RF module for antenna and antenna device including same

Abstract

An RF module for an antenna is provided that can be easily installed and replaced and can improve the overall communication efficiency of an antenna device. [Solution] The RF module for antenna includes a plurality of RF filter sections, each including a filter body formed long in the vertical direction, and a plurality of radiating element sections detachably fixed so as to be electrically connected to the front ends of the plurality of RF filter sections, the plurality of RF filter sections including the filter body including a left filter section and a right filter section provided in a spatial form on one side and the other side in the width direction, respectively, and shared resonator sections arranged at each end of at least two or more multi-bands constructed in the left filter section and the right filter section of the filter body.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an RF module for antennas and an antenna apparatus including the same, and more particularly to an RF module for antennas and an antenna apparatus including the same that can minimize radio wave interference between modules and prevent indirect coupling of beams radiated from radiating element parts, thereby improving the PIMD problem. [Background technology]

[0002] Base station antennas, including repeaters used in mobile communication systems, come in a variety of shapes and structures, and typically have a structure in which multiple radiating elements are appropriately arranged on at least one reflector that stands upright in the longitudinal direction.

[0003] Recently, there has been active research into achieving miniaturization, weight reduction, and low-cost structures while satisfying the high performance requirements for multiple input / output (MIMO)-based antennas. In particular, in the case of antenna devices that use patch-type radiating elements to achieve linear or circular polarization, a commonly used method is to plate the radiating element, which is made of a dielectric substrate of plastic or ceramic material, and then solder it to a PCB (printed circuit board) or the like.

[0004] However, in the case of MIMO-based antenna devices, not only do many components need to be installed in a concentrated manner, but the entire product must also be long in the vertical direction for smooth beamforming, which poses a problem that requires prior research into improving the PIMD problem that communication product manufacturers are chronically facing.

[0005] Furthermore, arranging multiple antenna elements in a space-constrained environment can cause coupling between the antenna elements, and if the coupling between the multiple antenna elements increases, signal leakage can occur, which can reduce the overall efficiency of the antenna device.

[0006] Therefore, research and development of an antenna device that can decoupling between antenna elements while ensuring sufficient channel capacity must be prioritized, and at this time, it is also an important research topic to design the antenna device so that its overall size does not increase. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above technical problems, and aims to provide an RF module for an antenna, which is manufactured in modular units and arranged in an antenna housing, and which can minimize radio wave interference between the RF modules for an antenna and improve the PIMD problem, and an antenna device including the same.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an RF module for an antenna, which enables decoupling between a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a concentrated manner, and prevents the size of the entire antenna device from increasing, and an antenna device including the same.

[0009] The objects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an RF module for an antenna includes a plurality of RF filter sections, each including a filter body elongated in the vertical direction, and a plurality of radiating element sections detachably fixed to be electrically connected to front ends of the plurality of RF filter sections, wherein the plurality of RF filter sections include the filter body including a left filter section and a right filter section provided in a spatial form on one side and the other side in the width direction, respectively, and a shared resonator section disposed at each end of at least two or more multi-bands constructed in the left filter section and the right filter section of the filter body.

[0011] Here, the shared resonator may include a common resonator disposed at the center of a cavity of the left filter section and the right filter section including each end of the multiband, and a coupler and a divider electrically connected to the common resonator.

[0012] Furthermore, the multi-band may be composed of a plurality of resonators that construct a plurality of transmission paths that selectively transmit signals of a plurality of frequency bands, and the common resonator may be configured to include resonators located at each input end and output end of the plurality of frequency bands.

[0013] Furthermore, the signal selected by the common resonator may be transmitted to the plurality of radiating element sections or a calibration port via the coupler and divider.

[0014] The coupler and divider may be fixed to a front end of the filter body adjacent to each cavity of the left filter section or the right filter section.

[0015] The coupler may be formed to a thickness that allows it to be inserted and fixed to the inside of the front end of the filter body in a slit coupling manner.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an antenna device includes an RF module for an antenna including a plurality of RF filter sections, each including a filter body formed long in the vertical direction; an antenna housing section having a box shape with an open front end for accommodating the RF module for the antenna in its internal space; and a radome panel for protecting the RF module for the antenna from the outside while shielding the open front end of the antenna housing section, wherein the RF module for the antenna includes the filter body including a left filter section and a right filter section provided in a spatial form on one side and the other side in the width direction, respectively; and shared resonator sections arranged at each end of at least two or more multi-bands constructed in the left filter section and the right filter section of the filter body.

[0017] Here, the RF module for the antenna may further include a plurality of radiating element units detachably fixed to be electrically connected to front ends of the plurality of RF filter units, each having a plurality of antenna array elements coupled to its front end, the antenna array elements outputting beams of at least one of dual polarizations, and a decoupling pattern unit having a predetermined shape may be formed on a rear surface of the radome panel to minimize indirect coupling between the plurality of antenna array elements.

[0018] The decoupling pattern portion may be formed in an "X" shape among diamond-shaped and honeycomb-shaped portions.

[0019] The radiating element portion of the antenna RF module may be provided with at least one radome deformation prevention protrusion for supporting the rear surface of the radome panel.

[0020] In addition, the plurality of radiating element units may include an antenna element board (Antenna PCB) fixed to a front end of the filter body via the radio wave interference prevention wall, and having a variable circuit pattern electrically connected to a pair of input terminals and a plurality of transmission lines branching from the variable circuit pattern into at least one branch and extending to be electrically connected to a pair of output terminals, respectively. The filter body may have a cutout formed therein to prevent interference with power transmission to a variable switch panel that is disposed in front of the variable circuit pattern and moves to change the physical lengths of the plurality of transmission lines.

[0021] The shared resonator may include a common resonator disposed at the center of a cavity of the left filter unit and the right filter unit including each end of the multiband, and a coupler and a divider electrically connected to the common resonator.

