CN119111017A - Base station antenna having at least one rotatable reflector panel suitable for sharing by multiple cellular network operators - Google Patents
Base station antenna having at least one rotatable reflector panel suitable for sharing by multiple cellular network operators Download PDFInfo
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- CN119111017A CN119111017A CN202280056143.7A CN202280056143A CN119111017A CN 119111017 A CN119111017 A CN 119111017A CN 202280056143 A CN202280056143 A CN 202280056143A CN 119111017 A CN119111017 A CN 119111017A
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- 230000001413 cellular effect Effects 0.000 title claims description 76
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 19
- 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000003491 array Methods 0.000 description 26
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 6
- 230000010267 cellular communication Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000010287 polarization Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000011152 fibreglass Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000002411 adverse Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003989 dielectric material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007769 metal material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005192 partition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920001169 thermoplastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000012815 thermoplastic material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004416 thermosoftening plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
- H01Q1/12—Supports; Mounting means
- H01Q1/22—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles
- H01Q1/24—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set
- H01Q1/241—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM
- H01Q1/246—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM specially adapted for base stations
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q19/00—Combinations of primary active antenna elements and units with secondary devices, e.g. with quasi-optical devices, for giving the antenna a desired directional characteristic
- H01Q19/10—Combinations of primary active antenna elements and units with secondary devices, e.g. with quasi-optical devices, for giving the antenna a desired directional characteristic using reflecting surfaces
- H01Q19/108—Combination of a dipole with a plane reflecting surface
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
- H01Q21/28—Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q3/00—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system
- H01Q3/02—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system using mechanical movement of antenna or antenna system as a whole
- H01Q3/04—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system using mechanical movement of antenna or antenna system as a whole for varying one co-ordinate of the orientation
- H01Q3/06—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system using mechanical movement of antenna or antenna system as a whole for varying one co-ordinate of the orientation over a restricted angle
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q5/00—Arrangements for simultaneous operation of antennas on two or more different wavebands, e.g. dual-band or multi-band arrangements
- H01Q5/40—Imbricated or interleaved structures; Combined or electromagnetically coupled arrangements, e.g. comprising two or more non-connected fed radiating elements
- H01Q5/48—Combinations of two or more dipole type antennas
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
- H01Q1/42—Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
- H01Q21/24—Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction
- H01Q21/26—Turnstile or like antennas comprising arrangements of three or more elongated elements disposed radially and symmetrically in a horizontal plane about a common centre
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
- Aerials With Secondary Devices (AREA)
- Variable-Direction Aerials And Aerial Arrays (AREA)
Abstract
The base station antenna includes a first reflector panel having a first array of radiating elements mounted thereon and a second reflector panel having a second array of radiating elements mounted thereon. A housing including a radome surrounds the first and second reflector panels. The first reflector panel and the second reflector panel are mounted in a vertical stacked arrangement, and the second reflector panel is rotatable relative to the first reflector panel in an azimuth plane such that the first array is configured to produce a first antenna beam providing coverage to the first sector and the second array is configured to produce a second antenna beam providing coverage to the second sector. The second sector may partially overlap the first sector but not fully overlap the first sector.
Description
Cross Reference to Related Applications
The present application claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 63/233,300 filed on day 15 of 8.2021, 35 U.S. C. ≡119, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Technical Field
The present invention relates to cellular communication systems and, more particularly, to a base station antenna including at least one rotatable reflector panel.
Background
Cellular communication systems are well known in the art. In a cellular communication system, a geographical area is divided into a series of areas called "cells" that are served by corresponding base stations. A base station may include baseband equipment, radio equipment, and one or more base station antennas configured to provide two-way radio frequency ("RF") communication with fixed and mobile subscribers ("users") located throughout a cell. In many cases, each base station is divided into "sectors". In one common configuration, the hexagonal-shaped cell is divided into three 120 ° sectors in the azimuth plane. Each sector is served by one or more base station antennas having an azimuth half-power beamwidth (HPBW) of about 65 °. The base station antennas may be mounted on towers or other elevated structures in which a radiation pattern (also referred to herein as an "antenna beam") is produced by the outwardly directed base station antennas. Typically, a base station antenna comprises one or more phased arrays of radiating elements, wherein the radiating elements are arranged in one or more vertically extending columns when the antenna is installed for use. References herein to azimuth planes refer to a horizontal plane bisecting the base station antenna (i.e., a plane parallel to the plane defined by the horizon). Reference will also be made herein to an elevation plane, which is a plane extending along the boresight pointing direction of one of the arrays of radiating elements perpendicular to the azimuth plane.
Disclosure of Invention
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a base station antenna comprising a first reflector panel having a first array of radiating elements mounted thereon, the radiating elements of the first array being arranged in at least one vertically extending column, a second reflector panel having a second array of radiating elements mounted thereon, and a housing comprising a radome, the housing surrounding both the first and second reflector panels. The first and second reflector panels are mounted in a vertical stacked arrangement. The second reflector panel is rotatable in an azimuth plane relative to the first reflector panel such that the first array is configured to produce a first antenna beam providing coverage to a first sector and the second array is configured to produce a second antenna beam providing coverage to a second sector, wherein the second sector partially overlaps the first sector but does not completely overlap the first sector.
