Antenna device

Abstract

It offers the advantage of being able to improve or maintain XPD and isolation characteristics while maintaining heat dissipation performance. [Solution] The antenna device includes a front heat dissipation housing in which two or more antenna arrangement sections, each having at least one radiating element disposed on the front side, are continuously arranged in the horizontal direction, and a rear heat dissipation housing to which the front heat dissipation housing is coupled at a front end and which is provided with a plurality of rear heat dissipation fins for dissipating a predetermined amount of heat rearward. The front heat dissipation housing is integrally provided with a plurality of front heat dissipation fins for dissipating a predetermined amount of heat forward, and a part of the plurality of front heat dissipation fins is provided in the form of at least one partition wall for partitioning the two or more antenna arrangement sections in the H-direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an antenna apparatus, and more particularly to an antenna apparatus that can improve heat dissipation performance and reduce manufacturing costs by removing the radome of a conventional antenna apparatus and arranging a radiating element in a front housing of the antenna apparatus, thereby enabling slimming down of the antenna apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Base station antennas, including repeaters, used in mobile communication systems have 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 a radiating element made of a dielectric substrate of plastic or ceramic material and then solder it to a PCB (printed circuit board) or the like.

[0004] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of an antenna device according to the prior art.

[0005] As shown in FIG. 1, in the antenna device 1 according to the prior art, multiple radiating elements 35 are arranged so as to be exposed on the front side of the antenna housing main body 10, which is the beam output direction, so that the radiating elements 35 are output in the desired direction to facilitate beamforming, and a radome (50) is attached to the front end of the antenna housing main body 10, sandwiching the multiple radiating elements 35, to protect them from the external environment.

[0006] More specifically, the antenna device 1 is provided in the shape of a thin rectangular box with an open front and includes an antenna housing main body 10 with a plurality of heat dissipation fins 11 integrally formed on the rear surface, a main board 20 stacked on the rear surface inside the antenna housing main body 10, and an antenna board 30 stacked on the front surface inside the antenna housing main body 10.

[0007] The main board 20 is mounted with a plurality of power supply related component elements for calibration power supply control, and the heat generated by the elements during the power supply process is dissipated rearward through a plurality of heat dissipation fins 11 at the rear of the antenna housing body 10.

[0008] A PSU board 40 having a PSU (Power Supply Unit) element mounted thereon is stacked or disposed at the same height below the main board 20 or below the antenna housing body 10, and heat generated from the PSU element is also dissipated rearward through the plurality of heat dissipation fins 11 integrally provided at the rear of the antenna housing body 10, or PSU heat dissipation fins 16 of a PSU housing 15 formed separately from the antenna housing body 10 and attached to the rear of the antenna housing body 10. A plurality of RF filters 25 of a cavity filter type are disposed on the front of the main board 20, and the rear of the antenna board 30 is disposed so that it is stacked on the front of the plurality of RF filters 25.

[0009] A patch-type radiating element or a dipole-type radiating element 35 is mounted on the front surface of the antenna board 30, and a radome 50 may be provided on the front surface of the antenna housing main body 10 to protect the internal components from the outside while allowing smooth radiation from the radiating element 35.

[0010] However, in an example of an antenna device 1 according to the prior art, the front part of the antenna housing main body 10 is shielded by the radome 50, and the heat dissipation area is limited to the area of ​​the radome 50. The radiating element 35 is also designed only to transmit and receive RF signals, and the heat generated from the radiating element 35 cannot be dissipated forward. As a result, the heat generated inside the antenna housing main body 10 has to be uniformly discharged to the rear of the antenna housing main body 10, resulting in a significant decrease in heat dissipation efficiency. There is a growing demand for a new heat dissipation structure design to solve these problems.

[0011] Furthermore, in one example of the antenna device 1 according to the prior art, there is a problem that it is extremely difficult to realize a base station of the slim size required for in-building or 5G shadow areas due to the volume of the radome 50 and the volume occupied by the arrangement structure in which the radiating element 35 is spaced apart from the front of the antenna board 30. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] The present invention has been made to solve the above technical problems, and aims to provide an antenna device in which the radome is eliminated and the radiating element is placed in the front housing of the antenna device, thereby using both the front and rear housings of the antenna device for front-to-rear heat dissipation, thereby significantly improving heat dissipation performance.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide an antenna device that can efficiently transfer heat inside the antenna housing to the front of the antenna device by using a filter as a heat transfer medium.

[0014] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an antenna device that can easily realize a base station with a slim size required for in-building installation or 5G shadow areas, by eliminating the radome and reducing the front and rear volumes occupied by conventional radomes.

[0015] The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to those 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 problem]

[0016] An antenna device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a front heat dissipation housing in which two or more antenna placement sections, each having at least one radiating element disposed in front thereof, are arranged consecutively in a horizontal direction (H-direction), and a rear heat dissipation housing connected to the front end of the front heat dissipation housing and having a plurality of rear heat dissipation fins that dissipate a predetermined amount of heat rearward, wherein the front heat dissipation housing is integrally provided with a plurality of front heat dissipation fins that dissipate a predetermined amount of heat forward, and some of the plurality of front heat dissipation fins are provided in the form of at least one partition wall that partitions each of the two or more antenna placement sections in the H-direction.

[0017] Here, a front end of the at least one partition wall may protrude from a front surface of the front heat dissipation housing to the same level as a front surface of the radiating element.

[0018] Furthermore, a front end of the at least one partition wall may be provided so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing beyond the front surface of the radiating element.

[0019] In addition, the at least one radiating element may be provided in the form of a radiation director made of a conductive metal material on an antenna patch circuit portion printed on a radiating element printed circuit board disposed in the antenna placement portion and electrically connected to the antenna patch circuit portion, and a front end of the at least one partition wall may be provided to protrude at least further than a front surface of the radiation director.

[0020] In addition, a plurality of window grooves may be formed in the partition wall by cutting so as to open in the H-direction.

[0021] The plurality of window grooves may be formed adjacent to left and right ends of each of the radiating elements.

[0022] Also, the cut depths of the plurality of window grooves may be designed to be different in consideration of isolation performance measurements between adjacent radiating elements in the H-direction.

[0023] An antenna device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a front heat dissipation housing in which at least two or more antenna modules are arranged consecutively in a horizontal direction (H-direction), and the front heat dissipation housing is integrally provided with a plurality of front heat dissipation fins that dissipate a predetermined amount of heat forward, and some of the plurality of front heat dissipation fins are provided in the form of at least one partition wall that partitions each of the two or more antenna modules in the H-direction.