[0022] The coupler and divider may be fixed to a front end of the filter body adjacent to each cavity of the left filter section or the right filter section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an RF module for an antenna and an antenna device including the same can consolidate and install a large number of components in a limited space without increasing the size of the product, and also has the effect of minimizing radio wave interference (coupling) between antenna elements and improving the PIMD problem. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an RF module for an antenna and an antenna device including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the front part of the configuration of FIG. 1 in a state where the radome panel is separated forward. [Figure 2B]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the rear portion of the configuration of FIG. 1 in a state where the radome panel is separated forward. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an overall exploded perspective view of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 3 is an exploded perspective view of the rear side of the configuration of FIG. 2 with an antenna housing portion removed. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the front side of the configuration of FIG. 4, in which a phase shifter is separately separated. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the rear side of the configuration of FIG. 4, in which a phase shifter is separately separated. [Figure 6] 3 is an exploded perspective view of the front side of the configuration of FIG. 2 with an antenna housing portion removed. [Figure 7] 3A and 3B are a cross-sectional view and a partially enlarged view for explaining the function of a support handle in the configuration of FIG. 2. [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view showing an RF module for an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9A] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the front side of FIG. 8. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the rear side of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 9A and 9B are a perspective view and a front view, respectively, illustrating the radio wave interference prevention wall in the configuration of FIG. 8. [Figure 11] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an RF filter section in the configuration of FIG. 8. [Figure 12A] 12 is an exploded perspective view of each of (a) in FIG. 11. [Figure 12B] 12A and 12B are exploded perspective views of (b) in FIG. [Figure 13] 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the influence of interference caused by the radio wave interference prevention wall of FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 14] 11A is a side view showing the configuration of a shared resonator provided inside the filter bodies of a plurality of RF filter sections in the configuration of FIG. 10, FIG. 11B is a conceptual diagram, and FIG. 11C is an internal configuration diagram. [Figure 15] 15 is a graph showing frequency characteristics obtained by the shared resonator of FIG. 14. [Figure 16]FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a coupler in the configuration of FIG. 14. [Figure 17] 17 is a frequency response graph illustrating the improved PIMD achieved by the coupler of FIG. 16. [Figure 18] 2 is a perspective view showing the state of installation of a phase shifter that changes the length of a physical transmission line via a variable contact pattern provided in a radiating element portion of the configuration of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 19A] 19 is a front perspective view showing the phase shifter in the configuration of FIG. 18 in which only a single antenna RF module remains. [Figure 19B] 19 is a rear perspective view showing the phase shifter in the configuration of FIG. 18 in which only a single antenna RF module remains. [Figure 20] 19 is a diagram illustrating a transmission line configuration for explaining a change in physical transmission length due to the operation of a variable switch panel for the variable circuit pattern of FIG. 18. FIG. [Figure 21A] 19 is an exploded front perspective view showing a driving section of the configuration of the phase shifter of FIG. 18. FIG. [Figure 21B] 19 is an exploded perspective view of the rear side showing a driving section in the configuration of the phase shifter of FIG. 18. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, an RF module for an antenna and an antenna device including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When assigning reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are assigned the same numerals as much as possible, even if they are displayed in different drawings. Furthermore, when describing an embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of such well-known configurations or functions would hinder understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0026] When describing components of embodiments of the present invention, terms such as "first," "second," "A," "B," "(a)," and "(b)" may be used. These terms are merely used to distinguish the component from other components and do not limit the nature, order, or procedure of the components. Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined in this application.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an RF module for an antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention and an antenna device including the same, FIGS. 2A and 2B are exploded perspective views of the front and rear parts of the configuration of FIG. 1 with the radome panel separated forward, and FIG. 3 is an overall exploded perspective view of FIG. 1.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, an antenna device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an antenna housing portion 110 that is formed in a box shape with an open front to form an internal space 110S so that an antenna RF module 500 and a main board 120, which will be described later, can be built in using a stacking method, and that is elongated in the vertical direction.

[0029] A radome panel 150 is provided at the open front portion of the antenna housing portion 110 to shield and protect the antenna RF module 500 and other components provided in the internal space from the outside. The radome panel 150 may be made of a material that can transmit frequency radiation beams radiated from a plurality of antenna front end modules (AFEMs 500) described below.

[0030] The radome panel 150 is disposed at a predetermined distance from the front end of the plurality of AFEMs 500 to protect them from external factors and also to prevent problems that may occur due to coupling between the plurality of antenna array elements 330 of the radiating element unit 300, which will be described later, by decoupling.

[0031] For example, the coupling between the multiple antenna array elements 330 may be direct coupling, in which the multiple antenna array elements 330 are directly coupled to each other, or indirect coupling, in which at least a portion of the electromagnetic waves radiated from any one antenna array element 330 are reflected by the radome panel 150 and thereby coupled to other antenna array elements 330.

[0032] Here, a decoupling pattern portion 155 for decoupling electromagnetic waves radiated from the plurality of antenna array elements 330 may be formed on the rear surface of the radome panel 150. The decoupling pattern portion 155 serves to minimize indirect coupling between the antenna array elements 330.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the decoupling pattern portion 155 may be formed as a reinforcing rib (not shown) configured so that an approximately rhombus-shaped (see reference numeral 155n in FIG. 2B) or hexagon-shaped (see reference numeral 155h in FIG. 2B) pattern is repeatedly arranged on the rear surface of the radome panel 150.

[0034] More specifically, the reinforcing ribs are formed on the rear surface of the radome panel 150 so as to protrude backward in a repeated diamond-shaped 155n or hexagonal 155h pattern according to the outline of the radome panel, and a conductive material may be coated on a portion of the reinforcing rib by plating.

[0035] Here, the decoupling pattern portion 155 coated with the conductive material may have an "X" shape as shown in FIGS. 2B and 4.

[0036] Although some of the electromagnetic waves radiated from the multiple antenna array elements 330 can pass through the radome panel 150, some of them are reflected by the inner surface of the radome panel 150 and may cause coupling with other antenna array elements 330. However, by decoupling using the above-mentioned "X"-shaped decoupling pattern portion 155, indirect coupling between the multiple antenna array elements 330 can be minimized.

[0037] For this reason, it is preferable that the electromagnetic wave after decoupling by the decoupling pattern unit 155 has an inverted phase compared to that before decoupling.

[0038] In this way, various problems that may occur due to increased coupling between multiple antenna array elements 330 (for example, signal leakage and reduced channel capacity in MIMO systems) can be prevented.

[0039] Meanwhile, a plurality of fixing clips 151 are provided around the edge of the radome panel 150 at a predetermined distance apart, and the radome panel 150 can be detachably fixed by the operation of each of the fixing clips 151 being engaged and coupled to the front end of the antenna housing part 110.

[0040] The antenna housing 110 is preferably made of a material with excellent thermal conductivity, such as a metal material that easily transfers heat (dissipates heat). In addition, a number of heat dissipation fins 111 may be arranged on the rear surface of the antenna housing 110 to receive heat from a heat generating element 121 that is mounted on a main board 120 stacked in the internal space 110S and generates system heat, and dissipate the heat to the external space.

[0041] Here, the plurality of heat dissipation fins 111 may be integrally formed on the rear surface of the antenna housing part 110, or may be manufactured separately from the antenna housing part 110 and then joined to the rear surface of the antenna housing part 110 by a welding joining method or the like.

