Radio repeater and radio relay system

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a radio repeater capable of handling two or more kinds of orthogonal polarized waves, e.g. vertical / horizontal dual polarization or ± 45° polarization, by using the same antenna design and antenna components. [Solution] This radio repeater includes a substrate part and a first antenna and a second antenna corresponding to two polarized waves having mutually different polarization planes. The radio repeater further includes a polarization rotation mechanism that rotates the first antenna and the second antenna by 45° or more.

Description

Radio repeaters and radio repeating systems

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless repeater and a wireless repeater system, and in particular to setting the polarization plane of an antenna built into a millimeter wave band wireless repeater in the 5G standard.

[0002] As the frequency used for communication increases with standards such as 5G, the directionality of radio waves increases, making radio communication difficult when buildings or other structures exist between the base station and the communication terminal. For this reason, wireless repeaters are often used. Wireless repeaters consist of a donor unit that transmits and receives signals to and from the base station (BS) and a service unit that transmits and receives signals to and from the terminal (UE). They are used when a direct wireless link between the base station and the terminal cannot be established due to obstacles, for example (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 (e.g., Figure 4) shows an example of a wireless repeater configuration. In wireless repeaters, the donor antenna, in particular, is designed to use an array antenna to direct a beam toward the base station (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-67016

[0004] In 5G millimeter-wave mobile communication systems, both the base station and user equipment (UEs) use two antennas for MIMO communication, forming two-path wireless links. Typically, these two antennas are orthogonally polarized. These orthogonal polarizations are dual-polarized, i.e., dual-polarized vertical and horizontal, or dual-polarized ±45°. To perform MIMO communication across a repeater, the repeater must also be dual-polarized. In particular, base stations can be dual-polarized vertical and horizontal, or dual-polarized ±45°. Using a conventional dual-polarized antenna requires the repeater to be designed with two types of antennas. In other words, because 5G wireless repeaters are subordinate devices installed between base stations and terminals, their built-in antennas must be designed to match the polarization plane of the base station. However, currently used antennas for 5G millimeter-wave base station equipment are either dual-polarized vertical or dual-polarized ±45°, and each must be designed separately. This doubles the antenna design time. In addition, the material manufacturing costs would double. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless repeater that can support two or more types of orthogonal polarization, such as dual vertical / horizontal polarization and dual ±45° polarization, using the same antenna design and antenna components. Another object of the present invention is to provide a wireless repeater that is equipped with a switch or polarization plane discrimination system that enables the polarization plane of the wireless repeater to be identified, thereby facilitating the setting of antenna power supply conditions. Other objects of the present invention are described in the detailed description of the invention.

[0005] A radio repeater according to one embodiment of the present invention is a radio repeater having a first antenna and a second antenna corresponding to two polarized waves with different planes of polarization, and a substrate portion, and including a polarization rotation mechanism that rotates the first antenna and the second antenna by 45° or more. A radio repeater according to another embodiment of the present invention is any of the radio repeaters described above, in which the first antenna and the second antenna are arranged on an antenna plane that is substantially the same plane, and the first antenna and the second antenna rotate within the antenna plane. A radio repeater according to claim 3 of the present invention is any of the radio repeaters described above, in which the first antenna and the second antenna have an orthogonality maintaining rotation unit that rotates while maintaining an angular difference of 90°. A radio repeater according to claim 4 of the present invention is any of the radio repeaters described above, in which the polarization rotation mechanism has a first polarization rotation unit that rotates the first antenna and a second polarization rotation unit that rotates the second antenna. A radio repeater according to claim 5 of the present invention is any of the radio repeaters described above, in which the common polarization rotation unit rotates the first polarization rotation unit and the second polarization rotation unit. A wireless repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention is any of the wireless repeaters described above, having a first connector on the rear surface and approximately at the center of the first antenna, the first antenna rotating around the first connector, and having a second connector on the rear surface and approximately at the center of the second antenna, the second antenna rotating around the second connector.A wireless repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention is any of the wireless repeaters described above, in which the first antenna and the second antenna are integrally configured, and the polarization rotation mechanism rotates the first antenna and the second antenna simultaneously.A wireless repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention is any of the wireless repeaters described above, having a housing section between the antenna plane and the substrate section, the housing section having a metal section.A wireless repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention is any of the wireless repeaters described above, having a polarization plane discriminator, the polarization plane discriminator having: a polarization plane discriminator that discriminates the polarization planes of the first and second antennas; and a power supply condition selector that selects the power supply conditions of the antennas.A wireless repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention is any of the wireless repeaters described above, in which the polarization plane discriminator has an electronic sensor section.A wireless repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention is any of the wireless repeaters described above, in which the polarization plane discriminator is connected to the substrate unit.A wireless repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention is any of the wireless repeaters described above, in which the polarization plane discriminator is a physical switch.A wireless repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention is any of the wireless repeaters described above, in which the polarization plane discriminator is a single physical switch.A wireless repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention is any of the wireless repeaters described above, in which the polarization plane discriminator is connected to the antenna unit.A wireless repeating system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a wireless repeating system comprising: a donor unit that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves to and from a base station antenna; a service unit that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves to and from a communication terminal; and a connection unit that connects the donor unit and the service unit, wherein at least one of the donor unit and the service unit comprises any of the wireless repeaters described above.

