Adjustable dielectric lens antenna apparatus and adjusting method therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to an adjustable dielectric lens antenna apparatus and an adjusting method therefor. A transmission screw on an adjusting assembly can be rotated manually or electrically to drive radiating elements to move linearly in a tangential direction of a dielectric lens, so that the relative position of the radiating elements and a lens assembly in the tangential direction of the dielectric lens are changed, thereby quickly completing the adjustment of an antenna downtilt angle. Moreover, in the present invention, one adjusting assembly can simultaneously drive a plurality of radiating elements to move linearly in the tangential direction of the dielectric lens, eliminating the need to adjust each radiating element individually. Thus, the overall structure is simplified, space is saved, costs are lowered, and the antenna downtilt angle can be adjusted quickly and accurately.

Description

An adjustable dielectric lens antenna device and its adjustment method Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mobile communication antenna equipment technology, and in particular to an adjustable dielectric lens antenna device and its adjustment method. Background Technology

[0002] In mobile communication systems, antennas are key components, their basic function being to transmit and receive radio waves. With the rapid development of mobile communication networks, base stations in cities are becoming increasingly dense. A medium-sized city typically has dozens of base stations, while provincial capitals can have hundreds, and the density and size of base stations are also increasing. To achieve this density, base stations must reuse frequencies within their cell clusters. This means operators need to effectively control the radiation pattern of each antenna to prevent stray radiation from causing electromagnetic interference and degrading communication quality. How to select suitable antennas when deploying wireless communication networks to ensure optimal network performance and thus guarantee user experience is an increasingly important issue in wireless communication networking. Among these factors, the downtilt angle of the base station antenna is a crucial factor in the cell coverage radius. An unreasonable downtilt angle can lead to weak cell coverage, inter-cell interference, and other problems, ultimately impacting network performance.

[0003] In addition, for the later-stage coverage optimization and maintenance of wireless cellular communication systems, a very important system optimization task is adjusting the downtilt angle of the antenna pattern. Especially when there is a large flow of people, if the goal is to reduce interference in certain areas and / or increase coverage in certain areas, then adjusting the downtilt angle of the antenna pattern in real time is necessary to optimize coverage.

[0004] However, existing technologies for adjusting the downtilt angle are complex, inflexible, costly, and unreliable. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a dielectric lens antenna device that is simple in structure, occupies little space, and can quickly and accurately adjust the antenna downtilt angle. Technical issues

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide an adjustable dielectric lens antenna device and its adjustment method, which has a simple overall structure, saves space, and can quickly and accurately adjust the antenna downtilt angle. Technical solutions

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides an adjustable dielectric lens antenna device, including a first reflector, an adjustment assembly fixed to the back of the first reflector, a lens assembly fixed to the front of the first reflector, a second reflector that moves under the drive of the adjustment assembly, and a radiating unit fixed to the second reflector and located below the lens assembly and above the front of the first reflector.

[0007] The lens assembly includes a lens bracket fixed to the front of the first reflector and a medium lens fixed on the lens bracket and spaced a certain distance from the first reflector.

[0008] Driven by the second reflector, the radiation unit can move linearly along the tangent of the dielectric lens or along the area between the edge of the dielectric lens and the tangent.

[0009] Furthermore, the adjustment assembly includes a transmission screw fixed to the back of the first reflector and arranged along the tangential direction of the medium lens, an adjustment knob connected to the bottom end of the transmission screw, a fixed rod fixed in the gap between the transmission screw and the back of the first reflector and parallel to the transmission screw, a slider threadedly connected to the transmission screw and sleeved on the fixed rod and movable on the transmission screw, two guide rods respectively connected to the two sides of the slider and parallel to the transmission screw, a connecting rod perpendicularly connected to the guide rod and the second reflector and passing through the first reflector, and a support block fixed to the back of the first reflector and sleeved on the guide rod; the two guide rods and the connecting rod can move along the axial direction of the lens assembly under the action of the slider; the first reflector is provided with a guide window penetrating the thickness direction of the first reflector for the connecting rod to pass through.

[0010] Furthermore, the adjustment assembly also includes a first limiting member disposed on the back of the first reflector to prohibit or limit the axial movement of the transmission screw; and a second limiting member fixed to the transmission screw to limit the maximum movement distance of the slider relative to the transmission screw.