[0042] In this case, each of the heat dissipation fins 111 can be made of aluminum (Al) material, which has high thermal conductivity, and can be provided in a passive heat dissipation method in which heat is dissipated only using the thermal conductivity of the material itself, or in an active heat dissipation method in which heat is dissipated in response to the phase change of the refrigerant filled inside.

[0043] The active heat dissipation method has the advantage that it is possible to use a metal base material panel made of a material with relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the passive heat dissipation method, and that it is possible to increase the range of refrigerant options.

[0044] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 2B, a trench structure (not shown in the drawing) may be provided on the rear surface of the antenna housing part 110 so that the central part between the left end and the right end is separated into upper and lower parts.

[0045] The back surface of the antenna housing part 110, which corresponds to both the left and right sides of the trench structure, may be provided with a plurality of press-fit parts (not shown in the drawing) so that the plurality of heat dissipation fins 111 of the active heat dissipation method described above are arranged inclined upward toward the left and right ends, respectively.

[0046] Here, the multiple press-in portions are arranged in the upper left and upper right directions, respectively, centered on the trench structure, and when multiple active heat dissipation type heat dissipation fins 111 are manufactured to the same length, passive heat dissipation type heat dissipation fins (not shown in the drawing) may be combined with press-in portions of a different length (or specification).

[0047] In addition, the portion of the upper part of the trench structure where the passive heat dissipation fins are attached (the inverted triangular portion) and the portion corresponding to the trench structure are filled with a predetermined refrigerant that can change phase, and the phase change of the refrigerant allows heat to be easily transferred from the internal space 110S of the antenna housing portion 110 to the back side of the antenna housing portion 110, thereby improving heat dissipation performance.

[0048] Meanwhile, the antenna housing part 110 may function as a medium for coupling to a support pole (not shown) provided for installation of the antenna device 100 .

[0049] In addition, although not shown, handles may be further provided on both the left and right sides of the antenna housing portion 110 so that workers can grip the antenna device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention on site to easily carry it or manually attach it to a support pole.

[0050] 4 is an exploded perspective view of the rear side of the configuration of FIG. 2 with the antenna housing portion removed, FIGS. 5A and 5B are exploded perspective views of the front side and rear side of the configuration of FIG. 4 with the phase shifter separated, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the front side of the configuration of FIG. 2 with the antenna housing portion removed.

[0051] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, an antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of RF filter units 200 each including a filter body (see reference numeral 210 in FIGS. 5A and 5B) formed long in the vertical direction, and a plurality of radiating element units 300 formed longer than the length of the plurality of RF filter units 200 and detachably fixed to be electrically connected to the front ends of the plurality of RF filter units 200.

[0052] Here, a module form in which a single radiating element unit 300 is coupled to each filter body 210 of a plurality of RF filter units 200 can be defined as an antenna front end module (hereinafter, abbreviated as AFEM) 500.

[0053] Although not shown, the conventional antenna device differs from the embodiment (100) of the present invention, which is modularized for each RF chain, in that a main board is primarily placed in the internal space of the antenna housing, a plurality of RF filter units are mounted on the front surface of the main board at predetermined intervals and in a predetermined matrix, a one-board antenna board is stacked on the front ends of the plurality of RF filter units with a reflector interposed therebetween, and a plurality of antenna elements that establish RF communication for each RF chain are mounted on the front surface of the antenna board in proportion to the channel capacity.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the AFEM 500 can include a plurality of RF filter sections 200 and a radiating element section 300.

[0055] Here, as shown in Figures 5A, 5B and 6, the plurality of RF filter sections 200 may include a filter body 210 which is formed as an individual unit and is elongated in the vertical direction, and has a predetermined installation space provided on both the left and right sides in the width direction so that a plurality of resonators can be built in for each TRx channel (see drawing symbol "B1Tx, etc." in Figure 14 described later).

[0056] 5A, 5B, and 6, the radiating element unit 300 may include an antenna element board 310 fixed to the front end surface of the filter body 210 and having a pattern printed thereon a plurality of transmission lines (see reference numerals “361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R” in FIG. 9A described later), and an antenna array element 330 coupled to the front surface of the antenna element board 310 at a distance in the vertical direction and receiving a predetermined signal via the plurality of transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R.

[0057] More specifically, the plurality of RF filter units 200 are electrically connected to filter connecting slots (not shown) provided on the front surface of the main board 120 via a plurality of coaxial connectors (DCC) 250A to 250D, and can be stably electrically connected to the main board via a plurality of filter fixing brackets 230A to 230D provided on the rear surface of the filter body 210 to prevent the connection points with the coaxial connectors from moving arbitrarily.

[0058] However, it goes without saying that the screw fixing using the multiple filter fixing brackets 230A to 230D is not actually performed directly to the main board 120, but can be screw fixed to a clamshell panel 140 provided to shield electromagnetic waves between the main board 120 and the multiple RF filter sections 200.

[0059] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, four coaxial connectors 250A to 250D for connecting to each TRx channel are provided at a distance in the vertical direction on the rear side of the filter body 210, and four filter fixing brackets 230A to 230D can be arranged at a predetermined distance in the vertical direction to provide a configuration for stable electrical connection and coupling of the coaxial connectors 250A to 250D.

[0060] Here, the clamshell panel 140 may be provided with DCC through holes (not shown) at set positions, through which the four coaxial connectors 250A to 250D pass, respectively, and may be provided with a plurality of screw fastening holes (not shown) into which the fixing screws (see reference numeral 235 in FIG. 8) of the four filter fixing brackets 230A to 230D are fastened.

[0061] Thus, a stable electrical signal connection of the AFEM 500 to the main board 120 is a very important factor in preventing the occurrence of PIMD.

[0062] More specifically, the PIMD (Passive Intermodulation Distortion) phenomenon is a problem that occurs in general antenna devices, and is a spurious signal generated by the nonlinear characteristics of passive elements, which deteriorates the signal-to-noise characteristics on the communication path and degrades communication quality.

[0063] In particular, there are various causes of the PIMD problem, but since the antenna housing part 110 is generally long in the vertical direction, and thermal imbalance occurs due to the heating element 121 mounted on the main board 120, or minute distortion occurs in the antenna housing part 110 due to thermal stress, stable bonding and electrical connection to the main board 120 using the above-mentioned four filter fixing brackets 230A to 230D can play a very important role in improving the PIMD problem.

[0064] Meanwhile, a left filter part 220L and a right filter part 220R may be provided on both the left and right sides in the width direction of the filter body 210 to enable dual-band frequency filtering.