[0006] With the above configuration, the present invention allows the use of an antenna with the same design whether the base station uses VH polarization or ±45° polarization, resulting in cost benefits such as reduced design time and mass production costs. By designing the antenna unit as described above, the use of an antenna with the same design for both VH polarization and ±45° polarization allows for cost benefits such as reduced design time and mass production costs. For example, in an antenna for a 5G wireless repeater that is dependent on a 5G base station, the antenna and downconverter can be individually and appropriately designed, simplifying the design and reducing mass production costs. Furthermore, by using a signal from the polarization discriminator, the power supply conditions for an antenna such as an array antenna can be set without error. Other advantages of the present invention are also described in the detailed description of the invention.

[0007] 1 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. ...

[0008] FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of a wireless repeater 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The wireless repeater 100 includes a first antenna 110 and a second antenna 120, each capable of supporting two polarized waves with different polarization planes, and a substrate unit 140. In this embodiment, the substrate unit 140 includes an up / down converter. The wireless repeater 100 also includes a polarization rotation mechanism 130 that rotates the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 by 90° or more. A polarization rotation mechanism 130 that can rotate by 180° or more, or a polarization rotation mechanism 130 that can rotate infinitely, is preferable. This allows for support of two or more polarized waves, such as VH polarization and ±45° polarization. The substrate unit 140 is parallel to the antenna, but may also be arranged perpendicularly, such as in a T-shape.

[0009] In this embodiment, the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 are both designed for single polarization, and the polarization is set according to the installation rotation angle. In other words, the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 have the same design and can be set to any polarization angle. In this embodiment, the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 are 28 GHz band AiPs (Antenna In Package). An AiP is an antenna device in which an array antenna consisting of multiple antenna elements and an IC including a transmitting and receiving front end that can freely set the antenna power supply conditions (amplitude, phase) are mounted on the same substrate.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 2, the first antenna 110 is horizontally oriented to support +45° polarization, while the second antenna 120 is horizontally oriented to support −45° polarization. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 3, the first antenna 110 is horizontally oriented to support −45° polarization, while the second antenna 120 is vertically oriented to support +45° polarization. As described above, both a ±45° polarization dual configuration and a V / H polarization dual configuration can be realized. In this embodiment, the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120, i.e., the antenna unit and the up / down converter unit, i.e., the board unit 140, are designed and manufactured separately, and each is provided with a high-frequency interface, such as a coaxial connector. This configuration, for example, can accommodate cases where both the BS and UEs use two orthogonal dual-polarized antennas for MIMO communication, as shown in FIG. 4, and also facilitates polarization setting of the antenna for the wireless repeater 100 for millimeter-wave band mobile communication systems, such as the 28 GHz band, as specified in the 5G standard.

[0011] 4, the wireless repeater device includes a donor unit 12 that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves to and from a base station antenna 2, a service unit 13 that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves to and from a communication terminal 3, and a connection unit 11 that connects the donor unit 12 and the service unit 13. At least one of the donor unit 12 and the service unit 13 includes the above-described wireless repeater 100. With this configuration, even when both the base station and the terminal use two orthogonal dual polarization antennas for MIMO communication, the same antenna design and components can be used to support this orthogonal dual polarization.

[0012] The first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 may be arranged on different planes, but as shown in Fig. 5, the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 may be arranged on an antenna plane PA that is substantially the same plane, and the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 may be configured to rotate within the antenna plane PA. Note that in Fig. 5, the solid horizontal line of the antenna plane PA is merely used to illustrate the concept of the antenna plane PA, and is not an actual component.