[0011] Furthermore, the back of the second reflector is connected to the adjustment assembly, the front is connected to the radiation unit, and an L-shaped inner metal edging is fixed to the inner side of the edge, while the outer side of the edge is an outwardly bent outer metal edging.

[0012] Furthermore, the medium lens is a cylindrical medium lens, an elliptical cylindrical medium lens, a spherical medium lens, an ellipsoidal medium lens, or an irregularly shaped medium lens.

[0013] Furthermore, the width of the dielectric lens is greater than the width of the radiating surface of the radiating unit.

[0014] Furthermore, there are multiple radiating units and multiple second reflectors.

[0015] Furthermore, a power divider is fixed to the back of the first reflector, and the power divider is electrically connected to the radiating unit via a coaxial cable.

[0016] Furthermore, the transmission screw is provided with a scale.

[0017] Furthermore, the adjustment assembly also includes a transmission gear assembly fixed between the connecting rod and the second reflector. The transmission gear assembly can rotate under the drive of the two guide rods, so that the radiation unit can move linearly along a set angle in the area between the edge and tangent of the medium lens.

[0018] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention also provides a method for adjusting the downtilt angle of a lens antenna, employing the aforementioned adjustable dielectric lens antenna device, comprising the following steps:

[0019] S1. Based on the required target tilt angle, the preset correspondence between the target tilt angle and the moving distance of the radiation unit, and the preset correspondence between the moving distance of the radiation unit and the number of rotations of the transmission screw, rotate the adjustment knob to make the transmission screw rotate the corresponding number of rotations;

[0020] S2. While the transmission screw rotates, it drives the guide rod to move, and the second reflector, under the action of the guide rod, drives the radiation unit to move linearly along the tangent direction of the dielectric lens or to move linearly in the area between the edge of the dielectric lens and the tangent.

[0021] S3. Determine whether the desired target tilt angle has been adjusted according to the scale set on the transmission screw or the scale set on the external scale connected to the transmission screw. If so, stop rotating the adjustment knob. Beneficial effects

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: The present invention can drive the radiating unit to move linearly along the tangent direction of the dielectric lens by manually or electrically rotating the transmission screw on the adjustment component, thereby changing the relative position of the radiating unit and the lens assembly in the tangent direction of the dielectric lens, thus quickly adjusting the downtilt angle of the antenna; moreover, one adjustment component of the present invention can simultaneously drive several radiating units to move linearly along the tangent direction of the dielectric lens, without the need to adjust each radiating unit separately, resulting in a simple overall structure, saving space, lower cost, and enabling quick and accurate adjustment of the antenna downtilt angle. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 is a front structural view of the adjustable dielectric lens antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 is a rear structural view of the adjustable dielectric lens antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an adjustable dielectric lens antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 is a partial view of the transmission screw according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 is a front structural view of an adjustable dielectric lens antenna device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 is a front structural view of an adjustable dielectric lens antenna device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the number of rotations of the transmission screw and the moving distance of the radiation unit in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the moving distance of the radiating unit and the downtilt angle of the lens antenna in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of a spherical medium lens according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of an adjustable dielectric lens antenna device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Label Explanation:

[0034] 1. First reflector; 2. Second reflector;

[0035] 3. Radiation unit; 4. Inner metal edging;

[0036] 5. Outer metal edging; 6. Lens support;

[0037] 7. Medium lens; 8. Connecting rod;

[0038] 9. Guide window; 10. Support block;

[0039] 11. Power divider; 12. Guide rod;

[0040] 13. Slider; 14. Drive screw;

[0041] 15. Adjustment knob; 16. Fixing rod;

[0042] 17. Scale; 18. Cylindrical dielectric lens;

[0043] 19. Elliptical cylindrical dielectric lens; 20. First limiting element;

[0044] 21. Second limiting element; 22. Spherical medium lens;

[0045] 23. Transmission gear assembly. Embodiments of the present invention

[0046] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] Please refer to Figures 1, 2 and 3. The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device of this invention includes a first reflector 1, an adjustment assembly fixed to the back of the first reflector 1, a lens assembly fixed to the front of the first reflector 1, a second reflector 2 that moves under the drive of the adjustment assembly, and a radiation unit 3 fixed on the second reflector 2 and located below the lens assembly and above the front of the first reflector 1.