[0024] Here, the antenna module may include an antenna patch circuit unit printed on a radiating element printed circuit board disposed in the antenna placement portion, an antenna module cover disposed to cover a front surface of the antenna patch circuit unit, and a radiation director disposed in front of the antenna module cover, made of a conductive metal material, and electrically connected to the antenna patch circuit unit, and the at least one partition wall may be integrally formed with the front heat dissipation housing to partition the radiating element printed circuit boards of two or more antenna module configurations disposed adjacent to each other in the H-direction.

[0025] The partition wall may be formed with a plurality of window grooves that open in the H-direction.

[0026] The plurality of window grooves may be formed in the radiation director at positions adjacent to both left and right ends thereof. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] According to an embodiment of the antenna device according to the present invention, the following various effects can be achieved.

[0028] First, the radome, which is an obstruction to forward heat dissipation of the antenna, is removed, and the radiating element is positioned in the front heat dissipation housing of the antenna device so that it is exposed to the outside air, thereby enabling heat dissipation in both the front and rear of the antenna device, thereby significantly improving heat dissipation performance.

[0029] Second, since it is possible to eliminate the radome that was an essential component of conventional antenna devices, there is an effect of greatly reducing the manufacturing cost of the product.

[0030] Third, the heat dissipation performance is significantly improved since the system heat inside the antenna housing body can be dissipated forward by the area of ​​the heat dissipation cover that is increased by removing the radome.

[0031] Fourth, since heat can be dissipated all over the front, the length of the heat dissipation fins on the rear heat dissipation housing can be reduced, which facilitates the slim design of the product as a whole.

[0032] Fifth, heat dissipation can be achieved through the radiation director of the antenna module, which performs the function of radiating electromagnetic waves, thereby maximizing the heat dissipation area of ​​the front heat dissipation housing.

[0033] Sixth, at least some of the front heat dissipation fins integrally formed on the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing are arranged to separate radiating elements or antenna placement sections arranged continuously in the H-direction, or to separate antenna modules, thereby achieving the effect of significantly improving heat dissipation performance while minimizing degradation of isolation performance.

[0034] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of an antenna device according to the prior art. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a front portion of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] 1 is a front view of an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the antenna device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal space of the antenna device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 5] 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3A and a partially enlarged view thereof. [Figure 6A] 3 is an exploded front perspective view showing a main board and a filter stacked in the internal space of the rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6B] 3 is an exploded rear perspective view showing a main board and a filter stacked in the internal space of the rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 7] 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a direct rear heat dissipation structure via a rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 8A] 3 is an exploded front perspective view showing the state in which a surface board and a shielding panel are installed on a main board in the configuration of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 8B] 3 is an exploded rear perspective view showing the state in which the shielding sub-board and the shielding panel are installed on the main board in the configuration of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 9] 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the electrical connection of a PSU unit to a main board in the configuration of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the manner in which a filter is coupled to a main board in the configuration of FIG. 2. [Figure 11] 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating how heat generated from a filter in the configuration of FIG. 2 is dissipated through a rear heat dissipation housing. FIG. [Figure 12A]3 is an exploded front perspective view showing the assembly process of internal components to the rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 12B] 3 is an exploded rear perspective view showing the process of assembling internal components to a rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 13] 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the process of assembling an outer member to a rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 14] 3 is an exploded perspective view of the front side of the configuration of FIG. 2, illustrating how the antenna module is installed in the front heat dissipation housing. FIG. [Figure 15] 15 is an exploded perspective view of the front and rear sides showing the state of installation of the antenna module on the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing in the configuration of FIG. 14. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing an antenna module in the configuration of FIG. [Figure 17A] FIG. 15 is an exploded front perspective view of FIG. [Figure 17B] FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the rear side of FIG. [Figure 18] 15 is a front view, a cross-sectional view along line BB, and a cutaway perspective view of the antenna module in the configuration of FIG. 14. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the antenna module. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a modification of FIG. 19. [Figure 21] 21A and 21B are three views (front view, side view, and plan view) of FIG. 20. [Figure 22] 21 is a graph for comparing the isolation values ​​of the antenna modules of FIGS. 19 and 20. [Figure 23] 21 is a graph for comparing the XPD values ​​of the antenna modules of FIGS. 19 and 20. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] Hereinafter, an antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] When assigning reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are assigned the same numerals as much as possible even if they are displayed in different drawings. Furthermore, when describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of such well-known configurations or functions would hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0038] 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.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front portion of an antenna device according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 3A and 3B are a front view and a rear view of an antenna device according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal space of the antenna device shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line AA in FIG. 3A and a partially enlarged view thereof.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, an antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a front heat dissipation housing 100 that forms the front exterior of the antenna device 1, and a rear heat dissipation housing 200 that forms the rear exterior of the antenna device 1.

[0041] Here, the front heat dissipation housing 100 includes an antenna arrangement section (see reference numeral 170 in FIG. 14 described later) in which at least one radiating element 116, 117 is arranged on the front side, and a heat dissipation section 105 exposed to the outside air to transfer heat generated at the rear side to the front side.

[0042] In particular, at least one antenna placement section 170 may be integrally formed on the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 and spaced apart from each other in the H-direction (horizontal direction) and V-direction (vertical direction), and the heat dissipation section 105 may be formed over the entire front surface area of ​​the front heat dissipation housing 100 to fill the gaps between adjacent antenna placement sections 170.

[0043] 2 to 5, the front heat dissipation housing 100 is made of a metal material with excellent thermal conductivity so that heat generated between it and the rear heat dissipation housing 200 (described later) can be dissipated directly forward. As described above, the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 is roughly divided into an antenna placement section 170 and a heat dissipation section 105.

[0044] Here, the remaining area excluding the antenna placement section 170 mainly functions as the heat dissipation section 105, which is formed integrally with the front heat dissipation housing 100 in the form of a plurality of heat dissipation fins and has a predetermined pattern shape, and heat generated in the internal space between the front heat dissipation housing 100 and the rear heat dissipation housing 200 can be quickly dissipated forward through the heat dissipation section 105 formed in the form of a plurality of heat dissipation fins.

[0045] In other words, one embodiment of the antenna device 1 according to the present invention improves upon the conventional structure that limited heat dissipation in the forward direction of the antenna device 1, compared to the conventional structure that was equipped with a radome, and proposes a new heat dissipation structure that dissipates heat in all directions of the antenna device 1.

[0046] More specifically, one embodiment of the antenna device 1 according to the present invention can convert only the area occupied by the existing radome into a heat dissipation area by introducing a front heat dissipation housing 100.