In some embodiments, the first antenna beam has a fixed azimuth beam width that provides coverage to the first sector, and the second antenna beam has a fixed azimuth beam width that provides coverage to the second sector.
In some embodiments, the first reflector panel is rotatable about a first axis. In some embodiments, the second reflector panel is rotatable about the first axis. In other embodiments, the second reflector panel is rotatable about a second axis that is non-collinear with the first axis.
In some embodiments, the second reflector panel is configured to rotate at least 30 ° in the azimuth plane relative to the first reflector panel.
In some embodiments, the first sector extends approximately 120 ° in the azimuth plane and the second sector extends approximately 120 ° in the azimuth plane.
In some embodiments, the base station antenna further comprises at least one electric motor configured to rotate the first reflector panel and/or the second reflector panel.
In some embodiments, the first sector is associated with a first cellular network operator and the second sector is associated with a second cellular network operator different from the first cellular network operator.
In some embodiments, the first reflector panel is fixed relative to the housing and the second reflector panel is rotatable relative to the housing.
In some embodiments, the second reflector panel is fixed relative to the housing and the first reflector panel is rotatable relative to the housing.
In some embodiments, both the first reflector panel and the second reflector panel are rotatable relative to the housing.
In some embodiments, the base station antenna further comprises a first rod fixedly attached to the first reflector panel and a second rod fixedly attached to the second reflector panel, wherein the first rod extends within the open interior of the second rod.
In some embodiments, the base station antenna further comprises a first electric motor configured to rotate the first reflector panel, and a second electric motor configured to rotate the second reflector panel.
In some embodiments, the base station antenna further comprises an electric motor and a gear system selectively coupling an output shaft of the electric motor to a first rod connected to the first reflector panel and a second rod connected to the second reflector panel.
In some embodiments, the front portion of the radome has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape.
In some embodiments, wherein the radiating elements of the first array are coupled to a first RF port, the first RF port is coupled to a first radio, and the radiating elements of the second array are coupled to a second RF port, the second RF port is coupled to a second radio.
In some embodiments, the base station antenna further comprises a support structure and a first rod rotatably coupled to the support structure.
In some embodiments, the second array is a multi-column beamforming array configured to generate electronically scanned antenna beams that together provide coverage to the second sector.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a method of operating a base station antenna is provided. The base station antenna has a longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicular to an azimuth plane and includes a first reflector panel having a first array of radiating elements mounted thereon, and a second reflector panel having a second array of radiating elements mounted thereon, wherein the second reflector panel is rotatable relative to the first reflector panel. According to these methods, the second reflector panel is rotated relative to the first reflector panel such that a first viewing axis pointing direction of the first reflector panel points in a different direction in the azimuth plane than a second viewing axis pointing direction of the second reflector panel. A first RF signal is fed to the first array from a first radio operated by a first cellular network operator. A second RF signal is fed to the second array from a second radio operated by a second cellular network operator different from the first cellular network operator.
In some embodiments, the first reflector panel and the second reflector panel are mounted in a vertical stacked arrangement.
In some embodiments, the base station antenna further comprises a housing having a radome, the housing surrounding both the first reflector panel and the second reflector panel.
In some embodiments, the first array generates a first antenna beam in response to the first RF signal, the first antenna beam providing coverage to a first sector extending approximately 120 ° in the azimuth plane, and the second array generates a second antenna beam in response to the second RF signal, the second antenna beam providing coverage to a second sector extending approximately 120 ° in the azimuth plane, wherein the second sector only partially overlaps the first sector in the azimuth plane.
In some embodiments, the first RF signal generates a first antenna beam having a fixed azimuth beam width so as to cover a first sector of a cell of a cellular network operated by the first cellular network operator, and the second RF signal generates a second antenna beam having a fixed azimuth beam width so as to cover a second sector of a cell of a cellular network operated by the second cellular network operator. In some embodiments, the first sector partially overlaps the second sector. In some embodiments, the first sector extends approximately 120 ° in the azimuth plane and the second sector extends approximately 120 ° in the azimuth plane.
In some embodiments, rotating the second reflector panel relative to the first reflector panel includes rotating the second reflector panel relative to the first reflector panel using an electric motor.
In some embodiments, the first reflector panel is fixed relative to a housing of the base station antenna and the second reflector panel is rotatable relative to the housing.
In some embodiments, the base station antenna includes a radome, a front portion of which has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape.
Drawings
Fig. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a cell layout of a first cellular network operated by a first cellular network operator.
Fig. 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating a cell layout of a first cellular network operated by a first cellular network operator, which also illustrates the locations of several base stations operated by a second cellular network operator.
Fig. 2 is a side view of a base station antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a schematic front view of the base station antenna of fig. 2, with various other components of the radome and antenna omitted to simplify the drawing.
Fig. 4A and 4B are schematic top views of the base station antenna of fig. 2, showing the second reflector panel rotated to two different positions in the azimuth plane.