[0048] The lens assembly includes a lens bracket 6 fixed to the front of the first reflector 1, and a medium lens 7 fixed to the lens bracket 6 and spaced a certain distance from the first reflector 1.

[0049] Specifically, in this embodiment, the dielectric lens 7 can be a cylindrical dielectric lens 18 or an elliptical cylindrical dielectric lens 19, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Alternatively, the dielectric lens 7 can also be a spherical dielectric lens 22, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, or an ellipsoidal dielectric lens. In another embodiment, the dielectric lens 7 is an irregularly shaped dielectric lens of other geometric shapes, such as a cone, a hexagonal prism, etc. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the width of the dielectric lens 7 is greater than the width of the radiating surface of the radiating unit 3, and its length is greater than the length of the radiating surface of the radiating unit 3.

[0050] In this embodiment, the radiation unit 3 can move linearly along the tangent direction of the dielectric lens 7 under the action of the second reflector 2. Specifically, in this embodiment, the tangent direction of the cylindrical dielectric lens and the elliptical main dielectric lens is their axial direction.

[0051] Specifically, the adjustment assembly includes a transmission screw 14 fixed to the back of the first reflector 1 and arranged along the tangent direction of the medium lens; an adjustment knob 15 connected to the bottom end of the transmission screw 14; a fixing rod 16 fixed in the gap between the transmission screw 14 and the back of the first reflector 1 and parallel to the transmission screw 14; a slider 13 threadedly connected to the transmission screw 14 and sleeved on the fixing rod 16, and movable on the transmission screw 14; two guide rods 12 respectively connected to the two sides of the slider 13 and parallel to the transmission screw 14; a connecting rod 8 perpendicularly connecting the guide rods 12 and the second reflector 2 and passing through the first reflector 1; and a support block 10 fixed to the back of the first reflector 1 and sleeved on the guide rods 12. The two guide rods 12 and the connecting rod 8 can move linearly along the tangent direction of the medium lens under the action of the slider 13. The first reflector 1 has a guide window 9 penetrating the thickness direction of the first reflector 1 for the connecting rod 8 to pass through.

[0052] Specifically, the adjustment knob 15 can be a manual adjustment knob or an electric adjustment knob connected to a drive motor. Rotating the adjustment knob 15 drives the transmission screw 14 to rotate, causing the slider 13 to move along the transmission screw 14. This causes the two guide rods 12 connecting the slider 13 and their connecting rods 8 to move accordingly.

[0053] In this embodiment, the adjustment assembly further includes a first limiting member 20 disposed on the back of the first reflector 1, used to prohibit or limit the axial movement of the transmission screw 14. Specifically, the first limiting member 20 includes a support base supporting the transmission screw 14; a limiting ring is fixed to the transmission screw 14, and the limiting ring cooperates with the support base to prohibit or limit the axial movement of the transmission screw 14. Understandably, the first limiting member 20 can be disposed at the bottom end, top end, and / or other positions of the transmission screw, as long as it can prohibit or limit the axial movement of the transmission screw 14.

[0054] In this embodiment, the adjustment assembly further includes a second limiting member 21 fixed to the transmission screw 14, used to limit the maximum movement distance of the slider 13 relative to the transmission screw 14. There can be one or two second limiting members 21. In this embodiment, the transmission screw 14 and the fixing rod 16 are of equal length. To save space, the fixing rod 16 is disposed in the gap between the transmission screw 14 and the first reflector 1. The slider 13 has a screw hole and a socket hole; the slider 13 is threadedly connected to the transmission screw 14 through the screw hole and connected to the fixing rod 16 through the socket hole.

[0055] In this embodiment, to further accurately adjust the relative position between the radiation unit 3 and the lens assembly, a scale 17 is also provided on the transmission screw 14, as shown in FIG. 4. This scale can be used to mark the moving distance of the radiation unit or to mark the downward tilt angle. The scale value shown in the figure is only an example. Those skilled in the art can set it to other scale values ​​according to actual conditions, without affecting the implementation of the present invention.