[0047] The front heat dissipation housing 100 converts the entire area of ​​the heat dissipation part 105, excluding at least the area occupied by the antenna module 110 (described later), into a usable area for heat dissipation. In addition, by making the radiation director 117 of the antenna module 110 out of a metal material capable of thermal conduction, a larger usable area for heat dissipation can be secured.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3A, the front heat dissipation housing 100 is shaped to cover the front end of a rectangular parallelepiped box of the rear heat dissipation housing 200, which will be described later, and may be formed as a substantially rectangular plate.

[0049] An antenna placement part 170 to which a plurality of antenna modules 110 (described later) are coupled may be formed flat on the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 .

[0050] The plurality of antenna arrangement portions 170 are formed to match the outer shape of the plurality of antenna modules 110. Each of the plurality of antenna modules 110 is provided as a rectangular plate formed long in the vertical direction, and each antenna module 110 is arranged in a row at a predetermined distance apart in the H-direction and the V-direction. Therefore, the plurality of antenna arrangement portions 170 may also be arranged on the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 in the same shape.

[0051] Here, the lower side of the internal space of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 described later does not need to have multiple antenna placement sections 170 formed therein, so that heat generated from multiple PSU elements 417 of the PSU unit 400 described later can be easily dissipated directly forward via the heat dissipation section 105 described above.

[0052] The heat dissipation portion 105 may be formed in the form of a plurality of heat dissipation fins in the area of ​​the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 that corresponds to the remaining area not occupied by the plurality of antenna placement portions 170. The heat dissipation portion 105 may have a shape that increases the heat dissipation area through the front heat dissipation housing 100, unlike the plurality of rear heat dissipation fins 201 integrally formed with the rear heat dissipation housing 200 described below, which are designed to disperse or quickly exhaust the rising airflow of the radiated rearward heat. In other words, the heat dissipation portion 105 does not necessarily have to have a shape that disperses or quickly exhausts the rising airflow of the radiated frontward heat (although it goes without saying that such a shape will improve heat dissipation performance), and any shape may be adopted as long as it increases the surface area of ​​the front heat dissipation housing 100.

[0053] Meanwhile, the rear heat dissipation housing 200 is combined with the front heat dissipation housing 100 to form the rear appearance of the entire antenna device 1, and the internal space 200S of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 is provided with a plurality of filters 350 for filtering RF signals and a main board 310 on which a plurality of associated RF elements (not shown in the drawing) are mounted.

[0054] The rear heat dissipation housing 200 is made of a metal material with excellent thermal conductivity to favor heat dissipation by thermal conduction overall, and is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped box with a thin thickness in the front-to-rear direction, with an open front, and can form an internal space 200S inside which are provided multiple RF filters 350 and a main board 310 on which various RF elements and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array, 317a) are mounted.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 3B, a plurality of rear heat dissipation fins 201 are integrally formed on the rear surface of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 to have a predetermined pattern, and heat generated in the rear portion of the internal space 200S of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 around the main board 310 can be directly dissipated to the rear through the plurality of rear heat dissipation fins 201.

[0056] The multiple rear heat dissipation fins 201 are arranged with an upward inclination toward the left and right ends based on the midpoint of the left and right width (see reference numerals 201a and 201b in FIG. 3B), so that the heat dissipated toward the rear of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 can be designed to form ascending air currents that disperse heat toward the left and right sides of the rear heat dissipation housing 200, respectively, thereby dissipating the heat more quickly, but the shape of the heat dissipation fins 201 is not limited thereto.

[0057] For example, although not shown, if a blower fan module (not shown) is provided on the rear side of the rear heat dissipation housing 200, it is preferable that the rear heat dissipation fins be formed parallel to the left and right ends of the intermediately positioned blower fan module so that the heat dissipated by the blower fan module can be discharged more quickly.

[0058] Although not shown, a bracket mounting portion 205 to which a clamping device (not shown) for connecting the antenna device 1 to a support pole (not shown) may be integrally formed on some of the rear heat dissipation fins 201. Here, the clamping device may be configured to rotate the antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention installed at its tip in the left-right direction or tilt it in the up-down direction to adjust the directionality of the antenna device 1.

[0059] Meanwhile, heat generated around the filters 350 in the space between the rear surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 and the rear heat dissipation housing 200 is transferred to the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 by contacting the rear surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100, either directly using the front heat dissipation housing 100 as a heat transfer medium or using the filters 350 as a heat transfer medium. In addition, some of the heat generated inside the filters 350 can be directly dissipated rearward through the rear heat dissipation housing 200. This will be described in more detail later.

[0060] A shielding pad 330 (described later) may be provided in a clamshell shape on the front surface of the main board 310 stacked in the internal space 200S of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 to perform the function of blocking and interfering with external electromagnetic waves, such as a plurality of RF filters 350, and may be mounted and arranged at a predetermined position. This will be described in more detail later.

[0061] In the antenna device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, a total of eight RF filters 350 are arranged adjacently in the left-right direction, and four rows of such RF filters 350 are arranged in the up-down direction, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and it goes without saying that the arrangement positions and the number of RF filters 350 can be designed in a variety of ways depending on the required capacity of the transmission channel.

[0062] Although not shown, the plurality of RF filters 350 may be arranged as cavity filters each having a plurality of cavities therein, and filtering the frequency band of the output signal relative to the input signal by adjusting the frequency using the resonator of each cavity. However, the RF filters 350 are not necessarily limited to cavity filters, and ceramic waveguide filters are not necessarily excluded.

[0063] A smaller front-to-rear thickness of the RF filter 350 is advantageous in designing the entire product to be slim. To achieve this slim design, a ceramic waveguide filter, which is advantageous for a compact design, may be used as the RF filter 350 rather than a cavity filter, which has limitations in terms of reducing the front-to-rear thickness. However, to meet the high output performance of base station antennas required in 5G frequency environments, it is necessary to solve the associated antenna heat dissipation problem. Therefore, a cavity filter is preferred because the RF filter 350 can be used as a heat transfer medium to transfer heat generated inside the antenna to the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 in order to effectively dissipate heat generated inside the antenna.

[0064] Heat generated from the RF filter 350 can be transferred to the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 through contact with the rear surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100, and a thermal pad 109 can be interposed between the filter 350 and the rear surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100. The thermal pad 109 not only functions to smoothly transfer the heat generated from the filter 350 through surface contact with the front heat dissipation housing 100, but also functions to eliminate tolerances during assembly between the filter 350 and the front heat dissipation housing 100.