Fig. 5A and 5B are azimuth diagrams of antenna beams produced by the base station antenna of fig. 2 with its reflector panel positioned as shown in fig. 4A and 4B, respectively.
Fig. 6 is a schematic front view of a base station antenna according to a further embodiment of the present invention, wherein various other components of the radome and antenna are omitted to simplify the drawing.
Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic rear views of the base station antenna of fig. 2-3, illustrating an exemplary mechanical structure for rotating the reflector panel.
Fig. 8A and 8B are schematic horizontal cross-sectional views of a base station antenna including radomes of different shapes according to further embodiments of the present invention.
Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating a base station antenna according to some embodiments of the invention.
Detailed Description
While in many cases a single cellular network operator may own/operate a base station, sharing a base station among multiple cellular network operators is often advantageous. For example, the partition and licensing costs associated with establishing a base station may be high, and thus it may be advantageous to split these costs among multiple cellular network operators. Because of these advantages, the base station antenna is typically shared by multiple cellular network operators, with some arrays of radiating elements included in the antenna being used by a first cellular network operator and other arrays being used by a second cellular network operator. Unfortunately, however, two cellular network operators may have different cell layouts in a geographic region. This may preclude sharing resources such as base stations/base station antennas among multiple cellular network operators, as will be discussed with reference to fig. 1A and 1B.
Fig. 1A is a schematic diagram showing a cell layout of a first cellular network 1 operated by a first cellular network operator. As shown in fig. 1A, the first cellular network 1 comprises a plurality of base stations 10 that provide services to a generally hexagonal shaped area 20. In the most commonly deployed arrangement, each base station 10 includes three antennas 12, with each antenna 12 configured to cover a different one of three 120 ° "sectors" 32 in the azimuth plane. This allows each base station 10 to serve a cell 30 that encompasses approximately three hexagonal shaped areas 20 representing the cell 30 as indicated by the circles in fig. 1A. The area 20 generally has a hexagonal shape as shown in fig. 1A, as such an arrangement generally helps to provide full coverage to a large area while reducing the amount of overlap between adjacent cells 30. As shown in fig. 1A, in the azimuth plane for the array included in each base station antenna 12 of the first base station 10, the boresight pointing direction (indicated by the dashed arrow 14 in fig. 1A) may be approximately midway between two adjacent base stations 10. This may facilitate maximization of coverage while reducing interference.
If all of the base stations of the first cellular network operator and the second cellular network operator are co-located, then one or more of the base station antennas 12 can be easily shared by both cellular network operators. However, this is more common where two cellular network operators have base stations 10 in different locations. This is illustrated in fig. 1B, where several base stations 10' operated by a second cellular network operator have been added to the diagram of fig. 1A (note that hexagonal shaped areas 20 and cells 30 for the second cellular network are not shown in fig. 1B). As can be seen in fig. 1B, if the base station antenna 12 is mounted with a boresight pointing direction in the azimuth plane pointing in the desired direction of the first cellular network operator, the base station antenna 12 'at the base station 10' of the second cellular network will not point in the appropriate boresight pointing direction in the azimuth plane. Thus, when the base stations 10, 10' of two cellular network operators are arranged in the manner shown in fig. 1B, sharing the base station antenna between the two cellular network operators is difficult or impossible.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a base station antenna is provided, comprising at least two reflector panels, wherein at least one of the reflector panels is rotatable about a vertical axis such that the reflector panel rotates in an azimuth plane. The ability to rotate one or more of the reflector panels such that the two reflector panels have different azimuthal boresight pointing directions (where boresight pointing directions of the reflector panels refer to axes extending through the center of the reflector panels at 90 ° angles) may facilitate multiple cellular network operators being able to share a base station antenna even when the cellular networks operated by the two cellular network operators have significantly different cell structures.
For example, a first cellular network operator may need a three sector base station antenna with three base station antennas generating antenna beams with 0 °, 120 ° and 240 ° boresight pointing directions in the azimuth plane, respectively. However, a second cellular network operator desiring to implement a base station at the same location may require the base station antenna to generate antenna beams having boresight pointing directions of 60 °, 180 °, and 300 ° in the azimuth plane. The boresight pointing direction of the antenna beam in the azimuth plane refers to the position where the antenna beam has peak directivity in the azimuth plane.
Due to the different requirements regarding the boresight pointing direction of the antenna beams, these two cellular network operators cannot easily share the base station antennas of the base station antennas 12 shown in fig. 1B, as the reflector panels of conventional base station antennas designed to provide coverage to 120 ° sectors do not have different boresight pointing directions. Furthermore, while beamforming base station antennas that produce antenna beams that can be electronically scanned to point to different directions in the azimuth plane are known in the art, beamforming base station antennas typically produce antenna beams with smaller azimuth HPBW that are not suitable for covering 120 ° sectors. Furthermore, in case the antenna beam has a wide beamwidth in the azimuth plane, e.g. an antenna beam designed to cover a 90 ° or 120 ° sector, such electronic scanning often does not work well and is not a practical solution to the above-mentioned problems.