[0013] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, a configuration is provided in which a first polarization rotation unit 131 and a second polarization rotation unit 132 are provided, and the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 rotate independently of each other, but as shown in Fig. 7, a configuration can also be adopted in which the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 have an orthogonality maintaining rotation unit 134 that rotates while maintaining an angular difference of 90°. In either case, it is possible to handle cases in which the polarization is VH polarization and ±45° polarization.

[0014] 8, a configuration may also be adopted in which a housing 150 is provided between the antenna and the substrate 140, and the housing 150 has a metal part 151. In this embodiment, the housing 150 is a heat dissipation / shielding housing, and has an aluminum metal part 151. By sandwiching a housing between the antenna and the substrate 140 as in this configuration, heat dissipation is possible, and electromagnetic wave shielding can be achieved, thereby achieving EMC.

[0015] In this embodiment, the polarization rotation mechanism 130 includes a first polarization rotation unit 131 that rotates the first antenna 110 and a second polarization rotation unit 132 that rotates the second antenna 120. However, the polarization rotation mechanism 130 may also include a common polarization rotation unit 133 that rotates the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120. FIG. 9 shows an example of a configuration in which the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 are arranged on an antenna plane PA, which is substantially the same plane, and the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 rotate within the antenna plane PA, and the common polarization rotation unit 133 is provided. This configuration can reduce the number of components. The common polarization rotation unit 133 may be the first or second polarization rotation unit 132. In other words, a configuration in which the second polarization rotation unit 132 automatically rotates the second antenna 120 in response to the rotation of the first polarization rotation unit 131 is also possible.

[0016] 10 and 11 show an example configuration of a wireless repeater 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the rear surfaces of the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 are shown. In this embodiment, the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 are array antennas having a total of 16 antenna elements arranged in four rows and four columns. In this embodiment, the wireless repeater 100 has a first connector 111 on the rear surface of the first antenna 110 at approximately its center, and the first antenna 110 rotates around the first connector 111. The wireless repeater 100 also has a second connector 121 on the rear surface of the second antenna 120 at approximately its center, and the second antenna 120 rotates around the second connector 121. In this embodiment, the coaxial connector serving as an interface for the antenna unit is located on the rear surface of the antenna at its center, so that the antenna center does not change even when the antenna rotates. This results in excellent mechanical characteristics and, ultimately, simplifies antenna design.

[0017] 12 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless repeater 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 are integrally configured, and the polarization rotation mechanism 130 rotates the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 simultaneously.

[0018] In the wireless repeater 100, it is necessary to change the antenna power supply conditions, i.e., the amplitude and phase settings, depending on the installation direction. Fig. 13 shows an example of the configuration of the wireless repeater 100 in one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the wireless repeater 100 has a polarization plane determination unit 160.

[0019] 14, the polarization plane discriminator 160 has a polarization plane discriminator 170 that discriminates the polarization planes of the first and second antennas 120, and a power feed condition selector 180 that selects the antenna power feed conditions. With this configuration, the polarization plane discriminator 160 can discriminate the polarization planes of the first and second antennas 120 and can properly select the antenna power feed conditions.

[0020] 15 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless repeater 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the polarization plane determination unit 160 includes an electronic sensor unit 161. The electronic sensor unit 161 in this embodiment is a semiconductor sensor, and the sensor itself does not move. Instead, the first and second rotation mechanisms determine the rotated states of the first and second antennas 110 and 120 according to the installation direction of the wireless repeater 100.

[0021] 16 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless repeater 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a polarization plane discriminator 160 is connected to the substrate 140. In this embodiment, the polarization plane discriminator 160 is connected to the substrate 140. That is, the rotational states of the first antenna 110 and the second antenna 120 are determined by the polarization rotation mechanism 130 depending on whether the positions of the components change or not in response to external contact or non-contact. The repeater 100 includes a configuration in which a plurality of switch units are provided, and at least some of the plurality of switch units are turned on or off depending on the installation state.

[0022] In this embodiment, a switch for determining the installation direction is provided at an appropriate location on the board unit 140, i.e., on the up / down converter side, making it possible to determine the antenna installation angle. For example, as shown in Fig. 17, the switch can be provided in four separate locations for determination. Identifying the antenna installation angle using the switch can help set the power supply conditions for the array antenna.

[0023] 18 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless repeater 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the polarization plane discriminator 160 is a single physical switch 162. In this embodiment, the single physical switch 162 has two states, and rotates the antenna so that it corresponds to either VH polarization or ±45° polarization depending on which of the two states it is in.

[0024] 19 and 20 show examples of the configuration of the installation section 190 of the wireless repeater 100. The installation section 190 has a switch deactivation recess.