[0065] The left and right filter sections 220L and 220R may be provided to filter different frequency bands separately. For example, the left filter section 220L may be involved in a frequency band covering a low band radiating frequencies defined between 600 MHz and 800 MHz, and the right filter section 220R may be involved in a frequency band covering a middle band radiating frequencies defined between 1.7 GHz and 2.4 GHz. In particular, the left and right filter sections 220L and 220R may each be realized as a Quadflex filter.

[0066] Here, in each of the left filter section 220L and the right filter section 220R, the ends of the triple band (6-path) are combined with a common resonator, and a relatively thin coupler that effectively couples the 6-path can be inserted and fixed in a slit coupling manner inside the front end of the filter body 210. This will be described in more detail later.

[0067] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the filter body 210 may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the front-to-back thickness is greater than the approximately left-to-right width, and the vertical length is greater than the front-to-back thickness.

[0068] In addition, the filter body 210 may have a chamfered front corner portion at one of its longitudinal ends, and a calibration port may be provided at the other of its longitudinal ends, and a rounded avoidance portion 205 may be integrally formed to allow for interference-free vertical movement of the horizontal mounting bar 650, which is one of the components of the phase shifter 600 described below.

[0069] Here, when two RF modules for antennas 500 according to one embodiment of the present invention are arranged successively in the vertical direction, one end of each filter body 210 where the avoidance portion 205 is formed comes into contact with each other to form an approximately semicircular shape, thereby preventing interference when the horizontal mounting bar 650 of the phase shifter 600 moves up and down, and the calibration ports of each filter body 210 are located close to each other, which may facilitate integrated connection to the main board 120.

[0070] 7 is a cross-sectional view and a partially enlarged view for explaining the function of the support handle in the configuration of FIG. 2, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an RF module for an antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 9A and 9B are exploded perspective views of the front and rear sides of FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a perspective view (a) and a front view (b) for explaining the radio wave interference prevention wall in the configuration of FIG. 8, FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the RF filter section in the configuration of FIG. 8, and FIGS. 12A and 12B are exploded perspective views of (a) and (b) of FIG. 11. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the influence of interference caused by the radio wave interference prevention wall of FIG. 10 , FIG. 14 is a side view (a), a conceptual diagram (b) and an internal configuration diagram (c) showing the configuration of a shared resonator provided inside the filter body of multiple RF filter units in the configuration of FIG. 10 , FIG. 15 is a frequency characteristic graph appearing due to the shared resonator of FIG. 14 , FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the coupler in the configuration of FIG. 14 , and FIG. 17 is a frequency characteristic graph showing the improved PIMD due to the coupler of FIG. 16 .

[0071] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 17, the filter body 210 may further include filter tuning covers 280L, 280R having a plurality of embossed portions 285 for fine tuning by adjusting the distance from the tips of a plurality of resonators (215, see FIG. 14(a)) provided inside the cavities C1, C2 of the left filter section 220L and the right filter section 220R.

[0072] The tuning designer can perform fine tuning by using a predetermined stamping tool to stamp the multiple stamping portions 285 formed on the filter tuning covers 280L, 280R from the outside, thereby adjusting the distance from the tips of the multiple resonators 215.

[0073] This is in contrast to the conventional configuration in which a metallic tuning screw corresponding to each resonator is provided and then the tuning screw is finely rotated. By eliminating the relatively heavy metallic tuning screw, it is easy to design a lightweight product, and it has the advantage of improving the chronic problem of PIMD by preventing incomplete contact of the metallic tuning screw in advance.

[0074] Here, the left and right filter portions 220L and 220R of the filter body 210 may further include a left and right filter cover 270L and 270R that cover and shield the filter tuning covers 280L and 280R, respectively.

[0075] As described above, the rear portion (rear surface) of the filter body 210 may be provided with an input port portion 250 for electrical connection with the main board 120 via coaxial connectors 250A to 250D, and the front portion (front surface) of the filter body 210 may be provided with an output port portion 260 for supplying power to the antenna element board 310 described later.

[0076] The output port section 260 is an initial line before branching into a plurality of transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R pattern-printed on the front surface of the antenna element board 310, and can be electrically connected to a pair of input terminals (see reference symbols "365L, 365R" in FIG. 20) formed on the variable circuit pattern 360 of the phase shifter 600 described later.

[0077] On the other hand, the radiating element section 300 of the AFEM 500 can include an antenna element board 310 and a plurality of antenna array elements 330, as shown in FIGS.

[0078] The number of antenna array elements 330 is not limited, but typically, three antenna elements are arranged in the V-direction (Vertical direction) in one RF chain, or, as in one embodiment of the present invention, when a phase shifter 600 is used to change the physical transmission length of multiple transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R branched into two from an input terminal that is not a digital terminal, three additional antenna elements can be arranged in the V-direction (total of six), and it goes without saying that a number sufficient to achieve beamforming while realizing symmetrical phase difference values ​​for the same phase plane within a single RF chain can be provided.

[0079] To this end, as shown in FIG. 9A , a variable circuit pattern 360 can be printed on the front surface of the antenna element board 310, which extends from a pair of input terminals and has at least one disconnection point before branching into a plurality of transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R, and a plurality of transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R extending from the disconnection points of the variable circuit pattern 360 to the upper and lower left side and the upper and lower right side of the front surface of the antenna element board 310, respectively, and branching to output terminals corresponding to the number of antenna array elements 330.

[0080] Here, in the RF module for antenna 500 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the antenna element board 310 is provided as a normal printed circuit board (PCB) made of FR-4 material, and the variable circuit pattern 360 and the plurality of transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R are adopted in a form in which they are pattern-printed, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this embodiment, and in order to reduce insertion loss, it would also be possible to construct and design the antenna element board 310 in the form of a panel made of a normal plastic resin material, and the variable circuit pattern 360 and the plurality of transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R as conductive terminals in the form of air strip lines.

[0081] The front surface of the antenna element board 310 may be provided with "X"-shaped mounting slits 363-1 to 363-6, which are the locations where the output terminals or antenna array elements 330 are located, and in which baluns (320) for supporting patch-type or dipole-type antenna patch elements (not shown in the drawing) are provided.

[0082] Although not shown, the balun unit 320 may be provided with a conductive feed pattern line (not shown in the drawing) that is electrically connected to each output end of the plurality of transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R and then feeds power to each of the plurality of antenna array elements 330 provided at the front end thereof, thereby enabling radiation of frequency beams such as dual polarization beams.

[0083] Here, as shown in FIG. 9B, the balun section 320 includes a pair of feed support ends 321 formed crosswise in an “X” shape so as to be inserted into and fixed in the mounting slits 363-1 to 363-6 formed in the antenna element board 310, and an element support end (not shown) coupled to the front ends of the pair of feed support ends 321 and supporting the antenna array element 330 consisting of an antenna element patch.