[0056] In another embodiment, a drive screw is installed inside the housing and connected to an external scale. Rotation of the drive screw can move the external scale outward from inside the housing. The scale on the exposed scale indicates whether the target tilt angle has been adjusted.

[0057] In this embodiment, there are several support blocks 10, which are fixed at equal intervals to the back of the first reflector 1 and fitted with guide rods 12 to ensure smooth movement of the guide rods 12. The length of the guide rods 12 is less than or equal to the length of the first reflector 1, but greater than the length of the transmission screw 14.

[0058] In this embodiment, the guide window 9 is disposed on the first reflector 1 along the tangent direction of the medium lens, and the connecting rod 8 passes through the guide window 9 to connect to the back of the second reflector 2. The length of the guide window 9 should be greater than or equal to the maximum range of motion of the connecting rod 8.

[0059] In addition, to further save space, several power dividers 11 are fixed on the back of the first reflector 1. Each power divider 11 is electrically connected to the radiation unit 3 via a coaxial cable, and the power divider 11 distributes electrical signals to the radiation unit 3.

[0060] Specifically, the second reflector 2 is parallel to the first reflector 1, located above the first reflector 1 and below the lens assembly. Two connecting rods 8 are connected to the two sides of the back of the second reflector 2. When the two connecting rods 8 move linearly along the tangent direction of the dielectric lens, they also drive the second reflector 2 and the radiation unit 3 on it to move accordingly.

[0061] In another embodiment, there are multiple radiating elements 3 and multiple second reflectors 2, which are uniformly distributed along the axial direction of the lens assembly. In other embodiments, the radiating elements 3 and the second reflectors 2 are uniformly or non-uniformly distributed in other directions. Specifically, the radiating elements 3 and the second reflectors 2 can be uniformly or non-uniformly distributed along the diagonal direction of the lens assembly, or uniformly or non-uniformly distributed along the radial direction of the dielectric lens. The length of the dielectric lens 7 is greater than the length of the radiating surface of all the radiating elements 3 combined.

[0062] Specifically, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, both figures illustrate three radiating units 3 arranged in a straight line, each fixed to a second reflector 2. The cylindrical dielectric lens 18 in Figure 5 and the elliptical cylindrical dielectric lens 19 in Figure 6 are both longer than the combined radiating surface length of the three radiating units 3. The spherical dielectric lens 22 in Figures 9 and 10 has a diameter greater than the radiating surface diameter of a single sphere than a single radiating unit.

[0063] In another embodiment of the present invention, the radiation unit 3, driven by the second reflector 2, can move linearly within the region between the edge of the dielectric lens and the tangent. Specifically, as shown in FIG10, in this embodiment, the adjustment assembly further includes a transmission gear assembly 23 fixed between the connecting rod and the second reflector. This transmission gear assembly 23 can rotate under the drive of the two guide rods 12, allowing the radiation unit 3 to move linearly along a set angle within the region between the edge of the spherical dielectric lens 22 and the tangent.

[0064] Specifically, the second reflector is first tilted to a set angle. Then, when the transmission screw rotates, the guide rod moves in the vertical direction, driving the transmission gear to rotate, so that the second reflector moves linearly along the set angle, thereby driving the radiation unit to move linearly.

[0065] Furthermore, the downtilt angle adjustment method for the lens antenna of this invention, employing the adjustable dielectric lens antenna device of the above embodiments, includes the following steps:

[0066] S1. Based on the required target tilt angle, the preset correspondence between the target tilt angle and the moving distance of the radiation unit, and the preset correspondence between the moving distance of the radiation unit and the number of rotations of the transmission screw, rotate the adjustment knob to make the transmission screw rotate the corresponding number of rotations;

[0067] S2. While the transmission screw rotates, it drives the guide rod to move, and the second reflector, under the action of the guide rod, drives the radiation unit to move linearly along the tangent direction of the dielectric lens or to move linearly in the area between the edge of the dielectric lens and the tangent.

[0068] S3. Determine whether the desired downtilt angle has been adjusted according to the scale set on the transmission screw or the scale set on the external scale connected to the transmission screw. If so, stop rotating the adjustment knob.

[0069] Specifically, the relationship between the preset target tilt angle and the moving distance of the radiation unit can be illustrated as shown in Figure 7. The relationship between the preset moving distance of the radiation unit and the number of rotations of the transmission screw can be illustrated as shown in Figure 8.