[0065] 4, the inner surface of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 that defines the internal space 200S may be formed to have a shape that fits the rear surfaces of the main board 310 and the sub-board 320 (described later). That is, the thermal contact area with the rear surfaces of the main board 310 and the sub-board 320 can be increased, thereby improving heat dissipation performance.

[0066] The rear heat dissipation housing 200 may further be provided with grippable handles 160 on both the left and right sides to facilitate on-site transport of the antenna device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention or attachment to a support pole (not shown).

[0067] In addition, various external mounting members 500 for cable connection with a base station device (not shown) and adjustment of internal components may be inserted and assembled on the outside of the lower end of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 .

[0068] Figures 6A and 6B are front and rear exploded oblique views showing the main board and filter stacked in the internal space of the rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of Figure 2, Figure 7 is an exploded oblique view showing the direct rear heat dissipation structure via the rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of Figure 2, Figures 8A and 8B are front and rear exploded oblique views showing the installation of the base board and shielding panel on the main board in the configuration of Figure 2, and Figure 9 is an exploded oblique view for explaining the electrical connection of the PSU unit to the main board in the configuration of Figure 2.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an antenna stack assembly 300 that is stacked and arranged in the interior space 200S of the rear heat dissipation housing 200.

[0070] As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the antenna stack assembly 300 may include a plurality of filters 350 as RF filters stacked on the front side of the main board 310, and a sub-board 320 stacked on the back side of the main board 310.

[0071] Although not shown, the main board 310 may be laminated with multiple layers, and a power supply circuit may be pattern-printed on the inside or on the surface thereof for supplying power to the multiple filters 350. In particular, the LNA element 312 among the multiple power supply components may be mounted on the front surface of the main board 310, and multiple power supply connectors 360 for connecting power to the multiple filters 350 may be inserted and mounted.

[0072] On the other hand, the subboard 320 may have a pair of power supply circuits 321 for supplying power to the multiple filters 350 printed on the front surface, similar to the main board 310, as a transmission path and a reception path, and a PA element 322 may be mounted among the multiple power supply components.

[0073] Here, the main board 310 may be formed with a plurality of through holes 312 so that the power supply circuit 321 and PA element 322 on the front side of the sub-board 320 stacked on the back side of the main board 310 are exposed on the back side of the plurality of filters 350.

[0074] Furthermore, as described above, a clamshell (not shown in the drawing) is integrally formed on the rear end side of the multiple filters 350, so that a predetermined air layer is formed between the rear end side of the multiple filters 350 and the main board 310 and sub-board 320, and heat generated from the LNA element 312 and PA element 322, which are typical heat-generating elements, can be dissipated to the rear heat dissipation housing 200 side through heat dissipation via holes (see drawing symbol "357a" in Figure 11) formed in the main board 310.

[0075] 7, a plurality of FPGA elements 317a and RFIC elements 317b, which are representative heat-generating elements, can be mounted on the rear surface of the main board 310. The plurality of FPGA elements 317a and the plurality of RFIC elements 317b are semiconductor elements that emit a large amount of heat when driven, and are employed in a structure in which their thermal surfaces come into direct thermal contact with the inner surface of the internal space 200S of the rear heat dissipation housing 200, thereby dissipating heat rearward through the rear heat dissipation housing 200.

[0076] 7, the rear heat dissipation housing 200 has a thermal contact accommodating surface 203a that protrudes forward and that comes into direct thermal contact with the surfaces of the plurality of FPGAs 317a and RFIC elements 317b, and the rear side of the sub-board 320 may have a engraved pattern printed thereon or a thermal contact groove 203b that accommodates the plurality of protruding components mounted thereon. Therefore, the entire rear surfaces of the main board 310 and the sub-board 320 are in thermal surface contact with the inner surface of the rear heat dissipation housing 200, which has the advantage of significantly improving heat dissipation performance.

[0077] 8A and 8B, a shielding pad 330 may be stacked and coupled in a clamshell shape to the remaining portion of the front surface of the main board 310 excluding the portion occupied by the plurality of filters 350. The shielding pad 330 is a shielding member disposed between the main board 310 and the front heat dissipation housing 100 to block the influence of electrical components or external electromagnetic waves on the remaining portion excluding the electrical signal lines passing through the plurality of filters 350, thereby ensuring more stable signal performance.

[0078] The antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a PSU unit 400 for feeding power to the plurality of filters 350 and the antenna module 110, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B and 7.

[0079] As shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B and 7, the PSU unit 400 may be stacked in the interior space 200S of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 below the main board 310 at the same height as the main board 310.

[0080] Such a PSU unit 400 may include a PSU board 410 and a plurality of electrical components 419 including a plurality of PSU components 417 disposed on either the front or rear surface of the PSU board 410 .

[0081] The PSU unit 400 may be configured to distribute power to the main board 310 via a plurality of bus bars 340. More specifically, the plurality of bus bars 340 are arranged to interconnect the left and right ends of the PSU substrate 410 and the main board 310, respectively, as shown in Figures 6A, 6B, and 9. In particular, the plurality of bus bars 340 can be connected by being inserted into connection holes 319 pre-formed in the main board 310.

[0082] In particular, since the PSU element 417 and the electrical element 419 of the PSU unit 400 emit a large amount of heat when in operation, as shown in Fig. 7, the thermal contact accommodation portion 217 may be recessed rearward in the portion of the internal space 200S of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 occupied by the PSU board 410 to correspond to the shapes of the PSU element 417 and the electrical element 419. Therefore, the heat generated by the PSU element 417 and the electrical element 419 of the PSU unit 400 can be dissipated rearward using the rear heat dissipation housing 200 as a heat transfer medium.

[0083] However, it is not necessary that the heat generated in the PSU unit 400 be dissipated rearward through the rear heat dissipation housing 200, and it goes without saying that the heat can be dissipated forward toward the front heat dissipation housing 100 through a vapor chamber or heat pipe structure (not shown) separately provided as a heat transfer medium. This is because the antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a structure that is advantageous for forward heat dissipation through the front heat dissipation housing 100, unlike the case where a conventional radome is provided.

[0084] 10 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the manner in which the filter is connected to the main board in the configuration of FIG. 2, and FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the manner in which heat generated from the filter is dissipated through a rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of FIG. 2.

[0085] When the shielding pad 330 and the sub-board 320 are stacked on the front and back surfaces of the main board 310 as described above, multiple filters 350 are mounted on the front surface of the main board 310 as RF filters, as shown in Figures 10 and 11.

