Base station antenna unit, base station antenna array, and base station

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and discloses a base station antenna unit, a base station antenna array, and a base station. The base station antenna unit comprises a dielectric plate, a metal ground plate, a first dielectric resonator, a second dielectric resonator, a dielectric coupling path, and a feeding structure; the metal ground plate and the feeding structure are arranged on two sides of the dielectric plate, respectively, and a cross-shaped slot is formed on the metal ground plate; the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator are of a symmetrical structure, and the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator are arranged on the dielectric plate; the dielectric coupling path is arranged on the dielectric plate, located between the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator, coupled to the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator, and located above the cross-shaped slot; and the feeding structure has two feeding ports, feeding input by means of different feeding ports excites the cross-shaped slot to generate an orthogonal electric field, and electromagnetic waves of the orthogonal electric field reach the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator by means of the dielectric coupling path.

Description

Base station antenna unit, base station antenna array and base station

[0001] Cross-reference

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 2024107176997, filed on June 4, 2024, and entitled "Base station antenna unit, base station antenna array and base station", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, in particular to a base station antenna unit, a base station antenna array and a base station. BACKGROUND

[0004] In the related art, common antenna forms include symmetrical dipole antennas, patch antennas and related variants thereof. Patch antennas are easy to implement dual polarization, have low profile height, and are easy to process and assemble, and are widely studied for use in base station antennas. However, microstrip antennas have a naturally narrow bandwidth, and existing bandwidth expansion methods cannot simultaneously ensure the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0005] At the same time, as the operating frequency rises, the antenna loss also increases. Antenna loss mainly comes from two factors, the first is the radiation loss generated by the antenna itself, and the second is the feed loss from the feed line. Especially in the application of 6G super large array antennas, the combination of traditional patch or symmetrical dipole antennas and feed networks will generate a large amount of energy loss, resulting in a serious decline in the efficiency and gain of the base station antenna, affecting the communication distance and quality. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a base station antenna unit, a base station antenna array and a base station.

[0007] In a first aspect, a base station antenna unit is provided, comprising: a dielectric plate, a metal ground plate, a first dielectric resonator, a second dielectric resonator, a dielectric coupling path and a feed structure, wherein the metal ground plate and the feed structure are respectively arranged on two sides of the dielectric plate, and a cross-shaped slot is arranged on the metal ground plate; the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator are symmetrical structures, and the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator are arranged on the dielectric plate; the dielectric coupling path is arranged on the dielectric plate, located between the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator, coupled with the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator, and located above the cross-shaped slot; the feed structure has two feed ports, and a feed input through different feed ports excites the cross-shaped slot to generate orthogonal electric fields, and electromagnetic waves of the orthogonal electric fields reach the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator through the dielectric coupling path.

[0008] In a second aspect, a base station antenna array is provided, comprising a plurality of base station antenna units as described in the first aspect, the plurality of base station antenna units being arranged in an array.

[0009] In a third aspect, a base station is provided, comprising a base station antenna array as described in the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the application.

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a base station antenna unit according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0012] FIG. 2 shows a top view of a base station antenna unit according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0013] FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of a base station antenna unit according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0014] FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a base station antenna unit according to another example embodiment of the present application;

[0015] FIG. 5 shows a shape of a dielectric resonator according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0016] FIG. 6 shows a shape of a dielectric resonator according to another example embodiment of the present application;

[0017] FIG. 7 shows a shape of a cross-shaped slot according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0018] FIG. 8 shows a shape of a cross-shaped slot according to another example embodiment of the present application;

[0019] FIG. 9 shows a shape of a cross-shaped slot according to yet another example embodiment of the present application;

[0020] FIG. 10 shows an exploded view of a base station antenna unit according to yet another example embodiment of the present application;