[0084] In addition, as shown in Figures 7 to 10, the front surface of the antenna element board 310 may be provided with at least two or more radome deformation prevention protrusions 390, whose front ends protrude further forward than at least the antenna array elements 330 and are supported by the rear surface of the radome panel 150.

[0085] The radome deformation prevention protrusion 390 serves to prevent the antenna array element 330 from coming into contact and being deformed when the front surface of the radome panel 150 is accidentally pushed backward by a worker (meaning a worker installing the antenna device of the present invention).

[0086] In addition, the radome deformation prevention protrusion 390 can also serve as a handle that allows an assembler to easily pick up and move the unit AFEM 500 with their fingers when assembling (mounting) the unit AFEM 500 on the main board 120 .

[0087] Here, as shown in Figures 7, 9A and 9B, the radome deformation prevention protrusion 390 may include a support rod 391 whose rear end is screwed to the antenna element board 310 by a fixing screw 395, and a height adjustment screw 392 provided at the front end of the support rod 391 and supported on the rear portion of the radome panel 150.

[0088] A screw fixing panel 393 having a screw through-hole 394 formed therein is integrally formed at the rear end of the support rod 391, and the radome deformation prevention protrusion 390 can be stably fixed by fastening at least one fixing screw 395 to the antenna element board 310 through the screw through-hole 394.

[0089] Meanwhile, when a gap occurs due to an assembly tolerance of the radome panel 150, the height adjustment screw 392 performs a rotation adjustment relative to the support rod 391 to eliminate the gap due to the assembly tolerance.

[0090] In this way, it is possible to minimize in advance the occurrence of PIMD, which occurs when the coupling or position of each component of the antenna device is deformed beyond the design range by the assemblers and workers involved in the assembly process to the installation process of the antenna RF module 500.

[0091] Meanwhile, in the antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the AFEM 500 may further include an isolation side wall (370) which is coupled to both widthwise ends of the plurality of radiating element units 300 and is partitioned and arranged to minimize radio wave interference with the adjacent radiating element units 300, and which has a front end part partially cut into a concave-convex shape and a rear end part face-to-face coupled to the front end of the filter body without cutting so as to increase the contact area with the front end of the filter body.

[0092] As shown in Figures 9A and 9B, the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 may include a left side prevention wall 370L installed and fixed at the left end of the antenna element board 310 in the width direction, and a right side prevention wall 370R installed and fixed at the right end of the antenna element board 310 in the width direction.

[0093] The radio wave interference prevention wall 370 is made of a metal material capable of blocking electromagnetic waves, thereby preventing interference with the antenna beams of the surrounding AFEMs 500, improving the beam pattern, and also improving the overall strength of the AFEMs 500.

[0094] Here, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B , the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 may include a mounting surface 371 bent so that at least a portion of the mounting surface 371 overlaps the rear surface of the widthwise end of each of the plurality of radiating element units 300 to mediate coupling of each of the plurality of radiating element units 300 to the front ends of the plurality of RF filter units 200, a radio wave prevention surface 373 bent forward from the mounting surface 371 in an uneven shape, and a ground surface 372 bent from the mounting surface 371 toward the filter body 210 without making an incision.

[0095] That is, as shown in Figures 9A and 9B, the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 may be provided as an integrated type in which a ground surface 372 protruding rearward and a radio wave prevention surface 373 protruding forward based on the antenna element board 310 are bent at the inner and outer ends of a mounting surface 371 provided parallel to the antenna element board 310.

[0096] Here, as described above, the radio wave prevention surface 373 of the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 has an uneven shape with repeated concave and convex portions that form a separation distance that matches the beam pattern characteristics, thereby improving the beam pattern characteristics for each embodiment.

[0097] In addition, the ground surface 372 of the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 may be provided in a form without an uneven shape, unlike the above-mentioned radio wave prevention surface 373, in order to improve the ground function of the antenna element board 310.

[0098] For this purpose, the mounting surface 371 of the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 is closely attached to the rear side of the left or right end in the width direction of the antenna element board 310, and the grounding surface 372 of the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 is bent and extended as far backward as possible, thereby further expanding the grounding functional surface of the antenna element board 310.

[0099] To briefly explain the effect of preventing interference of polarized beams by the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 in the configuration of the AFEM 500 of the antenna device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 13(a) and (b), the radiation beam radiated from one of the two AFEMs 500 (the antenna array element 330A on the left side of the figure) arranged side by side in the H-direction can be divided into an inter-isolation polarization beam (see solid line arrow) that does not reach the adjacent AFEM (500, for example, the antenna array element 330B on the right side of the figure) and causes interference within the AFEM itself, an inter-co-pol isolation polarization beam (see dash-dotted line arrow) that reaches the antenna array element 330B of the adjacent AFEM 500 and causes interference, and an inter-cross-pol isolation polarization beam (see dash-dotted line arrow) that skips the antenna array element 330B of the adjacent AFEM 500 and causes interference with the antenna array element 330 of another adjacent AFEM 500 (not shown).

[0100] Here, in the antenna device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the AFEM 500 can minimize interference by blocking or reflecting back the radiation beam toward the adjacent AFEM 500 by the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 described above.

[0101] Meanwhile, the antenna element board 310 of the radiating element section 300 can be fixed to the front end surface of the filter body 210 of the AFEM 500 with a fixing screw (not shown). However, the fixing screw is not necessarily the only fixing element, and it would also be possible for the ground surface 372, which is the rear end of the radio wave interference prevention wall 370, to be fixed to the side surface of the filter body 210 in the width direction with another fixing screw.

[0102] It goes without saying that the specific shape of the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 can be designed in consideration of the radiation characteristic data of the polarized beams in each embodiment.

[0103] In addition, as shown in Figures 9A and 9B, the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 may be formed with an interference avoidance hole 379 for hinge rotation (i.e., preventing interference) without interfering with the connection portion with the vertical mounting bars 655U and 655D, which is provided for the rotation of the variable switch panel 660, which is a component of the phase shifter 600 described below, and is connected to the vertical mounting bars 655U and 655D.

[0104] As will be described later, it is preferable that the interference avoidance hole 379 is designed to be formed at the optimal position of the radio wave interference prevention wall 370 taking into consideration the radiation characteristic data of the polarized beam, and it goes without saying that this also makes it possible to change the detailed shape design of the vertical mounting bars 655U and 655D.