[0086] In this case, the plurality of filters 350 may be cavity filters each having a clamshell integrally formed at the rear end thereof for shielding external electromagnetic waves. Note that the clamshell here is a feature of a component that is distinct from the shielding pad 330 that is provided in a clamshell shape to cover the front surface of the main board 310, as described above.

[0087] At least one filter assembly protrusion 357 is formed in the clamshell-formed portion of each of the plurality of filters 350 to be inserted into the filter assembly hole 317 formed in the main board 310 for assembly, and the filter assembly protrusion 357 may be formed in the shape of a tube with an open interior.

[0088] Therefore, the heat generated and collected from the LNA element 312 and the PA element 322 in the air layer between the rear end of each of the multiple filters 350 and the main board 310 can be easily dissipated to the rear heat dissipation housing 200 side through the tubular filter assembly protrusion 357 and the heat dissipation via hole 357a formed in the main board 310.

[0089] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the rear ends of the multiple filters 350 may be provided with a pair of main board side coaxial connectors 353a that are electrically connected to the power supply connector 360 mounted on the main board 310, and the front ends of the multiple filters 350 may be provided with a pair of antenna side coaxial connectors 353b that are electrically connected to the antenna module 110 arranged on the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100.

[0090] In addition, thermal pads 109 that mediate heat transfer to the rear surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 are arranged at the front ends of the multiple filters 350, allowing the heat generated from each of the multiple filters 350 to be dissipated forward more quickly using the front heat dissipation housing 100 as a heat transfer medium.

[0091] In addition, screw fastening holes 359 are formed at the front ends of the multiple filters 350 for screw connection using fixing screws 351 to the front heat dissipation housing 100, and the fixing screws 351 pass through screw through holes 119 formed in the front heat dissipation housing 100 and are fastened to the screw fastening holes 359, so that the front heat dissipation housing 100 can be stacked and connected to the front of the multiple filters 350.

[0092] According to the above configuration, the heat generated in the filter 350 comes into direct contact with the rear surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 or the radiation director 117 of the antenna module 110, and it has been confirmed that the heat of the filter 350 is reduced by approximately 14 to 16°C compared to the conventional configuration. This is understood to be due not only to the effect of removing the radome, which was a conventional obstruction to heat dissipation, but also to the effect of improved heat transfer performance due to direct heat transfer (thermal conduction) from the filter 350 to the rear surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 and the radiation director 117, which are made of materials suitable for heat dissipation.

[0093] 12A and 12B are front and rear exploded perspective views showing the assembly process of the internal components to the rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of FIG. 2, and FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the assembly process of the outer member to the rear heat dissipation housing in the configuration of FIG. 2.

[0094] As shown in Figures 2 to 11, once the assembly of components onto the main board 310 and the assembly of the stacked assembly 300 onto the rear heat dissipation housing 200 are completed, the outer member 500 is moved from the lower end of the rear heat dissipation housing 200 to complete the assembly, as shown in Figures 12A to 13.

[0095] Here, the rear heat dissipation housing 200 completely shields and seals the internal space 200S when assembled with the front heat dissipation housing 100 and the antenna module 110, which will be described later, and does not require a separate protective member such as a radome.

[0096] Figure 14 is a front-side exploded oblique view illustrating the installation of the antenna module relative to the front heat dissipation housing in the configuration of Figure 2, Figure 15 is a front-side and rear-side exploded oblique view showing the installation of the antenna module relative to the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing in the configuration of Figure 14, Figure 16 is a perspective view showing the antenna module in the configuration of Figure 14, Figures 17A and 17B are front-side exploded oblique view and rear-side exploded oblique view of Figure 14, and Figure 18 is a front view of the antenna module in the configuration of Figure 14, a cross-sectional view along line BB, and a cutaway oblique view.

[0097] To realize beamforming, multiple radiating elements are required as an array antenna, as shown in Figures 14 to 18, and the multiple radiating elements can generate a narrow directional beam to increase the concentration of radio waves in a specified direction.

[0098] Recently, dipole antennas or patch antennas are most frequently used as the plurality of radiating elements, and they are designed and arranged at a distance to minimize signal interference between them. Conventionally, a radome was required to protect the plurality of radiating elements from the outside in order to prevent the arrangement design of the plurality of radiating elements from being changed by external environmental factors. Therefore, only the area covered by the radome prevented the plurality of radiating elements and the antenna board on which the plurality of radiating elements were mounted from being exposed to the outside air, which severely limited the ability to dissipate system heat generated by the operation of the antenna device 1 to the outside.

[0099] The radiating element (not shown in the drawings) of the antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a radiation director 117 formed of a conductive metal material on and electrically connected to the front surface of the antenna patch circuit unit 116 printed on the radiating element printed circuit board 115 disposed in the antenna placement unit 170. The antenna patch circuit unit 116 is printed on the radiating element printed circuit board 115 and is provided as a dual-polarized patch element that generates dual polarization, either orthogonal ±45 polarization or vertical / horizontal polarization. A feed line (not shown in the drawings) that supplies a feed signal to the antenna patch circuit unit 116 is patterned on the top surface of the radiating element printed circuit board 115 to interconnect each of the antenna patch circuit units 116.

[0100] In conventional antenna devices, the feed line must form a feed path below the printed circuit board on which the antenna patch circuit section is mounted, which results in a complex feed structure, such as having multiple through holes, and the feed structure occupies space below the radiating element printed circuit board 115, which can cause problems such as obstructing direct surface thermal contact between the filter 350 and the radiating element printed circuit board 115. However, the feed line according to the embodiment of the present invention is pattern-printed on the same front surface as the radiating element printed circuit board 115 on which the antenna patch circuit section 116 is pattern-printed, which not only simplifies the feed structure but also has the advantage of ensuring coupling space for direct surface thermal contact between the filter 350 and the radiating element printed circuit board 115.

[0101] Meanwhile, the radiation director 117 is made of a thermally or electrically conductive metal material and is electrically connected to the antenna patch circuit unit 116. The radiation director 117 guides the direction of the radiation beam in all directions and also transfers heat generated behind the radiating element printed circuit board 115 forward by thermal conduction. The radiation director 117 may be made of a conductive metal material that allows radio waves to flow easily, and is installed at a distance from the front of each antenna patch circuit unit 116.

[0102] Here, the height of the heat dissipation section (105, front heat dissipation fins) of the front heat dissipation housing 100 can be set by the height of the radiation director 117 coupled to the antenna module cover 111, which will be described later. It goes without saying that by designing the radiation director 117 to have a variable height, the height of the heat dissipation section (105, heat dissipation fins) can be changed accordingly, thereby adjusting the amount of heat dissipation.