[0025] When the wireless repeater 100 is installed on the installation section 190, the physical switch 162 operates if the ground surface is flat as shown in Fig. 20 , but if there is a switch deactivation recess 191 as shown in Fig. 19 , the physical switch 162 does not operate. That is, when the wireless repeater 100 is installed on the installation section, the installation section 190 for deactivating the physical switch has the physical switch deactivation recess 191 at a location corresponding to the physical switch 162, and the physical switch 162 does not operate, whereas when the wireless repeater 100 is installed on the installation section, the installation section 190 for activating the physical switch does not have a recess for deactivating the physical switch at a location corresponding to the physical switch 162, and the physical switch 162 operates. With this configuration, when the polarization plane is desired to be in the VH direction, the installation section 190 shown in Fig. 19 is used, and when the polarization plane is desired to be ±45°, the installation section 190 shown in Fig. 20 is used. This allows the same wireless repeater 100 to accommodate both cases, leading to cost reduction and reduced human error during installation.

[0026] 21 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless repeater 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The polarization plane discriminator 160 is connected to the first antenna 110 or the second antenna 120. With this configuration, the antenna can be rotated to correspond to either VH polarization or ±45° polarization depending on the signal from the antenna.

[0027] As shown in Figure 4, a wireless relay system 1 in one embodiment of the present invention comprises a donor unit 12 that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves to and from a base station antenna 2, a service unit 13 that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves to and from a communication terminal 3, and a connection unit 11 that connects the donor unit 12 and the service unit 13, and at least one of the donor unit 12 and the service unit 13 comprises any of the wireless repeaters 100 described above.

[0028] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Wireless relay system 2 Base station antenna 3 Communication terminal 11 Connection section 12 Donor unit 13 Service unit 100 Wireless repeater 110 First antenna 111 First connector 120 Second antenna 121 Second connector 130 Polarization rotation mechanism 131 First polarization rotation section 132 Second polarization rotation section 133 Common polarization rotation section 134 Orthogonality maintenance rotation section 140 Substrate section 150 Housing section 151 Metal section 160 Polarization plane discrimination section 161 Electronic sensor section 162 Physical switch 170 Polarization plane identification section 180 Power supply condition selection section 190 Installation section 191 Recess for switch deactivation PA Antenna plane

Claims

1. A wireless repeater having a first antenna and a second antenna corresponding to two polarized waves with different polarization planes, and a base portion, and equipped with a polarization rotation mechanism that rotates the first antenna and the second antenna by 45 degrees or more.

2. The wireless repeater according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are arranged in an antenna plane that is substantially the same plane, and the first antenna and the second antenna rotate within the antenna plane.

3. The wireless repeater according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna have an orthogonality maintaining rotation unit that rotates while maintaining an angular difference of 90 degrees.

4. A radio repeater as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polarization rotation mechanism has a first polarization rotation unit which rotates the first antenna, and a second polarization rotation unit which rotates the second antenna.

5. A radio repeater as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a common polarization rotation unit which rotates said first polarization rotation unit and said second polarization rotation unit.

6. A wireless repeater as described in claim 1, having a first connector at and approximately at the center of the rear of the first antenna, the first antenna rotating around the first connector, and having a second connector at and approximately at the center of the rear of the second antenna, the second antenna rotating around the second connector.

7. The radio repeater according to claim 2, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are integrally constructed, and the polarization rotation mechanism rotates the first antenna and the second antenna simultaneously.

8. The wireless repeater according to claim 2, further comprising a housing section between said antenna plane and said substrate section, said housing section having a metal section.

9. A wireless repeater as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising a polarization plane discrimination unit, the polarization plane discrimination unit comprising: a polarization plane discrimination unit that discriminates the polarization planes of the first antenna and the second antenna; and a power supply condition selection unit that selects the power supply conditions of the first antenna and the second antenna.

10. A radio repeater as claimed in claim 9, wherein said polarization plane discriminating section comprises an electronic sensor section.

11. The wireless repeater according to claim 9, wherein the polarization plane discriminator is connected to the substrate.

12. The wireless repeater according to claim 11, wherein the polarization plane discriminating section is a physical switch.

13. The wireless repeater according to claim 11, wherein the polarization plane discriminating unit is a single physical switch.

14. The wireless repeater according to claim 9, wherein the polarization plane discriminator is connected to the first antenna or the second antenna.

15. A wireless relay system comprising: a donor unit for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves with a base station antenna; a service unit for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves with a communication terminal; and a connection section for connecting the donor unit and the service unit, wherein at least one of the donor unit and the service unit is equipped with a wireless repeater according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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