Radome 115: Antenna board, 117: Patch element 118: Antenna sub-array, 119: Radiation element module 120: Wireless unit, 121: Installation panel part 122: Rear housing, 123: Front housing 150: Female connector, 151: Fermel terminal block 152: Guide groove, 153: Terminal groove 154: Ring accommodation groove, 155: Foreign matter intrusion prevention ring 200: Multi-function link, 205: Center body 200’: Multi-function link of modified example, 210: Fixed part 210A: First fixed part, 210B: Second fixed part 217: Assembly screw, 220: Ball joint part 220A: First ball joint part, 220B: Second ball joint part 225: Moving lock part, 230: Cable accommodation pipe 240: Coaxial cable, 250: Male connector 251: Male terminal block, 252: Guide pin 253: Terminal pin, 254: Guide ring 256: Retainer nut, 257: C-ring

Claims

1. A radio unit (RU; Radio Unit), At least one antenna module provided to be tiltable and steerable with respect to the radio unit, A multi-function link (Multi Function Link) that mediates the installation of each antenna module with respect to the radio unit, and The multi-function link A center body, A first fixing part connected between the antenna module and one of both ends of the center body, A second fixing part connected between the radio unit and one of both ends of the center body, and The first fixing part and the second fixing part are coupled via a ball joint part, and the antenna module is provided to be tiltably rotatable and steerably rotatable with respect to the radio unit. A small base station antenna device.

2. The ball joint part One of both ends has a part thereof accommodated and coupled in the internal space of the first fixing part, and the other one of both ends is connected to the antenna module, and the first ball joint part for adjusting the direction of the antenna module by tilting or steering operation, One of both ends has a part thereof accommodated and coupled in the internal space of the second fixing part, and the other one of both ends is connected to a cable accommodation pipe that mediates the connection with the radio unit, and the second ball joint part for additionally adjusting the direction of the antenna module. The small base station antenna device according to claim 1, comprising:

3. The multi-function link The small base station antenna device according to claim 1, which is electrically connected to the antenna module and the radio unit via a connector.

4. The connector A male connector coupled to the tip of a plurality of coaxial cables accommodated so as to be concealed inside the multi-function link, A female connector provided in the antenna module and the radio unit. The small base station antenna device according to claim 3, comprising:

5. When the female connector is provided in the wireless unit, it includes a coupling flange having an inner surface directly connected to an RF filter provided inside the wireless unit, and a female terminal block having an outer surface to which the male connector is connected. The small base station antenna device according to claim 4.

6. The female connector is provided with through-pin terminals corresponding to the number of the coaxial cables penetrating so as to connect the inner surface of the coupling flange and the outer surface of the female terminal block. The small base station antenna device according to claim 5.

7. The plurality of coaxial cables are provided in any one of two for constructing a 2T2R transmission line between the wireless unit and the antenna module and four for constructing a 4T4R transmission line between the wireless unit and the antenna module. Terminal pins corresponding to the number of the plurality of coaxial cables are formed on the male connector. Terminal grooves into which the terminal pins are respectively inserted and connected are correspondingly formed on the female connector. The small base station antenna device according to claim 6.

8. The female connector is such that the coupling flange is directly fastened to the RF filter in a joined state using a plurality of screws to the RF filter. The small base station antenna device according to claim 6.

9. The tip of each through-pin terminal of the female connector is directly connected to a power supply connector provided on the RF filter. The small base station antenna device according to claim 6.

10. When the male connector is provided with four coaxial cables, the small base station antenna device according to claim 7 further includes a ground washer provided singly at the center of the terminal pins corresponding to the coaxial cables.

11. The cable accommodation pipe accommodates a plurality of coaxial cables and conceals them from the outside. One end is connected to the wireless unit, and the other end is connected to the second ball joint portion of the second fixing portion. The male connector is connected to one end and the other end of the coaxial cable. The small base station antenna device according to claim 4.

12. The male connector a mail terminal block connected to one end and the other end of the coaxial cable a plurality of guide pins protruding from the mail terminal block toward the female connector side A plurality of terminal pins extending from the coaxial cable and protruding and extending from the male terminal block toward the female connector side; The small base station antenna device according to claim 11, further comprising a retainer nut for maintaining an electrical connection force of the plurality of terminal pins with respect to the female connector.

