Rotating Dielectric Phase Shifter for Compact Base Station Antennas
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing phase shifters for base station antennas require significant physical space for mechanical sliding, hindering miniaturization efforts due to the need for large sliding spaces, especially in systems with multiple antennas.
Innovation Solution
A dielectric rotating type phase shifter that utilizes rotating dielectric blocks with varying thickness to change the dielectric constant, eliminating the need for sliding space and enabling a compact design by integrating a rotating mechanism within a cavity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical sliding is used to adjust the dielectric constant or path length, then phase shift function is achieved, but sliding space requirement increases device size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical sliding system with a dielectric rotating type system. Instead of sliding dielectric blocks along a linear path, the invention uses rotation of dielectric blocks around a central axis to achieve phase shift. This substitution eliminates the need for large linear sliding space while maintaining the phase adjustment function through changes in dielectric constant exposure to the signal transmission line.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from one-dimensional linear sliding motion to two-dimensional rotational motion. By arranging dielectric blocks radially around a central signal transmission line and rotating them around this axis, the system achieves phase shift control in a compact circular footprint rather than requiring extensive linear space. This dimensional change allows the same phase shift range to be achieved in a much smaller overall device volume.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple antennas are used to meet communication demands, then communication capacity increases, but system miniaturization becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The dielectric rotating type phase shifter serves as a universal component that can be integrated into multiple antenna elements within a compact space. Each antenna element can incorporate this space-efficient phase shifter, allowing multi-antenna systems to achieve high communication capacity while maintaining small overall size. The standardized design enables easy replication across multiple antenna channels without proportionally increasing system volume.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves a continuously adjustable phase shift with reduced size and loss, minimizing passive intermodulation effects and facilitating integration with other components like low-pass filters, thus supporting miniaturization of base station antennas.
Implementation Method 1
change the dielectric constant of part of the signal propagation path to affect the signal propagation speed
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a phase shifter, including a cavity, a dielectric phase shifting unit located in the cavity, and a signal transmission line. The dielectric phase shifting unit is located between the cavity shell and a part of the signal transmission line. The dielectric phase shifting unit includes at least one dielectric block with a circular cross-section, and its thickness is gradually changed with the circle center as the center. It uses the rotation of the dielectric block instead of sliding to change the relative dielectric constant of the air strip line, which saves the current extension space required for the sliding of the dielectric block, and obtains a continuously adjustable small-size phase shifter, thereby enabling the miniaturization of the base station.