[0105] In particular, among the components of the phase shifter 600 described below, the multiple vertical mounting bars 655U and 655D are arranged adjacent to the inside of one of a pair of radio wave interference prevention walls 370 provided at both widthwise ends of the antenna element board 310 so as to be able to move vertically, but the movement of the vertical mounting bars 655U and 655D at this time is not a completely vertical linear movement.

[0106] That is, the variable switch panel 660 of the phase shifter 600 is configured to rotate around a predetermined rotation center point, and the vertical mounting bars 655U and 655D are connected to and moved by the rotation connection point 669 of the variable switch panel 660, so that the upper ends (i.e., the rotation connection point 669) of the vertical mounting bars 655U and 655D swing and move at a slight angle based on the lower ends.

[0107] In this case, it is essential to secure the space necessary for the swing movement of the vertical mounting bars 655U and 655D. Although it is possible to consider making the antenna element board 310 wider, this would increase the left-right width of the antenna device, and is therefore not worth adopting. Therefore, the optimal design plan may be to design interference avoidance holes 379 in the radio wave interference prevention wall 370, as described above, so as to prevent an increase in size while also preventing interference with the fine swing movement of the vertical mounting bars 655U and 655D.

[0108] However, if the uneven shape of the radio wave prevention surface 373, which is the front end of the radio wave interference prevention wall 370, is formed at a sufficient distance from the beginning, the distance between the uneven parts can replace the interference avoidance hole 379, and there will be no need to design a separate interference avoidance hole 379.

[0109] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 14, the plurality of RF filter sections 200 may include the filter body 210 including a left filter section 220L and a right filter section 220R provided in a cavity form on one side and the other side of the width, respectively, and shared resonator sections (reference numerals not shown, see FIG. 14(b)) arranged at each end of at least two or more multi-bands (in one embodiment of the present invention, three frequency bands (B1: 2100, B3: 1800, B7: 2600)) constructed in the left filter section 220L and the right filter section 220R of the filter body 210.

[0110] Here, as shown in FIG. 14, the shared resonator section may include a common resonator 218 disposed at the center of each cavity C1, C2 of the left filter section 220L and the right filter section 220R, which include each end of the multiband, and a coupler (291) and a divider (292) electrically connected to the common resonator 218.

[0111] The shared resonator having such a configuration plays a role in enabling signals related to multiple frequency bands to be transmitted and received.

[0112] For example, when the left filter section 220L and the right filter section 220R are made up of a plurality of resonators so as to construct a transmission path for selectively transmitting signals of a plurality of frequency bands (in the present invention, the three frequency bands (B1: 2100, B3: 1800, B7: 2600)) as a multi-band, the common resonator 218 may be configured to include resonators 215 located at each input end and output end of the plurality of frequency bands (for example, the three pairs of frequency bands).

[0113] More specifically, coupler 291 serves to extract a portion of the signal from each of left filter section 220L and right filter section 220R, and divider 292 serves to combine the two coupled signals into one output.

[0114] Here, coupler 291 is shown in the drawings (see FIGS. 14(c) and 16) as being provided in the form of a board so as to provide a thickness that allows it to be inserted and fixed to the front end of filter body 210 in a slit coupling manner, as will be described later, but it should be noted that the form is not necessarily limited to a board form. That is, coupler 291 may be provided in any form as long as it provides a thickness that allows it to be inserted and fixed to the front end of filter body 210 in a slit coupling manner and does not result in an increase in the size of filter body 210 itself.

[0115] That is, similar to the divider 292 shown in FIG. 14(c), the coupler 291 may also be provided in the form of a conductive pattern disposed relative to the filter body 210.

[0116] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the coupler 291 is configured so that signals input from port 1 (Port 1 (Filter B, i.e., left filter section 220L)) and port 4 (Port 4 (Filter A, right filter section 220R)), to which signals of the frequency band selected by the common resonator 218 are input, can be transmitted and received via port 2 (Port 2: RF-B) and port 5 (Port 5: RF-A), which function as the above-mentioned output port section 260, using a main circuit (reference numeral not shown).

[0117] The coupler 291 can also transmit a signal coupled via a coupling network circuit and a Wilkinson combiner circuit, which are arranged adjacent to and in parallel with the main circuit, to a calibration port via a divider 292.

[0118] With coupler 291 functioning in this way, as shown in the frequency characteristic diagram in FIG. 17, not only can a stable coupling value be achieved within the error range of a coupling level of 20 dB ± 1 dB in the frequency band of 1.7 GHz to 2.7 GHz without coupling tuning (no coupling tuning), but also a good directivity value of 25 dB or more can be secured using the following formula when the isolation level is greater than 47 dB.

[0119] Formula Directivity=Isolation-Coupling

[0120] Also, referring to FIG. 16, the ground of the coupler 291 provided in the PCB type is connected to the filter body 210 by a coupling ground, which prevents unstable contact, and therefore has the advantage of greatly improving the PIMD problem.

[0121] For reference, although not shown, the ground of the coupler 291 and the filter body 210 can be connected in a coupling form without direct contact using double-sided tape, PSR treatment, etc.

[0122] The plurality of RF filter units 200 configured as described above can advantageously maximize versatility and marketability by constructing a triple-band (6-path (transmission filter path) filter, coupler 291, and divider 292 inside one filter body 210 so as to match each shared frequency of the region or country in which the antenna device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed.

[0123] Furthermore, in the antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, even when a left filter section 220L and a right filter section 220R are provided as in the AFEM 500, it is not necessary to provide a number of couplers 291 corresponding to the respective filter sections 220L, 220R; instead, a single coupler 291 can be attached to the inside of the front end section of the filter body 210 using a slit coupling method, which provides the advantage of preventing an increase in the size of the RF filter section 200.

[0124] In addition, as described above, when a single coupler 291 is provided inside the front end of the filter body 210, not only is the configuration of the main circuit and coupling network circuit associated with the left filter section 220L, the main circuit and coupling network circuit associated with the right filter section 220R, and the Wilkinson combiner circuit for calibration very simple, but the formation of the divider 292 can also be extended directly to the calibration port side along the front end of the filter body 210, providing additional manufacturing advantages.

[0125] According to the above-described plurality of RF filter sections 200, as shown in FIG. 15, individual frequency characteristics can be realized by 6 paths (transmission filter paths).

[0126] Figure 18 is a perspective view showing the installation of a phase shifter that changes the length of the physical transmission line via a variable contact pattern provided in the radiating element section of the configuration of Figure 1, Figures 19A and 19B are front and rear perspective views showing the phase shifter of the configuration of Figure 18 in a state where only a single antenna RF module remains, Figure 20 is a transmission line configuration diagram for explaining the change in physical transmission length due to the operation of a variable switch panel for the variable circuit pattern of Figure 18, and Figures 21A and 21B are front and rear exploded perspective views showing the drive section of the phase shifter configuration of Figure 18.