[0021] FIG. 11 shows a reflection coefficient curve of two feed ports of a base station antenna unit according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0022] FIG. 12 shows an isolation curve of two feed ports of a base station antenna unit according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0023] FIG. 13 shows a gain curve of a base station antenna unit according to an example embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG. 14 shows a directional diagram of a base station antenna unit in an example embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG. 15 shows a structural diagram of a base station antenna array in an example embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The example embodiments will be described in detail herein with reference to the attached drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise indicated, like numbers in the attached drawings refer to the same or similar elements. The following description of example embodiments is not representative of all possible embodiments consistent with the present application. Rather, it is merely an example of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a perspective structural diagram of a base station antenna unit in an example embodiment of the present application, FIG. 2 shows a top structural diagram of a base station antenna unit in an example embodiment of the present application, and FIG. 3 shows an exploded structural diagram of a base station antenna unit in an example embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the base station antenna unit in an example embodiment of the present application includes a first dielectric resonator 11, a second dielectric resonator 12, a dielectric coupling path 2, a dielectric plate 3, a metal ground plate 4, and a feed structure 10.

[0028] In an embodiment of the present application, the metal ground plate 4 and the feed structure 10 are disposed on two sides of the dielectric plate 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a cross-shaped slot 5 is disposed on the metal ground plate 4. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the metal ground plate 4 and the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 are disposed on the upper side of the dielectric plate 3, and the feed structure 10 is disposed on the lower side of the dielectric plate 3. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the feed structure 10 and the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 are disposed on the upper side of the dielectric plate 3, and the metal ground plate 4 is disposed on the lower side of the dielectric plate 3.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 can be symmetric structures, and the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 are disposed on the dielectric plate 3. In an embodiment of the present application, the antenna form of the dielectric resonator is used, which avoids the conductor loss caused by the metal radiation structure relative to the patch antenna and the symmetric dipole antenna used in large quantities in the base station antenna of the related art.

[0030] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the metal floor 4 is arranged on the dielectric plate 3, and the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 are arranged on the upper layer of the metal floor 4, thereby being arranged on the dielectric plate 3, or as shown in FIG. 4, the feeding structure 10 is arranged on the dielectric plate 3, and the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 can be arranged on the upper layer of the feeding structure 10, thereby being arranged on the dielectric plate 3.

[0031] In the embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dielectric coupling path 2 is arranged on the dielectric plate 3, between the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12, coupled with the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12, and above the cross slot 5.

[0032] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the metal floor 4 is arranged on the dielectric plate 3, and the dielectric coupling path 2 is arranged on the upper layer of the metal floor 4, thereby being arranged on the dielectric plate 3, or as shown in FIG. 4, the feeding structure 10 is arranged on the dielectric plate 3, and the dielectric coupling path 2 can be arranged on the upper layer of the feeding structure 10, thereby being arranged on the dielectric plate 3. In the embodiment of the present application, whether it is FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the dielectric coupling path 2 is above the cross slot 5, that is, the vertical projection of the dielectric coupling path 2 and the cross slot 5 on the plane of the dielectric plate 3 has an overlapping part.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present application, the feeding structure 10 is used to excite the cross slot 5, as shown in FIG. 1, the feeding structure 10 has two feeding ports 9, and the feeding input through different feeding ports 9 excites the cross slot 5 to generate orthogonal electric fields, and the electromagnetic waves of the orthogonal electric fields reach the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 through the dielectric coupling path 2.

[0034] In the embodiment of the present application, each base station antenna unit includes two feeding ports 9, which can correspond to two orthogonal polarization directions. When the energy of different feeding ports 9 excites the cross slot 5, orthogonal electric fields of ±45° can be generated, which do not affect each other. The electromagnetic waves of each electric field direction reach the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 through the dielectric coupling path 2. By adjusting the size of the feeding structure 10, the cross slot 5 and the dielectric coupling path 2, the fundamental mode of the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 can be excited at the same time, and the expected directional radiation pattern can be generated. The modes of the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 excited by different electric field directions are also orthogonal to each other, so the base station antenna unit has high isolation. As described above, by switching the feeding ports 9 of the antenna, the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 can be excited to radiate electromagnetic waves in different polarization directions, thereby realizing the dual-polarization function.