By providing a base station antenna with at least one rotatable reflector panel, a single base station antenna may be used by a first cellular operator to serve a first sector, wherein the center of the first sector is at a first angle in the azimuth plane with respect to the base station antenna, while a single base station antenna may be used by a second cellular operator to serve a second sector, wherein the center of the second sector is at a second angle different from the first angle in the azimuth plane with respect to the base station antenna. The difference between the first angle and the second angle will typically be less than 60 °, although embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto.
A base station antenna according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a first reflector panel having a first array of radiating elements mounted thereon, the radiating elements of the first array being arranged in at least one vertically extending column, and a second reflector panel having a second array of radiating elements mounted thereon. A housing including a radome surrounds both the first reflector panel and the second reflector panel. The first reflector panel and the second reflector panel are mounted in a vertical stacked arrangement, and the second reflector panel is rotatable relative to the first reflector panel in an azimuth plane such that the first array is configured to produce a first antenna beam providing coverage to the first sector and the second array is configured to produce a second antenna beam providing coverage to the second sector. In some cases, the second sector may partially overlap the first sector, but not fully overlap the first sector. The first antenna beam may have a fixed azimuth beam width that provides coverage to the first sector and the second antenna beam may have a fixed azimuth beam width that provides coverage to the second sector. Multiple arrays of radiating elements may be mounted on each reflector panel.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a method of operating a base station antenna is provided. The base station antenna has a longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicular to an azimuth plane and includes a first reflector panel having a first array of radiating elements mounted thereon, and a second reflector panel having a second array of radiating elements mounted thereon, wherein the second reflector panel is rotatable relative to the first reflector panel. According to a method according to an embodiment of the invention, the second reflector panel is rotated relative to the first reflector panel such that the first viewing axis pointing direction of the first reflector panel points in a different direction in the azimuth plane than the second viewing axis pointing direction of the second reflector panel. The first RF signal is fed from a first radio operated by a first cellular network operator to the first array. A second RF signal is fed to the second array from a second radio operated by a second cellular network operator different from the first cellular network operator. The first and second reflector panels may be arranged in a vertical stack, and a plurality of arrays may be mounted on each reflector panel. The second sector may partially overlap the first sector, but may not completely overlap the first sector.
Base station antennas according to embodiments of the present invention will now be discussed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 2 is a side view of a base station antenna 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the base station antenna 100 includes an outer housing 102. The outer housing 102 may include, for example, a bottom end cap 104, a top end cap 106, and a radome 108. The radome 108 may be, for example, a tubular structure having an open bottom end and a top end. Radome 108 may be formed, for example, from a dielectric material (e.g., fiberglass or thermoplastic) that is substantially transparent to RF radiation in the operating frequency band of antenna 100. The bottom end cap 104 may cover the open bottom end of the radome 108, and the top end cap 106 may cover the open top end of the radome 108. Radome 108 may be mounted to top end cap 104 and/or bottom end cap 106 and/or to a fixed support structure, described below. The base station antenna 100 also includes a plurality of RF connector ports 150 or "RF ports". In an exemplary embodiment, the RF port 150 may be mounted in the bottom end cap 104. The RF port 150 may be connected to an external radio (not shown) via a coaxial cable (not shown).
Fig. 3 is a schematic front view of the base station antenna 100 of fig. 2, with the radome 108 and various other components of the antenna omitted. As shown in fig. 3, the base station antenna 100 further includes a first reflector panel 110-1 and a second reflector panel 110-2 mounted inside the housing 102. The first reflector panel 110-1 and the second reflector panel 110-2 are mounted in a vertically stacked arrangement. One or more linear arrays of radiating elements may be mounted on each reflector panel 110. In the depicted embodiment, two linear arrays 120-1, 120-2 of low band radiating elements 122 and two linear arrays 130-1, 130-2 of mid band radiating elements 132 are mounted on the first reflector panel 110-1, while one additional linear array 120-3 of low band radiating elements 122 and two additional linear arrays 130-3, 130-4 of mid band radiating elements 132 are mounted on the second reflector panel 110-2. The linear array 120 may be referred to herein as a low-band linear array, and the linear array 130 may be referred to as a mid-band linear array. Each linear array 120, 130 may include a vertically extending column of radiating elements (i.e., the radiating elements in each linear array 120, 130 extend in a substantially vertical direction when the base station antenna 100 is installed for normal use).
The low band radiating element 122 may be configured to operate in some or all of the 617-960MHz frequency bands, for example, and the mid band radiating element 132 may be configured to operate in some or all of the 1427-2690MHz frequency bands, for example. However, it should be appreciated that embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. It will also be appreciated that the array configuration shown in fig. 3 is exemplary in nature, and in other embodiments, different types of arrays (including planar multi-column arrays), different combinations of arrays, different array layouts on the reflector panel, and/or different numbers of radiating elements per array may be provided. In the depicted embodiment, each of the low band radiating element 122 and the mid band radiating element 132 is implemented as a tilted-45 °/+45° cross-dipole radiating element that includes a first dipole radiator configured to transmit and receive RF signals having a-45 ° polarization and a second dipole radiator configured to transmit and receive RF signals having a +45° polarization, wherein each dipole radiator includes a pair of dipole arms, and the four dipole arms are arranged in an X-shaped configuration when viewed from the front. In the figures, the radiating elements 122, 132 will be denoted by uppercase X in accordance with a cross dipole radiating element embodiment. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments different types of radiating elements may be used, such as patch radiating elements.