[0127] As shown in Figures 18 to 21B, the antenna device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a phase shifter 600 for changing the physical lengths of the multiple transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R pattern-printed on the front surface of the antenna element board 310 to achieve a predetermined phase difference value and perform beamforming.

[0128] Here, the phase shifter 600, depending on the embodiment, can realize phase difference values ​​with symmetrical inclinations with respect to the same phase plane by changing the physical lengths of the plurality of transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R.

[0129] The phase shifter 600 includes a driving motor unit 610 fixed to a lower portion of the internal space 110S of the antenna housing unit 110 and electrically generating a rotational driving force; a vertical moving guide unit 620 that converts the rotational driving force of the driving motor unit 610 into linear motion to move up and down; a horizontal mounting bar 650 that receives the linear moving force from the vertical moving guide unit 620 and moves up and down horizontally; and a plurality of vertical mounting bars 665U and 665D, one end of which is vertically connected to the horizontal mounting bar 650 in the vertical direction and the other end of which is connected to a rotation connection point 669 of the above-mentioned variable switching panel 660 arranged to switch and ground to each of the power interruption points of the plurality of transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, and 362R.

[0130] As shown in Figures 21A and 21B, the drive motor unit 610 includes a drive motor (not shown) provided inside a motor box 611, a first pinion gear 612 connected to both ends of the rotation shaft of the drive motor, and a rotation shaft 613 arranged parallel to the rotation shaft of the first pinion gear 612, and a second pinion gear 614 at both ends of the rotation shaft 613 that meshes with the first pinion gear 612.

[0131] A pair of interlocking second pinion gears 615L, 615R that interlock with the second pinion gear 614 are provided at both ends of the rotation shaft 613 of the second pinion gear 614, and a pair of interlocking bevel gears 616L, 616R that are arranged to have orthogonal rotation axes can be arranged to mesh with the pair of interlocking second pinion gears 615L, 615R.

[0132] A screw rod 617' having a male screw thread (not shown) formed on its outer circumferential surface is axially connected to the rotation axis of the pair of interlocking bevel gears 616L, 616R, and upper and lower moving guide blocks 617L, 617R having a female screw thread (not shown) formed on the outer circumferential surface of each of the pair of screw rods 617' may be interposed therebetween.

[0133] Here, the motor box 611 may be fixed to a pair of left and right motor mounting brackets 622L, 622R provided to mediate fixation to the internal space 110S of the antenna housing unit 110, and motor mounting brackets 622L, 622R, 621 provided as a front motor mounting bracket 621. The pair of left and right motor mounting brackets 622L, 622R can be screw-fastened to the front motor mounting bracket 621 with a plurality of fixing screws 637.

[0134] Of the motor mounting brackets 622L, 622R, and 621, in front of the front motor mounting bracket 621, the vertical moving panel 630 of the configuration of the vertical moving guide portion 620 described above may be provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

[0135] The vertical moving panel 630 can move up and down in conjunction with the pair of moving blocks 617L, 617R described above. To this end, the front motor mounting bracket 621 is formed with moving guide slots 623L, 623R that penetrate in the front-to-rear direction and guide the vertical movement of the pair of vertical moving blocks 617L, 617R. The vertical moving panel 630 can be fixed to the moving guide slots 623L, 623R with a plurality of fixing screws 635.

[0136] The vertical moving panel 630 of the vertical moving guide part 620 can be connected to a pair of vertical connection bars 640 that mediate connection with the horizontal mounting bar 650 described above.

[0137] When the driving motor unit 610 configured as described above operates, the rotational driving force of the driving motor is converted into vertical linear motion by the vertical moving guide unit 620, causing the horizontal mounting bar 650 to move vertically in a balanced manner. When the multiple vertical mounting bars 655U, 655D connected to the horizontal mounting bar 650 so as to move vertically in conjunction with the horizontal mounting bar 650 also move, the variable switch panel 660 rotates by a predetermined angle, and the variable contact pattern 664R formed on the opposing surface of the variable switch panel 660 energizes (conducts) at least one disconnection point formed on the variable circuit pattern 360, thereby changing the physical lengths of the multiple transmission lines 361L, 361R, 362L, 362R.

[0138] Mobile data traffic has been increasing exponentially in recent years, leading global mobile operators to compete to increase the capacity of mid-band FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) frequencies such as 1.8GHz and 2.1GHz.

[0139] 5G FDD Dual Band Massive MIMO 32TRX RU has attracted global attention as a solution for capacity expansion, but as explained above, there are two key issues that limit its commercialization.

[0140] The first problem is the generation of PIMD, which is pointed out as a fatal problem that reduces receiver sensitivity and significantly reduces the uplink coverage of a base station.

[0141] The second problem is that the FDD RU is very heavy and oversized, using 128 filters, each twice the size of a TDD filter, which has also been seen as a hurdle to commercialization.

[0142] The antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention provides the most innovative commercial solution to fundamentally block the occurrence of PIMD at the hardware level and reduce size and weight.

[0143] As mentioned above, the starting point is the modularized design of the RF filter section 200 and the radiating element section 300. Compared to the conventional installation structure in which multiple antenna array elements are HV-arranged on a single antenna element board, the antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has the following four advantages, and also includes the following innovative technologies based on the extensive experience of the applicant of the present invention:

[0144] -Distruptive Technology(Extremely Low PIMD, The Lightest Ever) The filter tuning technology automatically tunes the filter without using screws. To this end, the filter cover (not shown) is provided with multiple stamping panels for fine tuning at positions corresponding to the tips of each resonator, and fine tuning can be performed automatically using an automatic stamping tool. In addition, all components of the RF filter unit 200 are soldered to prevent imperfect contact between metals, eliminating the root cause of PIMD and providing the advantage that the RF filter unit 200 is much lighter than existing products.

[0145] Furthermore, the antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention employs a unique filter cover bonding technology that airtightly bonds the filter body 210 and the filter cover without using screws, which significantly reduces the weight of the PIMD and RF filter 200. In particular, a double-sided quad-flex filter is realized, providing the advantages of being thinner and lighter.

[0146] In addition, in the final stage of combining the RF filter section 200 and the radiating element section 300, the PIMD can be fundamentally eliminated by being directly assembled without any contacts or additional connectors.