[0035] In addition, to reduce the conductor loss of the antenna as much as possible, in the base station antenna unit provided in the embodiments of the present application, a dielectric is used as the first dielectric resonator 11, the second dielectric resonator 12 and the dielectric coupling path 2, and a single cross slot 5 is used to couple and feed the two dielectric resonators, the feeding of the two feeding ports 9 realizes the radiation of ±45° polarization, the dielectric coupling path 2 is used to realize the in-phase and equal-amplitude feeding of the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12, so that the base station antenna unit does not need to use a 1-to-2 power divider to realize the effect of the 1-to-2 antenna unit, the loss and the occupied space introduced by the power divider are reduced, which is beneficial to the antenna layout and can realize the miniaturization and low dielectric loss of the antenna.

[0036] In the embodiments of the present application, the size of the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 can be adjusted, for example, for a cuboid dielectric resonator, the length, width and height thereof can be adjusted, the length and width of the cross slot 5 can be adjusted, and the input impedance, bandwidth and center frequency of the base station antenna unit can be adjusted. In addition, by adjusting the size of the dielectric coupling path 2 and the size of the metal above the dielectric coupling path 2, the matching state of the antenna can be improved. Furthermore, by adjusting the distance between the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 and the size of the dielectric coupling path 2, the base station antenna unit can obtain stable radiation performance, such as antenna gain and beam width.

[0037] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, optionally, the first dielectric resonator 11, the second dielectric resonator 12 and the dielectric coupling path 2 can be integrally formed, as shown in FIG. 1, the height of the dielectric coupling path 2 is less than the height of the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12. In this optional implementation, the first dielectric resonator 11, the second dielectric resonator 12 and the dielectric coupling path 2 can be integrally formed, thereby improving the manufacturing efficiency of the first dielectric resonator 11, the second dielectric resonator 12 and the dielectric coupling path 2.

[0038] In an optional implementation, the whole formed by the first dielectric resonator 11, the second dielectric resonator 12 and the dielectric coupling path 2 is a center-symmetric structure. Through this optional implementation, the symmetry and stability of the antenna radiation pattern can be ensured.

[0039] In an optional implementation, the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 can be cuboids or cylinders, as shown in FIG. 5, the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 can be cuboids, or, as shown in FIG. 6, the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 can be cylinders.

[0040] Optionally, since the energy transmission of the medium coupling path 2 can not continue to serially transmit the next medium resonator after re-exciting the first medium resonator, the number of medium resonators of the base station antenna unit can be limited to two (the first medium resonator 11 and the second medium resonator 12 as described above). The cross-sectional shape of the medium resonator can be a cut-off rectangular shape, a rounded rectangular shape, or a circular shape, etc.

[0041] In the embodiments of the present application, optionally, the first medium resonator 11 and the second medium resonator 12 are made of a material with a relative dielectric constant greater than 8. For example, the first medium resonator 11 and the second medium resonator 12 can be made of low-loss medium materials such as ceramics. In this optional implementation, the first medium resonator 11 and the second medium resonator 12 use low-loss medium materials, thereby avoiding the high medium loss caused by the large use of printed circuit boards (PCB) or plastic materials in the base station antenna of the related art.

[0042] In an optional implementation, the cross-shaped slot 5 can be located at the center of the base station antenna unit, thereby ensuring the symmetry and stability of the base station antenna radiation pattern.

[0043] Optionally, the pattern of the cross-shaped slot 5 is rotationally symmetric or mirror symmetric. For example, the cross-shaped slot 5 can adopt a pattern with widened ends as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. By deforming the shape of the cross-shaped slot 5, the impedance matching of the base station antenna unit can be adjusted.

[0044] In an optional implementation, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the feeding structure can include a jumper 6 and a feeding line 8. The medium plate 3 is provided with a metalized via hole 7 connected to the jumper 6 and the feeding line 8, as shown in FIG. 3, an avoiding hole 13 is formed at the position corresponding to the jumper 6 on the metal ground plate 4.