As described above, the base station antenna 100 includes a plurality of RF ports 150. In the depicted embodiment, the base station antenna 100 includes a total of fourteen RF ports 150 (not all visible in fig. 2), with two RF ports 150 connected to each of the seven linear arrays 120, 130 included in the antenna 100. The first RF port 150 connected to each linear array 120, 130 is connected to a-45 ° dipole radiator of the radiating element 122, 132 in the linear array 120, 130, and the second RF port 150 connected to each linear array 120, 130 is connected to a +45° dipole radiator of the radiating element 122, 132 in the linear array 120, 130. A pair of RF ports 150 connected to each linear array 120, 130 may be connected to a respective radio (not shown) typically mounted external to the antenna 100. The first cellular network operator operates radios connected to the linear arrays 120-1, 120-2, 130-1, 130-2 mounted on the first reflector panel 110-1, and the second cellular network operator operates radios connected to the linear arrays 120-3, 130-4 mounted on the second reflector panel 110-2.
The base station antenna 100 may also include a number of conventional components not depicted in fig. 2-3, such as phase shifters, remote electronic tilt ("RET") actuators, mechanical linkages, and various wiring connections.
At least one of the reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 may be independently rotatable about the axis 112 such that the reflector panel 110 rotates in the azimuth plane. Axis 112 may comprise a vertical axis. In some embodiments, the two reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 may be independently rotatable. In such embodiments, it may be preferable (but not required) to rotate the two reflector panels 110 about the same axis 112, as this may help minimize the size of the radome 108. In embodiments where only one reflector panel 110 may be rotated (e.g., the second reflector panel 110-2), the antenna 100 may be mounted such that the boresight pointing direction of the fixed (non-rotatable) reflector panel 110-1 points in a desired direction in the azimuth plane of one of the cellular network operators, and the second reflector panel 110-2 may be rotated to point in a desired direction in the azimuth plane of the other of the cellular network operators.
While configuring only one of the two reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 to be rotatable in the azimuth plane may reduce the cost and complexity of the base station antenna 100, it may also be advantageous to have both reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 with the ability to rotate in the azimuth plane. If both reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 are rotatable, the installer that originally installed the antenna 100 does not need to precisely align the antenna 100 to point in the desired direction in the azimuth plane. Instead, each reflector panel 110-1, 110-2 may be rotated such that its boresight pointing direction is pointing in the desired direction in the azimuth plane after the antenna 100 has been installed.
Fig. 4A and 4B are schematic top views of the base station antenna 100 showing the second reflector panel 110-2 rotated to two different positions in the azimuth plane. In fig. 4A and 4B, only the radome 108, reflector panel 110, linear arrays 120, 130, fixed support structure 160, and rotating member 170 are shown to simplify the drawing. As shown in fig. 4A, initially, both reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 may be oriented such that their boresight pointing directions are in the same direction in the azimuth plane. This arrangement may be appropriate when the base station antenna 100 is used by a single cellular network operator or by two different cellular network operators but at locations where the surrounding base stations of both cellular network operators are co-located. As shown in fig. 4B, if the base station antenna 100 is to be shared by two cellular network operators at locations where the surrounding base stations of the two cellular network operators are in different locations, the second reflector panel 110-2 is rotated relative to the first reflector panel 110-1 such that the first reflector panel 110-1 is pointed in the appropriate direction to provide coverage of the sectors of the cells of the first cellular network and the second reflector panel 110-2 is pointed in the appropriate direction to provide coverage of the sectors of the cells of the second cellular network. While the second reflector panel 110-2 is depicted as being rotated about-30 ° in the azimuth plane relative to the first reflector panel 110-1, it should be appreciated that the second reflector panel 110-2 may be rotated any angle in the azimuth plane relative to the first reflector panel 110-1. Typically, the boresight pointing direction of the first reflector panel 110-1 in the azimuth plane will be offset less than +/-60 ° from the boresight pointing direction of the second reflector panel 110-2 in the azimuth plane.
As described above, the base station antenna 100 also includes a fixed support structure 160. The fixed support structure 160 may be configured to remain stationary relative to a structure on which the base station antenna 100 is mounted (e.g., an antenna mount on an antenna tower). The fixed support structure 160 may include a panel, bracket, or any other support element, and the particular configuration of the fixed support structure 160 is not critical. Thus, the fixed support structure 160 is schematically illustrated in fig. 4A-4B. In some embodiments, the fixed support structure 160 may include the bottom end cap 104 and/or the top end cap 106.
One or both of the reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 may be rotatably mounted to a fixed support structure 160. For example, in some embodiments, the reflector panel 110-1 may be rotatably mounted to the fixed support structure 160, while the reflector panel 110-2 is fixedly mounted to the fixed support structure 160. In other embodiments, the reflector panel 110-2 may be rotatably mounted to the fixed support structure 160, while the reflector panel 110-1 is fixedly mounted to the fixed support structure 160. In still other embodiments, two reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 may be rotatably mounted to a fixed support structure 160.
