Base Station Antenna Baffle Board for Compact Phase Shifter Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing base station antennas face challenges in miniaturization due to the size of the reflector, phase shifter chamber, and drive mechanism, which contribute to increased thickness and volume, limiting their compactness and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The integration of the phase shifter chamber and drive mechanism within the reflector chamber, along with the use of strip wires instead of coaxial cables for the feed network, reduces the overall thickness and size of the antenna by eliminating unnecessary components and simplifying assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the phase shifter chamber and drive mechanism are installed independently on the other side of the reflector, then the radiation device can be installed on one side of the reflector, but the base station antenna array becomes very thick and the overall size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the phase shifter chamber and drive mechanism within the reflector chamber, merging previously separate components into a unified structure. This eliminates the need for independent installation on the other side of the reflector, thereby reducing antenna thickness while maintaining installation convenience through integrated design
2Reliability
If a flat plate slanting with an angle to horizontal direction is used as reflector, then the base station antenna has wider bandwidth and better consistency of radiation pattern, but the base station antenna becomes relatively large in volume
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests the phase shifter chamber and drive mechanism inside the reflector chamber, creating a compact nested structure. This allows the antenna to maintain the beneficial radiation pattern consistency of slanted flat plate reflectors while significantly reducing overall volume by eliminating external component mounting spaces
3Reliability
If the size of reflector is made larger to improve front-to-back ratio performance, then the antenna performance is improved, but the lobe bandwidth becomes narrower and the overall size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves components from a two-dimensional external arrangement to a three-dimensional internal arrangement within the reflector chamber. This dimensional transition allows maintaining adequate reflector area for front-to-back ratio performance while reducing the overall antenna footprint and enabling better bandwidth characteristics
4Reliability
If coaxial cables are used for feed network, then the connection between radiation device and phase shifter can be established, but the antenna size increases and assembly becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the coaxial cables from the antenna structure, replacing them with a more compact feed network solution. This removal of unnecessary components reduces antenna volume and simplifies assembly while maintaining reliable electrical connections between radiation devices and phase shifters
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are a baffle board for a base station antenna and a base station antenna array structure. A main body of the baffle board in the present application is a single-layer or a multi-layer baffle board cavity, at least one phase shifter cavity is provided in each layer of the baffle board cavity, each layer of the baffle board cavity is internally provided with a guide groove and a clamping position respectively, the phase shifter cavity is used for accommodating a phase shifter component, and the guide groove, the clamping position and a hole position are used for fixing a corresponding component of the phase shifter, so that a movable insulating dielectric piece of the phase shifter can move in the guide groove. According to the baffle board in the present application, the phase shifter cavity and the baffle board are designed as an integrated structure, so that the consistency is high, welding is used little, assembly is easy, the assembly time is short, the production efficiency is high, few raw materials are used, and the cost is low.