[0045] Optionally, the number of metalized via holes 7 can be multiple. For example, there are two metalized via holes 7, and the two metalized via holes 7 respectively communicate the two ends of the jumper 6 and the feeding line 8.

[0046] Optionally, by adjusting the length and width of the cross-shaped slot 5, the length and width of the two orthogonal feeding lines 8, and the radius of the metal via hole 7, the input impedance and bandwidth of the base station antenna can be matched.

[0047] In the embodiments of the present application, the feeding line 8 can be a fork-shaped microstrip line, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. Alternatively, the feeding line 8 can also be a strip line, as shown in FIG. 10, and a layer of dielectric layer and a layer of metal layer can be added below the base station antenna unit in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0048] In an implementation form of the embodiments of the present application, the dielectric plate 3 can be a Rogers 4003 plate, the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 can be made of ceramic material with a relative dielectric constant of 10, the dielectric plate 3 can be a double-sided PCB plate, the upper layer is a metal layer as the metal ground plate 4, and the lower layer is a fork-shaped microstrip line 8 as the feeding structure, the upper jumper 6 and the fork-shaped microstrip line 8 are electrically connected through the short-circuit through hole; the main radiating body of the antenna is the rectangular dielectric resonators on both sides.

[0049] Optionally, in the case that the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 are cuboids, the length and the width can be in the range of 6-9 mm, and the height can be in the range of 10-14 mm.

[0050] Optionally, in the case that the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 are cylinders, the diameter of the cylinder can be in the range of 6-9 mm, and the height can be in the range of 10-14 mm.

[0051] Optionally, the dielectric plate 3 can be a rectangular thin plate, and the thickness can be less than or equal to 1.2 mm.

[0052] Optionally, the metal ground plate 4 can also be a rectangular thin plate.

[0053] Optionally, the reflection coefficients of the two feeding ports 9 are less than -10 dB, and the isolation between the two feeding ports is greater than 18 dB; when the two feeding ports are respectively fed, the antenna gain is about 10 dB.

[0054] The base station antenna unit provided in the embodiments of the present application realizes high gain of the antenna through a dielectric coupling path with an upper layer metal. According to the array theory, the mouth surface field is uniformly distributed, and the highest gain can be realized. To realize high gain, the feeding structure is placed in the center of the coupling path, equal amplitude and in-phase feeding of two units can be realized, and the two equal amplitude units of the one-to-two dielectric resonator can realize the highest gain in the far field. The excitation structure directly feeds the coupling path, and the coupling path is regarded as the second section of the slot feeding. The field strength in the path is similar to that at the excitation slot. Through the high efficiency transmission of the coupling path and the effective coupling with the dielectric unit, the same and strong field distribution in the two dielectric resonator units can be realized. The electric field strength in the two units is strong and the direction is the same, and the far field field realizes in-phase superposition and good cross-polarization discrimination at the same time. Meanwhile, in order to reduce the size of the antenna in the horizontal direction, the dielectric coupling path and the metal above it are cut at an angle, and the horizontal size is realized.

[0055] In the embodiments of the present application, the size of the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 on both sides, the size of the dielectric coupling path 2, the distance between the first dielectric resonator 11 and the second dielectric resonator 12 on both sides, the size of the cross slot 5, and the size of the feeding line 8 are adjusted and optimized, so that the working bandwidth of the base station antenna unit is increased, the size in the horizontal direction is reduced, the isolation between different polarizations is improved, and the gain, beam width and other far field radiation characteristics are stable.

[0056] FIG. 11 shows the reflection coefficient parameter curve of each feeding port of the base station antenna unit in an example embodiment of the present application. The base station antenna unit can work in the bandwidth of 6.50-7.01 GHz, and the reflection coefficient is less than -10 dB.

[0057] FIG. 12 shows the port isolation parameter curve between each feeding port of the base station antenna unit in an example embodiment of the present application. The isolation between the two feeding ports of the base station antenna unit in the working frequency range is greater than 18 dB.