In some embodiments, rotatable ones of the reflector panels 110 may be mounted such that a center of the reflector panel 110 is fixedly connected to the rotating member 170. The rotating member 170 may be rotatably mounted to the fixed support structure 160, for example. The rotating member 170 may be rotated manually or by an electric actuator. Rotation of the rotation member 170 rotates the attached reflector panel 110 about its rotation axis 112. It should be noted that in an exemplary embodiment, the rotating member 170 may be fixed to the rear of the reflector panel 110 or the front of the reflector panel 110.
While in the above embodiments the rotating member 170 is attached to the center of the reflector panel 110, it should be appreciated that embodiments of the invention are not so limited, and that the rotating member 170 may be attached to any suitable location on the reflector panel 110. For example, in other embodiments, the rotating member 170 may be attached at or near a side edge of the reflector panel 110.
The rotating member 170 may comprise, for example, a cylindrical rod, although any suitable rotating member 170 may be used. In some embodiments, the rotating member 170 may be formed of a non-metallic material, such as fiberglass or a thermoplastic material, to reduce the risk of passive intermodulation ("PIM") distortion.
In some embodiments, the base station antenna 100 may include an electric motor 180, such as a direct current ("DC") electric motor, for rotating the reflector panel 110. If only one reflector panel 110 is rotatable, a single electric motor 180 may be provided. If both reflector panels 112 are rotatable, a pair of electric motors may be provided. Alternatively, a single electric motor 180 may be provided, and the gear mechanism may allow the motor 180 to selectively rotate one of the two reflector panels 110-1, 110-2.
In some embodiments, one or more electric motors 180 may be mounted external to the radome 108. This may be advantageous because it may reduce the risk of PIM distortion of the metal parts of the motor 180, which may adversely affect the RF performance of the base station antenna 100, and may also reduce the risk of electromagnetic compatibility issues in motor control. However, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the electric motor 180 may be mounted inside the radome 108.
Fig. 5A and 5B are azimuth diagrams of the antenna beam produced by the antenna of fig. 2 with its reflector panel positioned as shown in fig. 4A and 4B, respectively. As shown in fig. 5A, when the boresight directions of the first and second reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 in the azimuth plane are the same, each low-band linear array 120 may produce a pair of antenna beams 124 (one for each polarization) having an HPBW of about 65 ° in the azimuth plane at the center frequency of the low-band operating frequency range. For the antenna beams 124 produced by all three low-band linear arrays 120-1, 120-2, 120-3, the "pointing direction" of each low-band antenna beam 124 in the azimuth plane may be the same, and thus only a single low-band antenna beam 124 is shown in fig. 5A. Similarly, each mid-band linear array 130 may produce a pair of antenna beams 134 having an HPBW of about 65 ° in the azimuth plane at the center frequency of the mid-band operating frequency range. For the antenna beams 134 produced by all four mid-band linear arrays 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, the pointing direction of each mid-band antenna beam 134 in the azimuth plane may be the same, and thus only a single mid-band antenna beam 134 is shown in fig. 5A. As shown in fig. 5A, both the low band antenna beam 124 and the mid band antenna beam 134 are configured to provide good coverage to a 120 ° sector in the azimuth plane, while preferably not spilling a large amount of energy into two adjacent 120 ° sectors. The low band antenna beam 124 and the mid band antenna beam 134 may have slightly different shapes due to the design differences of the low band radiating element 122 and the mid band radiating element 132. As shown, in many cases, the azimuth beamwidth of the low-band antenna beam 124 may be slightly greater than the azimuth beamwidth of the mid-band antenna beam 134. It should be appreciated that the antenna beams 124, 134 are schematically shown in fig. 5A-5B, and thus, the side lobes are not shown.
Referring to fig. 5B, when the visual axis pointing directions of the first and second reflector panels 110-1 and 110-2 in the azimuth plane are offset by 30 °, then the antenna beam 124 generated by the third low-band linear array 120-3 will be rotated by 30 ° in the azimuth plane with respect to the antenna beam 124 generated by the first and second low-band linear arrays 120-1 and 120-2. Similarly, the antenna beam 134 generated by the third and fourth mid-band linear arrays 130-3 and 130-4 will be rotated 30 ° in the azimuth plane relative to the antenna beam 134 generated by the first and second mid-band linear arrays 130-1 and 130-2. The antenna beams 124, 134 may each have a fixed azimuth beamwidth designed to provide coverage in an entire sector of a cell of the cellular network.
Thus, by rotating at least one of the first reflector panel 110-1 and the second reflector panel 110-2 such that the two reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 have different boresight pointing directions in the azimuth plane, the arrays 120, 130 mounted on the first reflector panel 110-1 are configured to produce a first antenna beam 124, 134 that provides coverage to a first sector of a cell of a base station operated by a first cellular network operator, and the arrays 120, 130 mounted on the second reflector panel 110-2 are configured to produce a second antenna beam 124, 134 that provides coverage to a second sector of a cell of a base station operated by a second cellular network operator. The first sector and the second sector have different azimuthal boresight pointing directions than the base station antenna 100. In some cases, the first and second sectors may partially (but not completely) overlap, meaning that a portion of the first sector is also a portion of the second sector. In some embodiments, the first and second sectors may each extend approximately 120 ° in the azimuth plane. In other embodiments, the first and second sectors may each extend approximately 90 ° in the azimuth plane.