[0103] In the embodiment of the present invention, a radiating element using an antenna patch circuit unit 116 and a radiation director 117 has been described. However, when a dipole antenna is applied, the radiation director configuration can be omitted, and since the height of the dipole antenna is relatively high, the height of the heat dissipation unit (105, heat dissipation fin) can be set high to increase the amount of heat dissipation.

[0104] 14 to 18, the radiation director 117 has a protrusion 117a formed on the rear surface thereof, which is electrically connected to the antenna patch circuit unit 116 through the through-hole 114a of the antenna module cover 111.

[0105] The overall size, shape, and installation position of the radiation director 117 can be appropriately designed by measuring the characteristics of the radiation beam emitted from the antenna patch circuit section 116 and experimentally or by simulating the characteristics.

[0106] The radiation director 117 functions to guide the direction of the radiation beam generated from the antenna patch circuit unit 116 in all directions, thereby further reducing the overall antenna beam width and improving the side lobe characteristics.

[0107] In addition, it can compensate for the loss of the patch antenna and also perform heat dissipation function since it is made of a conductive metal material. The shape of the radiation director 117 is preferably an appropriate shape for guiding the radiation beam in all directions, for example, a circular shape having no directionality, but is not limited thereto.

[0108] Alternatively, at least one radiating element may be implemented in the form of one antenna module 110 .

[0109] For example, the antenna module 110 can be defined as a concept including an antenna patch circuit section 116 printed on a radiating element printed circuit board 115 disposed in the antenna placement section 170, an antenna module cover 111 disposed to cover the front surface of the antenna patch circuit section 116, and a radiation director 117 disposed in front of the antenna module cover 111, made of a conductive metal material, and electrically connected to the antenna patch circuit section 116.

[0110] 14 to 18 show an example in which three antenna patch circuit units 116 and a radiation director 117 form one unit antenna module 110, and the number of antenna patch circuit units 116 and radiation directors 117 can be varied depending on the optimum design of the antenna module to increase the gain.

[0111] As described above, the antenna module 110 may further include an antenna module cover 111 that seals at least one surface of the radiating element printed circuit board 115 of the antenna module 110. The antenna module cover 111 may be molded from a relatively lightweight plastic resin material.

[0112] The antenna module cover 111 and the printed circuit board 115 for the radiating element are respectively formed with a cover through-hole 113 and a board through-hole 115b that penetrate in the front-to-rear direction, and fixing screws 351 are passed through the cover through-hole 113 and the board through-hole 115b in sequence from the outside of the front heat dissipation housing 100, then through the screw through-hole 119 of the front heat dissipation housing 100 and fastened to screw fastening holes 359 formed at the front ends of the plurality of filters 350, thereby fixing each of the antenna modules 110 to the front of the antenna placement portion 170.

[0113] Here, as shown in (a) of Figure 15, a storage rib 178 is formed on the peripheral portion of the antenna placement section 170 to accommodate at least the peripheral end portion of the antenna module cover 111, and it is preferable that the antenna module cover 111 is formed to a size that can be tightly fitted into the storage rib 178 of the antenna placement section 170 to be airtight or waterproof.

[0114] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 15, the radiating element printed circuit board 115 has positioning holes 115-1 to 115-4 formed at four corners of a rectangle, penetrating in the front-to-rear direction, and two positioning protrusions 173a and 173b are formed on the front surface of the antenna placement section 170 to be press-fitted into two diagonal positioning holes 115-1 and 115-2 of the four positioning holes 115-1 to 115-4 formed on the radiating element printed circuit board 115. The rear surface of the antenna module cover 111 may have two positioning protrusions 111-3 and 111-4 to be press-fitted into the remaining two positioning holes 115-3 and 115-4 that are not occupied by the two positioning protrusions 173a and 173b formed on the front surface of the antenna placement section 170 of the four positioning holes 115-1 to 115-4 formed on the radiating element printed circuit board 115.

[0115] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, when the antenna module 110 is installed in the antenna placement portion 170, the radiating element printed circuit board 115 is moved to the rear side of the antenna module cover 111, and the two positioning protrusions 111-3 and 111-4 are fixed by pressing and inserting the two positioning protrusions 111-3 and 111-4 into the two positioning holes 115-3 and 115-4 formed on the rear side of the antenna module cover 111 (see (b) of FIG. 15), and then the antenna module cover 111 to which the radiating element printed circuit board 115 is coupled is moved to the antenna placement portion 170 formed on the front side of the front heat dissipation housing 100, and the two positioning protrusions 173a and 173b are temporarily fixed by pressing and inserting the two positioning holes 115-1 and 115-2 of the radiating element printed circuit board 115.

[0116] That is, the printed circuit board 115 for the radiating element can be stably positioned between the rear surface of the antenna module cover 111, which is provided to cover the front surface, and the front surface of the antenna placement part 170 of the front heat dissipation housing 100, which is provided to closely contact the rear surface, by pressing and inserting the positioning protrusions 111-3, 111-4, 173a, and 173b into the positioning holes 115-1 to 115-4, respectively.

[0117] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, the above-mentioned antenna patch circuit section 116 is printed on the front surface of the radiating element printed circuit board 115, and a conductive contact pattern 115c is printed on the back surface of the radiating element printed circuit board 115, and power is fed to the antenna patch circuit section 116 side through the contact point between the antenna side coaxial connector 353b provided at the front end of the filter 350 and the contact pattern 115c.

[0118] Here, the antenna module cover 111 is injection molded from a plastic material, and one side of the antenna module cover 111 is provided with a director fixing portion 114 that is molded to the back surface of the radiation director 117, as shown in Figure 17A, and the director fixing portion 114 may have a director fixing protrusion 114b that protrudes forward and can be coupled to the radiation director 117.

[0119] In addition, as shown in FIG. 17B, the radiation director 117 can be press-fitted and fixed into at least one director fixing groove 117b recessed and formed on the rear surface of the radiation director 117 at a position corresponding to at least one director fixing protrusion 114b.

[0120] In addition, the antenna module cover 111 may have a filter fixing hole 113 formed therethrough for connection to the filter 350. When a filter fixing screw (not shown) passes through the antenna module cover 111 via the filter fixing hole 113, then passes through a through hole 115b formed in the radiating element printed circuit board 115 and is fastened to a screw fastening hole 359 formed in the filter 350, the front heat dissipation housing 100 can be firmly stacked and connected to the front surface of the filter 350. The filter fixing hole 113 is preferably sealed using a hole covering cap 119 as shown in FIG.