13. The retainer nut is The small base station antenna device according to claim 12, which maintains the connection force by operating to be fastened to a nut fastening end provided on the female connector.

14. The antenna module is A plurality of antenna sub-arrays covering a dual frequency band are arranged on one antenna board, The small base station antenna device according to claim 1, wherein antenna beamforming is realized in different frequency bands within the same direction of the antenna module set by the multi-function link.

15. The antenna module is A plurality of antenna sub-arrays are arranged to cover different frequency bands respectively, The small base station antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the directivity is set in different directions by the multi-function link respectively.

16. The small base station antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna module is provided for a small cell base station.

17. The small base station antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the radio unit is provided on any one of a support pole, a wall surface, and a ceiling provided indoors.

18. The small base station antenna device according to claim 2, wherein the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion are connected to the center body orthogonally to each other.

19. The multi-function link is The small base station antenna device according to claim 2, further comprising an over-rotation prevention locking portion for restricting an angle in a rotation direction of the first ball joint portion or the second ball joint portion with respect to the first fixing portion or the second fixing portion.

20. The over-rotation prevention locking portion is fixed in an internal space corresponding to between the first fixing portion and the first ball joint portion or between the second fixing portion and the second ball joint portion, and a pair of locking protrusions protruding in a direction facing each other in the internal space are provided so as to be lockable to a pair of locking plates extending toward the center body side inside the first ball joint portion or the second ball joint portion. The small base station antenna device according to claim 2.

21. The small base station antenna device according to claim 20, wherein when the pair of locking plates do not perform the tilting rotation or the steering rotation operation of the antenna module, the separation angles in the rotational direction from the pair of locking protrusions are each 90 degrees.

22. In a small base station antenna device including a radio unit (RU; Radio Unit), at least one antenna module provided to be tiltable and steerable with respect to the radio unit, and a multi-function link (Multi Function Link) that mediates the installation of each antenna module with respect to the radio unit, a male connector coupled to the tip of a plurality of coaxial cables housed so as to be concealed inside the multi-function link; a female connector including a coupling flange having an inner surface directly connected to an RF filter provided inside the radio unit, and a Fermel terminal block having an outer surface to which the male connector is connected.

23. The connector of the small base station antenna device according to claim 22, wherein the female connector is provided with through-pin terminals corresponding to the number of the coaxial cables penetrating so as to connect the inner surface and the outer surface.

24. The plurality of coaxial cables are provided in any one of two for constructing a 2T2R transmission line between the radio unit and the antenna module and four for constructing a 4T4R transmission line between the radio unit and the antenna module. Terminal pins corresponding to the number of the plurality of coaxial cables are formed on the male connector. The connector of the small base station antenna device according to claim 23, wherein terminal grooves into which the terminal pins are respectively inserted and connected are correspondingly formed on the female connector.

25. The connector of the small base station antenna device according to claim 23, wherein the female connector is directly fastened to the RF filter using a plurality of screws with the coupling flange in contact with the RF filter.

26. The connector of the small base station antenna device according to claim 23, wherein the tip of each through-pin terminal of the female connector is directly connected to a power supply connector provided on the RF filter.

27. The male connector according to claim 24 of the small base station antenna device further includes a ground washer provided singly at the center of a terminal pin corresponding to the coaxial cable when four coaxial cables are provided.

28. The multi-function link includes a center body, a first fixing portion connected between the center body and the antenna module at both ends of the center body, a second fixing portion connected between the center body and the radio unit at both ends of the center body, one of the two ends has a part thereof accommodated and coupled in the internal space of the first fixing portion, and the other one of the two ends is connected to the antenna module to adjust the direction of the antenna module by tilting or steering operation, a first ball joint portion, one of the two ends has a part thereof accommodated and coupled in the internal space of the second fixing portion, and the other one of the two ends is connected to a cable accommodation pipe that mediates the connection with the radio unit, and further includes a second ball joint portion that enables additional adjustment of the direction of the antenna module. The female connector according to claim 22 of the small base station antenna device includes a plurality of through-pin terminals corresponding to the coaxial cables accommodated in the cable accommodation pipe and penetrating so as to connect the inner surface and the outer surface.

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