Fig. 6 is a schematic front view of a base station antenna 200 according to a further embodiment of the invention, wherein the radome and various other components of the antenna are omitted. As can be seen by comparing fig. 3 and 6, the base station antenna 200 is very similar to the base station 100, the only difference being that the two mid-band linear arrays 130-1, 130-2 mounted on the first reflector panel 110-1 of the antenna 100 are omitted and replaced in the antenna 200 by a four-column array 140 of high-band radiating elements 142. The base station antenna 200 also includes four additional RF ports 150 such that each column of radiating elements on each of the reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 is fed by two RF ports 150. In an example embodiment, the high-band radiating element 142 may be configured to operate at some or all of the 3300-4200MHz frequency bands. In other embodiments, the four-column array 140 of high-band radiating elements 142 may be replaced with the four-column array 130 of mid-band radiating elements 132.
The four column array 140 (or 130) may include a beamforming array 140 fed by eight of the RF ports 150. The eight RF ports 150 connected to the beamforming array 140 may be connected to eight ports (not shown) on the beamforming radio. The beamforming radio may adjust the magnitude and phase of the sub-components of the RF signals delivered to each column in the array 140 such that the antenna beams produced by each column constructively combine to form a composite high-band antenna beam 144 having a narrower beamwidth in the azimuth plane, and the antenna beam 144 may also be electronically scanned in the azimuth plane. The beamforming radio may be a time division duplex radio that may produce differently shaped antenna beams 144 on a time slot by time slot basis. While the resulting high-band antenna beam 144 does not cover the entire sector served by the arrays 120-1, 120-2, 140 on the first reflector panel 110-1, the beamforming radio may electronically scan the resulting high-band antenna beam 144 to provide coverage anywhere within the sector.
Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic rear views illustrating an exemplary mechanical structure for providing one or more rotatable reflector panels in a base station antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. In each case, the mechanical structure is shown as being implemented in the base station 100 (with the radome 108 removed) of fig. 2-3 described above, and thus further description of the portions of the base station antenna 100 other than the mechanical structure for rotating the reflector panel will be omitted.
As shown in fig. 7A, one potential mechanical structure 300 for rotating a reflector panel includes a first rod 310 disposed within a second hollow rod 320. The rods 310, 320 may have any suitable horizontal cross-section, such as a circular, square, or rectangular horizontal cross-section. The first rod 310 is fixedly attached to the rear surface of the first reflector panel 110-1 and the second rod 320 is fixedly attached to the rear surface of the second reflector panel 110-2. Although not shown in fig. 7A, the first rod 310 and the second rod 320 may each be rotatably coupled to the support structure 160. The radiating elements 122, 132 are shown in fig. 7A using dashed lines because they are on opposite sides of the reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 and are therefore not visible in the view of fig. 7A. The first electric motor 330-1 is provided and the drive shaft 332-1 of the first electric motor 330-1 is attached to the first rod 310 such that rotation of the drive shaft 332-1 causes rotation of the first rod 310. Thus, the first electric motor 330-1 may be activated to directly rotate the first rod 310, which in turn rotates the first reflector panel 110-1 in the azimuth plane.
A second electric motor 330-2 is provided and a drive shaft 332-2 of the second electric motor 330-2 is attached to the second rod 320 via a mechanical linkage 334. The mechanical linkage 334 may include gears, shafts, and other components that transfer the rotational motion of the drive shaft 332-2 of the second electric motor 330-2 into the rotational motion of the second lever 320. Accordingly, the second electric motor 330-1 may be activated to rotate its drive shaft 332-2, which in turn rotates the second rod 320 via the mechanical linkage 334, thereby causing the second reflector panel 110-2 to rotate in the azimuth plane.
While two electric motors 180 are shown in fig. 7A, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, a single electric motor 180 may be provided, and a gear system may also be provided that selectively connects the drive shaft of the electric motor 180 to one of the first rod 310 or the second rod 320 in order to rotate the corresponding one of the first and second reflector panels 110-1 and 110-2.
As shown in fig. 7B, another potential mechanical structure 400 for rotating the reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 includes a first lever 410 and a second lever 420. The first rod 410 is fixedly attached to the rear surface of the first reflector panel 110-1, and the second rod 420 is fixedly attached to the rear surface of the second reflector panel 110-2. The radiating elements 122, 132 are shown in fig. 7B using dashed lines because they are on opposite sides of the reflector panels 110-1, 110-2 and are therefore not visible in fig. 7B. A first electric motor 430-1 is provided and a drive shaft 432-1 of the first electric motor 430-1 is attached to the first rod 410 such that rotation of the drive shaft 432-1 causes rotation of the first rod 410. Thus, the first electric motor 430-1 can be activated to directly rotate the first lever 410, which in turn rotates the first reflector panel 110-1 in the azimuth plane. In this embodiment, the first motor 430-1 is mounted above the first reflector panel 110-1.