[0121] Here, the antenna module cover 111 may have at least one board fixing hole 114a for screw fastening to the radiating element printed circuit board 115 with a fixing screw 180, and the radiation director 117 may have at least one fixing boss 117a formed on the rear surface thereof, passing through the board fixing hole 114a and exposed to the rear surface of the antenna module cover 111. The radiating element printed circuit board 115 may be fixed to the rear surface of the antenna module cover 111 by the fixing screw 180 passing through a director fixing hole 178 formed to pass through the antenna placement portion 170 of the front heat dissipation housing 100 in the front-rear direction and then fastened to the fixing boss 117a.

[0122] Meanwhile, the fixing screw 180 is preferably a countersunk head screw fastened so that its rear end faces the front surface of the rear-located filter 350. This is to ensure that the rear end face of the fixing screw 180, which is a countersunk head screw, makes the largest possible surface thermal contact with the front surface of the filter 350. Because the fixing screw 180 and the radiation director 117 are made of a thermally conductive material, heat dissipated into the internal space 200S between the front heat dissipation housing 100, in which the filter 350 is provided, and the main board 310 and PSU unit 400 can be dissipated to the front side by thermal conduction within the front heat dissipation housing 100 itself or by thermal conduction via the fixing screw 180 and the radiation director 117.

[0123] In addition, at least one reinforcing rib 111a is formed on one surface of the antenna module cover 111 to form the outer appearance of the antenna module cover 111 and to reinforce the strength of the antenna module cover 111 made of plastic material.

[0124] FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the antenna module, FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a modified example of FIG. 19, FIG. 21 is a three-view diagram (front view, side view, and plan view) of FIG. 20, and FIGS. 22 and 23 are graphs for comparing the XPD values ​​and isolation values ​​of the antenna modules of FIG. 19 and FIG. 20.

[0125] As shown in Figures 19 and 20, the antenna device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a module installation plate 118 that expands the area of ​​the antenna placement section 170 formed on the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 so that at least two or more antenna modules 110 can be simultaneously installed in the expanded antenna placement section 170.

[0126] 1 to 18, or it can be defined as a medium for connecting the remaining module-type components as a component of the antenna module 110 separately attached to the front of the front heat dissipation housing 100. Therefore, the module mounting plate 118 described below can be understood as an alternative to the front heat dissipation housing 100, and the partition wall 118w and window groove 118h, which will be described later and are formed on the module mounting plate 118, can also be understood as alternative components to the heat dissipation portion (front heat dissipation fins 105) of the front heat dissipation housing 100.

[0127] As shown in Figures 19 and 20, at least two (three is shown in the drawings, but note that this is not limited to this) antenna modules 110 may be arranged side by side on the module mounting plate 118.

[0128] Additionally, the module mounting plate 118 may be formed with partition walls 118w that separate the antenna modules 110. The module mounting plate 118 including the partition walls 118w is preferably made of a metal material to facilitate the dissipation of heat transferred from the front heat dissipation housing 100, and is advantageous in terms of heat dissipation if it is formed to have a protruding height that protrudes forward beyond the front end of the radiation director 117.

[0129] Here, in the case of an embodiment in which the antenna module 110 is directly mounted in the antenna placement section 170 provided on the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 without the module mounting plate 118, the partition wall 118w can be understood to be realized by any one of the plurality of front heat dissipation fins (heat dissipation section, 105).

[0130] However, in this case, the partition wall 118w can be defined as a configuration that partitions between antenna arrangement sections 170 arranged adjacently in the H-direction, as well as a configuration that partitions the two antenna modules 110 themselves arranged at a distance in the H-direction.

[0131] At this time, some of the front heat dissipation fins 105 are provided in the form of at least one partition wall 118w that partitions each of the two or more antenna placement portions 170 in the H-direction.

[0132] In particular, the front end of at least one partition wall 118w may be provided to protrude from the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 or the module mounting plate 118 flush with the front surface of the radiating element (particularly, the radiation director 117).

[0133] However, the front end of the partition wall 118w does not necessarily have to protrude to the same extent as the front surface of the radiation director 117, and may be provided protruding forward of the front surface of the radiation director 117.

[0134] However, although the greater the protrusion of the partition wall 118w, the greater the advantage in terms of heat dissipation, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the XPD and isolation characteristics may be relatively degraded.

[0135] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20, in the antenna module 110b according to the modified example, a plurality of window grooves 118h may be formed in the partition wall 118w so as to prevent a decrease in XPD and isolation characteristics while maintaining the heat dissipation effect of the partition wall 118w.

[0136] It is preferable that the multiple window grooves 118h are formed so as to open in the left-right direction (i.e., in the H-direction based on the radiation director 117) at positions close to (adjacent to) the left or right end of the radiation director 117 in the configuration of the antenna module 110 coupled between the partition walls 118w.

[0137] For example, as shown in Figures 20 and 21, when an antenna module 110 having three radiation directors 117 arranged in the vertical direction is fixed to one module mounting plate 118, three window grooves 118h may be formed in one partition wall 118w.

[0138] In particular, as shown in Figures 22 and 23, since there is a certain degree of difference in the degree of degradation of XPD / Isolation characteristics between a case where no window groove 118h is formed in the partition wall 118w (see (a) of Figures 22 and 23) and a case where a window groove 118h is formed in the partition wall 118w (see (b) of Figures 22 and 23), it is preferable that the cutting depths of the multiple window grooves 118h be designed to be different taking into account the isolation performance measurement values ​​with adjacent radiating elements in the H-direction.

[0139] In the antenna device according to one embodiment of the present invention described above, the module mounting plate 118 is provided separately and the partition wall 118w is provided on the module mounting plate 118. However, the partition wall 118w does not necessarily have to be provided on the separately provided module mounting plate 118. It is also possible to provide the partition wall 118w as the heat dissipation fin closest to the antenna module 110 among the heat dissipation section 105 configured in the form of multiple heat dissipation fins, and to form the above-mentioned multiple window grooves 118h in any one of the multiple front heat dissipation fins 105 itself.

[0140] In the antenna module 110a according to another embodiment (see FIG. 19) and the antenna module 110b according to a modified example (see FIGS. 20 and 21) having such a configuration, it can be confirmed that the XPD (cross polarization separation) and isolation characteristics are improved as shown by the change from graph (a) to graph (b) depending on whether or not the antenna module 110a has a plurality of window grooves 118h, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23. Here, (a) in each of FIGS. 22 and 23 is a graph relating to the antenna module 110a according to another embodiment, and (b) in each of FIGS. 22 and 23 is a graph relating to the antenna module 110b according to a modified example in which the window grooves 118h are further added.