[0058] FIG. 13 shows the gain parameter curve of the base station antenna unit in an example embodiment of the present application. The base station antenna unit can work in the bandwidth of 6.50-7.01 GHz, the reflection coefficient of the two feeding ports is less than -10 dB, and the isolation between the two feeding ports is greater than 18 dB; the gain of the feeding port 1 is 9.7dBi±10%, the gain of the feeding port 2 is 9.5dBi±10%, and the gain fluctuation of the two feeding ports is less than 1 dB.

[0059] Figure 14 shows a radiation pattern of a base station antenna element in an example embodiment of the present application, which has a cross-polarization less than -13dB for both feed ports within the operating frequency band 6.50-7.01GHz. The half-power beamwidth in the horizontal plane is 64°, and the half-power beamwidth in the vertical plane is 37°.

[0060] Figure 15 shows a schematic diagram of a base station antenna array according to an example embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 15, the base station antenna array can include a plurality of base station antenna elements 100 as described above, and the plurality of base station antenna elements 100 are arranged in an array.

[0061] Optionally, the vertical spacing between two adjacent base station antenna elements 100 in the plurality of base station antenna elements 100 is between 1 and 1.5 wavelengths of the antenna operating wavelength, and the horizontal spacing between two adjacent base station antenna elements 100 in the plurality of base station antenna elements 100 is between 0.4 and 1 wavelengths of the antenna operating wavelength.

[0062] In an example embodiment, a base station is also provided, which can include the base station antenna array as shown in Figure 15.

[0063] Other embodiments of the application will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the application disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the application being indicated by the following claims.

[0064] It should be understood that the application is not limited to the precise construction that has been described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and that various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the application. The scope of the application is to be defined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A base station antenna unit, comprising: The medium plate, the metal floor, the first dielectric resonator, the second dielectric resonator, the dielectric coupling path and the feeding structure, wherein, The metal floor and the feeding structure are respectively arranged on two sides of the medium plate, and the metal floor is provided with a cross-shaped slot; The first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator are symmetrical structures, and the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator are arranged on the medium plate; The dielectric coupling path is arranged on the medium plate, between the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator, coupled with the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator, and located above the cross-shaped slot; The feeding structure has two feeding ports, and the feeding input through different feeding ports excites the cross-shaped slot to generate orthogonal electric fields, and the electromagnetic waves of the orthogonal electric fields reach the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator through the dielectric coupling path.

2. The base station antenna unit of claim 1, wherein, The first dielectric resonator, the second dielectric resonator and the dielectric coupling path are integrally formed, and the height of the dielectric coupling path is less than the height of the first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator.

3. The base station antenna unit of claim 1, wherein, The first dielectric resonator, the second dielectric resonator and the dielectric coupling path form a central symmetrical structure.

4. The base station antenna unit of claim 1, wherein, The first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator are cuboids or cylinders.

5. The base station antenna unit of claim 1, wherein, The first dielectric resonator and the second dielectric resonator are made of a material with a relative dielectric constant greater than 8.

6. The base station antenna unit of any of Claims 1-5, wherein, The cross-shaped slot is located at the center of the base station antenna unit.

7. The base station antenna unit of claim 6, wherein, The pattern of the cross-shaped slot is rotationally symmetrical or mirror symmetrical.

8. The base station antenna unit of any of Claims 1-5, wherein, The feeding structure includes a jumper and a feeding line; The medium plate is provided with a metalized via connected with the jumper and the feeding line, and a relief hole is formed in the metal floor corresponding to the jumper.

9. The base station antenna unit of claim 8, wherein, The number of metalized vias is multiple.

10. A base station antenna array comprising a plurality of base station antenna units according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the plurality of base station antenna units are arranged in an array.

11. The base station antenna array of claim 10, wherein, The vertical distance between two adjacent base station antenna units in the plurality of base station antenna units is between 1 and 1.5 wavelengths of the antenna, and the horizontal distance between two adjacent base station antenna units in the plurality of base station antenna units is between 0.4 and 1 wavelength of the antenna.

12. A base station comprising the base station antenna array of claim 10 or 11.

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