A second electric motor 430-2 is provided and a drive shaft 432-2 of the second electric motor 430-2 is attached to the second rod 420 such that rotation of the drive shaft 432-2 causes rotation of the second rod 420. Thus, the second electric motor 430-2 can be activated to directly rotate the second lever 420, which in turn rotates the second reflector panel 110-2 in the azimuth plane. The second motor 430-2 is mounted under the second reflector panel 110-2.
While the base station antenna 100 includes a cylindrical radome 108 (or at least the front portion of the radome has a semi-cylindrical shape), it should be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention are not so limited. For example, fig. 8A and 8B are schematic horizontal cross-sectional views of a base station antenna including radomes of different shapes, according to further embodiments of the present invention.
As shown in fig. 8A, in some embodiments, the radome 108A of a base station antenna according to embodiments of the present invention may have a substantially oval horizontal cross section. This may advantageously reduce the size of the antenna in the front-to-back or "depth" direction. Because the rotatable reflector panel may be designed to rotate no more than +/-60 ° in some embodiments, the radome 108A may be used to reduce the overall volume of the base station antenna. As shown in fig. 8B, in other embodiments, a radome 108B may be provided having a generally oval horizontal cross-section other than along the rear of the radome, which may have a different shape, such as a flat rear wall. The use of radome 108B may further reduce the bulk of the base station antenna. Radomes having various other shapes may be used.
While the base station according to the embodiments of the invention discussed above includes a total of two vertically stacked reflector panels, it should be appreciated that embodiments of the invention are not so limited. In other embodiments, the base station antenna may include three or more vertically stacked reflector panels, wherein at least one of the reflector panels and up to all of the reflector panels are rotatable in the azimuth plane.
Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating a base station antenna according to some embodiments of the invention. The method shown in the flow chart of fig. 9 may be performed using a base station antenna having a longitudinal axis. When the base station antenna is installed for use, the longitudinal axis may extend in a vertical direction and thus may extend substantially perpendicular to the azimuth plane. The base station antenna includes a first reflector panel having a first array of radiating elements mounted thereon and a second reflector panel having a second array of radiating elements mounted thereon. The second reflector panel is rotatable relative to the first reflector panel.
As shown in fig. 9, according to these methods, the second reflector panel is rotated relative to the first reflector panel such that the first viewing axis pointing direction of the first reflector panel points in a different direction in the azimuth plane than the second viewing axis pointing direction of the second reflector panel (block 500). The first RF signal is fed from a first radio operated by a first cellular network operator to a first array (block 510). The second RF signal is fed from a second radio operated by a second cellular network operator different from the first cellular network operator to the second array (block 520).
Embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a similar fashion (i.e., "between" and "relative" directly between "and" between "," adjacent "and" relative "directly adjacent", etc.).
Unless explicitly defined otherwise, references to "substantially" mean within +/-10%. Unless explicitly defined otherwise, references to "about" mean within +/-5%.
Relative terms, such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to describe one element, layer or region's relationship to another element, layer or region as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" and/or "having," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Aspects and elements of all embodiments disclosed above may be combined in any manner and/or with aspects or elements of other embodiments to provide multiple additional embodiments.
Claims (29)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US202163233300P | 2021-08-15 | 2021-08-15 | |
| US63/233,300 | 2021-08-15 | ||
| PCT/US2022/036775 WO2023022813A2 (en) | 2021-08-15 | 2022-07-12 | Base station antennas having at least one rotatable reflector panel that are suitable for sharing by multiple cellular network operators |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN119111017A true CN119111017A (en) | 2024-12-10 |
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| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202280056143.7A Pending CN119111017A (en) | 2021-08-15 | 2022-07-12 | Base station antenna having at least one rotatable reflector panel suitable for sharing by multiple cellular network operators |
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| CN (1) | CN119111017A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2023022813A2 (en) |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US9647748B1 (en) * | 2013-01-21 | 2017-05-09 | Rockwell Collins, Inc. | Global broadband antenna system |
| US10749249B2 (en) * | 2016-05-04 | 2020-08-18 | Commscope Technologies Llc | Display panel with integrated small cell and billboard with integrated macro site |
| CN114171934A (en) * | 2017-01-24 | 2022-03-11 | 康普技术有限责任公司 | Base station antenna unit and method for installing base station antenna unit |
| WO2020041467A1 (en) * | 2018-08-24 | 2020-02-27 | Commscope Technologies Llc | Lensed base station antennas having staggered vertical arrays for azimuth beam width stabilization |
| US11233325B2 (en) * | 2020-02-07 | 2022-01-25 | Panasonic Avionics Corporation | Antenna assembly |
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2022
- 2022-07-12 WO PCT/US2022/036775 patent/WO2023022813A2/en active Application Filing
- 2022-07-12 CN CN202280056143.7A patent/CN119111017A/en active Pending
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| WO2023022813A2 (en) | 2023-02-23 |
| WO2023022813A3 (en) | 2024-04-04 |
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