[0141] The heat dissipation state of the antenna device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as above will be briefly explained as follows.

[0142] The heat generated between the front heat dissipation housing 100 and the filter 350 corresponding to the space between the main board 310 and the front heat dissipation housing 100 can be dissipated to the front of the front heat dissipation housing 100 by direct surface thermal contact with the rear surface of the front heat dissipation housing 100 or by interposing the filter 350 and the radiation director 117 therebetween.

[0143] In this case, in the case of the antenna device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, instead of removing the conventional radome, only the area occupied by the radome is converted into a heat dissipation area, thereby making it possible to achieve better heat dissipation performance.

[0144] Using the main board 310 as a reference, heat generated on the rear side of the main board 310 and the rear side of the PSU unit 400 can be quickly dissipated rearward using a plurality of heat dissipation fins 201 that are in direct surface thermal contact with the rear heat dissipation housing 200 and are integrally formed on the rear heat dissipation housing 200.

[0145] At this time, the heat captured by the clamshell in the space between the filter 350 and the main board 310 can be dissipated rearward through the filter assembly protrusion 357 of the filter 350 and the heat dissipation via hole 357a of the main board 310, with the rear heat dissipation housing 200 acting as a heat transfer medium.

[0146] In this way, the antenna device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention can dissipate the system heat inside the antenna device 1 in all directions, including the front as well as the rear, by the area of ​​the front heat dissipation housing 100 that is increased by removing the radome, and since the antenna module 110 is arranged in the front heat dissipation housing 100 of the antenna device 1 and is arranged so as to be exposed to the outside air, front and rear heat dissipation of the antenna device 1 is possible, which has the effect of greatly improving heat dissipation performance.

[0147]

[0023] An antenna device according to an 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 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]

[0148] The present invention provides an antenna device with significantly improved heat dissipation performance by eliminating the radome and arranging the radiating element in the front housing of the antenna device, thereby using both the front and rear housings of the antenna device for front-to-rear heat dissipation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0149] 1: Antenna device, 100: Front heat dissipation housing 110: Antenna module, 111: Antenna module cover 117: Radiation director, 118: Module installation plate 118w: partition wall, 118h: window groove 120: printed circuit board, 121: director 122: Antenna patch section, 124: Power supply line 178: Director fixing hole, 170: Antenna placement section 105: Heat dissipation part, 350: Filter 180: Fixing screw, 200: Rear heat dissipation housing 210: Rear heat dissipation fin, 220: Main board

Claims

1. a front heat dissipation housing in which two or more antenna arrangement sections, each having at least one radiating element arranged on its front surface, are arranged consecutively in a horizontal direction (H-direction); a rear heat dissipation housing coupled to a front end of the front heat dissipation housing and having a plurality of rear heat dissipation fins for dissipating a predetermined amount of heat rearward, the front heat dissipation housing is integrally provided with a plurality of front heat dissipation fins for dissipating a predetermined amount of heat forward, and a portion of the plurality of front heat dissipation fins is provided in the form of at least one partition wall for partitioning each of the two or more antenna placement sections in the H-direction; The antenna device, wherein a front end of the at least one partition wall protrudes from the front surface of the front heat dissipation housing forward of the front surface of the radiating element.

2. the at least one radiating element is formed of a conductive metal material in an antenna patch circuit portion printed on a radiating element printed circuit board disposed in the antenna placement portion, and is provided in the form of a radiation director electrically connected to the antenna patch circuit portion; 2. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein a front end of the at least one partition wall is provided so as to protrude beyond at least a front surface of the radiation director.

3. A front heat dissipation housing in which two or more antenna arrangement sections, each having at least one radiating element arranged on its front surface, are continuously arranged in a horizontal direction (H-direction); a rear heat dissipation housing coupled to a front end of the front heat dissipation housing and having a plurality of rear heat dissipation fins for dissipating a predetermined amount of heat rearward, the front heat dissipation housing is integrally provided with a plurality of front heat dissipation fins for dissipating a predetermined amount of heat forward, and a portion of the plurality of front heat dissipation fins is provided in the form of at least one partition wall for partitioning each of the two or more antenna placement sections in the H-direction; a front end of the at least one partition wall projects from a front surface of the front heat dissipation housing to the same level as a front surface of the radiating element; the at least one radiating element is formed of a conductive metal material in an antenna patch circuit portion printed on a radiating element printed circuit board disposed in the antenna placement portion, and is provided in the form of a radiation director electrically connected to the antenna patch circuit portion; The antenna device, wherein a front end of the at least one partition wall is provided so as to protrude beyond at least a front surface of the radiation director.

4. A front heat dissipation housing in which two or more antenna arrangement sections, each having at least one radiating element arranged on its front surface, are continuously arranged in a horizontal direction (H-direction); a rear heat dissipation housing coupled to a front end of the front heat dissipation housing and having a plurality of rear heat dissipation fins for dissipating a predetermined amount of heat rearward, the front heat dissipation housing is integrally provided with a plurality of front heat dissipation fins for dissipating a predetermined amount of heat forward, and a portion of the plurality of front heat dissipation fins is provided in the form of at least one partition wall for partitioning each of the two or more antenna placement sections in the H-direction; The antenna device has a plurality of window grooves formed in the partition wall so as to open in the H-direction.

5. The antenna device according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of window grooves are formed adjacent to left and right ends of each of the radiating elements.

6. 6. The antenna device according to claim 5, wherein the cut depths of the plurality of window grooves are designed to be different in consideration of an isolation performance measurement value between adjacent radiating elements in the H-direction.

7. a front heat dissipation housing in which at least two or more antenna modules are arranged consecutively in a horizontal direction (H-direction); the front heat dissipation housing is integrally provided with a plurality of front heat dissipation fins for dissipating a predetermined amount of heat forward, and some of the front heat dissipation fins are provided in the form of at least one partition wall for partitioning each of the two or more antenna modules in the H-direction; The antenna module includes: an antenna patch circuit portion printed and formed on a radiating element printed circuit board disposed in the antenna placement portion; an antenna module cover disposed to cover the front surface of the antenna patch circuit unit; a radiation director disposed on a front surface of the antenna module cover, made of a conductive metal material, and electrically connected to the antenna patch circuit unit; the at least one partition wall is integrally formed with the front heat dissipation housing to partition the radiating element printed circuit boards of the two or more antenna module configurations arranged adjacent to each other in the H-direction, The partition wall has a plurality of window grooves formed therein so as to open in the H-direction.

8. 8. The antenna device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of window grooves are formed in portions adjacent to both left and right ends of the radiation director.

Images