[0070] In summary, this invention allows for the manual or electric rotation of the transmission screw on the adjustment assembly, which drives the radiating unit to move linearly along the tangent direction of the dielectric lens. This changes the relative position of the radiating unit and the lens assembly along the tangent direction of the dielectric lens, thereby enabling rapid adjustment of the antenna's downtilt angle. Furthermore, one adjustment assembly of this invention can simultaneously drive several radiating units to move linearly along the tangent direction of the dielectric lens, eliminating the need to adjust each radiating unit individually. The overall structure is simple, space-saving, and lower in cost, while also enabling quick and accurate adjustment of the antenna's downtilt angle.

[0071] The above embodiments only illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, such as combining different features in the various embodiments, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adjustable dielectric lens antenna device, characterized in that, It includes a first reflector, an adjustment assembly fixed to the back of the first reflector, a lens assembly fixed to the front of the first reflector, a second reflector that moves under the drive of the adjustment assembly, and a radiation unit fixed to the second reflector and located below the lens assembly and above the front of the first reflector. The lens assembly includes a lens bracket fixed to the front of the first reflector and a medium lens fixed on the lens bracket and spaced a certain distance from the first reflector. Driven by the second reflector, the radiation unit can move linearly along the tangent of the dielectric lens or in the region between the edge of the dielectric lens and the tangent.

2. The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment assembly includes a transmission screw fixed to the back of the first reflector and arranged along the tangential direction of the medium lens, an adjustment knob connected to the bottom end of the transmission screw, a fixed rod fixed in the gap between the transmission screw and the back of the first reflector and parallel to the transmission screw, a slider threadedly connected to the transmission screw and sleeved on the fixed rod and movable on the transmission screw, two guide rods respectively connected to the two sides of the slider and parallel to the transmission screw, a connecting rod perpendicularly connected to the guide rod and the second reflector and passing through the first reflector, and a support block fixed to the back of the first reflector and sleeved on the guide rod; the two guide rods and the connecting rod can move linearly along the tangential direction of the medium lens under the action of the slider; the first reflector has a guide window penetrating the thickness direction of the first reflector for the connecting rod to pass through.

3. The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment assembly further includes a first limiting member disposed on the back of the first reflector to prohibit or limit the axial movement of the transmission screw; and a second limiting member fixed to the transmission screw to limit the maximum movement distance of the slider relative to the transmission screw.

4. The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The back of the second reflector is connected to the adjustment assembly, the front is connected to the radiation unit, and an L-shaped inner metal edging is fixed to the inner side of the edge, while the outer side of the edge is an outwardly bent outer metal edging.

5. The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The medium lens is a cylindrical medium lens, an elliptical cylindrical medium lens, a spherical medium lens, an ellipsoidal medium lens, or an irregularly shaped medium lens.

6. The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the dielectric lens is greater than the width of the radiating surface of the radiating unit.

7. The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Both the radiating unit and the second reflector are multiple.

8. The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A power divider is fixed to the back of the first reflector, and the power divider is electrically connected to the radiating unit via a coaxial cable.

9. The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission screw is equipped with a scale.

10. The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment assembly also includes a transmission gear assembly fixed between the connecting rod and the second reflector. The transmission gear assembly can rotate under the drive of the two guide rods, so that the radiation unit can move linearly along a set angle in the area between the edge and tangent of the medium lens.

11. A method for adjusting the downtilt angle of a lens antenna, characterized in that, The adjustable dielectric lens antenna device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 includes the following steps: S1. Based on the required target tilt angle, the preset correspondence between the target tilt angle and the moving distance of the radiation unit, and the preset correspondence between the moving distance of the radiation unit and the number of rotations of the transmission screw, rotate the adjustment knob to make the transmission screw rotate the corresponding number of rotations; S2. While the transmission screw rotates, it drives the guide rod to move, and the second reflector, under the action of the guide rod, drives the radiation unit to move linearly along the tangent direction of the dielectric lens or to move linearly in the area between the edge of the dielectric lens and the tangent. S3. Determine whether the desired target tilt angle has been adjusted according to the scale set on the transmission screw or the scale set on the external scale connected to the transmission screw. If so, stop rotating the adjustment knob.

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