[0147] -Detachable Architecture(The Highest Production Yield, Each Module Replaceable) The existing method has the problem that it is almost impossible to find the location where PIMD occurs because the antenna element array (radiating element part) and RF filter part are assembled one by one on a single PCB (main board), even if the order can be changed. Even if the location where PIMD occurs is found, improving or repairing it is an extremely difficult problem.

[0148] However, a modular design such as the antenna device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can dramatically improve production yield by assembling modules that can be attached and detached like Lego blocks.

[0149] -Scalable Architecture(Reducing Lead Time, Easy Response to Frequency Variance, Compatible with Various Antenna Architecture) In addition, the modular design mentioned above allows all types of FDD Massive MIMO RUs to be created using only three types of modules (triple band type), providing scalable compatibility, shortening lead times, and easily adapting to frequency fluctuations.

[0150] -Dual Channel Phase Shifter(for Hybrid Beamforming(Optional)) Along with this, as an optional component, the dual channel phase shifter 600 for hybrid beamforming can support up to 384 antenna element architectures, which translates into a smaller, lighter, and more cost-efficient advantage over existing products.

[0151] That is, the AFEM 500, which is a modular design of the antenna device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, offers the advantages of PIMD rejection, product weight reduction, isolation and scalability, and greatly improved versatility with dual channel phase converters.

[0152] The antenna device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and that various modifications and equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the true scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0153] The present invention provides an RF module for an antenna, which can minimize radio wave interference between modules and prevent indirect coupling of beams radiated from radiating element parts, thereby improving the PIMD problem, and an antenna device including the same. [Explanation of symbols]

[0154] 100: Antenna device, 110: Antenna housing part 110S: Internal space, 120: Main board 150: Radome panel, 151: Fixing clip 155: Decoupling pattern section, 200: RF filter section 210: filter body, 215: resonator 220L: Left filter section, 220R: Right filter section 230A~230D: Filter fixing bracket, 235: Fixing screw 250: Input port, 250A-250D: Coaxial connector (DCC) 260: Output port, 270L: Left side filter cover 270R: Right side filter cover, 280L, 280R: Filter tuning cover 291: Coupler, 292: Divider 300: Radiation element section, 310: Antenna element board 320: balun section, 330: antenna array element 500: AFEM, 600: Phase shifter 610: drive motor unit, 611: motor box 612: first pinion gear, 613: rotating shaft 614: 2nd pinion gear, 615L, 615R: Interlocking 2nd pinion gear 616L, 616R: Interlocking bevel gear, 617L, 617R: Upper and lower moving guide block 617': screw rod, 620: upper and lower moving guide part 621: Front motor mounting bracket, 622L, 622R: Left and right motor mounting brackets 623L, 623R: Moving guide slot, 630: Up and down moving panel 640: Upper and lower connecting bar, 650: Horizontal mounting bar 655U, 655D: Vertical mounting bar, 660: Variable switch panel 669: Rotating connection point

Claims

1. a plurality of RF filter units each including a filter body formed long in the vertical direction; a plurality of radiating element units detachably fixed to be electrically connected to front ends of the plurality of RF filter units, The plurality of RF filter units include: the filter body including a left filter portion and a right filter portion provided in a spaced manner on one side and the other side in a width direction, respectively; and a shared resonator section disposed at each end of at least two or more multi-bands constructed in the left filter section and the right filter section of the filter body.

2. The shared resonance unit is a common resonator disposed at the center of the cavity of the left filter section and the right filter section, the common resonator including each end of the multiband; 2. The antenna RF module of claim 1, further comprising: a coupler and a divider electrically coupled to the common resonator.

3. The multi-band antenna includes a plurality of resonators that construct a plurality of transmission paths that selectively transmit signals in a plurality of frequency bands, 3. The antenna RF module according to claim 2, wherein the common resonator is configured to include resonators located at input and output ends of the plurality of frequency bands.

4. 4. The antenna RF module according to claim 3, wherein the signal selected by said common resonator is transmitted to said plurality of radiating element sections or calibration ports via said coupler and divider.

5. 3. The RF module for antennas according to claim 2, wherein the coupler and the divider are fixed to a front end side of the filter body adjacent to each cavity of the left filter section or the right filter section.

6. The RF module for an antenna according to claim 2 , wherein the coupler is formed to a thickness such that it can be inserted and fixed to the inside of the front end of the filter body by a slit coupling method.

7. an RF module for an antenna including a plurality of RF filter units each including a filter body formed long in the vertical direction; an antenna housing portion having a box shape and an opening at the front so as to accommodate the antenna RF module in an internal space; a radome panel that shields the open front end of the antenna housing and protects the antenna RF module from the outside, The antenna RF module comprises: the filter body including a left filter portion and a right filter portion provided in a spaced manner on one side and the other side in a width direction, respectively; a shared resonator section disposed at each end of at least two or more multi-bands constructed in the left filter section and the right filter section of the filter body.

8. the antenna RF module further includes a plurality of radiating element units, each detachably fixed to a front end of the plurality of RF filter units so as to be electrically connected to the front end of the plurality of RF filter units, and each having a plurality of antenna array elements coupled to its front end, the antenna array elements outputting beams of at least one of dual polarized waves; 8. The antenna device according to claim 7, wherein a decoupling pattern portion having a predetermined shape is formed on the rear surface of the radome panel to minimize indirect coupling between the plurality of antenna array elements.

9. The antenna device according to claim 8 , wherein the decoupling pattern portion is formed in an “X” shape among diamond-shaped and honeycomb-shaped portions.

10. 8. The antenna device according to claim 7, wherein a radiating element portion of said antenna RF module is provided with at least one radome deformation prevention protrusion for supporting a rear surface of said radome panel.

11. the plurality of radiating element units include an antenna element board (Antenna PCB) fixed to a front end of the filter body with the radio wave interference prevention wall interposed therebetween, the antenna element board including a variable circuit pattern electrically connected to a pair of input terminals, and a plurality of transmission lines branching from the variable circuit pattern to at least one branch and extending to be electrically connected to a pair of output terminals, respectively, and the variable circuit pattern being pattern-printed and formed thereon; 9. The antenna device according to claim 8, wherein the filter body has an avoidance portion formed by cutting out the avoidance portion to prevent interference of power transmission with a variable switch panel that is disposed in front of the variable circuit pattern and moves to vary the physical lengths of the plurality of transmission lines.

12. The shared resonance unit is a common resonator disposed at the center of the cavity of the left filter section and the right filter section, the common resonator including each end of the multiband; The antenna apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising: a coupler and a divider electrically coupled to the common resonator.

13. 13. The antenna device according to claim 12, wherein the coupler and the divider are fixed to a front end side of the filter body adjacent to each cavity of the left filter section or the right filter section.

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